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| Destruction of the Temple |
After the martyrdom of St. Peter, the leadership of the Catholic Church was left to Linus who was ordained by Peter a few years earlier. Not much is known of Linus other than he was a former slave, St. Paul loved him, Peter trusted him and he was with St. Paul in his last hours.
St. Mark returned to Alexandia in Egypt after Peter's death. He ministered as best he could to the Christians there. A strong tradition in Egypt holds that in the year 68 AD, Easter Sunday fell on the same feast day of the pagan god Serapis. St. Mark was seized by Serapis worshipers and dragged through the streets until he was dead.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem Christians were being rounded up beginning in 64 AD. St. James the Just was no longer there to help. He was martyred two years before. Like the situation of St. Stephan, the Roman proconsul had suddenly died in 62 AD. The Jews took advantage of the power vacuum-- arresting and killing.
This persecution produced the inspiration for the Letter to the Hebrews, to strengthen the leaderless Church of Jerusalem. Probably dictated by St. Paul in Hebrew or Arimaic and later translated into Greek by St. Luke.
This has been a controversy for a long time but early Church historian Eusebius states that "some have rejected the Epistle to the Hebrews, saying that it is disputed by the church of Rome, on the ground that it was not written by Paul." In response, he endorses the view of Clement of Alexandria: that the epistle was written by Paul in Hebrew (unsigned through modesty), and translated into Greek by Luke, similar in style with Luke's Acts. [Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 6.14.2–3 (text), citing Clement's Hypotyposes,]
Fall of Jerusalem
Shortly after the Nero persecution broke the replacements of Fesus, the former prefect of Judea, were two succeeding evil men: Albinus and Florus. Both were greedy, brutal, and stupid.
Nero's brutal rule of the empire led to revolts all over the Empire. One of the most fierce was in Israel, by the so-called "Zealots" or the 'Daggermen." This would be the beginning of the end of the Jewish nation of Israel.
Rome had lost her patients with Israel and was going to destroy it once and for all.
The Zealots had two armies that they had raised. One led by John of Gischala and the other by the priest Eleazar. They entered Jerusalem in 68 AD.
They slaughtered any man suspected of Roman loyalties. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells that there was a lake of blood around the Temple--more than 8,000 were killed.
General Titus Vespasian , a patient man, marched on Israel taking his time taking two years to reach Jerusalem. He conquered Perea then Lydda, and Jamnia then Jericho.
In June of 68 Nero died, terrified, as the empire fell into chaos. Nero's replacement Galba died in 69; then the next Emperor, Otho , “committed suicide” in March, the next, Vitellius, was hopelessly self-indulgent, like Nero. He soon fell and Titus Vespasian was proclaimed Emperor by the armies. The so-called "Year of the Four Emperors."
In Israel, at the news of Nero's death, Vespasian, halted his campaign to Jerusalem and when he heard his proclamation by the armies as emperor he left for Egypt. He was not going to take the chance of being assassinated on the battlefield, nor walk into Rome without a plan. He left his son, also named Titus, a capable though an inexperienced general, in charge of the Jerusalem campaign.
Hearing of the chaos in Rome, His father stayed in Alexandria, Egypt, to await the outcome of his elevation to Emperor.
In Jerusalem, the two Zealot armies took control of Jerusalem and the Temple mount. But blood lust took them over. Going from murder to rape. Jews who could not take the mayhem anymore opened the city gates to another Jewish army led by Simon Bar Giora, hoping to restore peace.
Battles ensued and then there was a schism between the Zealot armies of John and the priest Eleazar. A three way war erupted. John controlling the temple and the priest Eleazar controlling the sanctuary. Madness reigned.
The Roman armies arrived in 70 AD and allowed pilgrims, for the passover, to go to the city. Why the pilgrims would want to go into a city under siege and in a revolt is a mystery to me.
The Jewish armies were strong enough to resist the first Roman assault.
So Titus cut down the olive trees from the Garden of Gethsemane and had walls built around the city. They started a military blockade. No one could come in or go out.
Starvation soon devastated the city, also swollen by the many pilgrims trapped inside.
Titus did not seek the destruction of Jerusalem at first. He sent a delegate to come to peace terms-- Josephus, the famous Jewish historian. He was wounded by arrows when he approached for terms. So no terms were to be established.
On the 9th of August 70 AD the Romans launched their attack and "released the dogs of war". Conquering the city and slaughtering all along the way. Thousands died, but were fiercely resisted at the temple.
After a whole day of fighting some of the soldiers set fire to the temple. The temple erupted into flames and the whole thing fell to ashes.
Titus' father, now Emperor, ordered Jerusalem destroyed and razed to the ground. This order probably came before this, because of the need for Titus' father to establish his authority, they waited. Since a siege would have cost the Romans less casualties.
Many were slaughtered, others imprisoned, and the young sold into slavery. Not one Jew was allowed to live in Jerusalem. The famous and massive Menorah-- the seven branch candlestick-- symbol of the Maccabees victory over the Greeks-- was taken from the temple and used in a parade of triumph in Rome. The Zealot leaders in chains, not far behind.
Vespasian needed this glorious victory for propaganda purposes, to cement his position, and to send a message he was blessed by the gods.
This was also to show his new empire; he was not to be resisted. The destruction was terrible. Jerusalem was in smolders. Not a stone on top of another was left of the temple, as predicted by Jesus (Matthew 24:2)
BTW The wailing wall in Jerusalem today is not a wall of the temple, but a wall of a former Roman fort, the Fort Antonia.link
By 74 AD all the Apostles were martyred for the Faith except John.
St. James Son of Zebedee ( the Greater) beheaded 42 AD
Saint Andrew crucified on an X cross 61 AD
St. Philip crucified upside down 62 AD
St. James the Just 62 AD Thrown from the top of the temple and clubbed
St. Matthew Martyred how unknown 65 AD
St. Matthias year 65. One has it that he was crucified, another that he was hacked to death.
St. Peter crucified upside down 67 AD
St. Simon the Zealot crucified 67 AD
St. Judas Thaddeus (St. Jude) clubbed 67 AD
Batholomew (or Nathaniel) skinned alive 72 AD
St. Thomas, lanced or stabbed 74 AD
St. John Son of Zebedee 100AD natural death. Though he was boiled in oil but miraculously survived.
Linus, a former slave, ordained by St. Peter, stood in the shoes of the fisherman, as the new Pope. A leader of a Church that looked close to destruction. St. John alone being left of the twelve. The Apostolic age had ended in blood and death. No one would guess that it would come out of these ashes like a Phoenix.
continue to next chapter
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