The Fall of the Temple: Dr. Guy MacLean Rogers on 70 AD and the End of an Era

Today on The Dig In Podcast, Johnny Ova welcomes Dr. Guy MacLean Rogers, one of the world’s leading historians of the ancient world, for a deep dive into the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. This is the moment that forever changed Jewish life, shook the Roman Empire, and influenced the rise of Christianity.

Dr. Rogers is Professor of History and Classical Studies at Wellesley College. He earned his PhD in Classics from Princeton University, has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, and All Souls College, Oxford, and is an award-winning author. His acclaimed book, For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of the Jews against Rome, 66–74 CE (Yale University Press), was named an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice. You can grab it here: https://a.co/d/chKjInN

In this conversation we explore:

• The explosive tensions that led from uneasy peace to open revolt in Judea
• Josephus, Roman inscriptions, and archaeology as our key sources
• Messianic and apocalyptic expectations in the first century
• The siege of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple under Titus
• How Rome celebrated this “victory” and what it meant for the empire
• How Jewish life shifted from sacrifice to scripture after the temple’s destruction
• The ripple effects on the early Christian movement

This is not just history, it’s the story of identity, empire, and faith colliding in one of the most dramatic turning points of the ancient world.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:11 Sources for the Jewish War
• 5:23 Setting the Stage: Roman and Jewish Relations
• 7:30 Early Resistance and Revolts
• 10:21 Pilate, Caligula, and the Rumblings of Revolt
• 13:10 The Spark that Ignited the War
• 15:34 Civil War Within Jerusalem
• 17:42 Signs of the Coming Storm
• 23:10 Messianic and Apocalyptic Expectations
• 30:10 The Roman Siege of Jerusalem
• 35:55 Burning of the Temple
• 41:10 Rome’s Perspective on the Revolt
• 45:41 Judaism After the Temple’s Fall
• 51:25 Impact on Early Christianity
• 55:59 Wrap-Up and Closing