that time it was called Jerusalem. During
the reigns of David and Solomon it attained its highest degree of power.
When ten of the Jewish tribes seceded under Jeroboam they made Shechem
(and later Samaria) the capital of their kingdom of Israel, and
Jerusalem remained the capital of the smaller but more powerful kingdom
of Judah. The city was taken by Shishak, King of Egypt, in 971 B.C., was
later conquered and sacked by Joash, King of Israel, and in the time of
Ahaz, the King of Syria came against it with a large force, but could
not take it. The city was besieged in Hezekiah's reign, by the army of
Sennacherib, King of Assyria, but was saved by the sudden destruction of
the invading army. After the death of Josiah, the city was tributary for
some years to the King of Egypt, but was taken after repeated attempts
by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., and was left a heap
of ruins. The work of rebuilding it began by order of King Cyrus about
538 B.C., who allowed the Jewish people who had been carried into
captivity to return for this purpose. From this time Jerusalem enjoyed
comparative peace for several hundred years and grew to be an important
commercial city. When Alexander invaded Syria it submitted to him
without resistance. After his death it belonged for a time to Egypt and
in 198 B.C., passed with the rest of Judea under the rule of Syria.
Antiochus the Great ruled it with mildness and justice, but the tyranny
of his son, Antiochus Epiphanes, brought about the revolt, headed by the
Maccabees, through which Jerusalem gained a brief independence. In 63
B.C., Pompey the Great took the city, demolished the walls and killed
thousands of the people, but did not plunder it. However, nine years
later Crassus robbed the temple of all its treasures. The walls were
soon after rebuilt under Antipater, the Roman procurator, but when Herod
came to rule over the city with the title of King, given him by the
Roman Senate, he was resisted and only took possession after an
obstinate siege, which was followed by the massacre of great numbers of
the people. Herod improved and enlarged the city, and restored the
temple on a more magnificent scale than in Solomon's time. Jerusalem is
said at this time to have had a population of over 200,000. This period
of wealth and prosperity was also rendered most, memorable for Jerusalem
by the ministry and crucifixion of Christ. About A.D. 66, the Jews,
goaded to desperation by the