The Jews having ingratiated themselves with Caesar, during the civil wars between him and Pompey, were so highly favoured while he lived, that they could scarcely be said to feel the Roman yoke. After his death,however,gi eat commotions prevailed among them, which were not put down till Herod, who was created King of Judea by Marc Anthony in the year 40 B. C. was firmly established on the throne by the taking of Jerusalem by the Romans in 37 B. C. But the Jews soon found that they had only changed civil commotions for the most dreadful tyranny. The whole conduct of Ilerod was so cruel, that an attempt was made to destroy him. This, however, did not succeed ; and I Icrod, having discovered the authors of the plot, caused them and their families to be put to death. Shortly after this, how ever, he regained, in some degree, the confidence and at tachment of his subjects, by his generosity to them during a famine. About the year 23 B. C. he rebuilt the temple with great splendour and magnificence. These, however, were only intervals of his cruelty and tyranny. At length, he was seized with a most loathsome and incurable disease, of which he died. lie divided his kingdom among his sons in the following manner : To Arc helaus, he allotted Judea; to Herod, or Antipas, Galilee and Pirea ; and to Philip, Trachonitis, Gaulon, Batanea, and Panias.
No sooner was his death known, than tumults, seditions, and insurrections arose. An appeal was made to Augus tus, who made the following division of the kingdom : Archclaus had one half, with the title of Ethnarch. His portion contained Judea Proper, Monica, and Samaria. The remainder was divided between Philip and Ilerod ; the former of whom had Trachonitis, Batanea, and Aurauitis, together with a small part of Galilee ; the latter had the rest of Galilee, and the countries beyond the Jordan.
A few years after this division, Archclaus was summon ed to Rome by the Emperor, in consequence of complaints against his tyranny. His effects were confiscated, himself banished, and a Roman governor appointed over Judea, which was declared a Roman province. The Jews, dis satisfied at this arrangement, and, moreover, excited to tumult by the taxes imposed upon them by their new mas ters, were seldom quiet ; their restlessness was increased by their expectation at this time of their Messiah; ;la, as they anticipated in him a temporal prince, they looked for ward to his coming as the era of their emancipation from the Roman yoke, and their restoration to national indepen dence and power. The governors appointed by the Romans were frequently changed, but seldom was the change bene ficial to the Jews. About the 16th year of Christ, Pontius Pilate was appointed governor : his administration was one continued scene of rapine, tyranny, and cruelty. Seven years after his condemnation of our Saviour, he was re moved from the government, and Agrippa, the grandson of Ilerod, was raised to the royal dignity. His character and conduct were similar to those of his grandfather, and his death was equally dreadful and singular. On his death, Judea was again declared a Roman province. The gover nors appointed to rule over it were distinguished for every species of vice ; and from them the Jews suffered so much, that many of the inhabitants emigrated. About this time it was computed that there were in Jerusalem between 2,500,000 and 3,000,000 Jews.
In the year 67 A. D. that fatal war between the Jews and the Romans commenced, which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews. The imme diate cause of this war was, a dispute between the Jews and the Syrians respecting the city of Caesarea. Nero decided the question against the former, who immediately took up arms. Dreadful cruelties were committed by both parties, but the Jews suffered most ; 20,000 of them were massa cred by the Syrians and Romans at CRsarea ; 50,000 at Alexandria ; 2000 at Ptolemais ; and 3500 at Jerusalem. Soon after these massacres, the Jews obtained some partial and temporary successes, in consequence of which Vespa sian was sent into Judea with an army of 60,000 men in the year 68 A. D. His success was great and rapid, while the Jcws, instead of uniting to oppose him, and save their coun try, were divided into two parties : one were for submitting to the Romans, the other opposed all peaceable measures.
This disscntion was not confined to Jerusalem, but spread through all the cities, towns, and villages of Judea ; even houses and lamilies were divided against each other. Jeru salem was the scene of their contentions. The city was filled with butcheries of the most horrid kind. Twelve thousand persons of noble extraction, and in the flower of their age, were put to death by the Zealots, for so that party who were for %vac with the Romans were called. The Zealots, after having massacred or driven away the oppo site party, turned their arms against themselves, till, in the year 72 A. D. Titus advanced at the head of a powerful army against Jerusalem. This for a while suspended their mutual animosities ; but they soon returned to them, and thus facilitated the triumph of the Romans.
As Titus wished, if possible, to preserve the city, he sent the besieged offers of peace, but they were rejected ; upon which he resolved to carry on the seige with vigour ; a fort night after it commenced, a breach was made in the outer wall, by which the Romans entered, the Jews retiring be hind the next inclusure. Five days after gaining this advantage, the Romans entered into the second inelo sure. Famine and pestilence now raged in the city to a dreadful degree ; and these scourges were increased by in testine feuds. As soon as Titus learned their condition, he again offered them peace ; but his offer was rejected. Upon this, he caused the city to be surrounded with a strong wall, which, though nearly five miles in circuit, was finished in three days. By means of it, the besieged could not escape, nor receive provisions or succour. Nothing could be more dreadful than the famished condition to which they were now reduced. It was at this juncture, according to Jose phus, that a mother butchered and ate her own child. When Titus heard of this horrid deed, he swore he would effect the total .extirpation of the city and people. About the end of July, the Romans gained possession of the for tress Antonia, which obliged the Jews to set fire to the galleries which joined it to the temple. The factious in the city, instead of mutually yielding and opposing the ene my, grew more embittered against each other ; and one of them actually plundered the temple. On the 8th of August, Titus having in vain endeavoured to save that edifice, order ed the gates of it to be set on fire ; but lie afterwards caused the fire to be extinguished before the temple itself was de stroyed. On the 10th of that month, he determined on a general assault ; but before this took place, the temple was set on fire, whether by the Jews or the Roman soldiers is uncertain. Titus in vain endeavoured to extinguish the flames : his soldiers would not obey his orders for that pur pose. A dreadful massacre followed soon afterwards, in which many thousands perished. In the meantime, great preparations were making for an attack on the palace, which took place on the 8th, when the city was entered by Titus. The whole number of Jews who perished during this war is computed at nearly 1,500.000. Three castles were still untaken, two of which soon capitulated; but the third, Massador, made a desperate resistance. It was ex tremely strong ; and the Roman general, having in vain tried his engines and battering rams against it, ordered it to be surrounded with a high wall, and the gates to he then set on fire. In this dreadful situation, the commander per suaded the Jews to kill their wives and children, and after wards to choose ten men, by lot, which should kill all the rest, and lastly, one out of these ten to dispatch them and himself; having previously to his own destruction set fire to the place. This was accordingly done. Two women, however, who had concealed themselves, came out, when the Romans were preparing to scale the wall, and acquaint ed them with the fate of their town's people. Thus ended the Jewish nation and worship in their own country.