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Jewish War under Trajan and Hadrian
Two major Jewish risings against Rome took place in the years following the destruction of Jerusalem - the first during Trajan's Parthian war, and the second, led by Bar Kokhba, under Hadrian's principate. The impact of these risings not only on Judaea, but also on Cyrene, Egypt, Cyprus and Mesopotamia, is shown by accounts in both ancient Jewish and non-Jewish literature. More recently discovered sources include letters and documents from fighters and refugees, and inscriptions attesting war and restoration. Historical evaluation has veered between regret for a pointless bloodbath and admiration for sustained resistance. William Horbury offers a new history of these risings, presenting a fresh review of sources and interpretations. He explores the period of Jewish war under Trajan and Hadrian not just as the end of an era, but also as a time of continuity in Jewish life and development in Jewish and Christian origins.
- GenresHistory
512 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 3, 2026
This is the most complete account of the wars between the Jews and the Roman Empire post 70 CE that I've read, going deeper into the subject than Mary Smallwood's very thorough but also easier to follow book. Horbury's text is very much an academic work, at times difficult to follow and very much bogged down in details that, to be exhaustive, it must be.
After a contextual introduction, in which Horbury claims that all the Jewish wars can be seen as one uprising rather than a set of uprisings, the book provides a long account of the literature that already exists on the subject--a very useful exercise. I'd read several of these works, as it turns out, and it was great not only to read Horbury's summation of works I hadn't gotten to but also to some I had, in part to remind me of their basic points but also because it was interesting to read how Horbury himself interprets the findings of some of these authors.
The text turns then to the various wars and their causes, most particularly to the Kitos War, for which very little information exists. Horbury does an admirable job pulling in the various historical sources and some sources that less certainly refer to it. The war, as he notes, was not just in Egypt but also in Cyprus and modern-day Libya (Cirenaica), the latter two actually seemingly more heavily the source of the conflict, at least as I read it. Egypt, of course, was a constant bed of intrigue between Jewish and Greek residents, but the Messianic hopefuls did their best to spread into the area, spreading the war. The war also coincided with the Roman invasion of Parthia. I expect I'll return to Horbury's text to review more about this war, since I've seen nothing else quite so thorough.
Judea's turn at the war, of course, would come a little over a decade later, in what is known as the Bar Kochba uprising. On this, I was on more solid ground having read more about it. Horbury doesn't just repeat what others have said, of course, but since those others have written more accessibly about the subject, I found myself more easily zoning out in these latter sections.
After a contextual introduction, in which Horbury claims that all the Jewish wars can be seen as one uprising rather than a set of uprisings, the book provides a long account of the literature that already exists on the subject--a very useful exercise. I'd read several of these works, as it turns out, and it was great not only to read Horbury's summation of works I hadn't gotten to but also to some I had, in part to remind me of their basic points but also because it was interesting to read how Horbury himself interprets the findings of some of these authors.
The text turns then to the various wars and their causes, most particularly to the Kitos War, for which very little information exists. Horbury does an admirable job pulling in the various historical sources and some sources that less certainly refer to it. The war, as he notes, was not just in Egypt but also in Cyprus and modern-day Libya (Cirenaica), the latter two actually seemingly more heavily the source of the conflict, at least as I read it. Egypt, of course, was a constant bed of intrigue between Jewish and Greek residents, but the Messianic hopefuls did their best to spread into the area, spreading the war. The war also coincided with the Roman invasion of Parthia. I expect I'll return to Horbury's text to review more about this war, since I've seen nothing else quite so thorough.
Judea's turn at the war, of course, would come a little over a decade later, in what is known as the Bar Kochba uprising. On this, I was on more solid ground having read more about it. Horbury doesn't just repeat what others have said, of course, but since those others have written more accessibly about the subject, I found myself more easily zoning out in these latter sections.
August 21, 2016
This book is a truly encyclopedic guide to both the various Jewish rebellions against Trajan and the bar Kochba revolt a decade or so later. It references a wide variety of sources. Although (or maybe because) of its incredible level of detail, it is quite dry. Nevertheless, I did learn a bit from it- more, however, about what we don't know than about what we do.
For example, we don't really know the causes of these rebellions; some sources suggest that Hadrian triggered the rebellion by outlawing circumcision, but the sources are divided as to whether it (a) actually happened or (b) happened before the bar Kochba rebellion (rather than as a punitive measure afterwards). Hadrian did issue a decree against castration, but it is unclear whether this was meant to apply to circumcision.
I also learned a bit about cultures' ability to misunderstand each other. The Mishnah states that Jerusalem was "ploughed" implying that this act was part of the city's destruction- but whenever Romans created a new town, they would have someone carry a plow around the city's boundaries.
For example, we don't really know the causes of these rebellions; some sources suggest that Hadrian triggered the rebellion by outlawing circumcision, but the sources are divided as to whether it (a) actually happened or (b) happened before the bar Kochba rebellion (rather than as a punitive measure afterwards). Hadrian did issue a decree against castration, but it is unclear whether this was meant to apply to circumcision.
I also learned a bit about cultures' ability to misunderstand each other. The Mishnah states that Jerusalem was "ploughed" implying that this act was part of the city's destruction- but whenever Romans created a new town, they would have someone carry a plow around the city's boundaries.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews