Wednesday, March 30, 2016

THE ROMAN OCCUPATION AND ITS CLIENT KINGS “Herod the Great and His Family”


THE ROMAN OCCUPATION AND ITS
CLIENT KINGS
      
“Herod the Great and His Family”

King Herod
By 63 B.C. Judea was clearly under Roman rule, although the Jews had a certain amount of freedom.  Throughout the following years, up until 48, Aristobulus made several futile attempts to regain power.  But this came to an end with the Roman civil war.  Hyrcanus and Antipater supported Julius Caesar; for this they were rewarded well--Hyrcanus was made ethnarch as well as High Priest, and Antipater was made procurator of Judea.  Caesar also made Antigonus, a son of Aristobulus, a governor, and placed Herod over Galilee.
After Julius Caeser was killed in 44 B.C., the country suffered under Cassius and then Antony.  But in the year 40, when the Parthians invaded Syria and Palestine, Antigonus joined them and with their support captured Jerusalem.  He then cut off the ears of Hyrcanus so that he could no longer serve as High Priest in that mutilated condition.  Antigonus held control for three years until he was defeated by Herod and then beheaded by Rome.
When Herod destroyed Antigonus he brought the Hasmonean line to an end.  It is unlikely that many mourned the end of an era that had non-Davidic kings, non-Zadokite priests, endless wars and much corruption in high places.  But through their wars and policies of forced conversions, Idumea and Galilee were now part of the Jewish state along with Judea, with only the area of Samaria left out.  Interestingly, with the loss of Judean autonomy, the Pharisees quit their political involvement and became more concerned with devotion to the Law.  They no longer concerned themselves with who ruled the country, as long as they were allowed their religion.  The Pharisees' retreat left room for the Sadducees in the governing class to exercise more control.  Nevertheless, the Pharisees, continued to represent essential Judaism.  As for the Essenes, it seems that they became less monastic at about this time, possibly due in part to the end of the despised Hasmonean priesthood.   
Having failed in their attempt at self rule, the Jews now were to be subjected to foreign rule once again.  Herod was the client king, while Rome held the power.  And this Herod was the son of Antipater the Idumean, a descendant of Edom--Esau of all people!  Antipater had seen to it that Herod was made governor in Galilee; but Herod was a diplomat in his own right.  Not only did he gain the favor of Caesar, he also found favor with Cassius and Antony: in 40 B.C. with the help of bribes he was able to obtain the appointment as King of Judea; and with the help of Rome he was able to take control of the kingdom by defeating Antigonus.  Then, in the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C. Herod found himself on the losing side with his support of Antony and Cleopatra.  But somehow he managed to convince Octavian (Augustus) that he could be just as loyal to him.
So Herod remained a vassal under Rome; he was limited in making wars and treaties, but he was free from tribute and had the right to levy taxes.  He embarked on an enormous building program to make his country a prestigious Hellenistic state.  Even though he did not live the Jewish faith, he tried to represent himself as a Jew, to appease the Jews.  He tore down the 500 year old Temple and began building a new one to match his other building projects.  It would be the greatest religious building complex in the known world.  As part of this appeal to the Jews he was careful to do it according to Jewish laws, using consecrated priests trained to do much of the work.  But his pagan ways and his sinful life drew much opposition.  He may have found favor with Rome, and he may have sought to appease the Jews, but he still made enemies on every level, including his own family. 
Herod tried to link himself to the Hasmoneans by marrying Mariamme, the daughter of Hyrcanus II and the niece of his enemy Antigonus.  He still needed to replace the mutilated priest, and so he used this chance to appease the pious Jews who thought he was a half-Jew, an Idumean, and a friend of the Romans.  He chose Hananeel, a Zadokite of Babylon.  But after great opposition to this selection, he yielded and made the popular Aristobulus the High Priest--whom he subsequently drowned while swimming.  Claiming to be innocent and displaying great sadness, he was able to gain acquittal from Rome for this crime, probably through a bribe.
By eliminating the Hasmoneans Herod brought to an end the line of royal priests.  He appointed seven high priests during his tenure; consequently, there were a number of ex-high priests around in the days of Jesus.[1]  Annas served from 6-15, and his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who tried Jesus, served from 18-36.  Herod and his successors, Archelaus and the procurators, controlled the High Priests by retaining all their garments and implements until needed.        
Herod’s reign was contemptible in the eyes of the righteous.  He interfered with the High Priesthood, appointing priests and deposing them at will.  He was accommodating to pagan ways, making temples and athletic arenas in the Roman mode.  His building projects at Caesarea and in Jerusalem were magnificent; and his desert fortresses were absolutely amazing.  But they all speak of one who was paranoid.  And well should he have been; even though he was a powerful and effective ruler, he was also ruthless and cruel.  He was responsible for the death of his wife Mariamme, as well as several of his own sons and relatives. It is not hard to imagine how such a man could command the killing of the innocent children when he heard of the birth of a king (Mt. 2).
But even though Herod ruled as a tyrant and levied heavy taxes, he did create a kingdom with magnificent buildings, garrisons, and a first-rate harbor at Caesarea.  But probably most significantly, he gave the people a generation of peace, something they had not had for ages.  After what the Jews had been through for decades before, this time was most welcome.

The Herodian Kings
Herod died in 4 B.C. (thus the birth of Jesus would have occurred in late 5 B.C. or early 4 B.C.[2]).  His will made his son Archelaus king, and his other sons tetrarchs, Antipas in Galilee and Perea, and Philip in the northeast.  Caesar Augustus ratified the will, but reduced Archelaus to ethnarch of Judea, Samaria and Idumea.  Archelaus had a cruel reign of about ten years, 4 B.C. to 6 A.D.  He angered the Jews by marrying his brother’s widow and deposing High Priests; he was subsequently banished by Rome and the office replaced with procurators.
Consequently, from 6 to 66 A.D. Judea was under the authority of these prefects or procurators who ruled from Caesarea.  Most of them were powerful military governors, but were not very wise or capable men in other respects.  Some of the policies at the very beginning prompted the formation of the zealot movement.  And later, Pontius Pilate had nothing but trouble during his ten years in Judea (from 26-36).  In fact, he was removed by Rome for cruelty, which must have been excessive because Rome itself was not known for softness.
The other sons of Herod the Great lasted longer.  Philip had a long reign in the northeast territories (from 4 B.C. to 34 A.D.).  Herod Antipas also held on to his territory for a number of years (until about 40 A.D.).  Antipas is known in the Bible for his deposing of his wife and marrying his brother’s wife, Herodias. (It is not clear whether this was Philip the tetrarch or another relative named Philip).  John the Baptist preached against his evil practices and was beheaded (Mt. 14:1-12).  Jesus referred to Herod Antipas as “that fox” (Lk. 13:32).  But his only encounter with this king was at his trial:  Herod Antipas was in Jerusalem as part of his pilgrimage, and Pilate, who had the jurisdiction, sent Jesus to him, perhaps trying to avoid the decision, or perhaps out of professional courtesy (Lk. 23:6-12).  Herod took no action.
When Philip the tetrarch died, Herod Agrippa I, a grandson of Herod the Great, replaced him.  Agrippa I was a good friend of Caligula in Rome; and when Caligula became emperor he gave Agrippa the tetrarchy as well as the title of king (34 A.D.).  This made Agrippa’s sister Herodias jealous; she persuaded her husband, Antipas, to seek royal status also.  But Agrippa persuaded Caligula of the evils of Antipas and got him banished to Gaul.  By 41 A.D. Agrippa I had been given all the territory of Antipas as well as Samaria, Judea and Idumea.  While this king seems to have been the least offensive of the lot, he did persecute the Christians, putting James to death (Acts 12:l-3).  But then in the height of his pride while on stage in the theater at Caesarea he was struck down by God and suffered a horrible death himself (Acts 12:20-23 and Josephus).
The Emperor Claudius made the kingdom a province under procurators. And with Jewish zeal for independence rising once again, these governors did little to appease the people.  Two of them, Felix and Festus, mentioned in the Book of Acts, were basically despots who paved the way for the war that marked the end of the Jewish state.
Herod Agrippa II, the son of Agrippa I, was made the king of Philip’s tetrarchy and the guardian of the Temple with the right to appoint the High Priest.  Even though this was meant by Rome to appease the Jews, it did not work.  He was as bad as the others; and in the war of 66-70 he sided with Rome.  It was this Agrippa II who heard Paul’s speech (Acts 26).
There were two major wars with Rome that brought an end to the Jewish state.  The first war broke out in Caesarea in 66 A.D.  It was over in 70 with the capture of Jerusalem; but the Zealots dragged it on until 73.  The political situation leading up to the war was about the same as it had been, but the excesses of the governors and the temper of the zealots were sufficient to ignite the conflict.  When the Temple treasury was diverted into Roman hands, the people reacted strongly and were met with retaliation.  The governor of Syria could not quell the rebellion, and so in 67 Vespasian came and subdued Galilee. 
In Jerusalem the Zealots took complete charge of the war effort, but while they were doing this Vespasian gained control of all the surrounding area. In the middle of 69 Vespasian returned to Rome and left the siege of Jerusalem to his son Titus.  Five months later the city was taken, the Temple burned, the people killed or imprisoned, and most of the city leveled.  The war was over except for the strongholds still in Jewish hands, Masada being the last to fall in 73.
The land was devastated by this war.  Judaism survived, of course, but without the Temple, the priests, or the sacrifices.  The pious were left to develop the new form of the religion, making use of the Synagogue for the study of the Scriptures and the keeping of the Law.  A new Council was organized in Jamnia, near Joppa.  And the leaders now were known as rabbis, since the political parties and their controversies ceased with the destruction of Jerusalem.
The second war, the great war of Rome and the Jews, came in the days of Hadrian (131-135 A.D.).  Under Trajan there were many conflicts between Jews and Greeks that were met by harsh punishment from Rome.  Old issues from the first war were still unresolved, and Zealot refugees stirred up the hatred.  Moreover, Jewish Messianic enthusiasm was growing.  When Hadrian replaced Trajan it appeared that better times lay ahead; but those hopes were quickly dashed.  Hadrian prohibited Jewish customs, especially circumcision, and began his plans to build a temple to Jupiter on the Temple mount, and another temple on the place of the crucifixion.  The unrest broke into war all over the land in 131 and continued until 135 when the final blow came.  It was finally over. 
The land would now be known as Palestine.  Jerusalem was rebuilt as a Roman colony and Jews were prohibited from entering it or Bethlehem.  And rabbinic religious activity that stayed in the land moved to Tiberias in Galilee.   


 
     [1]Thus, it would be possible in a tribunal not to know which man was actually the current High Priest, as indeed happened with Paul.
     [2]There is sufficient time for the events in this period.  Jesus would have been born in late 5 B.C. or early 4 B.C.  The Wise Men came shortly thereafter.  Mary and Joseph then took Jesus and went down into Egypt in the early spring.  They heard later that Herod was dead--that could have been in the summer time, depending on how fast the news arrived.  And they then returned to Nazareth.  See the chronology notes at the end of this study guide.



“Herod’s Massive Building Projects”

1.   Masada

Herod the Great built a series of fortresses for himself that would allow him to escape from the Romans or any other group that would threaten him.  The first fortress to the south and east of Jerusalem was Herodium, on the edge of the desert.  Then, down by the Dead Sea on the western side he built Masada (pronounced with a sharp “s”: mah-tsah-dah).  And then across the Dead Sea on the edge of the Jordanian plateau he built Macchaerus.  Time does not permit a detailed study of all of these; that would truly require a visit to each of them.  But Masada does deserve a thorough discussion.
Masada is an immense rock mountain that is on the western side of the Dead Sea.  It is located 15 miles south of En Gedi.  It is best known as the last holdout of the Jewish zealots in the war with Rome.  Masada was finally seized by the Romans in 73 A.D. when they scaled the western side of the mountain--only to find that almost all of the 960 Jews were dead, by their own hands.
Masada is part of the rocky edge of the Judean plateau, but the way that it is shaped makes it largely inaccessible.  It has a flat top, a plateau, that narrows to a point on both the north and the south ends, and is wider in the middle, measuring 650 yards from north to south, and 216 yards from east to west.  Masada has a sharp drop on all sides, but the drop on the Dead Sea side is 1300 feet.

Historical Overview
There is some evidence of earlier occupation on the plateau.  It may be that this site was a safe haven for David when fleeing from King Saul through this region (see 1 Sam. 24:22); it is not far from En Gedi where he hid in the cave (from the top one can see the green canyon of En Gedi).  Several times David said that the LORD was his “rock and his fortress.”  The word “fortress” is Hebrew mesudah (pronounced meh-tsoo-dah).  If David did climb up here for safety, the imagery would be powerful for his psalms.
Josephus says that Jonathan was the first to build a fortress on the plateau (in the middle of the second century B.C.).  But the archaeology attests that this first builder was Alexander Jannai, also known as Jonathan the High Priest, some fifty years later.     
But the real building of Masada was done by Herod the Great.  Herod used the mountain fortress several times for himself and for his family when he was struggling to gain power.  He appreciated the strategic value of the place, and so when he became king he set about turning it into a magnificent place just in case he would have to flee for refuge.  The work was done between 37 and 30 B.C.
Herod was rather paranoid; but then his conduct and the world in which he lived probably necessitated the precautions.  Some of his buildings had the same usefulness of bunkers built by modern day dictators.  But Herod had style.

Archaeology
Surveying what the archaeologists uncovered on Masada tells us a great deal about the building projects of Herod the Great.  In fact, the story of the archaeological work itself is fascinating.  After all, this was no ordinary mound to be dug.
Cisterns and Aqueducts.  Herod first had to provide water for the place; this was done by constructing dams in the canyons to collect the water, aqueducts and channels to bring it to Masada, and then immense cisterns to hold it.  A number of cisterns were hewn in the side of the cliffs and supplied by rock aqueducts that brought water from the valleys above when they were filled in the rainy season.  Other cisterns were built on the plateau itself, on the sides, or on top.  The largest cistern is the one on top, one into which the visitor must descend a large number of steps to stand on the bottom.  It has been estimated that the cisterns had a capacity of 1,400,000 cubic feet for the water.  With ample water a community could not just survive on the top, but live for some time quite well, and even grow food.  There is evidence that vines and fruit trees and various other plants were cultivated on top as a constant supply of food.
Casemate Wall.  Herod then built a stone casemate wall around the summit, some 1500 yards in all.  This wall had about 70 rooms in it, thirty-eight towers, and four gates. 
Storage Rooms.  The storage area on the plateau was large enough to hold food and supplies for a very long time.  Josephus describes it and its contents at some length (for which see).
Herod’s Residence.  At the northern end of the plateau Herod built his private residence, what is called the North Palace (although it was not his working palace).  This was a distinctive three-tiered villa.  The top level held the living quarters, a large rectangular shaped building with nine rooms and a magnificent semi-circular porch bounded by the sides of the cliff.   The floors were decorated with beautiful mosaics.  From the porch one can look down to the other terraces.  The middle terrace is 66 feet down the north end; the remains of two concentric circular walls can clearly be seen.  Yadin suggested it was the summer house.  The lowest level, another 46 feet down, is a square terrace; it had an inner courtyard surrounded by elaborate pillars.  The building was decorated with frescoes that remain partially intact.  There was a small scale bath area south of this. 
On the steps to the pool they found three skeletons, a man, a woman, and a child.  There was also with them armor, arrow heads, a prayer shawl, and Hebrew ostracon.  Yadin wondered if this was the zealot who drew the lot to ensure that none were alive when the Romans got there.
Bath House.  There was a large, well-preserved Roman style bath house.  The individual would enter and prepare for the bath.  He would then move to the cool water room, called the frigidarium; he would then move to the warm room, called the tepidarium; and finally he would move to the hot water room, the steam room, called the caldarium.  In this bath this last room still retains some of the clay pipes against the walls and more than 200 small piers in the underground heating chamber on which the floor rested and through which hot air passed.  From a furnace outside hot air would be circulated under the floor and through the pipes to create the heated air and steam.  The ceiling was arched so that water from the steam would not drip down on the bathers, but roll down the curved ceiling and walls to the floor.
Ritual Bath and Synagogue.  During their holdout here in 70-73 A.D. the zealots added a mikweh or ritual bath--one of the earliest found.  Likewise, they built a synagogue against the western wall, a small room with seats and pillars.  This too was one of the earliest synagogues found in the land (the one at Gamla was destroyed in 67 A.D.).  Within this area some scrolls were found.
The Western Palace.  In the western part of the plateau Herod had another palace built.  It covered an area of about 43,000 square feet and included the royal apartments, servants’ quarters, storerooms, and administrative buildings.  The floor in the antechamber had magnificent mosaics that have been preserved.
Other Finds.  Also on top of Masada were three smaller palaces, a swimming pool, and other ritual baths, and storerooms.  Later, the zealots converted some of the palace space into living quarters, and built other rooms along the wall.
The Roman Ramp.  The remains of the ramp that the Romans built to scale the western side clearly show how they built it.  There were logs that held the rubble in place; some of these logs of wood still remain, and stick out on the side, some 1900 years later.  The siege ramp has worn down considerably, but it is still definitive.
Roman Camps.  All around Masada the Romans built a siege wall (its stones still in place) and eight camps for the soldiers.  The rubble of the walls and buildings of these camps are in place, and from the top of Masada the camps can be easily outlined.   The Roman legions were clearly there for the long run--even though it must have been terribly hot and unpleasant for them out in the desert region of Masada.
Archaeologists also found small piles of ashes in the rooms that the zealots had occupied.  Josephus tells us that each family had collected their belongings and set them on fire.  They did not have much that was valuable; this was more in defiance than against Rome.

2.  Herodium

In the desert near Bethlehem Herod the Great won a great victory over the Hasmoneans in 40 B.C.  So on that spot he built Herodium, as a fortress, a memorial, and a capital.  He did this in 24 B.C. shortly after his marriage to Mariamme.  He built the palace on a natural hill, but added the artificial upper part to make it look cone-shaped, like the crater of a volcano.  It rises some 2500 feet above sea level. From the top one can gain a spectacular view, the towers on the Mount of Olives by Jerusalem on one side, Bethlehem and Tekoa down below, and to the east the Dead Sea and Moab beyond the Jordan Valley.
Josephus says that around the top of the walls extending up from the slopes he built towers, one of them a larger, main tower.  Inside the fortress there was a garden surrounded by columns, and across from this the elegant palace, Roman bathhouse, colonnaded walls, and an early synagogue.  The remains of the synagogue provide one of the early samples of a synagogue structure.  Access into this place was through an underground tunnel from the base of the hill. 
Josephus says that Herod’s body was brought to Herodium for burial (see Antiq. xvii, 196-199).  Herodium later fell to the Romans; but it was used as a command post by Bar Kochba in the war against Hadrian..
Down below and outside of Herodium on ground level there was a second palace with a large pool for water. 

3.   Caesarea Maritima

“Caesarea by the Sea,” or Caesarea Maritima as it appears, is located about 25 miles south of Haifa on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.  The city was built by Herod the Great to be the showpiece of the whole Mediterranean.  When completed it may have occupied an area half the size of Manhattan; and estimates of it population run as high as 250,000.  It became the Roman capital, the residence of the procurators.

Historical Overview
Caesarea was founded as a small port by the Phoenician king Strato in the fourth century B.C.  It was called Strato’s Tower.  In 259 B.C. the region passed to Ptolemaic control.  The Hasmonean king Alexander Jannai then brought it under Jewish rule in c. 103 B.C.  But it was under Herod that Caesarea came into prominence.  When Caesar Augustus confirmed Herod’s rule and extended it to the coast, Herod showed his gratitude by building this city and harbor to be the most beautiful harbor of the Mediterranean.  He started the work in 22 B.C. and finished it twelve years later, naming it after Caesar Augustus.  At the death of Herod the city passed to his son, Archelaus; but it soon became the residence of the Roman procurators who replaced the king.  It remained under Roman rule except for a three year period (41-44) when Herod Agrippa I was given control over it.
According to Josephus the city was magnificent; and the harbor was an engineering feat that turned a small harbor into a leading maritime port.  The aqueducts themselves are amazing for their architecture and function.  And, one notable feature of the city was an underground sewage system that was designed to be flushed clean by rising and falling tides.      
It was in Caesarea that Philip the evangelist lived (Acts 8:40, 21:8).  Paul stopped here on the beginning of his journey to Damascus (Acts 9:30).  Peter baptized the Centurion Cornelius and his household as the first Gentiles in the Church (Acts 10:1-48; 11:11).  It was here that Herod Agrippa I made his dramatic presentation on stage in the theater and subsequently died (Acts 12:10-23).  Paul came here on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 18:22).  He later stayed at the home of Philip (Acts 21:8-16).  And it was in this city that Paul was imprisoned under the governors Felix and Festus (Acts 23:22-35).  Here he was judged by Felix (Acts 24:1-27), then Festus (Acts 25:1-22), and finally Agrippa II (Acts 25:23--26:32), before being sent to Rome on appeal to Caesar (Acts 27:1; summer of 59 A.D.).
          In 60 A.D. the Jews of Caesarea were persecuted and killed, setting off discontent and revolt.  The revolt broke out in Caesarea against the Syrians and the Romans in 66 A.D.; there is evidence that as many as 20,000 Jews were massacred in one day.  In the war that followed Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, before returning to Caesarea with the spoils of war.  He also brought 2500 Jews as prisoners to die in the “games” against the wild beasts in the amphitheater (70 A.D.).  Then, in the war of 132-135 Caesarea was the major Roman supply depot for the Romans.
Caesarea later became an important base for Gentile Church leaders.  It was here in 195 A.D., for example, that the Church decided to move Easter celebrations to the first day of the week, Sunday.  In the 3rd century Origen established the Caesarean school here.  It was famous for its learning and for the accuracy of its copies of the Scriptures, especially the Greek Old Testament commonly referred to as the Septuagint.  Origen was the first Christian scholar to work with various manuscripts and do textual criticism.  He produced the Hexapla, a manuscript of the Bible in six columns using different versions and recensions.
His work was continued by Eusebius, who became the Bishop of Caesarea at the beginning of the fourth century.  Eusebius is best known for his writings on the History of the Church, and the Onomastikon on names and places.  When Constantine came to the faith and founded his capital at Constantinople, he gave to the churches 50 copies of the Bible that had been copied in Caesarea.  One of these may have been the famous Codex Sinaiticus, one early manuscript of the Bible written in Greek and discovered at St. Catharine’s monastery in the Sinai.
In 639 the city fell to the Arabs.  It remained a beautiful city for a while, but then began to fall into decay.  In 1101 it was captured by crusader king of Jerusalem, King Baldwin, and the Genoese fleet—and all its residents were put to the sword.  In 1187 it was recaptured by the Saracens under Saladin.  Over the following years it change hands several times.  Finally, in 1251 Louis IX of France captured the city and built the crusader fortifications that stand to this day.  A few years later the sultan Baybars captured it anyway.  After that it was abandoned and over time covered by sand.
A village was founded here at the end of the 19th century by immigrants from Bosnia.  Today, the theater in Caesarea is used for public concerts; and, for those interested, the modern area of Caesarea has the only golf course in Israel.

Archaeology
Roman Hippodrome.  There is a Hippodrome that dates from about the second century A.D., but it has not been thoroughly excavated.  However, this evidence adds to the picture of Caesarea’s Roman culture.  The course of the Hippodrome apparently could hold about 20,000 people.  It had an obelisk in the center around which the races went; it also had three pillars known as “horse-frighteners” (polished to reflect the sun in the horses eyes and get them to run fast).
The Theater.  About 300 yards south of the harbor is the theater.  Most of the present theater has been reconstructed by archaeologists from all the materials that lay in ruins.  There would have been more to the construction, such as a backdrop to the stage (as at Bet Shean).  In a beautiful city, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, this theater would have been in a delightful setting for various performances.  But to the pious Jews it was typically Gentile or pagan.
The Church remembers this theater for one significant event that is recorded in Acts 12:10-23.  The Bible tells how Herod (Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great) stood on this very stage to give his presentation, and the people all cried out that it was the voice of a god and not a man.  The Bible then simply reports that because of this the king was struck down and died.   It is presented as divine judgment on this one who had begun to persecute the Church.
We are fortunate to have an account of the same event by the historian Josephus (Antiquities 19. 8. 2).  Whereas the Bible wished to focus on the king’s pride and the divine judgment, Josephus was interested in more of the details of the events. According to Josephus, the occasion was a festival in honor of the Emperor, possibly on August 1, 44 A.D., the anniversary of his birthday.  Early on the second morning of the festival the king entered the theater, when the rays of the rising sun made his silver robe shine so brightly that the people were dazzled by it and cried out that he was a god.  They cried, “Be gracious to us; if hitherto we have reverenced you as a human, henceforth we acknowledge that you are of more than mortal nature.”  The king neither repudiated nor rebuked this.  But then he saw an owl sitting above him, and he recognized that to be an evil omen in accordance with a prophecy once made to him.  He was immediately seized with violent pains, carried home, and died five days later.  On the main points Luke and Josephus are in agreement; but Josephus has further information that is helpful in envisioning the whole scene.  
The “Pontius Pilate” Inscription.  In the excavation there was found a stone with the names of Pontius Pilate and the emperor Tiberius inscribed on it:
“[To the people of Caesarea, in honor of] Tiberius; Pontius Pilate, the Prefect                                                      of Judea,] has dedicated a temple." 
Pilate lived here between 26 and 36 A.D.  The original stone is in the museum in Jerusalem. 
The Promontory Palace.  On the rocky peninsula that extends out into the sea near the theater there is a large pool and a number of (later and secondary) channels cut into the rock. This has become the object of fascination for archaeologists.  From the remains, and by comparison to other Herodian constructions, it now seems likely that Herod had built a small palace on the peninsula, and that the pool was a swimming pool.  Some have thought that it was a fish pool—the Romans had a fascination for such.   But comparisons with other palaces clearly suggest a swimming pool.  This palace gave Herod the luxury of a villa with a wonderful view of the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and the beauty and convenience of his port city all around him.
The Amphitheater.  Between the theater and the harbor are the remains of Caesaria’s amphitheater—the site is the focus of recent intense archaeological work.  This amphitheater may have been J-shaped rather than oval since it opened to and faced the sea; it was about 260 by 50 meters in size and could hold 10,000 people.  The plan has been nicely laid out for visitors with a walkway along the shore to the harbor section of the city.  Behind the amphitheater the excavations have uncovered the main street and residences with beautiful mosaic floors.  
The Harbor.  Herod’s harbor was the first man-made harbor in antiquity.  How it was made with its underwater frames and concrete is a fascinating study in itself.  But by all assessments it was grand; it could hold up to 200 ships.  Herod named it Sebastos, the Greek word for Augustus. 
Underwater archaeological workers have explored the area and charted where Herod’s harbor would have been.  The northern breakwater stretched out into the sea some 280 meters, and the southern one ran about 800 meters to the west and then turned to the north, enclosing an area of about four acres.  There would have been immense lighthouse facilities at the end of these breakwaters to guide the ships.  And then, once a ship entered the harbor the first thing to catch the eye was a Roman temple on top of the hill overlooking the harbor.   For maps and drawings seeHerod’s Dream, Caesarea by the Sea, by Kenneth G. Holum, et al.
The Roman Aqueducts. Herod built a high aqueduct that brought fresh water all the way from springs on Mount Carmel twelve miles away to the city of Caesarea.  A second aqueduct was joined to it by Hadrian about 150 years later.  A third one built on ground level in the Byzantine period lies on the ground about 100 yards east.      
The Crusader City.  This city covered an area of about 35 acres (the earlier Byzantine city was six times larger).  The wall has a moat that is 30 feet wide; and the walls rise 30 to 40 feet above the bottom of the moat.  The builders of the Crusader city used much of the Roman material—in fact, one could say that Herod had supplied the people of this region with building supplies for centuries to come. 
The main entrance goes over a bridge and through an indirect gate system at right angles.  The roadway from the gate down to the harbor was paved with earlier Roman marble blocks.  On the top of the rise overlooking the harbor are a couple of remains—a Crusader cathedral and a temple area.  The cathedral was never finished.  The northern aisle rested on a Roman warehouse arch that collapsed. 
The other area shows the remains of an octagonal structure.  Such constructions were used by the early Church to commemorate a historically significant spot, or to reclaim a holy spot from some pagan worship.  The Roman Temple had been on the top of this hill overlooking the harbor; the Church then replaced it with its building in order to show the triumph of Christianity.

Observations
The city of Caesarea by the Sea provides an excellent picture of the clash of cultures in the land of Israel in the first century.  Here was a Roman city with all the trappings of such—a theater, an amphitheater, a hippodrome, a Roman temple, and of course international commerce.  The Roman government was located here, Roman legions, and merchants and seamen from all countries.  The monuments and the statues all represent the pagan Gentile culture with half-naked gods of drink and revelry.  But it was in the land of Israel; and the Jews who lived here would have had a very difficult time with this monument to Roman values on their coast.  The ruins at Caesarea give only a glimpse of that life.  A graphic description might help bring the point home:
“Rome was a flea market of borrowed gods and conquered peoples, a bargain basement on two floors, earth and heaven, a mass of filth convoluted in a triple knot as in an intestinal obstruction.  Dacians, Herulians, Scythians, Sarmatians, Hyperboreans, heavy wheels without spokes, eyes sunk in fat, sodomy, double chins, illiterate emperors, fish fed on the flesh of learned slaves.  There were more people in the world than there have ever been since, all crammed into the passages of the Coliseum, and all wretched . . . . And then, into this tasteless heap of gold and marble, He came, light and clothed in an aura, emphatically human, deliberately provincial, Galilean, and at that moment gods and nations ceased to be and man came into being” (Boris Pasternak,  Doctor Zhivago, p. 43). 
But it was into such a pagan setting that God first brought the Gospel to the Gentiles, to a man named Cornelius.  We can understand Peter’s feelings about the Gentiles, and the need for the heavenly vision of the unclean animals.  But Peter rose to the occasion and came to Caesarea.  And with Cornelius’ conversion the Church changed its direction forever; it was now to be made up of Jews and Gentiles.  But the tensions that the Jews felt about Gentiles, especially in Caesarea, would surface again within the Church, necessitating the Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15).
Another thing that comes to mind at Caesarea is just how much went on here.  On the one hand it represents the best of all Herod’s buildings.  He truly did succeed in building a monument to Caesar—and to himself.  Herod so wanted to please Rome, and appease the Jews, and protect himself all at once.  He was a master builder and politician.  But look at what is left of it—stones washed away, or under the surface of the sea and the sand, buried for centuries under the dirt.
But on the other hand the biblical accounts of events that took place here only refer to the place as the setting.  The magnificent city is not what is to be remembered.  Here also the apostles came in their mission to the Gentiles.  They built nothing with stone.  But what they began to build has not only survived, but has covered the face of the earth.  And those later Church Fathers who labored here in copying manuscripts and writing Church histories—they too had a powerful share in the growth of the Church.  It should remind Christians that God wants them to be spreading His Word and building His Church, rather than constructing transitory monuments to themselves. 


4.   The Temple of Jerusalem

No city in the world has attracted as much attention as Jerusalem.  The steady flow of pilgrims to this holy city from every corner of the earth gives witness to its importance, and not just for Christianity, but for Judaism and Islam as well.  But what is amazing is that this has been going on for millennia, as any reading of the history of Jerusalem will show.
It would be impossible to cover the city of Jerusalem in a few short pages like this.  One could spend weeks investigating what is here and still not cover it all.  So this discussion will offer a general introduction to the major points of interest from the Herodians, and a later discussion will look at the Christian buildings and locations.  But first, a general description.

Historical Overview
The first settlement in the area was on the Eastern Hill around 3500 B.C.  The earliest mention of the city by name is from the Ebla tablets about 2500 B.C.  It is also listed in the standard Egyptian sources—the Execration texts, and the Amarna letters.  
The biblical references are far too numerous to list here, for Jerusalem is the most frequently mentioned city in the Bible.  This was the ancient Jebusite stronghold of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20).  Even though the city was attacked by the Israelites, the city was not taken until David made it his capital.  Then it became the religious and political center of not only the nation but the theocracy.  And even though down through history it has been attacked, sacked, looted, burned, and passed from one oppressing ruler to another, it remained the focal point of the theocracy primarily because of the activities of Jesus the Messiah. 
Jerusalem has had many names given to it over the years.  It is called Salem in Genesis 14:18, Jebus (for the Jebusites who lived here) in Judges 19:10, and of course Jerusalem throughout Scripture.  The Bible also calls it The City of God (Ps. 46:4), Zion (named for the hill[1] on which it stands), The Holy City (Isa. 52:1), Hephzibah (Isa. 62:4); and Ariel (Isa. 29:1-7).  Hadrian named it Aelia Capitolina in 135 A.D.  And the Arabic name is Al-Kuds (“the Holy”) Jeremiah says that it will be known as YHWH Sidqenu, “The LORD our Righteousness.”
Jerusalem is set on a hill with mountains all around it that are separated from Mount Zion by valleys (see Ps. 125:1,2).  Nevi Samwil (“the prophet Samuel”) is 2942 feet above sea level; it may be the “high place of Gibeon” where the Tabernacle once stood.  Mount Scopus is 2720 feet above sea level; it is the location of the original campus of the Hebrew University.  The Mount of Olives is 2680 feet above sea level, and 240 feet above Jerusalem.  The mount was once heavily wooded, providing oil for the Temple, but most of the trees were cut down by the Romans in their wars. 
The Mount of Olives was the place to which David fled before Absalom; and it was the fourth and last place the Shekainah glory was seen as its departure marked the end of the monarchy (Ezek. 11:23).  It is the location of Bethany, Bethpage, Jewish tombs, the place where Jesus wept over the city, Gethsemane, and the site of the Ascension.  To its east is the wilderness.
The Mount of Offense is 2450 feet above sea level.  Here Solomon built foreign temples for his wives (1 Kings 1:7-8).  The Mount of Evil Counsel today is occupied by the United Nations headquarters.  Mount Zion in the upper city is 2510 feet above sea level.  This is the later Zion, the upper city of the New Testament period, and the birth place of Hebrew Christianity.
On every hill and in every valley separating the hills from Jerusalem there are scores of archaeological sites, religious shrines, and historical commemorations.  In some places different religious groups may have competing chapels and churches for events (like the Ascension); and in other cases they may share portions of the same building (like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher), not all too harmoniously either.
The old city today is divided into four quarters: Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Moslem.  It has a population of about 27,000.  The circumference of the old city is two and half miles. 
The Jewish Quarter occupies the southeast section of the city.  The quarter is bordered by the Western Wall on the east, the wall between the Dung and Zion Gates on the south, the Armenian Quarter on the west, and Street of the Chain on the north.  It was first settled by the Kings of Judah in the eighth century B.C.  Some of Hezekiah's walls, such as the Broad Wall, can be seen in this section, even where it cuts through a house's foundation (see Isa. 22:10).  It was resettled in the Hasmonean period until it was destroyed in 70 A.D. (see the burnt house).  Here from Jesus' time are the remains of the wealthy houses of the Herodians, probably the families of the High Priests. It was resettled in the seventh century after the Moslem conquest; but it was evacuated by the crusaders in the 12th century.  It was resettled in 1400, destroyed in 1948, and rebuilt in 1967.  The main street in the section is Jewish Quarter Road.
In the Jewish Quarter you will find among other things the remains of the Cardo, the main north-south street from the Roman city; portions of the city walls that have been excavated, including Hezekiah’s broad wall (2 Chron. 32:5), and of course the Western Wall; the burnt house, destroyed in 70 A.D.; several synagogues; and the Herodian Quarter, the wealthy homes from the Herodian period.
The Armenian Quarter is the southwest section of the city.  The main road through the area is the Armenian Patriarchate Road.  This is the oldest Christian community.  Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity in the third century under St. Gregory (and so, the Gregorian Church); the Armenians began coming in the third century and soon established their place here.  They were almost destroyed by the Persian invasion in 614 A.D.  They then were persecuted by the Byzantines who regained the control, and so actually welcomed the Arab invasion in 638. The crusaders treated them with contempt, but in the 12th century they gained respect and their rightful place in the city, due to intermarriage by royal families in Europe.  In WWI the Turks killed 1.5 million Armenians, an all but forgotten genocide.  Christ Church is located in the Armenian Quarter (David Street marks the East-West boundary).
In the Quarter Saint James Cathedral, named after James the brother of John, was built in the 11th century on sixth century foundations.  The head of James is said to be buried under the church.  There is also an Armenian Museum, and a seminary. 
The Moslem Quarter, the northeast section of the city, is densely populated with people who are descendants of the Moslems who settled here after the Crusaders were expelled in 1187. The main north-south street is the Suk (Shuk), or the Cardo from Roman times, which ran from the Damascus Gate to the Zion Gate.  There are two main east-west streets, David Street, which extends from Jaffa Gate toward al Kuds, and the Street of the Chain.  The Street of the Chain forms the southern border of the area; it has several large Mameluke structures.  Beth Habad street marks the western border. 
The Moslem Quarter contains a number of Christian institutions, including the Via Dolorosa.  The Pools of Bethesda are also in the Moslem Quarter, enclosed within the property of the Church of Saint Anne, a wonderfully preserved Crusader Church.  Along the Cardo at the end of David Street are the Markets (Butcher’s, Spice, and Goldsmiths), dating from the crusader times.  There is also the covered Cotton Merchants Market, which dates from 1336. 
The Christian Quarter is in the northwest section of the city.  It is bordered by the Christian Quarter Road, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Road, the Greek Catholic Patriarchate Road, and the Latin Patriarchate Road.  Besides a number of churches in this area, most notable are the Latin Patriarchate, established by the crusaders in 1099,[2] the Greek Catholic Patriarchate, established in 1772 afer breaking away from the Greek Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, established in 451 by the Council of Chalcedon, situated on the site of the church of James, the first bishop of Jerusalem, and covering three acres of land,[3] the Ethiopian Patriarchate, the Coptic (Greek for “Egypt” is Aegyptios) Patriarchate (behind the Church of the Holy Sepulcher), first settled in the Byzantine period, the German Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Christ Church, and of course the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  In addition there is the Roman Column, a lamp post with the inscription honoring the tenth legion, the legion that destroyed Jerusalem.  Also of special interest is St. Mark’s Church and Convent, the headquarters of the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Jacobites.  It is a monophysite sect that owns part of Mary’s Tomb and the Church of the Ascension.  It was to this place that the newly found Dead Sea Scrolls were brought.  The location is believed to be the site of the home of Mark, and according to the Syrian tradition, the Upper Room.[4]

Archaeology
Archaeological work in the area of the old city is greatly limited due to the density of the population and buildings, as well as the political issues involved. The main work going on today is at the south eastern corner of the Temple Mount, where archaeologists have gotten down to the first century street with the shops that were located along it.  Other existing sites were dug at earlier times, such as the tunnel along the western wall, or in the city of David, and pretty much remain the same today. Some of the work along the southern side of the Temple area will stop with the Arab period for a practical purpose of fostering political harmony.

The Walls of the City of Jerusalem
A study of Jerusalem inevitably involves a study of the three walls and when they were constructed.  This is a difficult task because excavation in the area is greatly limited.  The walls that currently surround the Old City were built by Suleyman the Magnificent, the Ottoman (Turkish) emperor who ruled the land in the 1500s.  We have already noted the size and shape of the City of David; so now we must trace the successive expansions and fortifications of the city down through the centuries.
The First Wall.  Josephus said that the first wall, or the innermost wall, was the most ancient (Wars 5.142).  He thought it went back to the time of David or Solomon, and he was partly correct in that the later walls ran along the same line as Hezekiah's wall and even used older Iron Age wall sections (which can be seen in the Cardo area of Jerusalem).  Kenyon concluded that the northern extremity was Maccabean (ca. 140 B.C.). 
The evidence shows that this wall ran from the Herodian Citadel across the Tyropoeon Valley to the Temple Mount, roughly along David Street.  The exact location of the southern edge of this wall concerns the location of Josephus’ “fountain of Siloam,” which may refer to a recently excavated pool that caught the overflow of the Pool of Siloam.  The following drawing shows the layout of the city with these expansions by Hezekiah ca. 700 B.C.       
The Second Wall.  The second wall was a relatively short one.  It branched off the first wall just east from the Herodian Towers at a Gennath Gate.  The area of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was a stone quarry, outside the second wall.  The wall ran north, but turned toward the Antonia at the northeast corner of the quarry.  The wall then would have continued north on the east of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  So the quarry area would have been to the west of the wall, “without the gate” (Heb. 13:12).  After the wall went past the quarry, Josephus says it went north to the Damascus Gate, then around and south to the Antonia. 
The Third Wall.  The third wall dates from the first century A.D. This wall was probably built by Herod Agrippa, but did not have a long life, because of the Roman destruction in 70 A.D. 
There is some disagreement over the witness of Josephus and the archaeological evidence concerning where the third wall ran.  Josephus said the wall went north to the Psephinus tower and then east past the Helena monuments (generally) and through the royal caverns (as the present wall does).  Excavations under the present Damascus Gate revealed that the area was unoccupied and outside the city in the first part of the first century A.D.; but with Herod Agrippa I (42,43 A.D.) there is intensive construction with a triple arched entrance to the city with the line of the wall on either side of the towers almost identical to the present day location.  The following drawing of Jerusalem in the New Testament period shows this third wall surrounding the New City on the north around to the eastern side of the Temple Mount.
The Gates of the Old City.  A study of the walls and the gates of Jerusalem down through history can be a rather involved project.  Since we have today the walls built by Suleiman, we will survey the current gates around the city.  Starting from the northwest corner of the city, in the Christian Quarter, there is the New Gate, built in 1899.  To its east is the Shechem Gate, or Damascus Gate in Arabic, because it leads north to Damascus.  This is the largest of the city gates.  Then there is Herod’s Gate, the main gate for the market area.  On the eastern wall the first gate is Lion’s Gate, or St. Stephen’s Gate, the one that pilgrims use to enter the old city, Moslems to their holy shrine, and Christians tracing the way from Gethsemane to the Via Dolorosa.  Next is the Golden Gate with its two arches, closed by the Arabs in 810, opened by the crusaders, closed again in 1187, and re-walled in 1546.  On the south side of the city there is the single gate, the triple gate, and the double gate, all at the top of the steps at the wall of the Temple Mount, and all sealed shut.  The latter two were the eastern and western Huldah gates that went into the temple precinct.  People would enter and leave the Temple through these gates and their tunnels that went up to the platform.  On the west is the Dung Gate, the lowest of all the gates; it leads into the Tyropean Valley.  Then there is the Zion Gate, built in 1541.  And on the west is the Jaffa Gate, so-named because it leads west to Jaffa/Joppa on the coast.

The Temple Mount
Its History.  The Temple Precinct was central to the faith of Israel.  It was here that Isaac was taken to be sacrificed (Gen. 22:1-18, “Mount Moriah” was Jerusalem's Temple Mount according to the Chronicler).  This was the area acquired by David (2 Sam. 24:15-20).  It was here that Solomon built the Temple, with the "rock" apparently where the high altar would have been in front of the Holy Place.
The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. (2 Kings 25:9).  The Second Temple was built under the leadership of  Zerubbabel in 515 B.C. (Ezra 3:8—6:22).  This one was greatly expanded and improved by Herod beginning about 20 B.C.  He used immense blocks of stone to build a retaining wall around the crown of the hill, and then filled it in where necessary to make the temple platform.  Then the actual construction of the Temple could commence.  His project was never actually finished; it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., who used the mount for a temple to Jupiter by Hadrian.  That was destroyed by the Byzantine Christians.  In 361 Julian the Apostate tried to rebuild the Temple. 
In 638 in the Moslem Conquest, Omar cleared the mount of rubbish (it had been used for refuse in the Byzantine period) and built the monument over the rock and the mosque at the southern end.  In 691 the present Dome of the Rock was built by Abdul-Malik Ibn Merwan of the Ummayyads.  In 1099 the Crusaders turned it into a shrine— Templum Domini, “the Temple of the Lord” (and they were known as the Knights Templar).   In 1187 it was retaken by Saladin and has remained under Moslem control ever since.  During the Ottoman Turkish period (1517-1917) renovations were made and ceramic tiles added to the outside of the octagon.  The dome was originally made of lead. It was replaced in 1966 with a dome of aluminum bronze alloy.  The present dome was completed in 1994; it was made of 1200 brass sheets coated with nickel and copper for hardiness and then electroplated with a special brush impregnated with liquified gold.  About 80 kg of gold was used (1994 market value of $1.5 million).  The Arabic name is Haram esh-Sharif, “The Venerable Sanctuary.”
The Dome of the Rock is the third holiest spot in Islam, after Mecca and Medina.  Islam recognizes its biblical sanctity as the place of the sacrifice of Isaac/Ishmael.  Apart from being associated with Solomon's Temple, Islam sees the rock as the place from which Mohammed ascended into Heaven on his horse and then returned with his revelation.[5] The cave in the rock is the “well of the spirits” where four prayed with Mohammed—Abraham, David, Solomon, and Gabriel.      
Herod's Temple.  Herod  began  rebuilding  the  Temple,  about 20 or 19 B.C. in  order to appease the Jews.  Josephus said the work continued until 62-64 A.D.  There are no remains of the Herodian Temple because of the destruction by Rome.  But there are considerable remains of the platform itself, of the stairway at the southern end, and other items that fell from the platform.  Herod had doubled the size of the Solomonic platform.  To do this the walls of the platform were based on bedrock and ascended to the level of the Rock.  The slopes of the original temple mount then were brought up to the level of the present platform.  Such a precinct was necessary to build the Temple, the courts and the colonnades.  The Herodian platform was about 35 acres.  The existing Herodian wall at the southeastern corner is about 130 feet.
Josephus describes the Temple itself as 90 feet high, 90 feet long, and 30 feet wide.  The priests' chambers along the sides added another 60 feet to the temple's height, making the total height of the building 150 feet.  Sharp golden spikes were on top of the temple, and golden vines hung down from the entrance.  Twelve steps led up to the holy place from the east.
All around the precinct Herod had built colonnades, formed in places by two rows of roofed columns. Josephus says the colonnade was formed of pure white marble, each about 38 feet high.  Josephus says a part of the wall on the east of the platform was Solomonic; the Herodian colonnade there was called “Solomon’s colonnade” and was one place Jesus taught (Jn. 10:23; also Acts 5:12-16, 17-25, 42).  The southern colonnade was the most magnificent—it had three aisles and four rows of columns, 162 in all.  The columns were 27 feet high.  Fragments of the columns, their capitals, as well as sundials, panels, friezes and cornices were found in the debris.
The Court of the Gentiles where Jesus often taught (John 10:23) was just outside the sacred precinct.  It would have been here that the blind and the lame came to Jesus, since they could not enter the sacred area.  The blind man in John 9 would have met Jesus at the southern gates of the temple platform, since Jesus was on his way out of the area.  Jesus healed him and sent him to Siloam, just south of the temple area.
Some of the important things to study in conjunction with the Temple Mount are the archaeological activities at the southwest corner of the Temple Mount, Robinson’s arch and its Pier, the inscribed quotation from Isaiah 66:14, the paved Herodian street, the steps to the Temple and the arches for the entrance to the temple (double gate and triple gate, the  “Huldah Gates”) where Jesus and his disciples surely entered, and the ritual immersion pools which undoubtedly were used by the disciples for the baptisms on the Day of Pentecost (Jews were very used to self-immersion, but here the meaning was different).  Of course, the purification of Mary and the dedication of Jesus may have also taken place here (Luke 2:21-24,39).

 Significant Sites in and around Jerusalem
The Western Wall.  Following the old city wall a few yards down to the area of the parking lots you can enter the Jewish Quarter of the city.  If you come this way you will pass the remains of the Cardo, the main street from Roman times.  It extended from the Damascus Gate on the north to the Zion Gate on the south.  Only some of its columns and paving stones are left to see, and in places sections of the old city walls from Old Testament times.  Further east in the Jewish Quarter you will find the Burnt House display.  Here are the remains of a house belonging to a priestly family known as Bar Kathros.  It was destroyed in 70 A.D.  Then, descending the steps toward the Temple Mount area you will come into the plaza area by the Western Wall.  Most visitors will visit this place several times over because it is truly one of the more intriguing and ominous places in Jerusalem.  This wall is what remains of the western wall of the Temple complex.  For those permitted to enter the synagogue to the left of the wall, channels have been dug by archaeologists to show that the wall has seventeen more layers of stone below the ground level—it goes down to bedrock.  The length of the wall is 1500 feet, divided into places for men and women to pray.  This is as close as the pious Jews can get to the Holy Place, and so it has become holy to them.  A visit to the wall usually leaves Christians with very mixed emotions.  Here is a place of prayer, where sincerity and piety certainly can be witnessed at all hours.  But much of it in blindness to the fact that the Messiah has fulfilled all that the Temple prefigured.   
The Citadel of David.  Just inside Jaffa Gate is the site of David’s Tower, a name given by the Crusaders to the Tower of Phasael of the Herodian Palace. While most of the walls of this area, as well as the walls of the old city, were built in the Ottoman period, the blocks at the base of these towers are clearly Herodian.  It was here that Herod the Great had his palace; and it was here that Jesus would have been tried, perhaps by Pilate, perhaps by Herod Antipas.  The museum of the city of Jerusalem inside the citadel is worth visiting.
The Kidron Valley divides Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.  This is a long valley, extending some twenty miles from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. There are several remarkable tombs in the valley cut from the rock, some of which tradition has identified with Absalom, James, Zechariah, and others.  These traditions are difficult to evaluate; but the tombs may be those of priestly families.  On the left you will see the walls of the city that border the Temple area.  The southwest corner of this wall may very well be the “pinnacle of the Temple” which was the site of the second temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4:5-7).  Others suggest the corner of the building itself inside the complex. 
The Mount of Olives.  East of the old city across the Kidron Valley is the Mount, or the mountains called Olives. It was once very heavily wooded with olive trees providing oil for the Temple.  Its summit is 240 feet above the city, giving a wonderful overview of the Sanctuary area and the old city behind it.  As illustrated below, if Herod’s Temple were set beside the golden dome of today’s Islamic structure, it would be about a twenty-five percent higher.  The Herodian Temple was an amazingly large and beautiful place.
The Pools of Bethesda. Just inside St. Stephen’s Gate, or Lion’s Gate, you come to the Church of St. Anne, the best preserved Crusader Church in Jerusalem.  It was built in 1140 over an old Byzantine Church to commemorate the birthplace of the Virgin Mary and her parents, Anne and Joachim.  The church became the possession of the French after the Crimean War in 1856.  The acoustics in the church are terrific, and so not surprisingly groups love to sing here.  In the courtyard of the church are the remains of the pools of Bethesda with their tradition of the healing waters (John 5:2-9).  Here Jesus healed the man without the help of the troubled waters.
The Holy Land Hotel has a marvelous scale model of the old city in the first century.  Some of its details need to be modified, but overall it will give a clearer picture of what Jerusalem was like in the days of Jesus.  It is a large model, put together brick by brick.  And so a good hour or so could be spent here studying what the Temple looked like, or Herod’s palace, or the city walls by Calvary.

Observations
The impact of Jerusalem is very powerful on those who come here with any knowledge of the faith.  It would be impossible in a short visit of several days to take in all that is here, let alone even see it all.  The events that have occurred here and the ideas presented here have shaped the human race.  This is the ancient seat of Melchizedek, the friend of Abraham.  This is ancient Moriah.  It is the City of David, and of Solomon, and all the kings of Judah, the Hezekiahs and Josiahs with their reforms.  It is the home of Isaiah and Jeremiah and Habakkuk and Zachariah, Haggai, and Malachi.  It is where Ezra and Nehemiah came to rebuild and to restore.
And it is the focus of the ministry of Jesus the Messiah, his teaching and his mighty works in the Temple and in the areas surrounding the city, his Last Supper in the Upper Room, and most notably his crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
Today the city of Jerusalem is at the heart of the settlement negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.  Whose city is it, historically?  It has been conquered some thirty times over the centuries.  It has been the possession of the Jebusites, the Egyptians, the Israelites, the Babylonians, the Persians, Greeks, the Jews again, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Arabs again, the Turks, the British by mandate, the Jordanians, and now the Israelis.  Some of the Jewish people believe strongly that this is the fulfillment of that promise and it is their destiny to have it.  Other Jewish people do not think the promises will be realized until Messiah comes.  The Palestinians, of course, claim it by virtue of their presence in the land. It looks like only the second coming of Jesus the Messiah will sort this one out, as indeed he predicted.  
Hoppe, Leslie J.  The Synagogues and Churches of Ancient Palestine.  Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1994.
Mare, W. Harold.  The Archaeology of the Jerusalem Area.  Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1987.
  



 
     [1] Mount Zion in biblical times referred to the area of the Temple.  The Mount Zion on the western hills was a later use of the name for a different area of the city.
     [2] The Roman Catholic Church has approximately 170 churches in Israel and 180 religious institutions.  Jerusalem has seventeen Catholic Orders; Israel has 21 monasteries and convents.
     [3] The church moved to Constantinople when the crusader kingdom was established in 1099, and returned in 1187 when Saladin evicted the Roman Catholics.  The Catholics were allowed to return in the 14th century, and there has been conflict between the two ever since.
     [4]Unless otherwise designated, all maps and drawings in this section are taken from W. Harold Mare, The Archaeology of the Jerusalem Area.
     [5]Islam believes Jesus was a prophet, and that he too ascended to heaven.  But they say that Mohammed came back.  When Jesus comes back, they say, he will be Islamic.

THE JUDGMENT OF JERUSALEM Predicted in Scripture, Fulfilled in History - Part 3



CHAPTER X.

Subsequent History of the Jews

"I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: because they have not hearkened to My words, saith the Lord." JER. xxix. 18,19.
"For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days." HOSEA iii, 4, 5.
" For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, .. . that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." ROM. xi. 25-27.
The Scriptures speak not only of the degradation, sufferings, and dispersion, but also of the final restoration of the Jews. The singularly exact fulfilIment of the prediction of the Saviour relative to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans, as well as the possession of their land by the Gentiles for eighteen hundred years, are fully chronicled in history. But what has become of the people? If it be asked where are the Parthians, the Medes, the Elamites, the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and other ancient nations, the reply is that they have been thrown upon the waters, and like kindred drops have commingled and disappeared. The Jews also have been thrown upon the agitated waters by the strong hand of power: they have been driven to and fro, as in a boiling cauldron, yet they have never commingled; they have sunk, it is true, degraded and dishonoured, but still they are to be found separate and distinct. They are a chosen race, and still beloved for their fathers' sake. Nor will God ever break His covenant. Though without a nationality, or a country, though scattered among the nations, they are still a distinct people; and when the fulness of the Gentiles is accomplished, they will be brought forth as the trophies of the victorious love of Christ Jesus, their Lord and Messiah, their Redeemer and ours.
Whilst the promises are abundant that prosperity and happiness should be their portion, so long as they were obedient to the commands which the Lord gave unto them, they were also threatened with punishments proportioned to their sins. The first predictions were delivered by Moses more than three thousand years ago, as found in Lev. xxvi. 36-39, 44; Deut. iv. 27; xxviii. 29-68. Similar declarations were made by various prophets all along the track of their history. Particularly was it foretold that they should be scattered and removed to the uttermost parts of the earth. "And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth."1
1 Jer. xv. 4-
"Thus saith the Lord God; I will bring up a company upon them, and will give them to be removed and spoiled."1 "My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto Him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations."2 These may serve as a sufficient sample of the character of the denunciations.
Their Dispersion.- They were to be scattered far and wide. Not a voluntary emigration to other lands, but a forcible and painful expulsion from their own country. Not to the regions surrounding Palestine, but to the uttermost parts of the earth. History tells us how oppressive and compulsory were the laws which Adrian, Constantine, and other Roman emperors made against them, forbidding them, under the penalty of death, to enter Jerusalem, or to come within three miles of it. By Vespasian and Constantine they were scattered over the empire. They were sold as slaves into Egypt, thus fulfilling the prediction, "And the Lord shall bring thee unto Egypt with ships, and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen." It is true today that this unique people are found among all nations, in every part of the habitable globe. Yea, in lands unknown to the prophets, who said, "They shall be scattered among the heathen (Gentiles) whom neither they nor their fathers have known."
The English, Scotch, and Irish, whose restricted territory, crowded population, and commercial intercourse with other lands prompt to emigration, have
1 Ezek. xxiii. 46.
2 Hosea ix. 17.
scattered themselves widely. But they afford no parallel to the Jews. They have no country, and yet inhabit all lands; they were not constrained by restricted territory, or by over-population to leave; they were not enticed away by mercantile enterprise, for their vocation was agricultural; but they were driven about by the caprice of kings and governors, until their residence is among all the tribes and kindreds of the earth.
They were to find no rest among the nations. - Among those nations," says Moses, "shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind."1 The history of nations is greatly diversified in their rise and fall, their days of darkness and their days of light. They have been raised from their prostration, and made victorious, or they have been blotted out. But the history of the Jews for eighteen hundred years, though varied, has still been uniform. The diversities have often only marked a deeper degradation and a more oppressive bondage. It has all been disquietude and sorrow. Other nations, crushed by adversity, have perished; but the Jews could not be exterminated.
During the first century Jerusalem was laid in ashes, the temple utterly destroyed, their country sold to the Gentiles; whilst the people were driven to and fro, and sold into slavery.
In the second century the Roman emperors enacted
1 Deut. xxviii. 65-
severe and oppressive laws against them. Under the reign of one emperor not less than half a million of the Jews were slain.
Through the third century their persecutions were so severe that they found no resting-place.
In the fourth century, Constantine scattered them as fugitives over all the empire. Before banishing them from Rome he caused the ears of many to be cut off, and their persons to be branded as vagabonds.
In the fifth century they were expelled from Alexandria. Throughout the Persian dominions they were persecuted with terrible cruelty. In the sixth century, allured and deceived by false Messiahs, they rose in rebellion against the government, but were defeated with fearful and cruel slaughter. In Africa, whither multitudes fled for refuge, they were denied the right to worship, and were forbidden to exercise their religion even in the caves of the earth.
In the seventh century they were expelled from Antioch, from Jerusalem, and from Spain. In France they were compelled either to renounce their religion, or be despoiled of all their property. In Arabia, being conquered by Mohammed, they were put under heavy tribute, and then expelled from the kingdom.
In the eighth century a law was enforced throughout all the nations professing Mohammedanism, that any child who should renounce Judaism and become a Mohammedan, should become the sole inheritor of all the family property. In Spain they were seized and sold into slavery.
During the ninth and tenth centuries, the Mohammedan caliphs extended their conquests from Spain to India. Within these boundaries the great mass of the Jews resided. They were repeatedly deprived of their property, -they were imprisoned, and external marks of infamy put upon them. So persecuted and oppressed were they, that they fled to the deserts of Arabia. For a little season they had comparative rest, a respite from the more oppressive forms of cruelty, still, however, suffering private indignities.
At the close of the thirteenth century they were banished from England by Edward I; nor were they permitted to return until the time of Oliver Cromwell.
Towards the close of the fourteenth century they were banished from France for the seventh time by Charles VI; most of the time since they have only been tolerated there.
In the fifteenth century Ferdinand and Isabella banished them from Spain. Mariana says there were 170,000 families banished; whilst others say 800,000 persons left the kingdom. Most of these fled to Portugal,, and at a great price bought refuge from John II. But soon they were banished from Portugal by Emanuel, the successor of John.
This narrative of their unrest among the nations might be brought down to later periods; but sufficient proof has now been given to confirm the prediction. Says Dr. Keith: "Nor can any tongue of man tell, or pen write, what trembling of heart and failing of eyes were theirs, or what sorrow of mind, what sore sickness of soul, were the portion of this family among the nations, whither they were driven; in the oppressions and banishments, the miseries and the massacres which time after time were relentlessly inflicted upon them throughout Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Italy, and England."
They were to be spoiled not only of property, but of their children.-" Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people."1 In Mohammedan countries, as already shown, their children were bribed to renounce their religion, and to forsake their parents, by the promise of thus securing the entire estate of the family. In Spain and Portugal their children, by order of the government, were forcibly taken from them, to be educated in the popish religion. "The fourth council of Toledo ordered that all their children should be taken from them, for fear they should partake of their errors, and that they should be shut up in monasteries, to be instructed in Christian truths." When they were banished from Portugal, the king ordered all their children under fourteen years of age to be taken from them and baptised. Sir Walter Scott says, "They were alike detested by the credulous and the prejudiced vulgar, and persecuted by the greedy and rapacious nobility. Except perhaps the flying-fish, there was no race existing on the earth, in the air, or the waters who were the objects of such unremitted, general, and relentless persecution
1 Deut. xxviii. 32.
as the Jews. Their persons and their property were exposed to every turn of popular fury."
They were to be driven to madness and desperation.- "And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning!" "So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see."1 " And death shall be chosen rather than life."2"After the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, some of the worst of the Jews took refuge in the castle of Masada, where, being closely besieged by the Romans, they, at the persuasion of Eleazar, their leader, first murdered their wives and children;
then ten were chosen by lot to slay the rest; this being done, one of the ten was chosen in like manner to kill the other nine, which having executed, he set fire to the place, and then stabbed himself: There were nine hundred and sixty who perished in this miserable manner, and only two women and five boys escaped by hiding themselves in the aqueducts under ground."
"During the massacres in Germany, multitudes barricaded their houses, and precipitated themselves, their families, and their wealth into the rivers or the flames." "During the reign of Richard I, of England, fifteen hundred Jews seized part of the city of York, to defend themselves from the massacres. Being besieged, they offered to capitulate and to ransom their lives
1 Deut. xxviii. 66, 67, 34.
2 Jer. viii. 3.
with money. The offer being refused, one of them cried, in despair, that it was better to die courageously for the law, than to fall into the hands of the Christians. Everyone immediately took his knife, and stabbed his wife and children. The men afterwards retired into the king's palace, which they set on fire; in which they consumed themselves with the palace and furniture." Thus indeed were they driven to desperation, and preferred death rather than life.
They were to dissemble, and serve other gods.- "And there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone."1" And there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not show you favour."2 These passages have reference to the times when they should be scattered among the nations. When the Israelites were carried away captives by the Assyrians, many became incorporated with the nations, and gave themselves up to their idolatrous worship. In later periods, since the destruction of their sacred city, we learn from Basnage that "the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition reduced them to the dilemma of being either hypocrites or burnt." He adds, "The number of these dissemblers are very considerable, and it ought not to be concluded that there are no Jews in Spain or Portugal because they are not known. They are so much the more dangerous, for not only being very numerous, but confounded with the ecclesiastics, and entering into all ecclesiastical dignities." "The most surprising thing is, that this religion spreads from generation to generation, and still subsists
1 Deut. xxviii. 36.
2 Jer. xvi. 13.
in the persons of dissemblers in a remote posterity. In vain the great lords of Spain make alliances, change their names, and take ancient escutcheons; they are still known to be of Jewish race, and Jews themselves. The convents, not a few of the canons, inquisitors, and bishops proceed from this nation." This same writer furnishes the evidence that there were in the synagogues of Amsterdam, brothers and sisters and near relations to good families in Spain and Portugal, and even Franciscan monks; Dominicans, and Jesuits, who came to do penance and make amends for the crime they had committed in dissembling.
They were to be a curse and astonishment, a byword and a proverb among all nations.-"And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee."1"To be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them."2 The proof of this remarkable prediction, which is true of no other people, is so abundant and personal, and within the cognizance of almost everyone, as scarcely to need an illustration. Verily the Jew, all the world over, and through all the ages, has become a proverb, a byword, and a scorn. They have been held forth for contempt by external marks. At times they were to be designated by a leathern girdle; again, by a piece of cloth of a specified colour, conspicuously worn; again, by a clog fastened to their body, and dragged about with
1 Deut. xxviii. 37.
2 Jer. xxix. 18.
them. Other equally degrading marks were put upon them, which continually exposed them to scorn and contempt. Though the heathen, the Mohammedan, and the Christian differed essentially in their religious views, still they were agreed in pouring abusive contempt upon the Jews. When Shakespeare, that great master of human nature, would draw a character so detestable as to command the prompt and universal abhorrence of mankind, he produced Shylock, the Jew of Venice, pleading for the pound of flesh. Almost every man may be summoned as a witness to prove that he has often made use of the Jew as a byword and a proverb, and has personally, though unwittingly, carried out this Divine prediction.
Another prediction was that the kingdom-the body politic-was to be destroyed, and the people sifted through the nations yet the seed was not to perish, whilst their enemies should be destroyed.- "And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God."1 "I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I wilI not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure."2 "I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth."3 Says Bishop Newton, "The Jewish
1 Lev. xxvi. 44.
2 ] er. xlvi. 28.
3 Amos ix. 8, 9.
nation, like the bush of Moses, has been always burning, but is never consumed." The preservation of the Jews as a distinct people through so many wars and fires,-through such wasting famines and pestilences,-through such rebellions, massacres, and persecutions, is the most striking and illustrious exhibition of Divine Providence, and of the most literal fulfilment of this prophecy. Whilst they have been, and now are dispersed among all nations, yet they are not confounded with any. Though they have mixed with all, still they remain a separate people. Though worldly inducements strongly urged them to abandon their religion, still they have held on to their law. When the northern tribes of Europe poured forth their swarms upon the more genial south, they soon became so mingled in and incorporated with the nations as not to be distinguished. In most civilised countries the distinctive marks of foreign nationalities are soon lost by intermarriages and commingling. But the Jew does not commingle, and through many generations preserves his lineage, and is easily known as a son of Abraham.
Their preservation is the more remarkable when we inquire after their ancient persecutors. The Egyptians, who detained them in severe and degrading bondage, the Assyrians and Babylonians, who carried them away captive and evil entreated them, the Macedonians, who used them with cruelty, and the Romans, who destroyed their city and their temple, and sold them for slaves throughout the empire, are gone, all gone, -their power is utterly broken. How wonderful that the mighty and the conquering nations should be lost in oblivion, whilst the vanquished and the oppressed should survive and spread all over the earth,-a strong nation without a king, or prince, or governor, nay, without a government or portion of land! Yet such is the fact.
Not only have nations thus felt the power of the prediction, but prominent rulers have been strangely dealt with. The firstborn of Pharaoh was destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar was stricken with madness, and his crown given to strangers. Haman was hung upon the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. Antiochus Epiphanes and Herod both died in the most miserable manner. Flaccus, the governor of Egypt, who plundered the Jews at Alexandria, was banished and slain. Caligula, who persecuted them for refusing to honour his statue in the temple, was murdered in the prime of life. Truly, "though scattered and persecuted, they have been a people terrible from their beginning hitherto."
By reason of their blindness to the true Messias their sufferings were to continue for a long time.- "Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sickness, and of long continuance."1 "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And He
1 Deut. xxviii. 59.
answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land."1 These passages, in addition to the predictions of external and long-continued sufferings, speak of the inward workings of the mind. Of this predicted unbelief the prophet Isaiah thus upbraids his people: "Who hath believed our report (or doctrine)? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ?"2 The reason of their rejection of the Messias is stated to be His humble and afflicted condition. To them He was "as a root out of a dry ground," having neither "form nor comeliness" nor beauty that He should be desired. Consequently, "He was despised and rejected;" being "a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief."
In the Gospel by John we find this prediction explicitly applied to the Jews: "Though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him: that the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled."3 So Paul also makes the same application: "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?"4 "Blindness (or hardness) in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in."5 And our Lord says, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."6 The language of Paul in his
1 Isa. vi. 10-12.
2 Isa. Iiii. 1.
3 John xii. 37, 38.
4 Rom. x. 16.
5 Rom. xi. 25.
6 Luke xxi. 24.
second letter to the Corinthians is true now: "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart."1 How wonderful and explicit the fulfilment! Every civilised nation believes in Christ,-the Messiah of whom the prophets spake. But the Jews, though perpetuated as living witnesses of the truth of the Scriptures,-though for so long a time without a Prince, without a sacrifice or temple, without ephod or teraphim, and without their looked-for Messiah, still reject Christ as the Messiah. Blinded by their prejudice, they grope at noonday, as doth the blind man for the wall. For eighteen hundred years their cities have been wasted, and themselves wanderers and persecuted. Thus their plagues and sufferings have been of "long continuance," and for "a very long time." How long this blindness will continue no man can tell. All we know is that it will continue "until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." When that shall be God has not revealed.
There are at the present time certain indications that the Jewish mind is in a state of inquiry. In some lands even now they find the most rigid laws oppressing them in their temporal and religious interests, denying the rights of citizenship, and confining them to particular and crowded sections of cities. In England they are now respected in alI
1 2 Cor. iii. 14, 15.
their rights. In the United States they never found any disabilities, civil or religious,-all their interests from the beginning were sacredly guarded, they enjoyed perfect liberty and equal privileges with other citizens. This was a new feature in their history, and it met them in a Christian land, and as the outworking of true Christian principles. It cannot be otherwise than that the reflecting portion will notice these facts, and feel their generous influence. The fact is patent that the Jews dwelling in the United States and other Protestant countries no longer speak contemptuously and malignantly of Christ. Whilst they do not receive Him as the promised Messiah, they admit that He was a good and wise man. Dr. Raphael, the learned and distinguished rabbi residing in New York, thus publicly spake of Christ: "I, as a Jew, do say, that it appears to me that Jesus Christ became the victim of fanaticism, combined with jealousy and lust of power in Jewish hierarchs, even as in later ages Huss and Jerome of Prague, Latimer and Ridley became the victims of fanaticism, combined with jealousy and lust of power in Christian hierarchs; and while I and the Jews of the present day protest against being identified with the zealots who were concerned in the proceedings against Jesus of Nazareth, we are far from reviling His character or deriding His precepts." It is an interesting fact that this same learned rabbi, in his public lectures, delivered to mixed audiences of Jews and Christians, did freely and with approbation quote from the evangelists the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Another indication of an ameliorating influence is the fact that Dr. Wechler, a learned Jewish rabbi of New Haven, Connecticut, regularly attends the weekly meeting of ministers, takes part with them in their discussions, often leading them in prayer. He manifests great interest in these meetings, and is among the most punctual. He uniformly speaks most respectfully of Jesus Christ and of His teachings. These are signs of the times which may foretell the dawning of a brighter day upon the sons of Abraham.
Whilst often despoiled and always oppressed and punished for their covetousness, they were to possess the riches of the Gentiles.- "For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him."1 "They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumbling-block of their iniquity."2 "The ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them."3 Ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves."4 The covetousness of the Jew has passed into a proverb. None thinks it strange that a Jew should demand exorbitant interest. How often are hardhearted Gentile money-lenders, who fatten upon the distresses of their fellow-men, called, by way of distinctive and marked emphasis, 'as usurious as a Jew".
1 Isa. lvii. 17.
2 Ezek. vii. 19.
3 Isa. Ix. 9.
4 Isa. lxi. 6.
That the Jews are the possessors of great wealth is established by the most abundant evidence. But for their riches they never would have suffered such repeated and extensive spoliations in the days of despotic kings. Notwithstanding all that they have endured, the promise is that they shall be notorious for the abundance of their wealth. Whilst it is true, even down to the present time, that ever since the dispersion the Jews in Palestine have been and are poor, still, in almost every other country, they ply their occupations with eminent success. The laws of the nations among whom they were scattered, forbidding them to hold landed property, have, by necessity, driven them to accumulate gold and silver and precious stones,-a kind of property valuable in every part of the world. They have a large share of the funds of every kingdom of Europe. We know that the richest bankers of England and the Continent are Jews; that the Rothschilds and the Goldsmidts control such wealth as to determine the loans needed by governments.
They are yet to be advanced to great prosperity, temporal and spiritual.-" The Lord. . . will have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee, . . . and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers."1 "For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice. . . .Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek
1 Dent. xxx. 3, 5.
the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days."1"And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in My wrath I smote thee, but in My favour have I had mercy on thee."2 "The vail is upon their heart. … Nevertheless… the vail shall be taken away."3 "And they. . . shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. . . . And so all Israel shall be saved."4 "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips."5
The striking fulfilment of the varied predictions already considered may well assure us that what remains to this wonderful people of favour and temporal advancement, and especially of spiritual enlargement and blessedness, will be perfectly carried out. It is a fact worthy of particular attention that, with all the changes among the kingdoms during so many centuries, nothing has occurred which renders impracticable the fulfilment of these prophecies. On the contrary, the condition of the Jewish people, as well as of Christian and other nations, at the present time, with the facilities of travel and intercourse, is such as to render them easily capable of a complete accomplishment. And when these predictions of their conversion to Christ shall be fulfilled, it will be a sign and a wonder to all nations, and the prelude to the universal spread of Christianity.
How, in what manner, at what time, and through
1 Hosea. iii. 4, 5.
2 Isa. Ix. 10.
3 2 Cor. iii. 15, 16.
4 Rom. xi. 23, 26.
5 Psa. lxxxix. 34.
what agencies all will be accomplished, we know not. As all prophecies are to be fulfilled by the voluntary doings of men pushing forward their own personal plans, we doubt whether the men who shall fulfil them will have any consciousness that they are thus engaged, any more than did the Jews when they crucified the Lord of glory. When the prophecy is completed, then the facts will come to the front and prove the fulfilment. I have thought that unfulfilled prophecy was not unlike to the pillar of cloud, which, though it led the people, was still obscure and dark;
and that fulfilled prophecy was not unlike to the pillar of fire, by means of whose light all things were clearly to be perceived. Whether Christ shall in His bodily presence reign upon this earth or not, whether the Jews shall return to Palestine, and abide there, or continue to occupy other countries, are matters about which men honestly differ. But one thing is certain,-that blessings rich and large are in reserve for the children of Abraham; blessings which will not only enrich them spiritually, but be also to the Gentiles as life from the dead.1 That these days may be hastened, I am confident, is the hearty prayer of Christians.
"The long era of dispersion, lasting seventeen centuries, is characterised by unprecedented sufferings, an uninterrupted martyrdom, and constantly aggravated degradation and humiliation, unparalleled in history,-but also by mental activity, unremitting intellectual efforts, and indefatigable research. A
1 Rom. xi. 15.
graphic, adequate image of this era could only be portrayed by representing it in two pictures,-the one representing subjugated Judah, with the pilgrim staff in hand, the pilgrim pack on his back, with a mournful eye addressed towards heaven, surrounded by prison walls, implements of torture, and red-hot branding irons; the other exhibiting the same figure with the earnest of the thinker upon the placid brow, with the air of the scholar in the bright features, seated in a hall of learning, which is filled with a colossal library in all the languages spoken by man, and on all the branches of Divine and human lore,-the figure of a servant with the proud independence of the thinker,-the one representing the external history of this era, a history of suffering, the like of which no other people has endured to such an aggravated degree, and to such an immense extent; the other exhibiting the inward history, a comprehensive history of the mind, which, like an immense river, springing from the knowledge of God, appropriates and binds all the tributary sciences,-again a history peculiar to this people only. Studying and wandering, thinking and enduring, learning and suffering fill the long space of this era. . . .
"There is scarcely a science, an art, an intellectual province in which Jews have not taken a part, for which Jews have not manifested an equal aptitude. To think was as much a characteristic feature of the Jew as to suffer. In consequence of the chiefly compulsory, seldom voluntary, migrations of the Jews, the Jewish history of this era comprises the entire habitable globe, extending to the snow region of the north, the tropical heat of the south, crossing every ocean, and settling in the remotest corners of the earth. Through these migrations the Jewish people gathered new experiences, and the eye of the homeless became practised and keen. Thus even the accumulated sufferings were instrumental in extending the horizon of Jewish thinkers. . . . The Jewish people became a cosmopolitan people, which, because nowhere, was, on that very account, at home everywhere. What has prevented this constantly migrating people, this veritable wandering Jew, from degenerating into brutalized vagabonds, into vagrant hordes of gipsies? The answer is at hand. In its journey through the desert of life, for eighteen centuries the Jewish people carried along the ark of the covenant, which breathed into its heart ideal aspirations, and even illuminated the badge of disgrace affixed to its garment with an apostolic glory. The proscribed, outlawed, universally-persecuted Jew felt a sublime, noble pride in being singled out to perpetuate and suffer for a religion which reflects eternity, by which the nations of the earth were gradually educated to a knowledge of God and morality, and from which is to spring the salvation and redemption of the world. The consciousness of his glorious apostolic office sustained the sufferer, and even stamped the sufferings as a portion of his sublime mission. Such a people, which disdains its present, but has the eye steadily fixed on the future, which lives, as it were, on hope, is on that very account eternal, like hope. The law and the hope of the Messiah were two angels of protection and comfort, upholding the humbled, and guarding from despair, degeneracy, and national suicide." 1
The more our Jewish brethren study their own history in their own Scriptures, as it stands related to prophecies, as also those recorded in the New Testament, their conviction of the truth of Christianity must become fixed and settled. How overwhelming to all men will be the evidence when the vail which now clouds their vision shall be taken away, and the Jews, as they read in Moses of Christ, shall, with warm and generous hearts, acknowledge Him as their Lord and Redeemer. What, then, can the unbelieving world do when they see the long-disinherited Jew openly wending his way to the Messiah, and weeping as he goes? They must acknowledge that there is a God in heaven, and that all His words are true. Then both Jew and Gentile shall bow down and reverence the Son even as the Father. Thus indeed the conversion of the Jews will be to the Gentiles as " life from the dead."
The existence of the Jewish people is an unanswerable argument for the truth of the Bible. Look at them. Where is there a parallel case to be found? Read the many predictions of the Bible concerning them; then read their history as written and delineated by their own and Gentile historians, and note the exact fulfilment. Emphatically they are
1 I make the preceding quotations from The History of The Jews, issued by the American Jewish Publication Society.
" the nation that living shall die, and dying shall live; that trampled on by all, shall trample on all; that bleeding from a thousand wounds shall be unhurt; that beggared shall wield the wealth of nations; that without a name shall sway the councils of kings; that without a city shall dwell in all kingdoms; that scattered like the dust shall be bound together like the rock; that perishing by the sword, by the chain, by the famine, shall be imperishable, unnumbered, and glorious as the stars of heaven." Such is the prophetic and the retrospective history of this wonderful people. As they are scattered over the earth, and are a distinct people among all nations, so they are the imperishable monument to all the world of the truth of the Bible. Nay, more, they are the imperishable though "involuntary monuments of the truth of Christianity, and of the Divinity of the Messiah whom their fathers crucified."
No man can read what the Bible says of the Jews, and with candour collect the testimonies of history, and of facts all around him, and remain an unbeliever. He must admit the truth of the Bible. If true, how momentous are its teachings to every individual! For it is not more certain that the Word of God concerning the Jews has been fulfilled than that every declaration of God will be accomplished. The truths of history, of philosophy, and of science men may neglect with but little harm; but the eternal destiny of every man is fastened, with more than adamantine chains, to the great truth of salvation revealed in the Bible. For, saith the Lord God, "The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." 1
It must be obvious to every student of the past that God has held forth the Jewish nation as the model from which other people are to learn the principles of His moral government. In them He shows that natural causes are only instrumentalities in His hands for the development of the principles of His government. "Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers?" saith the prophet Isaiah. The response is specific, "Did not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in His ways, neither were they obedient unto His law."2 And by the prophet Jeremiah He saith, "a house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the cIay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in Mine hand, O house of IsraeL" "Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, . . Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good." 3 "And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them."4
1 John xii. 48.
2 Isa. xlii. 24.
3 Jer. xviii. 6, II.
4 Jer. xxii. 8, 9.
Secular historians rest in natural and political causes to account for the fall of nations. The true causes lie farther back. The natural and visible ones are only the instrumentalities which God uses to consummate His own purposes. The fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was not the original cause, but only the instrumentality, for the Lord has told us that the true cause was their wickedness. It is thus that God teaches that the true cause of extinction of nations is their sin. The historian who goes no farther back than visible natural agencies, has failed to state the true and efficient cause for the ruin of nations.
From the treatment which the Jews have received all nations may learn their danger. They were the people of God's choice, and with them He made a covenant; but remember His treatment of them when they sinned. Though in the progress of the ages they "have been spoiled," "hid in prison-houses," and" for a prey" and "a spoil," still they are not wholly destroyed, because of God's covenant. Why have they been cast off for these eighteen hundred years? The Apostle Paul replies, "Because of unbelief they were broken off;"1 not annihilated, because of the covenant and the promise of their restoration.
Now look at the nations where the gospel was first published. What has become of them? They sinned, and they are wiped out. Other nations will also disappear. This is the danger which threatens the people proud of their power, or wealth, or freedom. All are in the hands of God.
1 Rom. Xi. 20.
The question naturally arises, why did God thus severely treat the Jews? He has dealt so with no other people. When the old world, by reason of its great wickedness, was doomed to destruction, the flood was the executioner, and the sufferings endured were not protracted. When Sodom and Gomorrah were blotted out, fire made short work with the guilty city. When Babylon and Nineveh, Tyre and ancient Rome were destroyed, mercy was mingled with the judgment. Why this difference of treatment, for they all have sinned? Christ has clearly laid down the principle which justifies this discrimination: "Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida ! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."1 The principle thus emphatically stated is that men are responsible in proportion to their advantages, and that consequently their guilt and their punishment
1 Matt. xi. 20-24.
must be in proportion to the privileges they have neglected or misused. The Jews had privileges arid advantages given to no other nation. God was pleased to enter into covenant with them, promising the highest prosperity and happiness to them whilst they were obedient to His laws, and threatening the severest punishment in case of their disobedience. From the beginning of their nationality He did more for them than for any, or for all other nations. He established them in the land promised to Abraham, their progenitor, as a theocratic commonwealth, giving to them the privilege of self - government, under judges of His appointment or of their own choice. He revealed unto them, through His prophets, His wiII, chastened them when they rebeIIed, and when penitent restored them to favour. He gave them the knowledge of the true God, and made them the depositaries of His law. His Providence was ever vigilant over them,-they were His constant care. The same sin in them was far more criminal and aggravated than it possibly could be in any other people. Hence the severity as the just recompense.
But why should it fall on that generation? As the light and privileges increased from generation to generation, so the sin became more intense and cumulative. This last generation, instead of condemning the sins of the past, approved of and practised them. Said our Lord: "Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed kiIIed them (the prophets), and ye build their sephIchres."1That sin roIls with accumulative power,
1 Luke xi. 48.
and concentrates itself upon the last approving generation, our Lord thus asserts: "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." God had borne with them for many ages; all proper methods for their reformation had been tried. They waxed worse and worse, until the cup of their iniquity was full; then forbearance could do no more, and the Saviour closes up this statement of their accumulated sin with this memorable lamentation: "0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."1
They had resisted all the evidence which Christ gave of His Messiahship,-they ascnbed His miracles to satanic agency,-they persistently rejected Him, they hated Him with murderous hatred,-they had deliberately determined upon His death by crucifixion. This for the time sundered the strong bonds of the covenant, and placed them beyond its protecting
1 Matt. xxiii 34-38.
shield; it left them to the awards of justice, and the execution of that ancient threatening,
"And I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrel of My covenant." How avenge it? The immediate context adds, "And when ye are together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you, and ye shall be delivered into the hands of the enemy." The Saviour, knowing that the time for the avenging of "the quarrel of the covenant" was nigh again, wept over Jerusalem as He lifted His voice in lamentation, saying, " If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes."
It is often asked why is this beautiful world the theatre of so much and such intense suffering? How is it consistent with the benevolence of God? Until we are so situated as to gather up and comprehend the results of God's government of this world, we cannot, by reason of our short experience and limited knowledge, accurately judge. At present we see only a part of God's ways, and that through a glass darkly. A time will come when we shall see the results, and shall understand how all the suffering is consistent with the benevolence of God. Even now we know that in every well-regulated human commonwealth, law with its penalty must be supreme.
It is benevolence that forms and executes right laws, for justice is one form and outgrowth of benevolence. I t is benevolence which builds the strong massive walls of the prison, and shuts up there those who outrage the rights and happiness of the virtuous., It is the province of benevolence, in the form of justice, to protect the good and obedient. If this works wisely and truly among men, imperfect as our laws are, how more perfectly must it work in the unerring hand of God!
This world, be it remembered, is hardly a speck in the vast material universe; and that all the inhabitants, from the beginning to the end, are scarcely an item in the countless myriads upon myriads of intelligent and accountable creatures whom God has called into being. Yet every intelligent being in the universe is personally and eternally interested in manifestations of Divine justice which are being here displayed. Hath not God so revealed: "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery (or truth), which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." 1
Here it is the avowed eternal purpose of God, by means of the church, gathered out of this sinful world, and purged from sin by the blood of Christ, to make known His manifold wisdom to the principalities and powers in heavenly places. Why make this manifestation? Not for His own gratification, but their benefit. For here in this world, as nowhere else,
Eph. iii. 9-11.
is the true and unalterable nature of sin demonstrated. When the rebel angels were cast forth from heaven, the holy ones saw the meanness and the baseness of sin, also the deep abhorrence of God. But they could not then know its virulent malignity. They could not then know what might be the effect of forbearance on the part of God. Who could tell that they would not repent and return to allegiance if a solitary ray of mercy had lighted their intense darkness?
All these and many other things are settled by the demonstrations made on this earth. God has shown to these holy ones that He was not cruel when He hurled the devils into their prison. He means to settle for ever the true nature of sin by demonstrating, through ages of diversified treatment, that it takes advantage of the patience and long-suffering of God to do still more wickedly; nay, worse than that, it pushes its way on with increasing determination through mercies planted thick along its pathway. Even at the cross, when God in mercy is offering up the sacrifice of His only-begotten and dearly-beloved Son, that He might save the guilty, then the deep and horrible malignity of sin was manifested in the sneers and taunts and mockery of the illustrious Sufferer. Such is sin. It takes advantage of the patience, the forbearance, the love, the mercy of God to go on to deeper depths of malignity and hatred.
All this lies open to the view of the heavenly principalities and powers, and they can have no misgivings as to the certainty of the malignant nature of sin, as to the degraded and viciously-selfish character it always involves, and of the inevitable misery which it produces. They must see, and with adoring wonder acknowledge, the manifold wisdom and benevolence of God in His treatment and final disposition of the incorrigibly wicked. And when the grand consummation shall come, and the redeemed from all time are gathered to the realms of the blessed, then it will be found that "where sin abounded grace did much more abound;" that, counting in all who have died in infancy, and including the long ages of the millennium, when the whole world will be densely populated, then I think it will be found that the overwhelming mass of all the earth's inhabitants will have been saved from the penalty and power of sin by faith in "the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world;" whilst, on the other side, the number of the impenitent and incorrigibly wicked, though great in themselves, is so comparatively small as only to illustrate the malignant character of sin and of necessary punishment. Then will the Lord say to His redeemed multitude, so great that no man can number them, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."1 The victory over sin will be complete and eternal. The principalities and powers in heavenly places, who watched and aided in the conflict, will share in the joy of the victory. And all the servants of God will be confirmed in holiness for ever.
1 Matt. xxv. 34.
But what, on the other hand, must be said of those reiterated declarations, so common in the present day, of the Fatherhood of God, as though He were so weakly merciful that He will not maintain His law or punish sin? God, as the moral Governor of the universe, must assert the claims of justice. And that He will do so the history we have passed in review establishes beyond the possibility of doubt. To whom does the Fatherhood of God apply? In its strict and full sense only to those who have entered into covenant with Him. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God." It is only those who "have received the Spirit of adoption" who can cry," Abba, Father, . . . and if children then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ."1 With them the covenant is sure, and cannot be broken. But no such words are spoken to the wicked. Our Lord said to such, "Ye are of your father the devil."2 They are "the children of the wicked one." And again, "He that committeth sin is of the devil." From their moral unlikeness to God, they cannot, in any true or real sense, be His children. Having chosen their part with His enemies, they must hear the terrible sentence, "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."3 The terrible doom which overwhelmed the ungodly and impenitent amongst the Jews may convince us that this is no empty threatening, no unmeaning menace.
Out of Christ there is no possibility of hope for
1 Rom. viii. 14-17.
2 John viii. 44.
3 Matt. xxv. 41.
any human being. Only in Him can we escape from the curse of a broken law and the ruin of sin,-a curse and a ruin more fearful far than that which came upon the doomed and guilty city. In Christ the atoning Saviour, the risen and interceding High-Priest, we escape from eternal death, and rise to heavenly blessedness. "Turn ye to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope," and flee at once, before the judgment overtake you. " Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." 1
1 Psa. ii. 12