Thanks vannrox.
Posted on 01/04/2019 1:43:21 AM PST by vannrox
The Romans generally tolerated other religions, allowing and even welcoming Egyptian gods into their pantheon. Though they viewed the monotheistic Jews as being odd, they left more or less free to practice their own religion. The great Jewish revolt was not a religious war, but a war against Roman imperialism and unfair taxation. In the 60’s CE a financial crisis forced Rome to raise the taxes throughout the empire.
The Jews in Jerusalem resisted the extra taxes heavily and fighting broke out after Roman forces looted a temple and killed as many as 6,000 citizens. This massacre prompted a region-wide revolt and the roman garrison of 30,000 was ambushed as they tried to retreat from the area. Several thousand Romans were killed and their weapons and armor were used by the Jewish militia forces.
With the garrison defeated the Emperor Nero sent in accomplished general Vespasian to handle the rebellion. Vespasian had a great deal of success as he focused out securing many of the smaller cities and forts in the region before focusing on Jerusalem. Vespasian had to return to Rome to ultimately be proclaimed the next Emperor and left his son, Titus, to finish the war. Titus began the siege of Jerusalem in 66 CE.
Titus surrounded the city and even with it surrounded he allowed travelers to enter the city. This was to strain the supplies of the city in the event of a lengthy siege. Jerusalem was a heavily fortified city with several sets of walls built in harmony with the many hills and steep valleys of the area. The source for the war, Josephus, describes the three walls of Jerusalem as being as magnificently constructed as the temples they protected. Broad walls were protected by towers 40 feet and higher and the natural valleys made many approaches uphill.
Despite the fortifications of the city, Titus decided to attack the city in February of 66 CE, his decision affirmed after one of the negotiators was wounded by a missile. Several siege engines worked to launch stones at the fortifications and rams approached to breach the walls. The defenders sent forth many assault parties to dismantle the siege weapons and had enough success that the breach was postponed for several months.
When the Romans finally breached the first wall of the city, they gained access to the most recent expansion of the city and were faced with the two other walls and the Antonia fortress which stood at the end of the second wall and protected the great temple of Herod. The Romans were again stalled by the stout walls, they had breached the second wall within days, but that only led to an inner neighborhood confined by the third wall and the fortress. Bitter street fighting pushed the Romans back through their breach of the second wall and though the Jews fought desperately at the breach, Roman siege engines were able to widen the breach and take the inner neighborhood.
Though the Romans had the first two walls breached and portions of the city captured they remaining city was well defended and supplied. To solve the problem of new supplies getting into the city Titus built a siege wall that looped around the valley outside the unbreached third wall and through the Roman held sections of the city, thereby fully containing the city. Titus personally did rounds of the wall during the construction to ensure its completeness and raise the men’s morale. This did put a strain on the defenders, but they had able rainwater cisterns to hold out their defense.
Titus then sent forces on the outside facing sections of the first wall and against the inner Antonia fortress. The Romans concentrated a huge assault against the fortress with stones thrown from siege weapons and battering rams, but the defenders caused a great deal of damage on the Romans by throwing rocks and missiles down from the tower. A few sections were damaged in the fortress but very little was accomplished. The assault on the old outer wall also failed.
Seeing that it may not be taken by force, Titus sent men to take it in a nighttime sneak attack. It was initially successful but once the alarm was sounded the fortress defenders put up a fight that lasted through the night and well into the next day. The Romans had gotten a piece of the fortress and they steadily pressed forward to take the whole thing. The fortress fell in late July.
The fortress was attached to the walls around the great temple and a fierce fight raged at this junction. Titus had expressed a desire to preserve the temple, likely with thoughts of turning it into a Roman pantheon of sorts as it was a magnificent building. Unfortunately for Titus’ plans a soldier threw a torch onto the temple and started a frenzied fire that quickly consumed the temple.
The Jews were forced to withdraw due to the fire but they were able to bait the Romans into over-pursuing them and spread the fire quickly into the advancing Romans. Many perished in the rapidly spreading fire and the remaining Roman advanced force was cut off from reinforcements and, with their backs to the fire, were slaughtered by the Jews.
The fortress was attached to the walls around the great temple and a fierce fight raged at this junction. Titus had expressed a desire to preserve the temple, likely with thoughts of turning it into a Roman pantheon of sorts as it was a magnificent building. Unfortunately for Titus’ plans a soldier threw a torch onto the temple and started a frenzied fire that quickly consumed the temple.
The Jews were forced to withdraw due to the fire but they were able to bait the Romans into over-pursuing them and spread the fire quickly into the advancing Romans. Many perished in the rapidly spreading fire and the remaining Roman advanced force was cut off from reinforcements and, with their backs to the fire, were slaughtered by the Jews.
>>What’s with the “CE” bull$hit? I thought that stuff was stopped years ago.
It’s an article about the Jewish uprising. As far as the Jews are concerned, we are still BC, as they are still awaiting the Messiah/Christ.”
Ok, but whether you say AD or CE, its still the Christian calendar, which turns on the year that (its originators thought ) was the year Christ was born. So changing to “CE” changes nothing. If we’re going to get away from the Calendars connection to Christ, you have to adopt a different calendar altogether, such as the Chinese calendar , in which this is the year 4716
Calling the current year 2019 connects us with Christ, no matter what word games (or initial games) are played to try to hide it
Using CE to try to get Christ out of the Western calendar is futile, and looks like silly PC
whether you say AD or CE, its still the Christian calendar, which turns on the year that (its originators thought ) was the year Christ was born. So changing to “CE” changes nothing. If we’re going to get away from the Calendars connection to Christ, you have to adopt a different calendar altogether, such as the Chinese calendar , in which this is the year 4716
Calling the current year 2019 connects us with Christ, no matter what word games (or initial games) are played to try to hide it
>>>Using CE to try to get Christ out of the Western calendar is futile
Yet, look at the number of posts on this thread that claim use of CE does exactly that.
the Western Calendar is a Christian calendar by definition. It dates time from Christ’s birth. Using the initials CE doesn’t change that, and only looks like classic PC - which I define as a determined strategy to avoid the obvious
There’ll be a lot of chagrined people at the Final Judgement.
“If we’re going to get away from the Calendars connection to Christ, you have to adopt a different calendar altogether, such as the Chinese calendar , in which this is the year 4716”
Sure, and really, every calendar on earth is based on some religious or nationalistic agenda. So if you really want some neutral calendar, you would have to invent a whole new one. Or maybe adopt one from some civilization that is already extinct so we can’t be favoring them.
We could use the calendar devised by the Khmer Rouge, the Communist rulers of Cambodia, in which 1975 is the year 0, or the Italian Fascist calendar in which 1922 is the year 1.
Read about Silva’s siege of Masada. His first action was to surround the fortress, so that no one would escape. None did.
It is Cultural Marxism:
They stole a timeline based upon the person of Jesus Christ and renamed it to something generic and secular; they did nothing else.
It is exactly like stealing Christmas break and calling it Holiday break: generic and secular.
Leftists live to usurp and subvert.
There are a three well done siege-of-Jerusalem animations on Youtube. Still waiting for Part 4 to be made.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hen0wmoj5RU
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdE3xz_G4pA
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LywrNNgFVz4
Thanks vannrox.
I seem to recall that in the previous decade there was a consensus here on Free Republic to ignore the issue of BC/AD vs. BCE/CE. It was a distraction that was diverting attention away from the article under discussion to a topic that would never be resolved. Some authors use one system, others use the other, and we all know what they mean. I guess this consensus has broken down?
Very enjoyable SF series about a couple from the present time-traveling to Jerusalem 57 AD and stranded there for the entire revolt.
City of God series by Randy Ingermanson :
Transgression, Premonition, and Retribution
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XLYWL2W/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
The first book, Transgression, is free for Kindle or kindle app.
It’s an article about the Jewish uprising. As far as the Jews are concerned, we are still BC, as they are still awaiting the Messiah/Christ.
I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS . . . NOW I KNOW . . . MAKES SENSE
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
