Pilgrims Swell Jerusalem’s Population

When Titus razed Jerusalem in 70 CE (see “The Sack of Jerusalem”), the number of captives was enlarged by the pilgrims who had come to celebrate Passover and were caught up in the siege that began around the time of the holiday. Josephus goes into some detail on the number of Jews who came to Jerusalem to offer their Passover sacrifices, supporting his figures with a census taken by Cestius Gallus.