Bar Kokhba's Revolt Background Revolt "The Era Of The

The Roman authorities took precautions against the rebellious province. Instead of a procurator, it was now governed by a praetor and an entire legion (the Fretensis) was garrisoned there.

In 130Alternate uses, see Number 130''. Events Claudius Ptolemaeus tabulated angles of refraction for several media. Births December 15 Lucius Verus, future Roman Emperor Aulus Gellius, Latin author and grammarian (approximate date) St. Irenaeus (approximate da CE, Emperor HadrianPublius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus ( January 24, 76 July 10, 138), known as Hadrian in English, was a Roman emperor from 117 138. He is considered one of the so-called Five Good Emperors''. Hadrian was born in Italica, Hispania, to a well-established settl visited the ruins of JerusalemCapitals in Asia For alternate uses see Jerusalem (disambiguation Jerusalem ( Modern Hebrew: Yerushalayim Biblical Hebrew: Arabic: al-Quds see also Names of Jerusalem) is an ancient Middle Eastern city of key importance to the religions of Judaism, Christ. At first sympathetic towards the Jews, Hadrian promised to rebuild the city, but the Jews felt betrayed when they found out that his intentions were to rebuild the Jewish holiest city as a paganPaganism (or Heathenism ) is a catch-all term which has come to bundle together (by extension from its original classical meaning of a non- Christian religion) a very broad set of not necessarily compatible religious beliefs and practices that are usually metropolis, and a new pagan temple on the ruins of the Second TempleThe Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 515 BC and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Jewish worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot''. The first Temple was destroyed when the Jews was to be dedicated to JupiterIn Roman mythology, Jupiter (Jove) held the same role as Zeus in the Greek pantheon. He was called Jupiter Optimus Maximus as the patron deity of the Roman state, in charge of laws and social order. This article focuses on Jupiter in early Rome and in cul.

An additional legion (the Ferrata) was stationed in the province to maintain order and the works commenced in 131Events Emperor Hadrian builds the city Aelia Capitolina on the location of Jerusalem Births Galen, anatomist Deaths 131. CE, after the governorA governor is an official who heads the government of a colony, state or other sub-national state unit. Most countries in the world have some sort of official known as a governor, though in some countries, the heads of the states, provinces and regions ma of Judaea Tineius Rufus performed the foundation ceremony of Aelia Capitolina, the city’s projected new name. "Ploughing up the Temple" was a religious offense that turned many Jews against the Roman authorities. The tensions grew higher when Hadrian abolished circumcision ( brit milah), which he, an avid Hellenist, viewed as mutilation. A Roman coin inscribed Aelia Capitolina was issued in 132 CE.

2 Revolt

The Jewish sage Rabbi Akiva convinced the Sanhedrin to support the impending revolt and regarded the chosen commander Simon Bar Kokhba the Jewish Messiah, according to the verse from Numbers 24:17: "There shall come a star out of Jacob". At the time, Christianity was probably still a very minor sect of Judaism, but the messianic claims alienated many Christians and sharply deepened the schism.

The Jewish leaders carefully planned the second revolt to avoid numerous mistakes that plagued the first one sixty years earlier. In 132 CE, it quickly spread from Modi'in across the country, cutting off the Roman garrison in Jerusalem.

3 "The Era of the redemption of Israel"

Bar Kokhba's tetradrachm. Obverse: the Temple with the rising star. Reverse: the text reads: "Year one of the redemption of Israel" A sovereign Jewish state was restored for two and a half years that followed. The functional civil administration was headed by Simon Bar Kokhba, who took the title Nasi Israel (Prince of Israel). The "Era of the redemption of Israel" was announced, contracts were signed and coins were minted with corresponding inscriptions (some were overstruck over Roman silver coins).

Rabbi Akiva presided over the Sanhedrin. The religious rituals were observed and the korbanot (i.e. sacrifices) were resumed on the Altar. Some attempts were made to restore the Temple in Jerusalem.

4 Roman reaction

The outbreak took the Romans by surprise. Hadrian called his general Julius Severus from Britain and troops were brought from as far as the Danube. The size of the Roman army amassed against the rebels was larger than that commanded by Titus Flavius sixty years earlier, but Roman losses were so heavy that the generals' report to the Roman Senate omitted the customary formula "I and my army are well."

A cluster of papyrus containing Bar Kokhba's orders found in the Judean desert by modern Israeli archeologist Yigael Yadin. The struggle lasted for three years before the revolt was brutally crushed in the summer of 135. After losing Jerusalem, Bar Kokhba and the remnants of his army withdrew to the fortress of Betar, which also subsequently came under the siege. Some of the rebels were killed there, while others perished in the caves overlooking the Dead Sea.

5 Outcome

According to Cassius Dio, 580,000 Jews were killed, 50 fortified towns and 985 villages razed.

Hadrian attempted to root out Judaism, which he saw as the cause of continuous rebellions. He prohibited the Torah law, the Jewish calendar and executed Judaic scholars. The sacred scroll was ceremoniously burned on the Temple Mount. At the former Temple sanctuary he installed two statues, one of Jupiter, another of himself. In an attempt to erase any memory of Judea, he wiped the name off the map and replaced it with Syria Palaestina, as an insulting reminder of the Jews' ancient enemies the Philistines, long extinct by then. He reestablished Jerusalem as the Roman pagan polis of Aelia Capitolina, and Jews were forbidden from entering it. Later they were allowed to mourn their humiliation once a year on Tisha B'Av. Jews remained scattered for close to two thousand years. Following the expulsion of the Jews by Spain in 1492 as a result of the Spanish Inquisition, the rising Ottoman Empire welcomed the Jews and with its conquest of the areas around Palestine by 1517 it began to allow increasing numbers of Jews to move back to Palestine. The Jews reestblished the Jewish State of Israel in 1948.

6 Sources

Unfortunately, the events lacked a major historian figure such as Josephus Flavius. The best recognized sources are

Cassius Dio, Roman History (book 69) and Aelius Spartianus, Life of Hadrian (in the Augustan History).

The discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls has exposed some new historical data.

7 External link

David Pileggi, "The Bar Kochva letters": discovery of the papyri

Ancient Jewish Roman history Roman wars Rebellion Nerva-Antonine Dynasty

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1 Background