Judean Revolt (66-73AD)
Word Bank
-Zealots- An anti-Roman rebel group that were politically and religiously motivated in expelling
Romans out of Judea.
-Torah scroll- a handwritten copy of the Torah that was used to lead prayers.
-Procurators- Roman official, appointed by a magistrate or the emperor.
-High Priest- the intercessor between God and His people, acting as their representative before
God.
Possible Essay Questions
- To what extent were the Romans themselves to blame for revolts such as the one led by
Boudicca and the Judean revolt? (12m) FACTORS; BAD GOVERNANCE/RULE
(CORRUPTION),TAXATION, ATTACKS ON RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS.
Background/Context
-Judea was located in modern day Israel and became a Roman province in 6AD
-Judea was conquered by Pompey the Great, a Roman general in 63 BCE
-When they conquered Judea, it was granted a client kingdom state meaning Judea was free to
rule and look after itself which was met with content
-However, taxation was heavy against a passive population (just like with many Roman
provinces)
-The Judean saw the Romans as a sort of terrorists who stole and ruled over them by force with
very little mercy
-The most sacred site for Jews was the temple in Jerusalem, this was because it housed a large
sum of the nations treasury and was a key religious aspect to their culture.
-The Jewish religion was very conservative and different to the religions at the time, for instance
they only worshipped one God whereas the Roman religion was polytheistic and tended to
worship Emperors as deities too.
, -As such, the failure to recognize the differences between these two religions by the Romans
contributed a great deal to the cause of the Judean revolt.
Notable People
-Florus- Governor of Judea 64-66CE (last governor before the revolt – probably caused by his
rule.)
-Caligula- Roman Emperor who deified himself and attacked the Jewish religion harshly
Pompey the Great- Roman general who led the siege of Jerusalem in the year 63
Causes
In Brief;
-Corruption
-Theft
-Racist behavior against provincials (XENOPHOBIA)
-Failure to tolerate religious beliefs
-Excessive taxation
Bad Management (Bad governance/rule & corruption)
-Judea was ruled by a series of Roman procurators who didn’t care to respect Jewish tradition
and stole money from the province
-In the year 66 Roman General Crassus stole a great deal of silver from the Temple to fund his
campaign against the Parthians.
-This led to outrage from the religious Jewish mases, viewing the Romans as greedy, who
eventually wiped out the small Roman garrison stationed in Jerusalem
-Florus the governor of Judea was greedy and interested in stuffing his own pocket. Florus
showed no sympathy for Jewish customs and traditions and as such his actions were deliberately
designed to bully the Jews into submission.
Word Bank
-Zealots- An anti-Roman rebel group that were politically and religiously motivated in expelling
Romans out of Judea.
-Torah scroll- a handwritten copy of the Torah that was used to lead prayers.
-Procurators- Roman official, appointed by a magistrate or the emperor.
-High Priest- the intercessor between God and His people, acting as their representative before
God.
Possible Essay Questions
- To what extent were the Romans themselves to blame for revolts such as the one led by
Boudicca and the Judean revolt? (12m) FACTORS; BAD GOVERNANCE/RULE
(CORRUPTION),TAXATION, ATTACKS ON RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS.
Background/Context
-Judea was located in modern day Israel and became a Roman province in 6AD
-Judea was conquered by Pompey the Great, a Roman general in 63 BCE
-When they conquered Judea, it was granted a client kingdom state meaning Judea was free to
rule and look after itself which was met with content
-However, taxation was heavy against a passive population (just like with many Roman
provinces)
-The Judean saw the Romans as a sort of terrorists who stole and ruled over them by force with
very little mercy
-The most sacred site for Jews was the temple in Jerusalem, this was because it housed a large
sum of the nations treasury and was a key religious aspect to their culture.
-The Jewish religion was very conservative and different to the religions at the time, for instance
they only worshipped one God whereas the Roman religion was polytheistic and tended to
worship Emperors as deities too.
, -As such, the failure to recognize the differences between these two religions by the Romans
contributed a great deal to the cause of the Judean revolt.
Notable People
-Florus- Governor of Judea 64-66CE (last governor before the revolt – probably caused by his
rule.)
-Caligula- Roman Emperor who deified himself and attacked the Jewish religion harshly
Pompey the Great- Roman general who led the siege of Jerusalem in the year 63
Causes
In Brief;
-Corruption
-Theft
-Racist behavior against provincials (XENOPHOBIA)
-Failure to tolerate religious beliefs
-Excessive taxation
Bad Management (Bad governance/rule & corruption)
-Judea was ruled by a series of Roman procurators who didn’t care to respect Jewish tradition
and stole money from the province
-In the year 66 Roman General Crassus stole a great deal of silver from the Temple to fund his
campaign against the Parthians.
-This led to outrage from the religious Jewish mases, viewing the Romans as greedy, who
eventually wiped out the small Roman garrison stationed in Jerusalem
-Florus the governor of Judea was greedy and interested in stuffing his own pocket. Florus
showed no sympathy for Jewish customs and traditions and as such his actions were deliberately
designed to bully the Jews into submission.
