I have recently bought the “Ancient Rome: The Rise And Fall Of An Empire” series by BBC on DVD, and I have just finished watching the third episode, “The Jewish Revolt”, from the account of Flavius Josephus, or in his original Jewish name, Yosef Ben Matityahu.

The night before the final assault on Herold’s Temple, Titus asked his advisor (in the video show Josephus and another Roman officer debating) what’s their opinion on what to do with the Temple, should they burn it to the ground, or preserve it? In the end, Titus decides to preserve the temple as it would be an ornament to their government. And gave his order to his soldier not to destroy or burn it. When the fire breakout in the Temple, the video is even showing Titus and Josephus trying to stop the fire.

Wait I never heard about Titus wanting to preserve the Temple? In most of the textbooks or history books I read, Herold’s Temple was sacked and burned by the Roman legion as shown on the Arch of Titus in Rome. They burn it to the ground to demonstrate what will be the consequence if you rebel again Rome.

So I start up my Logos Bible Study Software, and opened “The Works of Josephus” (Hendrickson, 1999), did a quick search on Titus and Temple, and here it is in Chapter Six of the Jewish War:

(236) But then, on the next day, Titus commanded part of his army to quench the fire, and to make a road for the more easy marching up of the legions, while he himself gathered the commanders together. (237) Of those there were assembled the six principal persons: Tiberius Alexander, the commander [under the general] of the whole army; with Sextus Cerealis the commander of the fifth legion; and Larcius Lepidus, the commander of the tenth legion; and Titus Frigius the commander of the fifteenth legion; (238) there was also with them Eternius, the leader of the two legions that came from Alexandria; and Marcus Antonius Julianus, procurator of Judea; after these came together all the rest of the procurators and tribunes. Titus proposed to these that they should give him their advice what should be done about the holy house. (239) Now, some of these thought it would be the best way to act according to the rules of war [and demolish it]; because the Jews would never leave off rebelling while that house was standing; at which house it was that they used to get all together. (240) Others of them were of opinion, that in case the Jews would leave it, and none of them would lay their arms up in it, he might save it; but that in case they got upon it, and fought any more, he might burn it; because it must then be looked upon not as a holy house, but as a citadel; and that the impiety of burning it would then belong to those that forced this to be done, and not to them. (241) But Titus said, that “although the Jews should get upon that holy house, and fight us thence, yet ought we not to revenge ourselves on things that are inanimate, instead of the men themselves;” and that he was not in any case for burning down so vast a work as that was, because this would be a mischief to the Romans themselves, as it would be an ornament to their government while it continued. (242) So Fronto, and Alexander, and Cerealis, grew bold upon that declaration, and agreed to the opinion of Titus. (243) Then was this assembly dissolved, when Titus had given orders to the commanders that the rest of their forces should lie still; but that they should make use of such as were most courageous in this attack. So he commanded that the chosen men that were taken out of the cohorts should make their way through the ruins, and quench the fire.

Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 739). Hendrickson.

So who started the fire? According to Josephus, during the chaos of the attack, the Roman soldier disobeys Titus’ order and sets fire to the Temple. When Titus heard of the fire, he ran from his camp to the Temple and tried to order his man to stop the fire. But it was too late, as the soldier had already started ransacking the treasure of the Temple.