The Arch of Titus and the Fall of Jerusalem

Domitian built an arch in Rome for his older brother Titus, though the ancient writer Cassius Dio describes him as hateful toward Titus. It still stands today.

Scripture: But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand.

The verses around it mention flight, great distress in the land, and captives led into all the nations. Now, to Rome.

First, the background. Titus and his father Vespasian defeated a Jewish rebellion in Judaea, and the campaign ended with the fall of Jerusalem.

In summer 71 AD, Rome held a triumphal procession, a victory parade. The arch's panels are thought to depict it.

Inside the passage, the south panel shows spoils from the Temple in Jerusalem. The menorah, a golden candelabrum, is the main focus, carved in deep relief.

Also carried: gold trumpets, fire pans for removing ashes from the altar, and the Table of Showbread. It is one of the few contemporary depictions of objects from Herod's Temple.

In 2012, the Arch of Titus Digital Restoration Project found remains of yellow ochre paint on the menorah. The spoils were likely gold, on a blue background.

What is uncertain? The panels are not explicitly said to illustrate this event, though they closely parallel Josephus's account of the procession. And nothing in the sources links the arch to Luke. It shows Rome's victory, so any link to the verse is an interpretation.

This was not a lost find. A medieval guide already noted it, and in 1817 Raffaele Stern began a modern restoration. Its menorah later became the model for the emblem of the State of Israel.

A monument can tell one side of a painful chapter. When you meet history told by the winners, how do you listen for the other side? May the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today. Follow for more from the ground beneath the Bible.