Lecture 14- 5/13/10

Sorry about the delay. Headed off to Phoenix right after class and forgot to recap. Anyway, Thursday's lecture moved beyond Herodian times and into the periods of revolt that brought to an end Jewish control or at least autonomous settlement of Jerusalem. Following Herod's death, Jerusalem and the Roman colony of Palestina fell into the divided hands of his 3 remaining sons. Unable to control the area, Roman rule quickly shed its autonomous nature and became more concrete when it came to its power of the lives of the Jewish people. With this control came dissent, dissent that eventually culminated in the 1st Jewish revolt of 66-73 CE. Although the Roman power struggle leading Vespasian to take the throne and leave the conquest of Jersualem to Titus delayed the inevitable Roman victory, Roman conquest of Jerusalem meant the total destruction of the Temple. With Jerusalem lost, the remaining Jewish fighters set up camp at Masada, eventually forming a suicide pact before the Romans could overtake the fortress. Although the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple began the Jewish diaspora that would last until the end of World War 2, remaining settlers experienced a 2nd Jewish revolt in 132 CE. Named for its leader, Bar-Kokhba (Simon Bar Kosiba), the revolt had some early success, but eventually ended in total failure.

With the 2nd destruction of a Jewish revolt, Roman emperor Hadrian asserted total control, banning Jews from Jerusalem (except on the famed 9th of Ab) and rebuilding the city as the Roman Aelia Capitolina in hopes of removing any trace of the former Jewish city.