Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 628 The Greeks also did it
After leaving the inexplicable Jewish quarter, everyone continued to visit other areas.

The largest building complex in the city is on the Temple Mount in the southeast corner. There is a high wall around it, and inside the wall is a religious holy place known as the "Noble Sanctuary".

Elder Nasir said that the most famous Muslim buildings in the city are all within this circle of walls. There are two large mosques within the walls, one of which is called "Aqsa", which means "far away".

Legend has it that the ancient prophet Ibrahim built a temple here, and the prophet Suleiman the Magnificent completed it. Later, the holy place was destroyed by war and abandoned for a long time. When the Umayyad dynasty ruled Jerusalem, a mosque was rebuilt here, so it was called "Far Mosque".

This ancient holy place has a very high status. Believers used to worship here instead of Mecca. Later rulers also expanded and repaired it many times, and installed a large Roman dome on the basis of the original flat-topped temple. Even though it has been in chaos and lacked maintenance over the years, it is still magnificent and tall. In addition, the people who stayed behind are still trying their best to clean it, so it is in good condition. It looks neater and more solemn than the newly built Jewish temple.

Opposite the Far Mosque is the Dome of the Rock Mosque. There is a huge stone preserved there, which is said to be the place where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. In addition to these two large mosques, there are some other temples and ancillary facilities, which together form this large-scale complex.

In the early years, this place was a forbidden area and the management was relatively strict. However, after the Arab Empire collapsed, Jerusalem, a place surrounded by wars, had to make a living on its own. In order to develop tourism, as long as you pay the ticket price, you can visit these famous buildings in the city. In this way, the city can barely maintain its operation.

After all the hard work of coming here, it was natural for him to take a look at such an important place. Tuo Huan gathered his subordinates Guo Kang and others, as well as the guests, and went outside the wall.

Elder Nasir also specifically introduced that the western section of the wall is also a separate attraction. It is said to be the site of the Jewish temple, so people still come here to pay tribute to it.

"Why would their ruins be your wall?" Tuohuan asked curiously.

"Some people believe that this was the wall of the Second Temple," Elder Nasir replied, "but I only heard about it from others and have not studied it carefully. The Romans should know more about this issue, right?"

However, the Romans present did not seem to know much about this matter. Tuohuan even said directly: "We did not build the temple. I just remember that there was an event that abolished the Jewish Kingdom."

"It's about the ban." Father Andreas said, "At that time, this place was the Jewish temple built by King Herod. Later, it was demolished by Rome. Some people say that only this wall is left. So the Jews think that this is the only remaining site and regard it as a holy place."

"The crude system in the classical era did indeed lead to such consequences." Tuohuan nodded and said with emotion: "The Legion is also clumsy in doing things. Even such a big wall can be leaked. Since we are here, we might as well finish the work and demolish this place. What do you think?"

"This, this, this is now the wall of our temple." Elder Nasir said hurriedly: "If it is demolished, it will be completely cut off..."

"The upper part of the wall is very new. It was built when the Mamluks occupied Jerusalem. The lower part was built when the Umayyads expanded the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The foundation is indeed older, but no one is sure whether the wall built by King Herod at that time has really survived or is here. We only know that it is estimated to be in this area. This statement is just a legend after all."

"Well, even if it's demolished, the Jews will just find another place to cry. Those people are superstitious, and after crying for a few years, there will probably be new stories and it will become a holy place." Father Andreas also said: "They especially like to cry in other people's homes. We can't demolish their homes too..."

"I see." Tuo Huan nodded: "But since we can only confirm that it is in this area, why not look for a few more places? And if we want to find relics, there should be many in the Holy Land. Why do the Jews only cry here?"

"You have to pay for a ticket to get in," Father Andreas replied succinctly.

“Oh…” Tuohuan probably understood.

"In fact, according to our research, the claim about the Second Temple is not very accurate." Father Andreas continued to explain: "Even if it is really a relic left by King Herod, it may not be the same as what they say."

"What do you mean?" Lama Wang became curious.

"In ancient times, the Kingdom of Judah was destroyed by the Kingdom of Chaldea, and the Jews were taken to Babylon. The First Temple built by the prophet Suleiman was also destroyed. Later, the Persians destroyed the Chaldea and released them. So, with the support of the Persians, they rebuilt a temple on the original site, which is the Second Temple." Father Andreas continued:

"But this project lasted a long time. Construction began more than 500 years ago under the sponsorship of Cyrus, the King of Persia. But then Cyrus was defeated and died in battle, and the project stopped. Although people kept urging it to continue, it was always intermittent, and it is hard to say when it was finally completed."

"Why do we need the Persians to continue to sponsor us?" Zhu Wenkui, who didn't know the story, discovered a problem and asked curiously, "If they don't pay, we can't afford to repair it, and it will be left unfinished?"

"Ah? You expect the Jews to pay for it themselves?" Father Andreas replied in surprise.

"Uh……"

"After all, they were sent by the Persians, so it's normal for them to ask their employer for money." A Muslim elder with half a swollen face said angrily, "Every time I hear this story, I think it must be a Persian conspiracy. Only the treacherous Jews can understand the plan made by the cunning Persians. But as a reward, the Persians must give money, otherwise why would the Jews obey with their tempers?"

"There is indeed such a suspicion." Father Andreas nodded in agreement. "According to the descriptions in various stories, the Jews were not as miserable after arriving in Babylon. At that time, Eastern countries did not reject foreign elites. Therefore, some educated priests still entered the government of the Chaldean Kingdom. Even Nebuchadnezzar's advisors were Jews."

"But later, the relationship between the Chaldean king and the city's priest class became increasingly strained. In Mesopotamia, the city was very powerful and often opposed the king; the priests held crucial power and ruled the city with the help of a group of false gods. They were the key players in it. The king wanted to strengthen his power, so he deliberately ignored the old gods and welcomed the new ones - he even tried to accept the Jewish gods, but it seemed to be unsuccessful."

"Later, the last king, Nabonidus, was even forced to leave the capital, Babylon, and go to the Arabian region to introduce the local popular moon god as a countermeasure. Cyrus seized the internal contradictions of the enemy and led his army southward."

"It's not that the Chaldean Kingdom was unprepared. Mesopotamia had a tradition of building long walls for defense, and there was also a 'Median Wall' at that time, blocking the strategic road. Moreover, Babylon itself was the largest city in the known world at that time, and its defenses were very strong. However, the Persians cleverly bypassed the defense line, and while the king and the main army were away, they defeated the defenders along the way and came all the way to the city. Nabonidus urgently led his personal soldiers back to the city to fight, but the priests in the city did not want to resist at all. Instead, they turned against the Persians and welcomed the Persians. In the end, Nabonidus was defeated and killed, and his son surrendered to the Persians, and the Chaldean Kingdom perished." "After Cyrus entered the city, he declared himself the 'King of the World', abolished the tyranny of Nabonidus and his son, and restored the previous worship. He lifted all previous punishments and raised the status of the priests. The Jews were also released during this pardon."

After he finished explaining, he looked at Zhu Wenkui and hesitated: "Well, this story is relatively unpopular. It is only mentioned in scriptures and some ancient books. Therefore, even after textual research, the plot is not very complete and not many people know about it..."

"It's okay, it's okay. I knew what it was when I heard it. As for the incomplete part, I can even imagine what will happen." Zhu Wenkui waved his hands repeatedly: "Then the Jewish priests should actually have been divided out by the Persians. It's normal to give them a territory."

"Okay." Although he didn't know how he understood it so quickly, Father Andreas was still very happy: "In short, we all think that the Jews and Persians have been colluding for a long time. That's why these elders are so unhappy."

"I see. I didn't expect the stories to be so similar." Zhu Wenkui was actually a little surprised: "Besides, I thought the Persians rescued them, and they would repay the Persians, so they worked for the Persians."

At this point, all the elders paused for a moment.

"You are a noble from the East, right? I'm afraid you don't know the situation here." Elder Nasir had to smooth things over: "Here, there is no one more cunning and stingy than the Jews, except... even the Persians!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Everyone agreed.

"What happened after that?" Zhu Wenkui asked curiously, "What happened to this unfinished temple?"

"The Greeks tore it down," said Father Andreas. "Not the Romans."

"Is that so?"

In the context of the Purple Tent Khanate and even the previous Eastern Roman dynasties, Greeks and Romans refer to two different concepts, and Zhu Wenkui also knows this. Therefore, when he heard that it was demolished once by the Greek regime before the Romans, he became more interested.

"Before the Romans, the rulers here were the Seleucid dynasty, one of the successor states." Father Andreas said, "During the Sixth Syrian War, King Antiochus IV defeated the Ptolemaic army and invaded Egypt. However, at this time, the Jews in the rear rebelled, threatening his retreat. Antiochus had no choice but to support a puppet pharaoh and lead his army back to quell the rebellion. The Seleucid army invaded Jerusalem, executed many Jews, and restored the previous rule."

"However, two years later, the Ptolemaic family united again and rebelled against him again. Antiochus decided that puppets were untrustworthy and that he had to rule Egypt himself. So he led his army south again, defeated the weak Ptolemaic army, occupied almost all of Egypt except Alexandria, and crowned himself as pharaoh in Memphis. But Egypt's rapid defeat aroused the vigilance of the Romans. Under the intervention of the Romans, despite the good situation, Antiochus was forced to give up the idea of ​​annexing Egypt and lead his army to withdraw."

"As a result, on the way back, the Jews in Jerusalem rebelled again. Antiochus was already very angry and had nowhere to vent his anger, so he became even more furious. The Seleucid army waited for an opportunity and took the city by surprise while the Jews were on the Sabbath."

"After this, Antiochus decided that the Jews were hopeless, so he declared all Jewish customs illegal and prohibited them from holding religious activities. He also sent people to destroy and desecrate the Jewish temple and forced the Jews to eat pork. At that time, Antiochus was trying to unify the beliefs of the entire empire in order to integrate the country. So he began to worship Zeus alone and suppress other gods. The temple in Jerusalem was also converted into a temple dedicated to Zeus. The history of the Second Temple actually ended at this point."

"At the end of the Roman Republic, Jerusalem was ruled by King Herod. King Herod was a man of great diplomatic skills and maintained good friendships with Caesar, Antony, and Augustus. The Kingdom of Judah therefore got the opportunity to develop and prosper rapidly. With money, King Herod was able to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed for many years. In fact, this was already the third temple."

"However, the Jews did not like King Herod because he was only the son-in-law of a priestly family, not a pure Jewish. Even his temple was not recognized. But since they had to use the place that Herod had paid for, they insisted that it was still part of the Second Temple, thereby belittling his contribution."

He pointed to a corner of the wall not far away: "So, even if this relic is real and the location is as they said, this wall is just a remnant of Herod's Temple. It probably has nothing to do with the Second Temple back then."

"So the Third Temple has already existed." Guo Kang in the crowd was also surprised: "I still remember hearing someone say something about a prophecy, saying that if the Jews build the Third Temple, it will mark the beginning of the end of the world, and Brother God will descend or something like that."

"Where did this come from?" Father Andreas was also a little surprised.

"It's a belief held by some Christian sects," Guo Kang told him. "It says that after the Third Temple is built, there will be seven years of disaster, and then the Messiah will come and start the final battle of the end of the world."

"I don't believe this is the view of Christians." Father Andreas became serious, thought for a moment, and replied, "The Messiah recognized by the Jews is not Brother God - they have never admitted it. This is a basic difference between them and us. Even if someone spreads this statement, it has nothing to do with us believers."

"Moreover, are they going to be saved by rebuilding the temple and restoring the priests' rule? Are they going to exchange their sacrificial activities for redemption? This is impossible. Eternal redemption has already been accomplished by Brother Heaven on the cross, and it has nothing to do with the Jewish rituals."

"Besides, Brother Tian does not advocate holy places and temples. He told his believers that worshipping the Father is not on this mountain or in Jerusalem. The holy place is just a symbol, because Brother Tian's kingdom is not in this world, and the buildings on earth have no divinity. On the contrary, Brother Tian does not appreciate the temple, and even told the apostles that this temple will definitely be demolished, without even a stone left."

"Therefore, when the fanatical Zealots rose up in rebellion, the Christians did not accept the coercion, but obeyed Brother Tian's prophecy and fled the city early. They did not join those lunatics in provoking the Romans and blindly gave up their lives. At that time, the Jews had already begun to make up prophecies at random, and there was even more than one person who claimed to be the Messiah and said that the end of the world was coming. What was the result? They did not seem to be able to defeat the legion."

"These lies are completely contrary to Brother Tian's teachings. Any Christian with enough common sense and a righteous heart, if they hear these rumors, the first thing they should do is not to believe them; instead, they should immediately go to the nearest church and report them." He warned firmly:

"To be honest, I don't know how outrageous a heretic must be to take such a statement seriously. As a believer, you shouldn't be so ignorant of such a basic principle, right? What do you believe in?" The priest shook his head and finally said, "Of course, this should be handled by the professionals of the Inquisition. It's not my business..."

"I understand, I understand. I will report it as soon as I see it..." Seeing that the other elders' eyes were not right, Guo Kang had no choice but to nod repeatedly.

(End of this chapter)