The Great
Revolt
Jewish factions
rebel against Roman rule in Palestine.
By Lawrence H. Schiffman
Jews in Palestine launched two major revolts against the
Roman Empire during the first and second centuries of the Common Era: the Great
Revolt (66-73 C.E.), and the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 C.E.). The following
article focuses on the Great Revolt, which led to the destruction of the Temple
in Jerusalem. It is reprinted with permission from From
Text to Tradition: A History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism (Ktav).
The [Great Revolt…] can be said to have been going on from
the day the Romans first set foot in the Land of Israel [… ] yet full-scale
revolt did not break out until 66 C. E.
The proximate cause was a series of acts by the procurator
Gessius Florus (64‑66 C.E.) which displayed disrespect for Jewish
religious sensibilities. Widespread strife broke out in Jerusalem, and, as a
consequence, some of the priests decided to suspend the offering on behalf of
the emperor, an action tantamount to declaring open revolt.
The efforts of King Agrippa II, the leading priests, and
some of the Pharisees to stem the incipient revolt failed. Jerusalem was soon
in the hands of the rebels. This led, in turn, to uprisings throughout the
country, where Jews battled their non‑Jewish neighbors for the upper
hand. Cestius Gallus, the governor of Syria, attempted to put down the revolt,
but his forces were routed by the Jews.
Military commanderswere now assigned to the entire country,
to prepare for the expected Roman attack. Among them was the future historian
Josephus, who commanded Jewish forces in the Galilee. Judging from his
experiences, duly appointed commanders had to contend with competition from a
variety of popular, even semi‑messianic, leaders.
As this illustrates, the rebels did not constitute a uniform
group. Many different forces were involved in the revolt. Among them were the
Sicarii, known in the years before the war for having assassinated
collaborators with the Romans with short daggers (Latin sica) which they kept
hidden under their garments. The followers of Simeon bar Giora regarded their
leader as a messianic figure, and in his name seem to have committed violence
not only against the Romans but against other groups of rebels. The Zealots may
have had their origins in the groups that had continuously struggled against
Rome since the beginning of Roman rule in Palestine, but according to many
scholars they only became an organized faction at the start of the revolt.
The inability of the various rebel forces to work together
was one of the major reasons why the revolt did not succeed. At the same time,
it must be recognized that ultimately, even if united, the Jews could not have
stood up to Rome's superior military forces and unlimited resources.
The
Roman emperor Nero (54‑68 C.E.) appointed the experienced general
Vespasian to lead the attack on Judea. With the help of his son Titus,
Vespasian assembled three legions and several contingents of auxiliary forces
totaling some sixty thousand men. By the end of 67 C.E., Vespasian had taken
Galilee. Josephus himself surrendered to the Romans at Jotapata.
When the Galilee was lost, some of the rebel groups led by
popular messianic figures moved south to join the forces defending Jerusalem.
They soon took a leading role there, displacing the aristocratic leaders whose
policies had led to the loss of Galilee. Before long, however, civil strife
broke out among the various factions in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Vespasian was busily subjugating the rest of the
country. In 68/69 C.E., there was a brief respite while Vespasian awaited the outcomeof the death of the
emperor Neroand the struggle
for succession which then took place. In 69 C.E., the Roman legions of the East
decided to declare Vespasian emperor. Soon afterwards he was accepted at Rome
as well. He returned there and left his son Titus to prosecute the war in
Palestine. All the while, those besieged within Jerusalem continued to undercut
their own position by their inability to join together.
By Passover of 70 C. E., Titus had massed a large force
around Jerusalem while Jewish factions inside the city were killing one
another. As Titus's battering rams began to strike, the factions finally came
together. One by one the Romans breached the walls of the city, gaining control
of the entire city except for the Temple area. By building siege ramparts,
Titus was finally able to take the Temple Mount itself.
According to Josephus, Titus planned to spare the Temple
from destruction, but it was nonetheless engulfed in a conflagration and could
not be saved. The ensuing slaughter of men, women, and children and the
leveling of the city which followed dealt a lasting blow to Jewish life in the
Land of Israel.
This was not the end of the war. While the Temple treasures
and the rebel leaders were paraded in Rome, the Romans had to mop up small
bands of Jewish fighters who had taken refuge in other areas of the city, and
to take several fortresses scattered through the land where rebel forces were
holding out. With the capture of Masada in 73 C.E., the last resistance to Rome
was crushed. As the Roman commemorative coins stated, "Judea had been
captured."
[Masada was an isolated tower of rock at the edge of the
Judean desert that was fortified in the Hasmonean period. According to
Josephus, the 960 Jews who were stationed there committed suicide rather than
fall to Rome there in 73 C.E. While the rabbis disregarded the Masada story, it
became a treasured tale for the modern nation of Israel, as well as a premier
contemporary archeological site.]
Lawrence H. Schiffman is a Professor of Hebrew and Judaic
Studies at New York University. c. Lawrence H. Schiffman, 1991, Ktav Publishing
House, Inc.
