Bar Kokhba and the Final Roman-Jewish War

In the first and second centuries, Jewish people engaged in a series of large-scale insurrections against the authority of the Roman Empire. The first of these engagements, fought between 66 and 73 CE, is the most famous and resulted in the final destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the end of Judaism’s “Second Temple Period.” This had enormous consequences for Judaism and for Christianity which was evolving from its origins as a Jewish sect into a new religion in its own right. A little more than half a century later in the year 132, Jews in Judea revolted against Roman authority one final time. Led by Simon bar Kokhba, who was acclaimed as a Messiah, the rebels temporarily established an independent Jewish Kingdom. The powerful Roman Emperor Hadrian sent between 60,000 and 120,000 Roman soldiers to the theatre, which mercilessly crushed the rebellion. The Romans destroyed nearly every village in Judea and many as 100,000 Jews were sold into slavery. The failure of the revolt had enormous consequences for the development of Rabbinic Judaism — the main branch of the religion that has come down to us today. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will look at the causes, scope, and consequences of the Bar Kokhba Revolt, including its legacies today. Save the date and join the livestream to participate in the discussion and to ask questions to our lecturer during the Q&A. Browse our catalogue of free lectures at Your generous support allows us to offer these lectures at no cost. Please consider a making donation (tax deductible in the US and Canada) at ️ #MysteryReligions #GrecoRomanMyths #AncientReligion