Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-13
JERUSALEM'S FALL
IN DAYS OF TITUS
Story of Holy City's Capture by
Roman Emperor as Told
by Josephus

rencration paid to IL on religious grounds, was
sufficient to preserve it from destruction. And
| thus ended the siege OF Jerusalem.
| Thus wrote Josephus tho great jewish his.
toran Of the fall Of Jerusalem in 20 A. d
its last fail" as he believed. But later It
was TO fall again and again. until the other
day the Holy city once more came into tho
| hands of invaders. .Josephus's story had to
| do with the prolonged and terrible siege laid
against the city by the Roman general. Titus,
| later Emperor, In the reign of Ncspasian.
| This was the last war in which the Jews
| fought as nation. Says Joscphus;
'The Jews found themselves growing
weaker and weaker every day. the war
TO he hotter the longer it lasted and the
| danger to begin to threaten tho Temple itself.
So as mon do in cases Of spreading distcm-
pers, they began to set fire to that part Of the
Temple gallery which stretched from north to
cast so that with their own hands they
wrought the final destruction of tho holy
placc-though all this while they might have
saved the Temple if they would but the pre-
vcntion OF imminent danger was all they
aimed at there happened some skirmish or
other daily, the enemy being now SO near and
the Temple remaining as the pr.zc OF victory.
The Temple Set Ablaze
1.-TWO of the Roman logions had now
brought their platforms to perfection and
Titus now ordered the rams to be planted
against the western gallery of the Temple,
and so began to play the best piece of battery
for six days together. There were others at
the same time that sappcd the groundworls
on the north side Tho Jews could not pos
sibly hinder them from placing their ladders.
but whore they had any advantage they made
a brave resistance, fighting those that got up
hand TO hand. casting others down hcadlong
as they were just mounting and ovcrturning
the ladders.
so that, in the end, the loss OF the Romans
was very considerable. The gates were by
this time in flames. The silver works about
them were all melted down and the timber
being consumed in the blaze. when the next
day appeared. Titus issued his orders to
quench the fire and TO level the ways that
his army might make a frecr march
Though Titus was very intent upon the
saving Of the Temple, some of the soldiers
set fire to the posts of the doors. whereupon
Titus and his captains in council were forced
good could be DONE So that the Temple
was burned down at last in spite of all that
Titus could do to stop IT, This calamity is
enough to make ones heart bleed, which is
no less than the ruin of the most wonderful
fabric that ever was seen, both for magnif-
cence. state and structure and for the honor
of religion and sacred things.
when the Temple was thus in a fame the
soldiers took all they could lay their hands
upon and killed all that came in their way;
so that both the slaughter and the pilagc
were prodigious The uproar and the hurry
were so terrible that tis impossible to imag-
inc anything could be more so. The howl
ings of the rebels [alluding to a faction
among the defenders hostile to the main body
of the Jewsl when they found themselves
dreadful lamentations of distressed wretches
were horrors that cannot le expressed those
upon the mountain and those in the city an
swering one another by turns the neighbor-
ing hills and mountains beyond Jordan echo
ing over the same complaints that were
poured out by these wretches.
A Scene of Carnage
Prom the Temple flashes of fire were so |
large and furious that the mountain on which |
the Temple stood seemed like one entire body |
Of fire TO the very bottom, and the blood that |
streamed down was answcrable to the flame
for the number of the slain was superior to |
hose that did the execution. The ground
vas covered with carcasses and the living
we're pursued over the bodies of the dead
THE rebels were now fled into the city and
he Temple continued in blaze. so that now
he Romans lodged their ensigns at the east
,rn gate and with loud acclamations pro-
claimed Titus Imperator.
THE Romans, having got possession of the
vail, fixed their colors on the towers with
oud acclamations Of joy, and then dispersed
themselves all over the town. with their
words drawn, killing all they could meet and
urning whole houses in one common flame.
'hough they had some compassion for the
cad. they had none for the living stabbing
very one they met till the narrow passages
we're choked up with dead bodies and the
hannels of the streets ran down with blood.
hey began to burn.
Titus took a view of the Notifications and
ntertained himself with the large dimep-
IONS ana SltudtOH OF tne towers and the |
esign and curious contrvance Of the whole.
Ie dropped this expression:
Twas God that assisted us and fought
gainst the Jews; for this work could never
E accomplished by hands or engines
"And when the city was demolished he left
ie turrets standing, as monument of his
bod fortune, by which he had accomplished
lis great work.
The Casualties
"The number of prisoners taken i'm this
ar was 81, 900 and that of the dead 4 90 0oo
nd the greatest part of them were Jews nv |
ation though not natives of Judea for tbey |
ere a promiscuous multitude that were gath |
ed together at Jerusalem to celebrate the l
east of the Passover, and were there sur
Used by the war.
And the number was SO prodigious that ,
e crowd first brought the plague and then
e famine into the city.
"Soon after Titus celebrated his brother {
omitian's birthday with great splendor ana {