The second Jewish revolt against the romans
Historical Background: General
The Julio-Claudian dynasty, which was established by Augustus, came to an end with Nero's death in 68 C. E. Vespasian was proclaimed emperor in 69 C. E. and established the Flavian dynasty. He was succeeded by his sons Titus (who had overseen the siege of Jerusalem) and Domitian. The Flavians used their victory over the Jews to legitimize their newly founded dynasty. They filled Rome with victory monuments commemorating the “Jewish war," including the Colosseum (Flavian amphitheater) and the arch of Titus. They also broadcast their victory on a special series of coins bearing the legend “Judea Capta," which depict the province of Judea as a mourning woman (see Chapter 7). After the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, the Jews were required to pay the annual temple tax to the Capitolium in Rome.
The Flavian dynasty came to an end with Domitian, an unpopular ruler who was assassinated in 96 C. E. The Roman Senate nominated the next emperor, an elderly but highly regarded statesman named Nerva. Nerva established the long-lived Antonine dynasty, but ruled only two years before dying of natural causes. He was succeeded by his adopted heir, Trajan, the first Roman emperor from the provinces (Spain), although he was born to an Italian family. Trajan was a popular emperor who enjoyed a long and successful reign (98-117 C. E.). An accomplished general, Trajan spent much of his time on military campaigns. He added the province of Dacia (modern Romania) to the Roman Empire, using the spoils to fund a building program in Rome that included a sprawling marketplace complex. Trajan also added to the Roman Empire the province of Arabia, which included the Nabataean kingdom (106 C. E.). To remove the lucrative trade in incense and spices from Nabataean control, the Romans shifted the caravan trade routes to the north, out of Nabataean territory. As a result, many former Nabataean trading posts became permanent settlements surrounded by desert farms, as the Nabataeans turned to agriculture for their livelihoods.
Trajan was succeeded to the throne by a relative named Hadrian, who was also born to an Italian family living in Spain (ruled 117—138 C. E.). Hadrian was a Philhellene — a lover of Greek culture and philosophy — so much so, that he was sometimes referred to by the Latin nickname “Graeculus" (Little Greek). He lavished monuments and other benefactions on Athens, which had lost its claim to cultural supremacy and was a relatively impoverished, provincial backwater. Athens reciprocated by proclaiming Hadrian a “second Theseus" — that is, a second founder or refounder of the city.
Hadrian was an amateur architect who enjoyed designing his own buildings. His most famous monument, the Pantheon, or temple of all gods, still stands in Rome today. The Pantheon literally turned the concept of an ancient temple inside out. Using the latest innovations in Roman concrete technology, Hadrian created a huge domed space, shifting the focus of temples from the exterior to the interior. The dome had a large opening (oculus) in the center, through which the sun and heavens were visible above. Hadrian also designed a sprawling country villa at Tivoli outside Rome, periodically adding new buildings that were inspired by his travels. Although Hadrian is known for constructing a fortification wall in Britain that bears his name (Hadrian's Wall), aside from the Bar-Kokhba Revolt, his reign was generally peaceful.
Historical Background: Palestine
After 70 C. E., Jerusalem lay in ruins. To strengthen their hold over the country, the Romans changed the structure of the administration. The province of Judea was made independent of Syria and placed under the control of its own legate, and the Tenth Legion was stationed in Jerusalem. These measures ensured that a legate commanding a legion were always present to keep order. Because Josephus' accounts end with the First Revolt, we have much less information about Judean life for the period after 70 C. E. For information we must rely on rabbinic literature and incidental references by classical (Greek and Roman) authors and the Church Fathers.
After Jerusalem's destruction, Jewish scholars (experts in Jewish law) established an academy in the southern coastal town of Jamnia (Hebrew Yavneh), under the leadership of Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai (ca. 1—80 C. E.) and his successor, Gamaliel II (ca. 80—120). Yohanan Ben Zakkai is said to have faked his own death during the siege of Jerusalem and was smuggled out of the city in a coffin. He became the first Nasi (Prince or Patriarch) of the academy, which replaced the Sanhedrin as the body responsible for administering Jewish law.
After 70, the Jews awaited permission from the Romans to rebuild the Jerusalem temple. They expected this to happen soon, and never imagined Judaism without a temple 2,000 years later. After all, only sixty years had passed between the destruction of the first temple and its replacement by the second temple. But as the decades passed after 70 and Roman permission was not forthcoming, the Jews of Palestine and the Diaspora became increasingly anxious.
The Diaspora Revolt (115-117 C. E.)
Toward the end of Trajan's reign, a Jewish revolt erupted among Jewish communities in the Diaspora. In contrast to the First Jewish Revolt against the Romans, we have little information about the Diaspora Revolt. The unrest started in Egypt and spread to Cyrene (North Africa), Cyprus, and Mesopotamia. The revolt seems to have been fueled by messianic expectations, perhaps under the leadership of a messianic figure named Lucas. Pent-up hostilities between Jews and Gentiles were also a factor. The uprising lasted for three years and seems to have been brutally suppressed. The Jews of Egypt, including the large and well-established community at Alexandria, were especially hard hit.
The Bar-Kokhba Revolt (Second Jewish Revolt against the Romans) (132-135/136 C. E.)
World History
