Simon bar Giora
Simon bar Giora | |
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Born | John of Giscala |
Simon bar Giora (alternatively known as Simeon bar Giora or Simon ben Giora or Shimon bar Giora,
Life
Simon bar Giora, born in
But as for the Acrabbene
toparchy, Simon, the son of Gioras, which means "The Strong", got a great number of those that were fond of innovations together, and betook himself to ravage the country; nor did he only harass the rich men's houses, but tormented their bodies, and appeared openly and beforehand to affect tyranny in his government. And when an army was sent against him by Artanus, and the other rulers, he and his band retired to the robbers that were at Masada.[8]
Meanwhile, a large force of Idumeans had encamped outside the walls of Jerusalem, and were barred by the citizenry from entering inside the city, in hopes of preserving the peace. Members of the Zealot party secretly opened one of the gates to bring them inside, hoping thereby to augment their forces against the common enemy of Rome. Now outraged that they had been barred from the city by the citizenry, the Idumeans went about murdering the common people of the city, including two of Israel's High Priests, Ananus ben Ananus and Joshua ben Gamla.[9]
Simon stayed safe in
In the spring 69 CE, the advancing Roman army forced Simon ben Giora to retreat to Jerusalem.
Within the city, factions fought vigorously over the control of Jerusalem, always trying to destroy each other's grain stores to starve each other into submission.[14] This internal fighting later proved disastrous: not only was this a sabbatical year (with less grain available), but the city was under siege by the time the harvest began.[17] Of the leaders of the rebellion, Simon in particular was regarded as a ruthless leader, who eventually ordered the execution of the High Priest Matthias ben Boethus and three of his sons, thinking that they were on the side of the Romans.[18] The historian Josephus wrote that "Simon was a greater terror to the people than the Romans themselves."[19] By his authority, coins were minted declaring the redemption of Zion.[20]
Just before
Like kings of other countries Simon was paraded through the streets of Rome in chains during the triumphal procession. Judged a rebel and a traitor by the Romans, he was executed by being thrown to his death from the Tarpeian Rock near the Temple of Jupiter.[25]
See also
References
- ^ Avi Yonah, 1976, p. 61
- ^ Tsafrir et al., 1994, p. 133
- ^ Finkelstein et al, 1997, p. 759
- ISBN 978-0-7864-4479-3
- ^ Witherington, III, Ben (2001). New Testament History: A Narrative Account. Grand Rapids: Baker Book. p. 344.
- ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book II 19-2 and 19-9.
- ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book II.
- ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book II 22-2.
- ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book IV 4-6.
- ^ Identity uncertain. The Greek name given by Josephus in The Jewish War 4.9.4 and 4.9.5. is Ἀῒν. Georg Kampffmeyer, in his Alte Namen im heutigen Palästina und Syrien (Leipzig 1892, p. 42 of section 17) [Old names in today's Palestine and Syria], writes that the Hebrew ʿaîn is interchangeable with the Arabic ġ, and that the village named עין (Ἀῒν) may in fact be the village called غوين (Ghuwein), now the ruin Khirbet Ghuwein al-Fauqa, in the district of Hebron. This matter requires further investigation. Robinson (ii, 204 – note 1) thought that Ghuwein may have been the biblical Anim (Josh. 15:50), but says that the Arabic Ghuwein is a diminutive of the form עין, and that in his former edition (1) he referred el-Ghuwein to the Heb. Ain in Josh. 15:32 and 19:7. Shalem (Kiryat Sefer, 17, 1940, p. 172) thinks that Nain (Ain) refers to a village in Samaria, a view supported by Möller and Schmitt (Siedlungen Palästinas nach Flavius Josephus, Wiesbaden 1976).
- ^ For a description of "the valley of Pharan," see Wadi Qelt.
- ^ a b c Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book IV.
- ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book IV 9-5 and 9-7.
- ^ a b c d Newsome, James D. (1992). Jews: Currents of Culture and Belief in the New Testament World. Philadelphia: Trinity Press. p. 308.
- ^ Maier, Paul L., ed. (1988). Josephus: The Essential Writings. Grand Rapids: Kregel. p. 326.
- ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book V 4-3.
- ^ a b Witherington, III, Ben (2001). New Testament History: A Narrative Account. Grand Rapids: Baker Book. p. 359.
- ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book V 13-1 and Book VI 2-2.
- ^ Josephus. The War of the Jews.
- ^ Evans, Craig A. (2006). "Messianic Hopes and Messianic Figures in Late Antiquity". Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism. 3: 9–40.
- ^ Maier, Paul L., ed. (1988). Josephus: The Essential Writings. Grand Rapids: Kregel. p. 340.
- ^ Maier, Paul L., ed. (1988). Josephus: The Essential Writings. Grand Rapids: Kregel. pp. 370–1.
- ^ Cassius Dio (1914). "Book LXV". Roman History, Loeb Translation. p. 270.
- ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book VII 2-2.
- ISBN 978-1-56338-273-4.
Bibliography
- Avi-Yonah, M. (1976). Gazetteer of Roman Palestine. QEDEM 5. Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
- ISBN 965-440-007-3.
- Josephus (1737) [75]. "Wars of the Jews". The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus the Jewish Historian. translated by William Whiston. London.
- ISBN 965-208-107-8.