QUESTION:

9/23/2009: Glory be to God! As an Orthodox Christian, my question today is toward the interpretation of destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans. Several passages in the Scriptures like Luke 19:43-44 and Matthew 24:2 are brought up in discussion. Is it predicted to be a full destruction as some structures left intact? How did the Church understand the words of our Lord in these passages? Can the predictions be reconciled with the writings of Josephus in testimony to the destruction?

ANSWER:

These prophecies indicate that Jerusalem and the Temple would be utterly devastated, and this is what happened in AD 70. This utter devastation is what is conveyed in the hyperbolic language (not a single stone...)

Keyword: Matthew 24 | Other keywords: Destruction of Jerusalem