ASSIGNMENT
Read Books 6-7 (Penguin Classics pgs. 337-408)
Refer to the timeline of events to keep track of them.
STUDY QUESTIONS
Book 6
- Chap. 1, sec. 5 (PC 339-341): What does the speech of Titus reveal about the Roman view of death in battle? What becomes of soldiers who die this way? What about those who die otherwise? (This speech reflects the "Dream of
Scipio" from Cicero's The Republic.)
- Chap. 1, sec. 6, 8 (PC 341-344): How do the episodes of Sabinus and Julian relate to the previous question? What did they do?
- Chap. 3, sec. 4 (PC 353-354): What was the case of Mary? What was the reaction of the Jews to it? 3.5 What was the reaction of the Romans? Read Deuteronomy 28:49-57 (This is in the list of the curses God will bring if the Jews are unfaithful to the covenant.) Note that many conservative commentators, such as Jamieson,
Fausset, Brown; and Matthew
Henry see this passage as prophetic of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
- Chap. 4, sec. 8 (PC 359): How long after Solomon's first building did the burning of the temple occur? How long after the rebuilding under Haggai? Using these dates, when did Solomon build his temple?
- Chap. 5, sec. 3, 4 (PC 360-363): What were the signs presaging the destruction of Jerusalem, and what signficance does Josephus give to them?
- Chap. 6, sec. 2, 3 (PC 364-366): What was Titus's offer and why was he so angry at the Jews' response to it?
- Chap. 9, sec. 3, 4 (PC 371-372): How many Jews were taken captive during the war? How many killed during the siege? Why was there such an unusually large number of people in the city?
- Chap. 9, sec. 4 (PC 372): What were the ultimate fates of John and Simon?
- Which passages specifically in Matthew
24 appear to have been fulfilled by the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus?
Book 7
- Chap. 5, sec. 4-6 (PC 384-386): Describe the triumphs of Titus and Vespasian. What items taken from the temple at Jerusalem does Josephus specfically mention?
Images
of the Arch of Titus
Article on the later fate of the temple treasures
- Chaps. 8-9 (PC 393-405): Describe the siege and final end of Masada. Masada.
(more Masada links: 1
2
3)
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