Daughter of My People: Jesus' Jerusalem Destroyed

By R.O. Cuevas

The First Jewish-Roman War (A.D. 66-73), retold in a novel feeling. The stories surrounding Jerusalem and its final years are given as clearly as possible for this book, and as entertaining as possible, too. Hence why the book is presented in a casual manner, to make the stories easier to grasp than a mere formality. Learn how the Sicarii, Romans, Sadducees, and early Christians are involved in this war (or not at all in the case of the Christians). The book also recounts the lives of people before and during the war: such as Messiah Jesus of Nazareth, Emperor Nero, Apostles Paul and James the Just, High Priests Ananias and Ananus Ben Ananus, Governor (and later historian) Josephus, Zealot leaders John of Gischala and Simon bar Giora, and Generals (and later emperors) Vespasian and Titus. In general, this is a Christian book, which aims to put Jesus in his respectful place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781304489760

Book preview

R.O. Cuevas

Daughter of My People

Jesus’ Jerusalem Destroyed

First published by Lulu 2021

Copyright © 2021 by R.O. Cuevas

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

R.O. Cuevas asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Since this is a nonfiction book, accuracy has been aimed throughout this project. However, the Bible and Josephus are depended on to an extreme height. But sometimes some events have to be added apart from these, as found in Wikipedia. The accuracy of the facts in this book might be questioned by the dear reader, but this is not merely a history book.

First edition

ISBN: 978-1-30-448976-0

Cover art by David Roberts

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Publisher Logo

This book is dedicated to all Christians who seek the coming of our Lord. This book reflects on that soon-coming by means of a history.

"Oh, that my head were waters

and my eyes a fountain of tears,

that I might weep day and night

for the slain of the daughter of my people!"

Jeremiah 9:1, as rendered in the Modern English Version of the Bible

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgement

1. A prologue

2. Who is the Messiah?

3. Issues with the Jewish people

4. A Passover like no other…

5. The rise of a religion

6. The City of Seven Hills

7. Albinus

8. A Fire

9. Florus

10. The town of Jamnia

11. Agrippa II

12. This is Masada

13. The Cleansing

14. Paul’s second imprisonment

15. Chaos

16. Cestius Gallus

17. Some Organization…

18. Your Fake Wife

19. Rome prepares to strike back

20. Joseph bar Matthias

21. The envoys

22. Vespasian

23. Peter and Paul

24. The last of Galilee

25. Civil War

26. The Roman Camp

27. Western and Eastern Judea

28. Nero

29. John the Beloved

30. Visiting the Dead Sea

31. Galba

32. The Idumaeans

33. Otho

34. John and Simon, key actors

35. The eastern emperor

36. The western emperor

37. Preparing for a showdown

38. A Passover season

39. The siege continues

40. The Temple

41. Rome’s victory

42. An epilogue

Final reflections and questions

Maps

About the Author

Preface

You may read this as a history work. You may read this as a religious work. You may read this as a reflective work. The point of this book is to produce all these 3.

My younger self would agree that history matters. There’s this saying, Forget your history, and you’re doomed to repeat it! So I focused on history. There were many people frequently mentioned in history classes: Confucius, Julius Caesar, Martin Luther, Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Joan of Arc, Napoleon, and others.

But I noticed that Jesus Christ isn’t mentioned.

Generally speaking, this may be because he’s such a controversial figure. But being religious also (part of the Seventh Day Adventist Church), my family mentions him a lot, and not as a swear word—that is outright disrespectful, as a P.E. teacher I once had put it. At least she has a sense.

So for this book, Jesus will be mentioned, not merely as a historical figure (like others I’ll mention: Nero, James the Just, Vespasian, Josephus, etc.), but as the Messiah. Practically speaking, he is actually in charge of the events in the book.

* * *

I find it difficult to write about the First Jewish-Roman War because of how much details the historian Josephus inserts in his The War of the Jews, so I have to signal out details, and add from other and different sources, like the Bible, Tacitus (but he gives a rather inaccurate representation of Jewish history), dictionaries, etc., in order to present a fuller retelling of the fall of Jerusalem.

Note: not all the details matter!!!

Anyways. In our church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we center on Bible prophecy, and that deals with Daniel and Revelation. Taking Daniel 9:24-27, it implies 490 years of Jewish history after the edict to rebuild Jerusalem by a Persian king. In this, we learn of Jesus’ crucifixion at A.D. 31, which some people believe to be the real year. This means Jesus’ generation (Matthew 23:36) of 40 years would end at the Passover of A.D. 71. Note that Jerusalem was destroyed the previous autumn of A.D. 70. So the prophecy has come true.

All in all, this is historical in that history is the object of this book; this is religious in that Christianity, Judaism, and pagan Romanism play a big role in this book; this is reflective in that the breaks in narration can be used for thinking about what was just read in this book.

And by the way, the notes are more comments about events or that explain some events. While brief, they are helpful.

Well, I’m not used to writing prefaces, but I hope I’ve helped you out, even if it’s a little bit.

God bless!

~ R.O. Cuevas (JeremyInChrist)

Acknowledgement

Jesus Christ, who is one of the main characters in this book; I have attempted to place Jesus in his rightful place in the historical narrative.

Ellen White (1827-1915), whose book The Great Controversy got me into the First Jewish-Roman War by her first chapter. The book is recommended along with her other religious works.

Passio for their Modern English Version of the Bible (a modern revision of the King James Version), the main translation used and paraphrased for the book.

Titus Flavius Josephus (37-100?), whose books The War of the Jews and Life engaged me more on what happened before and during the First Jewish-Roman War.

William Whiston (1667-1752) for his translation of the works of Josephus.

Wikipedia; the website has expanded some details that I might not have otherwise gotten.

Gary Goldberg for his Josephus.org website and his extensive timeline of the war by the eyes of Josephus.

1

A prologue

Jerusalem

A.D. 27-29

Favored over all cities. This is Jerusalem, capital of the Jewish people. Now the Jews’ land of Palestine is under control of the Roman Empire, and the Jews loathe the Roman rule, and the leaders of the Jewish people and religion long for control over the people.

Pompey, the late Roman general, had taken the city of Jerusalem a little around a century ago. Now all of the Levant, of the people of Israel, has to be ruled by the Roman Empire.

They had a King appointed by the Roman Senate at Rome—Herod the Great. He had an insane amount of building projects here in Jerusalem. He fixed up the Temple already there. He also built a stadium in the Greek style. Greek athletes would exercise here, but the Jews hate that their performance has a close link with Greek religion, and that they competed naked.

Herod was a hated king, and the Jews celebrated when he died. His son Archelaus was declared ruler of the people. Finally, he was deposed by the Romans after around eight years, and now Judea is under the rule of governors. Judea is now a Roman province.

There are shops and stalls, especially around the Upper Market Place nearby Herod’s Palace. Here sandals, clothing, meat, fruits, silk, linen, vegetables, and perfume are sold. There are restaurants and wine shops here also. Jerusalem can be practically called a typical city of the Roman Empire.

There are a few religious groups in existence in Jerusalem, and they believe different things. They have the same Holy Scriptures, as given by Elohim (the Hebrew word for God), if indeed they are speaking Hebrew. Hebrew is the language used for the reading of the Sacred Texts in the synagogue, which are meeting places for the faithful to meet for the Holy Shabbat, the day of the Lord. This Shabbat is on the seventh day of the week, for the people to rest and make it a day with God.

Now in these synagogues, the Jews read from the Scriptures and pray. But most Jews speak Aramaic, an ancient version of Syrian and Hebrew. So someone has to translate verse-per-verse the Hebrew text. Sometimes there would be a sermon. Barely any Jews know Greek. It is too hard for them.

A synagogue can also serve as a local school for children to learn about God. Only boys could go to school, and they start at age six.

But in Jerusalem—which means the habitation of peace—are not just synagogues, but also the glorious Temple of Elohim, or in Aramaic, Alaha.

* * *

The Second Temple was originally rebuilt by Zerubbabel and his people four hundred years or so ago. The first one was built by Solomon in honor of Elohim, and that was three centuries before its destruction by King Nebuchadnezzar II.

No one should wonder why Elohim would let some pagan king of Babylon destroy his Temple and burn down Jerusalem too. The prophet Moses predicted that this would happen if the people are unfaithful to Elohim by defying the covenant they made with him and by worshiping false gods. Elohim has made it quite clear that only he is God. It is part of the Decalogue, or ten commandments. The Jews are to keep the Decalogue. The Law of Moses expands on these ten laws concerning love to Elohim and to fellow man. Elohim is about love.

Yet the Israelites were unfaithful and idolaters when they were brought into the good land of promise. Elohim was patient, hoping they would change their ways and return to him. He sent prophets to reprove them of their offenses to him. But the people were stubborn, wanting their own way. Of all the kings in the two kingdoms they had, only a handful were good kings, who revered Elohim. Among them was David, known as a man after Elohim’s own heart.

Many people (falsely) claim to be prophets, and they teach contrary to the Torah, or Law, of Moses. They say that all is well, that they, the chosen people, are favored; and they do not rebuke sin.

People listen to them and still live in sin, yet believe Elohim will bless them still.

True prophets are rejected because of their warnings and reproving of their sins. Oftentimes the prophets of God are killed.

Uriah was slain by a wicked king of Judah.

Isaiah was said to have been sawed in half by another wicked king. But this king, Manasseh, repented at the end.

Jeremiah may have been stoned to death in Egypt.

Other prophets survive martyrdom, but their lives are made hard by nonbelievers.

Samuel had to put up with a rebellious people, and was dismayed over their course.

Elijah ran for his life on learning that a wicked queen threatened his life.

Elisha was mocked by youngsters for being so bald.

Amos was supposed by a local priest to be a prophet by profession.

Ezekiel was not taken seriously.

Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions (he survived).

Malachi had a message, and it is often received with awful questions.¹

But God was patient.

And then Zerubbabel came to rebuild the Temple. The new high priest with the name Joshua was appointed. The sacrifices were once again in motion.

But then came a lack of faith and piety. Around the time between the last prophet Malachi and another one coming around by the name of John the Baptist, about four hundred years, the different religious groups and sects formed.

The Pharisees are a strict religious sect. They invented a lot of extra rules to the ones given by God, and these are highly respected by the Jews. But these rules are hard to keep. The Shabbat was made a burden instead of a blessing, as the Pharisees made laws to make this day as work-free as possible. These self-righteous authorities believe in Oral Law just as much as the Written Law, even saying the Oral fulfills the Written. Now in John the Baptist’s time, there are about 6,000 Pharisees.

The Sadducees are a smaller but more influential and richer sect, but they were in favor of adopting Greek customs. These customs came when the Greek empire was at its peak, and threatened the Jewish religion and customs. But these Sadducees are mainly priests and religious officials, but are quite unreligious. They do not believe in a resurrection or in angels. They profess to keep the Torah. They have a lot of arguments with the Pharisees since they don’t believe in Oral Law.

Scribes aren’t really a sect, but copyists of Scripture. They also study and interpret it, usually in favor of the tradition of the Pharisees. Scribes are also called elders or teachers, in Hebrew rabbi. And they set up synagogue schools. But now at this time, their comments and traditions are respected more than the Torah. They even appear to annul the commands of Elohim.

But another group (a violent one) was made more recently (a decade or so ago) by a Galilean. These nationalists are called Zealots. They say no foreign rule over the Jews must be tolerated. They won’t pay taxes to Rome, now ruling them as a few provinces, and they cause revolts to rid Israel of the Romans.

They are suppressed by the Romans too often; those captured are whipped, tortured, then executed in public view, bleeding and fixed to two wooden posts fixed into one. One wooden post is fixed to the ground while the other post is sideways placed either on the top or a little lower for the groove there to connect these beams together.

The criminals get tied to the sideway beam on the arms, sometimes iron nails are driven through them, either by the palms or the wrists. Their feet would be tied to the upright post, often nailed in as well. There could be a small seat for them to rest, but it would delay their painful death. They would breathe their last, shamed and naked, in only a few days.

This Roman execution is called crucifixion, the torture device called a cross. It is so awful that Roman citizens are exempt from suffering this disgraceful death. It was considered fitting for slaves, foreigners, and rebels. But one who is not a slave or a rebel—but a foreigner to the Romans—would suffer this cross.

But now, these religious groups would struggle for power. The Pharisees and Sadducees (not the Zealots) have a voice in the powerful Sanhedrin, a recognized headship of the Jews. There are 71 members of this high court of justice, among them the president of the court, the high priest. Now it is the Sadducee Joseph Caiaphas. There is also a vice-president, who sits at the right side of Caiaphas.

Of course, this is the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. In every city in Palestine with over one hundred and twenty households, there is a sanhedrin with 23 members. But this Sanhedrin in Jerusalem is the highest one of all.

The Sanhedrin’s headquarters is located at the Chamber of Hewn Stone,² which is around the Holy Place of the Temple.

This Temple was refixed by the late and hated Herod the Great. Herod wanted to impress the Jews by resetting up the Temple. So he, according to Josephus, pulled down the entire existing building to the foundations and laid anew the building to an enlarged scale. The house and porch were completed in one and a half years, and this was celebrated with sacrifices and a great feast. The court and cloisters would be completed eight years later. But the Temple of Alaha is still in process at this time.

The Temple is really beautiful, twice the size of Solomon’s Temple. The walls inside this Holy House are covered with gold. A thousand priests had to be trained to do work on gold and the sort, since none else may enter the sacred Temple area. But that’s not all. The lamps and bowls are of gold and silver. The double gate is overlaid with gold. In fact, the Temple is so covered with gold that under the sun, the Temple Mount becomes a dazzling sight.

The Temple is important to the Jews. The Jews from every nation travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the three annual feasts of God. The Temple is also a place of religious teaching. The priests, almost all Sadducees, carry out the rites and sacrifices of the Torah of Moses. Moses, Moses, Moses. Actually it’s the Torah of God, but the Jews focus more on the messengers than the God who sent them.

After each morning and evening sacrifice, the priests would bless the worshipers there with the famous blessing in the Scriptures: "Yahweh³ bless you and keep you; Yahweh make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; Yahweh lift his countenance upon you, and give you peace."

The hymns (taken from the Psalms) are sung by the Temple choir of Levites. The people could sing along sometimes, but often at the torchlight procession at God’s Feast of Tabernacles.

So this is life in Jerusalem. But it will never be the same with the new prophet, John the Baptist.

Nor with the person John proclaims.

* * *

John the Baptist is a prophet who teaches baptism for the remission of sins, offenses to the Torah of Alaha. In baptism, John takes a repentant person and sinks him or her under the water, then raises them up from the water. This is why he often preaches in the River Jordan, a good 18 miles from Jerusalem.

Jerusalem floods out of people to see the prophet. John reproves the Pharisees and Sadducees for their hypocrisy, acting pious outside while the inside is a different story. So the Sanhedrin is uneasy about John.

John also publicly said the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, Herod Antipas, is living in sin by marrying his half-brother’s wife while the husband Philip is still living. The woman in dispute, Herodias, hated John, and had her new husband arrest the Baptist and shut him up in a dungeon. So John will be imprisoned in Perea, at the fortress Machaerus. In a year or so, a drunken Antipas will order the Baptist’s beheading.⁴

But the Baptist is not imprisoned yet; he proclaims that the Messiah will come. The Messiah is a promised Redeemer for the Jews. He was promised by Elohim to redeem them. But the Jews believe the Messiah will deliver them from their oppressors of the Roman Empire. Of