Rome and Judea

The Roman general Vespasian was appointed by Emperor Nero in February 67 CE to

command the Roman army to suppress the Jewish revolt in Judea. Vespasian conducted
two successful battles in 67 and 68 CE and conquered almost all of Judah except
Jerusalem. When Nero died in 68 CE Vespasian stopped fighting, left Judah, leaving his son
Titus to command the Roman forces besieging Jerusalem. On 20 December 69 CE,
Vespasian was declared emperor of Rome. His son Titus was responsible for ending the
Jewish rebellion. In 70 CE, Titus besieged and captured Jerusalem and destroyed the city
and the Second Temple. Titus was awarded a triumph or a victory parade in the streets of
Rome, the Arch of Titus in Rome commemorates his victory to this day. The Romans
changed the name of Judea to PHILISTIA or Palestine. Vespasian used the gold of the
Second Temple and the Jewish prisoners of war as slave laborers to build and finance the
Colosseum in Rome. Titus succeeded his father as emperor in 79 CE, he completed the
Colosseum and during his reign two major disasters occurred to the Romans people: The
eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE and the great fire in Rome in 80 CE that destroyed a
substantial part of the city. The Jews consider those disasters as a punishment from GOD
who punished the Roman people because they have destroyed the Second Temple in
Jerusalem and have started the exile of the Jewish people away from Judea. After barely
two years in power, Titus died of a fever on 13 September 81 CE.

TITUS VESPASIAN
 Arch of Titus (ARCO DI TITO)
The Arch of Titus was inaugurated shortly after the death of Titus in 82 CE, in honor of the Roman
victory over the Kingdom of Judea and the destruction in 70 CE of the Second Temple which was
renovated and expanded by King Herod the Great. It is written in the Talmud: “He who has not
seen the Temple of Herod has never seen in his life a beautiful building”. The Roman general who
commanded the Roman army was Titus the son of the Roman Emperor Vespasian.

In the city of Rome, the Colosseum is seen at the right side of the picture.
The Arch of Titus (Arco di Tito) is seen at the left side of the picture.
The alley leading to the Arch of Titus is called VIA SACRA or the Sacred Way.
 SENATVS
POPVLVSQVE·ROMANVS
DIVO·TITO·DIVI·VESPASIANI·F(ILIO)
VESPASIANO·AVGVSTO
Senatus Populusque Romanus divo Tito divi Vespasiani filio Vespasiano Augusto

The Senate and the Roman people dedicate (this arch)

to the divine Titus Vespasian son of Vespasian Augustus.
 The Menorah or seven-branched candelabra and trumpets and other gold artifacts all
from the Second Temple of Jerusalem are carried in a parade through the streets of Rome.
The gold taken from the Second Temple has financed the building in Rome of the
Colosseum which was built using Jewish prisoners of war as slave laborers.

Modern restoration of the “Seven-Branched Menorah” bas-relief of the Arch of Titus

Opposite to the previous bas-relief, we see the “Victory chariot” bas-relief in which Titus is
holding the reins of the chariot and behind him a winged human figure representing
victory is holding a laurel wreath above the head of Titus (see the restoration below).

Modern restoration of the “Victory Chariot” bas-relief of the Arch of Titus

The Colosseum of Rome was built by using the gold of the Second Temple
and Jewish prisoners of war as slave laborers.
On 29 November 1947, the United Nations assembly has voted a decision that Palestine should be
divided into two nations a Jewish nation and an Arab nation. The same day, Jews gathered beneath
the Arch of Titus in Rome. The triumphal arch which has been built to honor the Caesar who had
destroyed Jerusalem in 70 CE, symbolized the beginning of the Jewish exile. The Jews came to offer
prayers of thanksgiving, and to say that the state which had fallen two thousand years ago has now
been reborn. No longer are the Jews without a home. The wheel had come full circle.
(From the Israeli TV series Pillar of fire)

Jews gathered near the Arch of Titus. The Colosseum is seen at the background of the picture.
 After the declaration of independence of the State of Israel in May 15, 1948, the
Seven-Branched Menorah has been chosen to be the emblem of the state of Israel.
At right the Menorah at the Arch of Titus and
at left the Menorah as the emblem of the state of Israel

The seven-branched Menorah appears also in the flag of the president of Israel
The image above depicts the vision of the Menorah as seen by the prophet Zechariah. The
image appears in an illuminated complete Bible known as the CERVERA Bible which was
illustrated by Joseph Hatzarfati and hand written in Hebrew by the scribe Shmuel Ben-
Avraham Ben-Natan. The hand-written text of this Bible is with vowels and cantillation. It
was written in 1300 CE in the town of Cervera in Catalonia, Spain. Today it is kept in the
National Library of Portugal in the city of Lisbon. The prophet Zechariah came to the Land
of Israel from the Babylonian exile and he was living in the Land of Israel at the time of the
beginning of the Second Temple around the year 520 BCE. In the Holy Bible in the book of
Zechariah, Chapter 4, Zechariah saw the vision of the Menorah that lit the Holy Temple.
Besides the Menorah were two olive trees one on each side. The two olive trees were
feeding with olive oil three bowls suspended above the Menorah, so that the Menorah was
receiving the olive oil without any human intervention. Instead of the two olive trees, it was
decided in 1948 CE to include in the emblem of the state of Israel two olive branches one on
each side of the Menorah.
 IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III, and
IVDEA CAPTA S C "Judea Capta", Jewess in attitude of mourning, seated right beneath palm tree;
standing left, captive Jew with hands tied behind his back; captured weapons behind.

In 71 CE, Rome has minted several coins under the motif IUDEA CAPTA or JUDEA THE CAPTIVE, to
commemorate the victory of Rome over Judea. The palm tree symbolizes the Land of Israel

A medal was minted at the tenth anniversary of the State of Israel in 1958. At right we see a
Roman coin JUDEA CAPTA in another version in which the mourning seated woman represents
the defeated captive Judea and behind her standing a victorious Roman soldier holding a spear. At
left ISRAEL LIBERATA or ISRAEL LIBERATED in which the woman is standing proudly and lifting
her child and the man is busy planting a new tree besides the palm tree which symbolizes the Land
of Israel. The People of Israel are free again after two thousand years of exile.

This document was prepared and written by Jacob Cohen, an Israeli citizen, February 2015