Soon thereafter, Shimon infiltrated Yerushalayim. After a series of bloody clashes, in which he turned the streets of the capital into a personal battlefield at the nation’s expense, Shimon gained control over its upper and lower cities. Yochanan and his fighters were again forced back onto the Temple Mount.
Shimon’s arrival marked a turning point in the struggle. His headstrong desire for a direct Jewish-Roman clash made negotiations between the two sides impossible. To force the issue, Shimon ordered his men, called Biryonim, to burn down huge storage houses of vital resources. Many years’ worth of supplies, capable of sustaining the city throughout any protracted siege, disappeared in an instant, bringing the populace to its knees. The situation was dire.
Unable to influence any meaningful change among the fighters, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and the sages withdrew from the fledgling government they had help found and guide. From this point on, only the av bais din, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, played a prominent, open role in political and communal affairs.
* * * * *
Before setting off for Rome to assume the emperor’s throne, the Roman general Vespasian installed his son Titus in his place to complete the destruction of Yerushalayim and its Temple. Leading an army that now boasted some 80,000 soldiers, the young commander first established his camp on Mount Scopus before moving his men to the city’s western side.
Roman forces began their attack immediately following Pesach in the year 70 CE, sealing in thousands of pilgrims who had come for the festival despite the peril. The Romans launched a massive assault against the city and its 20,000 Jewish defenders, positioning immense siege machines against its third, northernmost wall. Battering rams pounded incessantly. After a month, on 7 Iyar, the wall gave way, bringing the Romans into the new city and closer to the more densely populated neighborhoods. They also established a second military camp there.
Meanwhile, a barrage of catapult missiles, made of stone, iron and fire, rained down on the populace, injuring many. As Yerushalayim began to go up in flames, Titus further attempted to subdue its citizens by starvation, calling for the erection of a further wall to seal off all access to and from the inner city.
Jerusalem’s defenders responded valiantly in a desperate attempt to save their city. At long last, the warring factions within the city united, focusing on the common enemy instead of each other. Sadly, it would prove to be a classic case of too little, too late. The Jewish fighters hurled stones at the Roman forces, engaged them in direct combat, and even managed to destroy some Roman machinery.
Still, one month later the second wall was breached as well; the new city was now completely in Roman hands. After burning down and pillaging the residences there, the Romans prepared to attack the old city, the heart of Yerushalayim and its population.
With the fall of the new city, Yochanan and his men positioned themselves behind the massive fortifications of the Temple Mount. Shimon bar Giora took over controls within the city proper. More than once, the Jewish turncoat Josephus was sent by Titus to appeal to the Jews to surrender. The Jews scornfully rejected his pleas. They replied with a barrage of stones, forcing Josephus to flee for his life.
Recognizing he would not achieve surrender through diplomatic means, Titus now prepared for what promised to be the most difficult phase of the campaign. To secure control of the old city, the Romans would need to seize control over the Temple Mount in the northeast, together with the upper and lower cities. Two powerful fortifications protected those inside, the Antonia fortress adjacent to the Temple, and Herod’s palace, with its three towers, to the northwest side. Titus set out to first conquer the Temple Mount. From there, he would attack the upper city.
