An Eyewitness Account of Passover in Jerusalem, 66 CE

The Jewish-Roman historian Titus Flavius Josephus (Joseph ben Matiyahu) was born in Jerusalem in the year 33 CE.  He fought in the first Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE) as a commander of Jewish forces in the Galilee, but defected to the Romans in 67 CE. In 68 CE, he predicted Vespasian would become Emperor and subsequently was appointed as an adviser to Vespasian’s son Titus and witnessed the destruction of the Second Temple in August of 70 CE.  In his book The Jewish War Josephus writes:

“When Cestius [Gallus, governor of Syria,] came to Jerusalem at the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, (April, 66 CE) the people came out to him…  They pleaded with him to alleviate the miseries of their nation and cried out against Florus, Procurator of Judea, as the bane of their country.” (2.14.3)