Chapters 8-9

In the next couple chapters I have Armstrong goes into the aftermath of the destruction of the temple. The Romans were very brutal in accomplishing their task-which they did. After the destruction of the temple, life for the Jews "had neither value nor significance, and it seems that in these dark days many Jews lost their faith" (155). Jerusalem was central to their religion and they were not on a quest to give it up. They had to muster up "all their creativity to survive this devastating loss" (155). They didn't give up hope, because after all, the last time the temple had been destroyed, it was miraculously restored and rebuilt, against all odds.

Not only did the Roman occupation destroy the temple and force many Jews out, it didn't allow and inevitably persecuted any of the Christians that would inhabit the land later on. Christians had their own connection to the land and the Romans tried to come in between that. In chapter 9, Armstrong really focused on the spread of Christianity and it's impact on the land and the people. There were so many different arguments and disputes that arose as a result but they continued on in the way that they thought was right, regardless of the Romans efforts to stop them. It's amazing to me how seperate religions interpret the same events in such different ways. When the Christians gained a more prevalent power in the area, they "called themselves the new Israel" (193). They took the land away from the Jews that was rightfully theirs by "annexing the Jews' Holy City through an imperially funded building program" (193).