Miriam. Where there any fearful sights and great signs seen? 1 Father. There were, as it is testified by Josephus, the Jewish historian, who was a priest in Jerusalem at the time. He says, "At Jerusalem, a star shaped like a sword, hung over the city for a whole year: the eastern gate of the Temple, which was all of solid brass, requiring twenty men to shut it, was seen to open of its own accord, though fastened with strong bolts: before the setting of the sun, there were seen all over the country, chariots, and armies fighting in the clouds. On the night of Pentecost, the priests in the temple heard a noise, and a voice, as of a multitude, crying, "Let us go hence." For more than seven years, a country fellow, without being tired, or growing hoarse, ran about the city, crying, with a doleful voice, "A voice from the four winds."-"Woe to Jerusalem."-"Woe to the city.""Woe to the people."-"Woe to the temple." Nor could the magistrates, by stripes and tortures, restrain him. At last, as he added, "Woe to myself," he was killed by a stone from a sling.* Thomas. It must be regarded as the special work of the providence of God, to raise up *Josephus's History of the Wars of the Jews. Josephus to record these things, in confirmation of our Lord's predictions. Was Jerusalem compassed with armies ? Father. About A. D. 67, Cestius Gallus, the Roman governor of Syria, laid siege to Jerusalem; but without any visible reason, drew off his troops; which gave the Christians an opportunity to retire and escape, as Christ had recommended them.* The next year, Vespasian, a Roman general, besieged and took their principal cities; and afterwards invested Jerusalem, at the feast of the Passover. Henry. Were the temple and city destroyed in that siege ? Father. Vespasian, having been elected emperor of Rome, was called from the siege, but he left his son, Titus, to command the army. Titus, who was a humane general, and for his kind disposition was called, "The love and delight of mankind," laboured, by all means, to persuade the Jews, to an advantageous surrender. He desired to spare the lives of the besieged, but especially to preserve the temple and the city. They, however, scorned and insulted all his proposals. Their obstinacy and cruelty to each other, aggravated the commander, who continued the siege, took the city after six months, and ordered *Josephus's History of the Wars of the Jews. his soldiers to dig up its very foundations. This was so fully done, that the whole city, with the temple, except three towers and a small part of the wall, was turned into heaps of rubbish, which the Romans again dug up, in search of gold and precious furniture. Miriam. It appears unnecessary to enquire, whether the sufferings and distress of the Jews were great, at the taking of Jerusalem. Father. Josephus says, "That all the miseries which all mankind had suffered from the beginning of the world, were not to be compared with those which the Jewish nation did then suffer." The Jews were come up from all the country to the feast of the Passover, when they were on a sudden shut up by an army. Their numbers soon produced a grievous famine, which was attended by a dreadful pestilential disease, by which, and their mutual bloody quarrels, their calamities were principally occasioned. CONVERSATION XI. CHRISTIANITY.-PROPHECY.-MIRACLES. Thomas. Since our last conversation I have been several times reflecting upon the righteous providence of God, in bringing such awful calamities upon the Jews, when Jerusalem was besieged. The number of those who were slain, and of those who were carried into captivity, must have been very great! Father. It has been supposed that there were not much less than three millions of people in Jerusalem, at the fatal Passover. As to the number of those who were slain and carried into captivity, Josephus has reckoned that besides two hundred and fifty seven thousand, six hundred and sixty in the neighbouring cities;-one million, and one hundred thousand, perished at Jerusalem, by famine, pestilence, and the sword. Titus, being enraged at their obstinacy, and their mutual cruelty, crucified multitudes of them, round the walls of the city. Those that were above seventeen years of age were bound and sent, some into Egypt, to labour in the mines, and others were distributed into the provinces, to be destroyed in the theatres, by the sword, or by wild beasts. About ninety-seven thousand, under seventeen, were led captive, and sold as slaves, in the surrounding nations.* Henry. The Jews, I perceive, are scattered into different countries, and I remember our minister observing, "That every Jew we meet ought to be regarded as a confirmation of our faith in our most holy religion." Has Jerusalem never been rebuilt? Father. No; it continues to this day according to the prediction of our Saviour. "Itis especially observable, that Julian the apostate, designing to defeat this prophecy of Christ, resolved on re building the city and temple of Jerusalem, in its old station, with vast expense. He gave it in charge to Alypius of Antioch, and to the governor of the province, to assist him in it; in which work when Alypius was earnestly employed, and the governor of the province was assisting, terrible balls of flame, bursting forth near the foundation, with frequent insults, and burning divers times the workmen, rendered the place inaccessible, and thus the fire obstinately repelling them, the work ceased."+ *See Josephus's History of the War, Book vi. Chap. 9. Dr. Whitby's Preface to Commentary. |