Sources: Josephus, Jewish War (eyewitness account); Tacitus, Histories 5.1–13; Suetonius; Dio Cassius.

The First Jewish-Roman War (66–73 AD) and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple (70 AD) is the most consequential event in Jewish history after the Exodus — the catastrophe that ends biblical Judaism and forces the invention of rabbinic Judaism. The war’s causes: a toxic combination of Roman administrative brutality (Gessius Florus’s provocations), Jewish sectarian politics (Zealots vs moderates vs Sadducean aristocracy vs Sicarii), and messianic/apocalyptic expectation. The siege of Jerusalem (70 AD): Titus’s four legions breach the walls after a five-month siege; the Temple burns on the 9th of Av (Tisha B’Av — the same date as the First Temple’s destruction, a coincidence that became theological destiny). One million Jews die according to Josephus (likely an exaggeration); nearly 100,000 enslaved. The Arch of Titus in Rome depicts the menorah being carried in triumph. Theological aftermath: (1) Christianity separates from Judaism more decisively — followers of Jesus interpreted the Temple’s destruction as divine judgment (Luke 21:20–24); (2) Rabbinic Judaism reinvents itself around Torah study and prayer; (3) The Sadducees disappear; (4) The Zealots and Sicarii are discredited; (5) Tisha B’Av becomes the annual fast of mourning observed to this day.