Anti-Idolism
As Rome conquered Judea, the laissez-faire attitude toward art which depicted idolatry began to disappear. Prof. Steven Fine, Yeshiva University, Produced by Down Low Pictures for COJS
Fall of the Hasmoneans and Roman Conquest
Roman Judea – Overview
Jews lived under Rome starting 63 BCE. This was a very important time in Jewish history. Prof. Steven Fine, Yeshiva University, Produced by Down Low Pictures for COJS
Bust of the Emperor Gaius Caligula
Bust of the emperor Gaius Caligula, ruled 37- 41 CE. (Getty Villa Museum). There are few surviving sources about the reign of Emperor Caligula, although he is described as a noble and moderate ruler during the first six months of his reign. After this, the sources focus upon his cruelty, sadism, extravagance, and sexual perversity, presenting […]
Estee Dvorjetski. “Healing Waters.” Biblical Archaeology Review 30, 4 (2004).
The Social World of Hot Springs in Roman Palestine Some of the most famous hot-spring spas in the ancient world lie along the Syrian-African rift. This great gash in the Earth’s mantle extends from Asia Minor in the north to east Africa in the south, with the Jordan Valley in between. The hot springs are […]
Bust of the Emperor Tiberius
Bust of the emperor Tiberius, ruled 14-37 CE. Tiberius was one of Rome’s greatest generals; his conquest of Pannonia, Dalmatia, Raetia, and temporarily, parts of Germania, laid the foundations for the northern frontier.
Josephus, War II, 167-404- Jewish Law Clashes with Roman Rule
Pontius Pilate, the infamous procurator who crucified Jesus, seemed to have been oblivious to the religious sensibilities of the people he governed and defended his actions with arms. The emperor Gaius expected the Jews to worship him in their Temple, and even ordinary Romans were disrespectful of Judaism. There was a visible deterioration in the […]
Tacitus, Historiae V, 9-1-3- The Roman Conquest of Judaea
Tacitus, the first-century Roman historian, described Roman rule in Palestine briefly. His account highlights the disturbances after Herod’s death and the transition to procuratorial which paved the way for the eventual outbreak of the Great Revolt of 66-73 C.E. Cneius Pompeius was the first of our countrymen to subdue the Jews. Availing himself of the […]
Josephus, War I, 160-79- The Last Revolts of the Hasmoneans
Josephus tells us of the last attempts by the Hasmoneans to wrest control from Rome and from Hyrcanus II, the Hasmoean high priest the Romans had appointed. Aristobulus, brother of Hyrcanus, and his son Alexander, both at the same time, fought valiantly against all odds and to no avail, to regain Jewish independence after the […]
Bust of the Emperor Claudius
Bust of the emperor Claudius, ruled 41-54 CE. Claudius was an able and efficient administrator. He was also an ambitious builder, constructing many new roads, aqueducts, and canals across the Empire.
Augustus
Sculpture of Augustus with a cross superimposed on his forehead, Ephesus Museum. At Ephesus, crosses were added in a very public way to the forehead of Augustus, transforming the emperor into a Christian penitent.