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The Fall of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Second Temple

Historians and Biblical chronologists all agree that the Second Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed during the capture of the city by the Romans in the year A.D. 70. Although there is much disagreement among chronologists on just about any date related to Old or New Testament chronology, this date is almost universally agreed upon. But it is the wrong date. The city of Jerusalem captured by the Romans in the year A.D. 56. At that time, the Second Temple of Jerusalem was also destroyed.

The error of 14 years in the dating of this event comes mainly from two sources. First, the death of Augustus Caesar has been misdated by historians and chronologists. Augustus died in A.D. 10, not in A.D. 14. Second, the failure to recognize the antedaing of Tiberius Caesar's reign by 10 years, such that his reign began in A.D. 1 and ended with his death in A.D. 22. These two chronological errors place events after Tiberius Caesar's death about 14 years earlier than has been generally accepted by historians and chronologists.

The Fall of Jerusalem occurred about the time of a Sabbatical year. The Sabbatical year of A.D. 55/56 (Wacholder) began in the autumn of A.D. 55. The Second Temple was burned in early August of A.D. 56 and the city was finally captured in early September that same year.

See Appendix II, Section D, of the book for a timeline of the capture of Jerusalem.

For details on what happened when during the seige and capture of Jerusalem, see chapter 14 of the book.

   


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