Titus's legions burn the Second Temple and destroy Jerusalem after a brutal siege; sacrifice ends for good, and Judaism reconstitutes itself around Torah, synagogue, and prayer. Rabbinic Judaism begins here.
Tagged: Conservative Judaism Jewish Orthodox Judaism Reconstructionist Judaism Reform Judaism Secular Judaism
The Event
- Date
- 70 CE (exact)
- Era
- Second Temple; Standard periodization of Jewish history
- Location
- Jerusalem
- Traditions
- Judaism
- Streams
- Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, Secular Judaism
- Key figures
- Titus, Josephus, Yohanan ben Zakkai
Primary Sources
- Josephus, The Jewish War 5-6
Secondary Sources
- Cohen, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (Westminster John Knox, 3rd ed. 2014)
- Goodman, A History of Judaism (Princeton, 2018)
Provenance: HIST-0111; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-27.
Related on This Site
- Cyrus' Edict of Return History Event
- David's Reign History Event
- Destruction of the First Temple History Event
- Exodus and Sinai History Event
- Fall of Samaria; the Northern Kingdom Destroyed History Event
- First Temple Dedicated History Event
- Patriarchal Period History Event
- Second Temple Completed History Event