# Pompey captures Jerusalem (63 BCE)

URL: https://christianity-history.com/timeline/-63-pompey-captures-jerusalem
Location: Jerusalem, Judea
Themes: War

The Roman general Pompey takes Jerusalem and enters the Temple, bringing Judea under Roman power. At this point in the timeline (63 BCE), there was not yet a Christian church; the Jewish people lived under a succession of Seleucid, Hasmonean, Herodian and Roman rulers, and religious life centred on the Temple in Jerusalem and its high priests.

## Why it matters
Roman rule set the political stage for the life of Jesus and the spread of the early church.

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Siege of Jerusalem (63 BC)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(63_BC))
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Pompey captures Jerusalem](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Pompey+captures+Jerusalem)
- [Wikipedia — Second Temple Background (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple_period)