Titus (1)

1. TITUS, Son and Successor of the Emperor Vespasian, Brother, and Predecessor of the Emperor Domitian. He was one of the best Princes that the Roman Empire ever had; being liberal, generous, mild, wise, valiant. He thought every Day lost, in which he had not done some Service to Mankind. He was called the Love and Delight of Human Kind. He has no Claim to a Place in this Dictionary, but only as he was made use of by Providence to bring about the Destruction of the City and Temple of Jerusalem; and by that Means to fulfil the Denunciations made by the Son of God against a City, Matth. xxiv. 1, 2, 3, &c.which had murdered the Prophets, and even Jesus Christ himself.

Vespasian was in Achaia with Nero, when this Emperor made choice of him to command in the Jewish War, in the 66th Year of the Vulgar Æra. He did not arrive at Judæa till the Year following, and began to form his Army in the Year 67. His Son Titus, whom he had chosen for one of his Lieutenants, joined him at Ptolemais,¹ with two Legions which he brought with him from Alexandria. They began the War first in Galilee, that they might give the People of Jerusalem Time to reflect upon what they were going to do. In this War Titus gave many Proofs of his Bravery; and Vespasian, his Father, being declared Emperor in the Year 69, and being obliged to set out for Italy, he left the whole Care of the Jewish War with his Son Titus. He laid Siege to Jerusalem in the Beginning of April, in the Year 70 of the Vulgar Æra. The first Wall was taken on the 28th of April; the second Wall on the 3², and again on 7th of May. The Tower, Antonia was taken by Storm, on the 5th of July. The Perpetual Sacrifice was discontinued, and entirely ceased, on the 7th or 10th of the same Month. The Temple was burnt, notwithstanding Titus’s Orders to the contrary, on the 10th of August. The Romans carried the third Wall of the City on the 7th of September, and Titus enter’d the Day following, or the 8th of September.

Matth. xxiv. 2.After which, Titus caused the Temple and the whole City to be razed, except the three Towers Hippica, Phasaele, and Mariamne, with the Wall that surrounded the Western part of the City.³ The Jews have a Tradition,⁴ that he caused a Plough to pass over the City, or at least the Temple, which was the Token of entire Desolation; but it is believed that this happened rather under Adrian. Thus was fulfilled the Prediction of Jesus Christ, who told his Apostles, that the Enemies would not leave one Stone upon another of those Buildings which they so much admired. Titus left at Jerusalem the tenth Legion, under the Command of Terentius Rufus; and as the approaching Winter would not allow him to go to Rome to his Father, he made a Visit to several Cities of Syria, where he often had Games represented at the cost of the Jews, the Slaughter of whom always made a Part of those Entertainments.d

He continued for some time at Berytus, and then went to Antioch, at the Beginning of the 71st Year of the Vulgar Æra. From thence he passed to Zeugma, upon the Euphrates, where he had Conferences with the Ambassadors of Vologesus, King of the Parthians. He then returned to Antioch again, where he declined to meddle with the Privileges of the Jews, or to drive them away from this City, as the Citizens of Antioch earnestly endeavoured to persuade him.⁵ He then passed through Jerusalem, in his way to Egypt, and could not forbear shedding some Tears, when he saw the Condition to which the City was reduced. He made Imprecations against those that had forced him to come to this Extremity, against his own Inclinations.⁶ From Alexandria he went to Rome by Sea, where he triumphed over the Jews, with his Father Vespasian. Among the rest of the Plunder was observed the Golden Table, and the Golden Candlestick with seven Branches, with the Roll of the Law of the Jews, which were carried in the Triumph.⁷ The Book of the Law was kept in the Palace, with the Purple Hangings that had been used in the Temple. The Golden Vessels were placed in the Temple that Vespasian built, under the Name of the Temple of Peace.⁸

Vespasian died in the 79th Year of the Vulgar Æra: Titus succeeded him, and governed the Roman Empire for two Years, two Months, and twenty Days. His Brother Domitian succeeded him.

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