After All Is Ruined in 70 CE

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                  

                        2nd Temple's Destruction in 70 CE

After the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 CE, the region of Judea (Judah) underwent massive political, social, and religious transformations:

• Destruction and Sacking: Roman forces under Titus razed Jerusalem and its walls, slaughtered thousands of inhabitants, and sold an estimated 97,000 Jews into slavery.  It had been a 5 month siege by starving the population according to Josephus, the writer of this history.    Titus was then a Roman Emperor from 79-81 CE.  His father,  Vespa,  had held the army in Judea since 70 CE.  
• Military Occupation: The Roman Empire stationed the Legio X Fretensis in the ruins of Jerusalem to maintain control over the province. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the Roman Legio X Fretensis (Tenth Legion of the Strait) was permanently garrisoned in the ruins of the city to maintain control over the conquered province.  Location: The legion's main camp sat on Jerusalem’s Western Hill (the former Upper City), occupying the southern half of what is now the Old City.   Herod's Palace: The Roman camp was built directly into the surviving ruins of Herod the Great's royal palace, which Titus had ordered demolished.  Aelia Capitolina: When the Romans later rebuilt the city as the pagan colony of Aelia Capitolina, the legion's camp sat at the southern end of the main north-south avenue, the cardo maximus
  
  
  

• End of the Temple Cult: With the Second Temple destroyed, the centralized sacrificial system of Judaism collapsed, shifting Jewish religious life toward study, prayer, and the rise of Rabbinic Judaism centered around synagogues and rabbinic academies (such as the one at Yavneh). It is the ancient and modern city in central Israel where Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai reestablished the Sanhedrin and helped transition Judaism to synagogue- and prayer-based communal life following the destruction of the Second Temple.  Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai (also known as Ribaz) was a 1st-century Jewish sage, a leading Pharisee, and a primary contributor to the Mishnah who saved the core of Rabbinic Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
• Financial Penalties: The Romans replaced the annual Temple tax with the Fiscus Judaicus, a humiliating head tax levied on all Jews throughout the empire to fund the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus in Rome. The Fiscus Judaicus was a special annual tax imposed on Jewish people across the Roman Empire. Origin: Instituted in the early 70s CE by Emperor Vespasian following the First Jewish-Roman War and the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE. Purpose: It replaced the traditional biblical half-shekel tax (two drachmas / two denarii) that Jewish men previously sent to the Temple in Jerusalem. Instead, the funds were redirected to Rome to finance the rebuilding of the pagan Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Jupiter Capitolinus). Scope: Unlike the old Temple tax—which applied only to adult men aged 20 to 50—the Fiscus Judaicus was mandatory for all Jews, including women, children, the elderly, and even Jewish slaves.
  

• Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–135 CE): A second major Jewish rebellion led by Simon bar Kokhba was brutally crushed by Emperor Hadrian. Bar Kokhba held out for 3 years before he was killed, and this 3 year span was an embarrassment to the Romans so they were very angry about it. After all, they had boasted about being the strongest.  He was the nephew of Rabbi Eliazar of Modiin and of David descent meaning he was from the House of David.  In those days they kept a great family tree, needed to serve in the Sanhedrin.  Rabbi Akiva had declared him to be the Moshiach but he was in the minority.  Now, the cause of the revolt is not known but thought to be the rebuilding of Jerusalem to be a Roman Colony or the law against circumcision that people had been discussing for a long time till this point in time.  Akiva was Ben Joseph Akiva (50-135 CE) known to have studied our history at the age of 40 on and his family supported him in this endeavor.  
•              Renaming With False Advertising About Jews 
• Renaming of the Region: After the 135 CE revolt, Rome barred Jews from entering Jerusalem, leveled the city, and rebuilt it as a pagan Roman colony named Aelia Capitolina, while renaming the broader province from Judea to Syria Palaestina to erase its Jewish identity.
• The Diaspora: Large numbers of Judean Jews were displaced, executed, or enslaved, accelerating the growth of the Jewish Diaspora across the Roman Empire and Mesopotamia, while a core rural Jewish population remained anchored in Galilee and parts of the southern region. Religious Persecution: Hadrian enacted harsh decrees intended to stamp out Judaism entirely, banning the Torah, Sabbath observance, circumcision, and public Torah study, and executing leading rabbinic sages (such as Rabbi Akiva).Shift of Jewish Center: With Judea devastated, the primary centers of Jewish life and scholarship shifted north to the Galilee and later to Babylonia.  

• Rise of Rabbinic Judaism: Deprived of the Temple and national sovereignty, Jewish religious life transformed permanently into Rabbinic Judaism, focusing heavily on prayer, study, home observance, and the codification of oral law (culminating later in the Mishnah). The revolt and its aftermath accelerated the final separation between early Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism as distinct religious movements.
  
• Byzantine Period (Eastern Roman Empire): The Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) lasted from 330 CE to 1453 CE. After the split of the Roman Empire, Judea (then part of the administrative divisions known as Palaestina) remained under Byzantine/Eastern Roman rule. During the Byzantine period (4th to 7th centuries CE), Judea and the broader southern Levant transformed into a heavily Christianized region governed from Constantinople, leading to the decline of the local Jewish majority and the rise of extensive Christian monasticism.  Decline of the Jewish Population: Persistent legal pressure, forced conversions, and revolts reduced the Jewish majority in Judea down to a small minority by the 7th century. The center of world Jewish scholarship and leadership shifted from Judea to Babylonia, where the Babylonian Talmud was finalized.                                
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• Brief Sassanid Persian Rule: The Persian Sassanid Empire briefly invaded and captured Jerusalem from 614 to 628 CE (14 years)  before Byzantine control was restored by Emperor Heraclius. During the brief Sassanid Persian rule (specifically the capture of Jerusalem in 614 CE during the Byzantine–Sasanian War), Jewish forces from the Galilee and Judaea allied with the Sassanid army to overthrow Byzantine Christian control.   Tired of severe religious persecution, heavy taxation, and bans under Byzantine rule (Emperor Heraclius), thousands of Jewish rebels (estimated between 20,000 and 26,000) from Tiberias, Nazareth, and the Galilee joined Sassanid general Shahrbaraz. Conquest of Jerusalem: The joint Sassanid-Jewish forces captured Jerusalem in May 614 CE. Brief Jewish Autonomy: Following the victory, Nehemiah ben Hushiel was appointed as the Jewish governor of Jerusalem, and ritual sacrifices and efforts toward re-establishing a form of self-rule or temple administration began.  
  
                       Map of the Islamic Conquests in the 7th to 9th centuries
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              The Rashidun Caliphate at its greatest extent under Uthman, c. 655
• The Rashidun Caliphate: In 636 CE, only 8 years after the Sassanid Empire held Judah, Arab Muslim armies decisively defeated Byzantine forces at the Battle of Yarmouk (636 CE) against the Byzantine Empire and the fall of the Sasanian capital and captured Jerusalem in 637–638 CE, bringing centuries of Roman and Byzantine rule to an end.  The Rashidun Caliphate (632–661 CE) lasting for 29 years,  was the first Islamic state led by the four "Rightly Guided" (Rashidun) caliphs who succeeded the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.  
• Treasury & Taxes: Maintained a state treasury (Bayt al-Mal) and structured land and wealth taxes, including Zakat, Jizya (poll tax on non-Muslim subjects), Kharaj, and Fay.  Garrison Cities: Built central military and administrative hubs like Kufa, Basra, and Fustat to manage troops and local populations. The caliphate grew rapidly to cover over 2 million square miles, spanning the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Egypt, North Africa, the entire Sasanian Empire (Persia), and parts of Armenia and Anatolia., ending in 661 CE. 
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• In 661 CE, the geographic region of Judah (then known historically as part of Palestine or Jund Filastin) transitioned to the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate.Founder & Capital: Founded in 661 CE by Mu'awiya I after the First Muslim Civil War (First Fitna), shifting the capital from Medina to Damascus (Syria), which served as their primary power base.  Territorial Expansion: It grew into one of the largest empires in history, stretching across three continents—from the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa through the Middle East up to Central Asia and the Indus River in India. Their northern advance into Europe was stopped at the Battle of Tours in 732 CE.  Major Architecture: They constructed iconic monuments including the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Great Mosque of Damascus, and the Great Mosque of Córdoba.  Fall: Exhausted by ongoing tribal rivalries, financial strain, and civil wars (such as the Third Fitna), the dynasty was overthrown in 750 CE during the Abbasid Revolution at the Battle of the Great Zab River.
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• This covers 680 years past 70 CE and we leave the Judeans under the thumb of the Abbasid Caliphate.  The Abbasid Caliphate was the third major Islamic caliphate, ruled by the Abbasid dynasty from 750 CE to 1258 CE.  a total o 508 years, but The historical region of Judah (part of Palestine/the Holy Land) was under Abbasid-affiliated rule for a total of 192 years, split across two main time periods.  

When Jerusalem Fell In 70 CE

      General  Pompey  After a 3 month-long siege of Jerusalem- the artist had no idea of what people would look like after such an ordeal.  This on box of  French chocolates.  
 Nadene Goldfoot

                 Key Milestones of the Decline and Fall of Jerusalem

• Roman Intervention (63 BCE): The Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem after a 3 month long siege  during a Hasmonean civil war, ending Jewish political independence and turning Judea into a Roman client state.   Parthian Invasion (40 BCE): The Parthians invaded and placed the Hasmonean prince Antigonus II on the throne.  Herod's Conquest (37 BCE): Backed by the Roman Senate and Roman legions, Herod the Great retook Jerusalem, executed Antigonus, and established the Herodian dynasty.  
  
           Herod the Great (73 BCE-4 BCE) king of Judea, son of  Antipater the Idumean by his Nasabatean wife, Cypros.  , associated by Christian reference  with the Massacre of the Innocents. [The Massacre of the Innocents is a biblical story from the Gospel of Matthew (2:16–18) in which King Herod the Great orders the execution of all male children aged two and under in Bethlehem]  This is a copy of the story of Moses who was born in 1391 BCE, over a thousand years after he was born. This was the cause of much anti-Semitism then and now.    He had the Temple in Jerusalem rebuilt and erected new cities of Sebaste and Caesarea.  
• So, the Hasmonean dynasty ended in 37 BCE, when Herod the Great captured Jerusalem and had Matatiah executed;   the last Hasmonean ruler, Antigonus II Matatiah. Antigonus II Mattathias was executed by the Roman general Mark Antony in 37 BCE at Antioch, after being captured during the siege of Jerusalem and handed over at the instigation of Herod the Great.  
• Herod the Great's  victory ended the rule of the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty.   Herod ruled as a Roman client king until his death in 4 BCE, during which he launched major construction projects like the expansion of the Second Temple and the fortress of Masada.
• After King Herod the Great died in 4 BCE, his kingdom was split among his sons and sister by Roman Emperor Augustus into the Herodian Tetrarchy: 

  

  Herod Archelaus: Ruled Judea, Samaria, and Idumaea as ethnarch (not independent ) (4 BCE–6 CE) until Roman authorities banished him for cruelty, turning Judea into a direct Roman province.

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  Herod Antipas: Ruled Galilee and Peraea as tetrarch (ruler of a 4th part) (4 BCE–39 CE).

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  Philip the Tetrarch: Ruled the northeastern territories (Gaulanitis, Trachonitis, Batanea, etc.) as tetrarch (4 BCE–34 CE).
• None of the sons inherited the title of full king (basileus)
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  Salome I: Received the coastal region around Ashdod.
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Salome I was the sister of Herod the Great and the mother of Berenice by her husband Costobarus, governor of Idumea. She was a nominal queen regnant of the toparchy of Iamnia, Azotus, Phasaelis from 4 BCE.  She was the cause of her sister-in-law, Mariamne to be executed on charges of adultery, and caused Herod to go against her nephews.  Herod thought she, his sister, was the only loyal family member,  so  left her the town of Jabneh. in his will.    She died in 10 CE.  

After Herod Archelaus was deposed in 6 CE for cruel and incompetent rule, Judea came under direct Roman rule as a Roman province. Herod Archelaus and Herod Antipas were brothers and sons of Herod the Great, who divided his kingdom among them after his death in 4 BCE. He  ruled as ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea (4 BC–AD 6).

• The Deposition: Emperor Augustus banished Archelaus (who ruled Judea, Samaria, and Idumea as ethnarch) to Gaul after Jewish and Samaritan delegations complained about his tyranny. He was known for extreme cruelty and tyranny. He brutally suppressed early protests, killing 3,000 people in the temple
• Roman Administration: Emperor Augustus placed Judea under direct Roman administration, appointing a prefect (such as Quirinius, who oversaw the census) to govern the region. 
• Later Exceptions: The territory briefly returned to Herodian rule under King Herod Agrippa I from 41 to 44 CE, before reverting permanently to Roman provincial status. 
•                                 Roman Rule of Judah
• In 44 CE, following the sudden death of King Herod Agrippa I, Judah (then known as the Roman province of Judaea) reverted back to direct Roman rule.
  This transition marked a critical turning point that altered the region's geography and governance, ultimately setting off a chain reaction toward total collapse:
  

  • Territorial Expansion: When direct Roman rule was restored, the borders of the Judaea Province were officially expanded. In addition to Judea, Samaria, and Idumaea, the province was enlarged to encompass Galilee and Peraea.
  • Transition to Procurators: Governance was stripped away from the local Jewish royalty and handed over to a succession of Roman governors (procurators), starting with Cuspius Fadus. 
  • Escalating Tensions: The new Roman administrators severely mismanaged the region. Corrupt leadership, heavy taxation via local tax collectors, and a blatant disregard for Jewish religious customs fueled widespread resentment. 
  •                   First Jewish-Roman War
  • The Path to War: This administrative corruption triggered the rise of radical anti-Roman rebel groups. The boiling socio-political unrest directly culminated in the First Jewish–Roman War in 66 CE. [
  • Destruction of Jerusalem: The conflict ended in tragedy for the region.
    
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  •  In 70 CE, Roman forces under Titus besieged and captured Jerusalem, resulting in the destruction of the Second Temple and the mass displacement of the Jewish population     
    
      Relief of Arch of Titus in Jerusalem showing captives carrying Temple vessels, shewbread table, 7 branched candlesticks and the trumpet;  the Jordan;  and the sacrificial procession  from Temple for Romans; erected by the Senate in honor of Vespasian and Titus. They show the goddess of victory crowning Titus. 
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  • Resource:
  • The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
  • Wikipedia
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