First Jewish Revolt

THE FIRST JEWISH REVOlt Throughout much of the first Christian century a had long been a breeding ground for voices of insurrection combination of Hellenistic secularism, Roman politics, and and resistance movements. Even among those who had Jewish ideology created a strange alchemy in Palestinian attempted to avoid confrontation with Rome, increasingly culture and society. The Roman procurators were sometimes bold and bitterly resentful sounds could be heard concerning cruel and defiant, sometimes corrupt or contemptuous of Rome’s tyrannical imperialism.630 Then there was the Jewish Jewish religious practices, and always eager to impose an nationalist sect known as the Zealots that was fervently and excessive tax burden. Jewish sectarianism, in response, absolutely committed to the creation of an independent Jewish state at any cost. (Josephus referred to this as a “fourth philosophy,” in contrast to the three longstanding The lofty and isolated mesa of Masada is crowned with architecture from the time of philosophical groups of Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herod the Great. A 300-foot elevated siege ramp built by the Romans is visible on its Essenes.)631 Suspicions fanned mutual animosities, and covert west side (right side of the picture), in order to employ siege machines and battering intrigue often gave way to open hostility. An atmosphere had rams to capture the city, thus ending the First Jewish Revolt. been created in Judea in which revolution was imminent. 268 The Moody Atlas of the Bible The First Jewish Revolt map 115 A B A series of altercations occurred in rapid Vespasian from Antioch in Syria succession during the spring and early summer of A A a.d. 66 that ignited the explosion of revolt. Jewish I E Litani R. Tyre C anger was violently inflamed at Caesarea when an S I unscrupulous individual offered a “pagan” sacrifice N at the entrance of a Jewish synagogue, desecrating N E A the house of worship. When Jewish authorities E O Vespasian’s 67 N campaign attempted to halt the offense, a cry of violence arose (secondary army) 1 Vespasian’s 67 H 1 A Gischala campaign from the general population of Caesarea, and the R 4 (main army) P E Jews were obliged to steal away rather quickly with R B ATA N E A E E 632 their Torah scroll to a nearby town. T 3 L I Ptolemais Gamala Swift Jewish retaliation for the Caesarean D I E 1 affront came in the form of a theological edict: all Taricheae SEA OF Jotapata L GALILEE sacrifices by foreigners, including those brought M A Tiberias for the Caesar himself, would henceforth be Sepphoris Garis R. G uk refused in Jerusalem. Only Jewish countrymen rm Ya would be permitted to enter the sacred precincts J Japhia Mt. Tabor Legio E Z V A R E (Megiddo) L L E L of the Temple. Soon thereafter, the Roman E Y procurator Gessius Florus (a.d. 64–66) appeared Titus’ 70 campaign in Jerusalem and, probably as an act of reprisal, Caesarea (main army) demanded an exorbitant payment from the Vespasian’s 67 Scythopolis campaign Temple treasury. When the Jews endeavored (secondary army) A M A R I A . S R to rebuke the procurator for his outrageous n Vespasian’s 68 a demand, Florus ordered his troops to murder and 2 d 2 campaign r o plunder at will. Jewish citizens were subjected to (main army) J Vespasian’s 67 campaign rape, public whipping, looting, and crucifixion. (sea attack) Jabbok R. Altogether there were about 3,600 Jewish Shechem A 633 casualties, including some children. Mt. Gerizim 2 Coreae E Jerusalem immediately erupted into revolt. Antipatris Gerasa 11 5 R Vespasian’s 68 Jewish insurgents swarmed through the streets, Joppa campaign E 7 (secondary first overpowering the Roman soldiers and driving Thamna Gadara army) Gophna P them from the Upper City, and then setting fire to Adida Lydda Bethel Bethennabris the Herodian palace of Agrippa II and the house of Titus’ 70 campaign Julius the high priest (who was perceived as having been (supporting Jamnia army) Jericho solicitous of Rome). [See map 94.] They torched 6 Emmaus 12 10 Cyprus 8 the official archives, destroying all records of debts Azotus Jerusalem Bezemoth and debtors, and they assaulted and burned the Qumran Roman operations Vespasian’s 68 Titus after destruction campaign of Jerusalem Roman Antonia fortress. Meanwhile, other rebels from (main army) 13 a Alexandria Betogabris occupied the fortresses of Masada, Machaerus, and Herodium 13 b 3 Caphartobas 3 Cyprus, eventually returning to Jerusalem with a Machaerus 634 9 cache of armaments for their allies there. I Hebron D U DEAD After word of the outbreak reached the M E SEA rnon R. A Roman operations A governor Cestius Gallus, he immediately set out after destruction of Jerusalem from Antioch in Syria toward Jerusalem with his A 14 E T 12th Imperial Legion and some additional troops, City Masada A a total force said to number more than 30,000 City (uncertain location) B A men. He passed Ptolemais and Caesarea, and he Capital city N set Lydda ablaze. But while attempting to ascend Fortress through the pass at Beth-horon,635 Gallus’s veteran Mountain peak Roman legion stationed here forces were ambushed by the guerilla tactics at 010 20 Miles Roman garrison stationed here which the freedom fighters had become quite 01020 30 Kilometers adept. Although the legionnaires finally arrived at AB The Historical Geography of the Land 269 Jerusalem and even managed to breach the “third wall,” they neutralizing all major Transjordanian resistance apart were unsuccessful in penetrating the inner city. In due course from Machaerus. Vespasian at that point embarked on they were forced to disengage. Rome lost an imperial eagle, a southward mission from Caesarea into Idumea. He some siege equipment, and the better part of a rear guard as subdued Antipatris, Thamna, Lydda, and Emmaus, where the Jews gained temporary national autonomy and prepared he positioned the 5th Legion of soldiers. Continuing their for a full-scale Roman counteroffensive. Command of the southward advance, his troops captured Betogabris and Galilean district—one of seven Jewish military divisions— Caphartobas, where a garrison of soldiers was deployed to was given to a priest named Joseph, known today as the further harass the Idumeans and to gain nominal control historian Josephus Flavius.636 of Jerusalem’s southern egress [9]. But his main army Rome did not disappoint. The emperor Nero ordered backtracked from Caphartobas toward Samaria, stationing Vespasian to the battlefield. Vespasian was a general who had an additional garrison at Adida along the way.642 Vespasian earlier distinguished himself in Germania and had masterfully himself marched eastward beyond Shechem, proceeded added Britannia to the empire.637 He mobilized three legions past Coreae, and captured New Testament Jericho, where (the 5th, 10th, and 15th—an estimated force of between 55,500 he stationed the 10th Legion [10]. At the same time, a and 57,500 men)638 to suppress the Jewish menace once and contingent of troops was sent north from Jericho to seize the for all. Upon his arrival at Ptolemais from Antioch in Syria town of Gerasa [11].643 Roman legions now had complete in the spring of a.d. 67, Vespasian mapped out a skillful and control of the only highway from Jerusalem into the deliberate strategy to gain an ever-tightening grip on the Transjordanian interior and beyond, the two major highways center of the revolt—Jerusalem. He began his systematic from the holy city to the Mediterranean Sea, and the city’s dismembering of the Jewish rebellion by attacking Galilee, one southern outlet toward Hebron, Beersheba, and Egypt. of Jerusalem’s strongest philosophical allies. His forces swept Vespasian returned to Caesarea in June, a.d. 68. He was into the fortress of Sepphoris without resistance. Josephus’s preparing for an all-out offensive against Jerusalem itself, when troops had retreated to Jotapata, where they were forced to he learned of the suicide of Nero.644 During the next year, the surrender some 47 days later [1]. Vespasian dispatched a imperium saw a rapid succession of occupants: Galba, Otho, secondary force to quell an uprising atop Mt. Gerizim [2] as he and Vitellius. But a Flavian dynasty had arisen by late a.d. led his main army from Caesarea across the Jezreel valley639 to 69 and Vespasian himself ascended to the imperial throne in Taricheae, the Galilean center of the revolt. A decisive battle Rome. So it was his son Titus who was destined to subdue ensued at the nearby cliffs of Arbel and then at the town itself, the remaining strongholds of Jewish resistance. In the spring followed by a one-sided, extremely gruesome, bloody naval of a.d. 70, Titus marched from Alexandria to Caesarea, battle on the Sea of Galilee.640 approached Jerusalem from the north, and laid siege to the The Romans quickly moved across the Jordan and subdued holy city directly [12]. Overpowered by the force of four the imposing fortress at Gamala [3]. Vespasian dispatched his determined Roman legions, Jerusalem fell to the forces of Titus son Titus with the command to vanquish the revolutionaries in late August of that year. [See map 96.] at Gischala [4], succeeding both in silencing the rebellion in Following the capture of Jerusalem, three fortresses were all Galilee and in severing its lifeline to Babylonia. Before the that remained of the revolt. Herodium [13a] and Machaerus onset of winter, Joppa fell before a land and sea attack [5], [13b] fell with little difficulty, and only Masada remained. In the cities of Jamnia and Azotus were brought under Roman a.d.

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