9 - The Sacred Contract

Summary

Jewish religious ideological resentment towards the Roman occupation of Judea reached its peak during the first century CE. Messianic figures, miracle makers, prophetic hermits, and charismatic preachers abounded throughout the province, along with revolutionary moral teachers and socio-religious reformers. Their promises of redemption from Rome and just retribution for the sinful elite were bound to draw large followings, and in many cases they did. At a difficult time, when the religious establishment seemed unable to provide answers, hope, or comfort, the charismatic preacher represented an attractive alternative, which neither the efforts of the moderate Jewish leadership nor brutal Roman suppression could quell. Religious zeal buttressed with historical memories and popular myths and intensified by political, economic, and social strain hazed the concrete reality of insurmountable Roman military advantage. This chapter summarizes the central factors that influenced first-century Jewish ideology and contributed to the intensification of zeal. These elements or their variations can later be found at the core of sentiment and commitment in both major Jewish uprisings against Rome, and these wars were fought in and over the ideological landscape they created.

The Hasmonean Legacy

The imperfections of the Hasmonean dynasty and the tumultuous reigns of some of its kings were a distant memory to first-century Jews. The successful revolt against the Seleucids, the ensuing regional conquests, the economic prosperity, and the demographic growth under Hasmonean rule made more compelling recollections. This sense of nostalgia was common among both masses and elites.