63 BC - 632 AD...
After the annexation of Judea, the Roman Empire became an integral part of the development of hostility in this region. Although Judea was now technically part of the Roman Empire, it was considered an “autonomous unit” (Smith 3). The people living in Judea at the time were allowed control over their government and most aspects of their lives as long as they recognized Roman authority. With this type of freedom, Jews were allowed to practice their religion free from persecution (3). From 37 BC to 4 AD under Herod the Great, Judea was granted large land gifts from Emperor Augustus. The region seemed to be thriving with its new-found liberty (3). However, the peace in the region did not last for long:
Many Jews saw their rulers’ collaboration with the Romans as a corruption of Jewish values. Sharp differences arose between those Jews who counseled moderation and cooperation with Rome as a means of preserving the autonomy they did have and those, often known as the Zealots, who considered their subjection to Roman rule to be intolerable (3).
This social unrest among the people of Judea caused the Zealots to lead a seven year revolt against the Romans, from 66-73 AD. The Romans put down the rebellion and restored order to the land, but not until after they had destroyed the holy temple in Jerusalem. After this rebellion, Rome increased its watch over Judea and enforced stricter rules (4).
Encouraged by the moderate success of this first revolt, the Jewish people led another revolt against Roman rule, from 132-135 AD, called the Bar Kokhba revolt. This time, the revolt was planned better and met with early success in the fight with Roman soldiers. However, with this stronger revolt came a stronger counter-attack by the Roman army. Roman forces when on a spree of violence throughout the lands of Judea, “…systematically…killing and enslaving thousands of Jews” (4). After the Bar Kokhba revolt was put down, Judea lost its status as an autonomous region and became a colony of the Roman Empire, known as Syria Palestina (4). The repercussions of these revolts were felt by the Jewish population in Syria Palestina. The Jewish population in the colony dwindled and, as penalty for their revolts, Jews were no longer allowed inside the city of Jerusalem and were slapped with heavy taxation (4).
Coins from the Bar Kokhba Revolt
http://fontes.lstc.edu/~rklein/images/coelko.jpgAs time passed and memories of the previous revolts diminished, Jews were allowed more freedoms and, as a general rule, weren’t subjected to religious persecution while under the control of the Roman Empire (4). All of this began to change, however, in the middle of the third century, when the Roman Empire began to fall. Emperor Diocletian attempted to salvage what he could of the Roman Empire by sharply increasing taxes and flexing Roman imperial authority. These new tactics used by Diocletian further diminished the Jewish population in Syria Palestina and, at the beginning of the fourth century, only twenty-five percent of its population was Jewish (4). Once the Roman Empire fell, a new power took control of the Palestine region, called the Eastern Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire, and with it came the a new religion: Christianity (4).
After the fall of the Roman Empire and the introduction of Christianity to Palestine, Jews living in Palestine faced further persecution. When the western part of the Roman Empire disintegrated, the eastern part remained intact and became known as the Byzantine Empire (“Byzantine Empire” 1). The capitol of the Byzantine Empire was Constantinople (Smith 4). Shortly after the rise of the Byzantine Empire, its leaders accepted Christianity as the state religion. Christians believed that Palestine was a sacred site because Jesus was from Jerusalem (4). Because Jewish people rejected the idea that Jesus was the savior, Christians at this time felt that the Jews were a threat to Christianity.
So, the Byzantine leaders created laws limiting the practice of Judaism in Palestine (4). For many years, however, these rules were not enforced stringently (5). However, under the rule of Emperor Justinian I in 527 AD (“Justinian I” 1), the Byzantines began to severely enforce the laws of the Byzantine Empire regarding Judaism in Palestine (Smith 5). A brief respite came for the Jews in Palestine when “…the Persian Sassanid dynasty took control of Palestine during its extended war with Byzantium in the early seventh century” (5). During this brief time period, Jews were allowed to worship freely and they were granted control of Jerusalem. However, it wasn’t long until the Byzantines re-captured Palestine and once again persecuted the Jews for the next twenty years (5).
Emperor Justinian I
http://www.flholocaustmuseum.org/history_wing/assets/room1/Emporer_Justinian.jpg
