Why did no New Testament books mention AD70?

[Ged]

Start with Acts, since you get Level 1 Symbolism that wears its Symbolism on its sleeve. BTW, Tacitus is ALL OVER the Book of Acts.

Acts 3 introduces the 12th Legion. The 12th is crippled and beat up.
Acts 5 tells of Sapphira and Annanias, ciphers for Messilina and her lover, Silius. Big Joke: "Hark, the feet of those that have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."

Tacitus, Annals, Book 11 "at the bottom":

"Evodus, one of the freedmen, was appointed to watch and complete the affair. Hurrying on before with all speed to the gardens, he found Messalina stretched upon the ground, while by her side sat Lepida, her mother, who, though estranged from her daughter in prosperity, was now melted to pity by her inevitable doom..."

Acts 6 is extremely important. The character "Stephen Martyr" is a cipher for Frugi Piso, the 4 day Emperor. There is an important trail to follow. This is the introduction of the Template of Paul, a man named Mucianus. He gets into it with Vespasian and it takes Titus to act as a mediator between the 2 to mend things up. This Scene is the Vision on the Road to Damascus.

One last moment:

Acts 9: 33 - 35 (RSV):

[33] There he found a man named Aene'as, who had been bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed.
[34] And Peter said to him, "Aene'as, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose.
[35] And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

The Time Marker here is 70 AD. The 12th Legion (again) is being showcased. What happened 8 years prior to 70 with the 12th Legion? The Parthians humiliated them so bad that they would not leave their tents to defend themselves. They lost their Standards and not even the General Corbulo could do much (BTW, this also is from Annals. Verification that this History was not forged.)

On and on and on and on... The Destruction of the Temple is certainly found in the NT. Acts is the Story of the 12th Legion and especially Mucianus.

CW

The mind boggles.

[Peter Kirby]

I forgot to reply to this question.

Are there any Roman records of the Jewish wars apart from Josephus?

Yes, Tacitus has a less extensive but important account.

There is at least incidental mention in other Roman literature, as well (and beyond that, archaeology, etc.).

However, some of his contemporaries do not really discuss it much, if at all, and if you span the literature of the Romans (Juvenal, etc.), then you may find a similar situation where a small fraction (less than a quarter certainly, or less than a tenth) choose to discuss it. (In the extent literature, of course.)

[Bernard Muller]

to Stuart,

The Wicked Tenants could more probably be placed after Bar Kokhba. After the Jewish revolt Jerusalem was torn down,

What is the evidence for Jerusalem being rebuilt between the two revolts?
What is the evidence of the Romans destroying Jerusalem (again) during the 2nd revolt?

Cordially, Bernard

[Ged]

I forgot to reply to this question.

Are there any Roman records of the Jewish wars apart from Josephus?

Yes, Tacitus has a less extensive but important account.

There is at least incidental mention in other Roman literature, as well (and beyond that, archaeology, etc.).

However, some of his contemporaries do not really discuss it much, if at all, and if you span the literature of the Romans (Juvenal, etc.), then you may find a similar situation where a small fraction (less than a quarter certainly, or less than a tenth) choose to discuss it. (In the extent literature, of course.)

Thanks Peter. I suppose it was just another upstart nation to squash as far as the Romans were concerned. Somewhat bigger as far as the Jews (and Christians) were concerned tho. Did any of the early Church fathers put significance on it?

[spin]

The Wicked Tenants could more probably be placed after Bar Kokhba. After the Jewish revolt Jerusalem was torn down, and many enslaved. But the countryside was left alone. Archeology shows thriving Jewish communities throughout Judea into the first half of the 2nd century. They are gone in the second half and replaced by gentile communities. Those are the new tenants working the imperial estates. There were still Jews working the estates until the Bar Kokhba revolt.

My understanding is that the walled vineyard and tower were just Jerusalem and the temple.

[Stuart]

Who were the new Tenants? Jerusalem lay vacant for 60+ years. That is the hole in that theory. And it's a big one.

[Charles Wilson]

The mind boggles.

Try this,as a start:

Judas spills his guts out, right? He also hangs himself. As a Symbolic Tale how could this be written in a way that would not leave a contradiction?

Look at the 12 th Legion under Cestius.

Josephus, War..., 2, 19, 1:

"But when Cestius had marched from Antipatris to Lydda, he found the city empty of its men, for the whole multitude were gone up to Jerusalem to the feast of tabernacles; yet did he destroy fifty of those that showed themselves, and burnt the city, and so marched forwards; and ascending by Betboron, he pitched his camp at a certain place called Gabao, fifty furlongs distant from Jerusalem..."

Acts 1: 20 (RSV):

[20] For it is written in the book of Psalms, `Let his habitation become desolate,
and let there be no one to live in it';
and `His office let another take.'

Now return to "Aeneas" dba "The 12th Legion":

Acts 9: 33 - 35 (RSV):

[33] There he found a man named Aene'as, who had been bedridden for eight years and was paralyzed.
[34] And Peter said to him, "Aene'as, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose.
[35] And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

BTW, "Betboron" is Beth Horon (or Bet-Horon or Bethoron) and is absolutely critical to understanding this. Cestius comes to Jerusalem and leaves Jerusalem and you have to read Josephus here:

War, 2, 19, 7:

"So it was not without difficulty that they got to Gabao, their former camp, and that not without the loss of a great part of their baggage."

You have to read the surrounding sections to make sense of what has happened. Cestius leaves Jerusalem and lets the "Seditionists" regroup. He does not carry the Legion's "Baggage" in the middle of the Legion where it would be protected by layers of soldiers. The baggage gets picked off by the Jewish Soldiers. The 12th Legion loses its guts, as Acts states. Cestius runs through Beth Horon. One problem: The Jewish Soldiers have the high ground and pick off the Romans like fish in a barrel. Cestius, who razed Lydda when the Lyddans were at Jerusalem fulfills the "Prophecy" of Psalms: "Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and `His office let another take." Cestius is replaced. The 12th Legion goes from catastrophe to catastrophe

NOW: Don't look at Acts as a collection of Miracle Stories detailing the New Church. Look at it as Rome writing its Tale of the Destruction of Judea as a Wonderful Thing for the Empire. The above might be a "Step One". Follow the Trail.
Hope this helps.

CW

[Peter Kirby]

Did any of the early Church fathers put significance on it?

Sure, I suppose, but I don't have a bunch of quotes handy.

Here's some searches that are where I'd start:

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=e ... 5&as_sdtp=

https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=007472373 ... r-articles

In general you can find all kinds of good stuff with the search engines here:

http://bcharchive.org/

[spin]

Who were the new Tenants? Jerusalem lay vacant for 60+ years. That is the hole in that theory. And it's a big one.

The only hole is that while we are dealing with a replacement of the old religion with the new you want the metaphor based on the destruction of Jerusalem to be reified. The followers of Jesus are now the tenants of God. To me you dug the hole.

[arnoldo]

Also, I seem to recall a statement by Clement. Ill see if I can find it.

Thomas J. Herron wrote an entire book regarding dating 1 Clement before 70 A.D. Allegedly, Clement appeals to the Corinthians to maintain order in part by alluding to the temple.
https://books.google.com/books?id=P9N9W ... er&f=false