Why did the Roman Emperor Hadrian banish Jews from living in Jerusalem?

Answer 1

Answer 1

Hadrian banished the Jews from living in Jerusalem as a punishment for their revolts.

Answer 2

Hadrian was responding to security concerns within his Empire. Jewish Zealots, a group of fanatic Jewish fundamentalists had risen up in an insurrection to make Judea an independent state not long prior. Their revolt had been put down and the Romans wished both to punish the Jews and prevent a second revolt from occurring. As the Jews valued their land, the Exile proved to satisfy both conditions. The Jews were effectively punished by depriving them of their ancestral homeland and Jews were prevented from revolting by being spread over too large of a space to effectively coordinate.

Answer 2

For a number of years in the First Century CE, a couple of Roman emperors (Hadrian and Vespasian) banned the practice of Judaism, at least in Judea. This was as a punishment against the Jews, the majority of whom were very religious. The Romans were attempting to crush the spirit of the Jews after the ill-advised attempts at rebellion by small groups of hotheads who flouted the circumspect advice of the Torah-sages (Talmud, Gittin 56a).Later, in the Fourth Century, Rome adopted Christianity and gradually became less and less tolerant of Judaism.

See also:

More about the Romans and Judea