Bar Kokhba

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Leader of the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome in Judea (132-135 CE). Two generations of relative quiet followed the suppression of the Jewish Revolt of 66-73 CE. The Diaspora revolt of 115-117 and the harsh rule of the Moorish satrap Lusius Quietus in Judea contributed to unrest, but the calm was shattered irrevocably when Trajan sought to refound Jerusalem as a Roman colony under the name of Aelia Capitolina and installed a temple to Jupiter there. Prominent in the crystallization of anti-Roman feeling was R. Akiba, supported by the Sanhedrin. The revolt was meticulously planned to avoid the mistakes of the First Revolt. Fortifications were prepared, arms were gathered by having Jewish contractors supply the Romans with slightly defective weapons and then hoarding the rejects, and an opportune moment was seized after Hadrian left the country.

The leader chosen was Simon bar Kokhba (bar Koseva), the "son of a star" (Num. 24:17) proclaimed the Messiah by Akiva (Ta'an. 4:7). Though little is known of his personality he was apparently a charismatic and imperious leader who effectively ruled the nation during the course of the Revolt, issuing coins and decrees under the title of Nasi. The Revolt commenced near Modein, home of the Maccabees. Jerusalem was captured and Bar Kokhba gained control of much of Judea and Samaria. Julius Severus was summoned from Britain and with eight legions and auxiliary forces waged a war of attrition in the face of stubborn resistance, closing a ring of steel around Jewish forces. Jerusalem fell and the final stand was made at Bethar in the Judean Hills. There Bar Kokhba met his death in the summer of 135. According to Cassius Dio (LXIX, 14:1), the Romans destroyed 50 fortresses and 985 villages and killed 580,000 men in the course of the fighting. In the aftermath the Jews were banished from Jerusalem, Jewish ritual was banned (Sabbath observance, Torah study, circumcision), spiritual leaders were executed, and captives were enslaved. From that time on the Jews were no longer a political factor in the Land of Israel.

Like the First Revolt and the stand at Masada, the revolt of Bar Kokhba is seen by many in heroic terms. Others, however, regard it as rash. Certainly under no circumstances were the Jews capable of withstanding the Great Powers, whether in the guise of Assyria, Babylonia, or Rome. In their resistance was their tragedy, but in their resistance, spiritual and physical, was also their salvation, for while other nations perished from the earth the Jews endured.

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