For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66-74 CE

by Guy MacLean Rogers

Overview

A definitive account of the great revolt of Jews against Rome and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple
 
“Deeply impressive. . . . Essential for all future discussions of the subject.”—Barry Strauss, New Criterion
 
“A lucid yet terrifying account of the ‘Jewish War’—the uprising of the Jews in 66 CE, and the Roman empire’s savage response, in a story that stretches from Rome to Jerusalem.”—John Ma, Columbia University
 
This deeply researched and insightful book examines the causes, course, and historical significance of the Jews’ failed revolt against Rome from 66 to 74 CE, including the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. Based on a comprehensive study of all the evidence and new statistical data, Guy Rogers argues that the Jewish rebels fought for their religious and political freedom and lost due to military mistakes.
 
Rogers contends that while the Romans won the war, they lost the peace. When the Romans destroyed the Jerusalem Temple, they thought that they had defeated the God of Israel and eliminated Jews as a strategic threat to their rule. Instead, they ensured the Jews’ ultimate victory. After their defeat Jews turned to the written words of their God, and following those words led the Jews to recover their freedom in the promised land. The war’s tragic outcome still shapes the worldview of billions of people today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300248135
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	01/04/2022
Pages:	744
Sales rank:	1,058,361
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.90(d)

About the Author

Guy MacLean Rogers is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Classics and History at Wellesley College. He lives in Litchfield County, CT.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Maps

Map 1 Herod's Kingdom, Including Major Benefaction Sites xvi

Map 2 Regional Map of the Roman Near East xvii

Map 3 The Roman Empire during the Early First Century CE xviii

Map 4 Jerusalem in 70 CE xx

Map 5 Flavian Rome xxi

Introduction: A Small and Insignificant War? 1

Part I The Breakdown of the Herodian Model

1 Herod Agonistes 15

2 The Little Revolt of 4 BCE 47

3 From Ethnarchy to Province 62

4 The Owl and the Golden Chain 79

5 Procurators, Prophets, and Dagger-Men 98

6 The Fuse 118

Part II The War in the North

7 The Regional Cleansing 135

8 The Clades Cestiana (Cestian Disaster) 160

9 John of Gischala 184

10 Cometh the Hour 203

11 "I Go, Not as a Traitor, but as Your Servant," 216

12 Vespasian the War Criminal 238

13 The Camel's Hump 249

Part III A Tale of Two Temples

14 "Now You Have Our Vote," 265

15 Chaos in the Capitals 281

16 "The Son Is Coming," 300

17 "The Job Is Open," 322

18 The More Gentle Minister 336

19 Woe to the Jerusalemites 356

Part IV Jupiter Capitolinus and the God of Israel

20 The Tragedies of Triumph 373

21 Masada 398

Part V God's Plan

22 The Causes of the War(s) 433

23 The Course and Outcome of the War 444

24 In the Beginning Were the Words 462

Appendices: Contexts and Contentions

Appendix A Sources for the War 469

Appendix B Chronology: From the Herodian Model to the Arch of Titus in the Circus Maximus 477

Appendix C The Costs of Munificence 480

Appendix D The Herodian Dynasty 484

Appendix E High Priests from Herod the Great to 68 CE 487

Appendix F Tiers of Authority from Rome to Judaea 491

Appendix G The Roman Legion around 4 BCE 494

Appendix H The Roman Province of Judaea, 6 CE? 496

Appendix I Cestius's Army, Summer 66 CE 501

Appendix J Vespasian's Army at Ptolemais, Spring 67 CE 508

Appendix K Titus's Army, Spring 70 CE 514

Appendix L Silva's Army at Masada, Spring 74 CE 519

Appendix M Four Campaigns 522

Appendix N The Second Speech of Eleazar ben Yair 528

Appendix O Key Topographical Sites in the Regions of the War, Jerusalem, and Rome 532

List of Abbreviations 551

Notes 553

References 635

Index 681

Editorial Reviews

01/10/2022

Wellesley College history professor Rogers (The Mysteries of Artemis of Ephesos) takes an engaging if flawed look at the first-century rebellion that led to the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and forced a paradigm shift in the practice of Judaism. Rogers argues that Roman governor Florus’s order to arrest Jewish people who complained about bird sacrifices outside a synagogue in 66 CE sparked a lengthy and bloody war between the Roman Empire and its Jewish subjects in Judaea, and “the most significant revolt in the history of the early Roman Empire,” a conflict that included a monthslong siege of Jerusalem and “turned Jews and their theological heirs back to the word of God.” The author undermines the authority of his account, however, with biased historical sources, namely Jewish general–turned–Roman collaborator Flavius Josephus’s history of the insurrection. Rogers fares better when noting the sweeping impact of the failed revolt—such as the rabbinic shifting of religious practices away from a central site. Despite its shortcomings, this is a valuable study that complements Martin Goodman’s Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Through his close analysis of the war, making extensive critical use of Josephus’s works, [Rogers] raises and resolves important questions about the nature of a revolt whose ripples can still be felt in our own time.”—David Abulafia, Catholic Herald

“In his excellent new book . . . Guy MacLean Rogers tries to figure out precisely what compelled the Jews of the first century to rebel against the Roman Empire.”—Simeon Cohen, Times of Israel

“A beautifully produced and thought-provoking book. . . . Fascinating questions [are] debated within these pages.”—Sara Jo Ben Zvi, Segula: The Jewish History Magazine

“Excellent. . . . Deeply impressive. . . . A readable and authoritative account, essential for all future discussions of the subject. Rogers writes with passion and erudition.”—Barry Strauss, New Criterion

“Engaging. . . . A valuable study.”—Publishers Weekly

“[A] massive and compelling work. The author . . . has carefully mined and critically evaluated Josephus’ text (and, apparently, almost every scholarly work about the war) to produce a perceptive and original account of the conflict that casts new light on its causes, course and consequences.—David Rodman, Israel Affairs

“With lively prose, arresting vignettes, and plentiful images, the journey is easy going . . . the work of a skilled researcher and communicator. . . . This finely crafted narrative deserves a large and appreciative audience.”—Steve Mason, Journal of Church and State

CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2022

“A remarkable achievement. Guy Rogers provides a powerful, moving reconstruction of the scale, scope, and consequences of the great Jewish war against Rome. Thoughtful, careful, and thorough, this is a major contribution to scholarship. Rogers’ lively and engaging style makes it eminently accessible to a broad audience.”—Erich S. Gruen, University of California at Berkeley

“Guy Rogers brings a profound grasp of the Roman world, historical flair, and fine judgment to this new, in-depth political and military study of the Great Jewish Revolt against Rome. This is an important and exciting book about an event that changed the course of history and that has a perennial hold on our emotions and imagination.”—Tessa Rajak, University of Oxford

“Written with passion and wit, this patient and remarkably detailed reconstruction offers fresh interpretations of matters large and small, leading persuasively to the view of the war as a profound crisis with far-reaching and lasting consequences, whose meaning has been urgently debated to this very day.”—Jonathan Price, Tel Aviv University

“Rogers provides a sweeping and detailed overview. This important work, written by a leading authority, will immediately become the standard reference on the First Jewish Revolt against Rome.”—Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

“Guy Rogers provides a lucid yet terrifying account of the ‘Jewish War’—the uprising of the Jews in 66 CE, and the Roman empire’s savage response, in a story that stretches from Rome to Jerusalem. It is characterized by inter- and intra-communal violence, desperate acts of resistance and bravery, and imperial repression, culminating in the destruction of the Temple, the execution of the brilliant Jewish military commander Simon bar Giora, and the capture of Masada. But Rogers is also a great historian: his narrative is a clinical, forensic examination of context, background, political culture, causality, contingency, and sources—especially the extraordinarily intimate view of events provided by the figure of the Jewish aristocrat, leader and turncoat Josephus.”—John Ma, Columbia University
 
“Guy Rogers has retold the story of the Jewish revolt of AD 66–73/4, a turning point in Jewish history, taking full account of modern scholarship, in a style aimed at a wide audience, vividly painting the heroism and tragedy of the clash between civilizations, whose impact survived to this very day in the ethos of modern Israel.”—Hannah Cotton, Hebrew University in Jerusalem

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