The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-11-21
THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSA-
LEM.

In the Gospel for the last Sunday
after Pentecost we read st. Matthews
account of our Divine Lords predic.
ton of the destruction of Jerusalem.
That account is historically true; the
cavils of unbelievers cannot shake
the authority of st. Matthew as a
historian. History tells that our
Lords prediction was fulfilled to the
letter. Therefore He was true
prophet He had from God knowledge,
clear, precise, certain, of future
events, which lay completely beyond
the reach of mans natural faculties.
Therefore He was messenger from
God, sent to teach Divine truth to
men. Therefore the religion He es-
tablished upon earth is true and Di-
vine. He claimed to be the Son of
God, One with the Father; His pre-
diction of the ruin of Jerusalem, as
we'll as His other predictions and
miracles, showed that His claim had
the seal of Divine approval.
On many occasions and in the most
explicit manner, Our Saviour foretold
the calamities that threatened Jeru-
salem in the near future; the siege of
that city and the complete ruin of its
temple. On one occasion, drawing
near to the city, He wept over it,
saying; Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the
days shall come upon thee; and thy
enemies shall cast a trench about
thee, and compass thee around and
straiten thee on every side, and beat
thee fiat to the ground, and they shall
not leave in thee stone upon a
stone. Luke XIX, Ala. The dis
ciples asked Him what signs would
preeede this calamity. He named
three signs; many imposters would
arise, saying they were the Messiah,
and they would seduce many; wars
and rumours of wars, earthquakes,
famine, pestilence; and prosecutions,
scandals, apostaeies from the faith.
History tells us that all these things
came to pass. During the years that
preceded the fall of Jerusalem many
false prophets and imposters arose,
like .Elymas, Simon the magician,
Theudas, etc. Palestine became the
theatre of revolt and civil wars.
Every town seemed to be divided into
hostile camps. All over the Roman
Empire the same tale of bloodshed
was told. So, too, the Roman world
suffered from earthquakes, such as
that which partly ruined the city OF
Pompeii at the foot of Mount Vesu-
vius in Italy, while famine and pest
Hence extended their ravages every
where. The Apostles and their con-
verts were prosecuted for the faith,
heresies arose, and the weak in the
faith fell away.
In the years sc and 67 of our era
the Jews rose in revolt against the
Roman authority. The Roman gen
eral Vespasian was sent to suppress
the rebellion. On his way he learned
that he was proclaimed emperor. He
returned to Rome, leaving his son
Titus to finish the work of suppress
sion. Titus besieged Jerusalem in the
year 20 A. D., for seven months
When he finally prevailed against the
obstinate resistance of the Jews, the
temple was burned, the whole city
RACED to the ground. 1t was probably
the bloodiest siege of all history
The Jewish historian Josephus tells
us that upwards of a million Jews
persisted by the sword, or by famine
or the dread diseases that spring from
famine and war. Ninety-seEen thou
sand were taken captive and tortured
or sent into cruel slavery. Before the
siege the wild extreme enthusiasts
who were called zealots, took up theiI
abode in the temple itself and made