Grok AI When Asked:
“what year was there observed a sign in the heavens during the overthrow of the temple.in jerusalem by the roman legions”
The result:
- Armies in the Sky: Both historians noted apparitions of contending armies and soldiers with bright armor clashing in the heavens.
- Temple Illumination: The Temple itself suddenly lit up with fire from the clouds.
- Supernatural Voices: The doors of the sanctuary opened on their own, and a voice proclaimed that the gods were departing, followed by sounds of their departure.
- Context: These were interpreted by some as divine warnings, occurring just before the final siege and fall of Jerusalem in the summer of 70 CE, marking a catastrophic moment in Jewish history.
And a Particularly Interesting Related Reddit discussion:
Really interesting passage from Tacitus about the fall of Jerusalem
I was reading the Roman historian Tacitus and I came across this really interesting passage about the fall of the temple in 70AD. Here it is: “Great signs occurred, which that superstitious and unreligious nation (the Jews) could appease neither by sacrifice nor prayer. Armies bright with resplendent armour were seen to rush through the sky and the temple suddenly lit up with fire from the clouds. The doors of the sanctuary opened on their own and a human voice was heard saying that the gods were leaving. At that moment there was a mighty sound of them doing so.”
He then goes on to say that the Jews believed these were signs of the arrival of a ruler would conquer the world from Judea. They believed this man to be of their own nation but clearly, Tacitus clarifies, the prophecy must have referred to Titus and Vespasian, who conducted the siege and then seized power in Rome.
This is all extremely interesting to me and it seems a shame that it’s not more well known. Tacitus was extremely anti-Semitic and anti-Christian and he believed the Jewish religion was essentially worthless. its therefore surprising that he acknowledges these miracles at all, there must have been many witnesses of their occurrence, including amongst Romans. He also interprets them with a pagan veneer. Nonetheless I think we can roughly reconstruct what must have happened:
A) hosts of angels that ‘shone like the sun’ were seen above Jerusalem
B) a column of fire, as described in exodus for example, came down from heaven and touched the temple
C) the doors of the temple opening of their own accord reminds me strongly of the tearing of the veil of the temple at our Lord’s crucifixion
D) the voice of God was heard stating that the spirit of the Lord was leaving the temple
E) a rushing wind was heard as the spirit of God actually left the temple