The degree of seriousness with which the emperors regarded the possibility of such a movement, is demonstrated by the interrogations of the alleged surviving members of the House of David conducted by Domitian and Trajan;[1311] Trajan, moreover, appears to have put to death those related to the family in 107.[1312] The idea of the overthrow of Rome had been popular among the Jews ever since Sulla’s time,[1313] and during the war of 66-73 the belief was rife that Judaea would conquer the world.[1314] The extremist Sicarian ideology, vocal since the foundation of the sect by Judah of Galilee, inspired the activists with the belief that only personal action would earn Divine assistance and complete redemption.[1315] Hence not merely did the defeat of the Great Rebellion not allay the storm, or induce resignation in accordance with the Pharisaic belief in a future life which would compensate the sufferings of thepresent world, but, on the contrary, it induced the readiness for immediate action and a renewed assault upon the hated Roman power throughout the Diaspora. More particularly in this period, (cf. p. 228) the very destruction of Jerusalem promoted a greater disposition to proselytism among a wide circle of the Roman populace, nor is this mood explicable except by an assumption that the situation was interpreted to mean that redemption was imminent.
The echo of this conviction is to be heard in Jewish works written immediately before the Diaspora rising, nor can it be doubted that their study has something to teach us of the aims of the movement, The principal sources are four: the fourth and fifth books of the Sybylline Oracles, the Second (also called the Fourth) Book of Ezra and the Vision of Baruch.[1316]
The fourth book of the Sibylline Oracles is generally thought to have been completed about 80 C.E., the fifth book in the reign of Domitian, but with later additions under Hadrian which in-elude several references to the diaspora rebellion of iiS-ity.The Second Book of Ezra was redacted at the end of the 1st century of the current era, or at the beginning of the 2nd, while the Vision of Baruch assumed its present form at the beginning of the 2nd century.
The fourth book of the Sibylline Oracles was composed, in the opinion of scholars, by a Jew of Asia Minor or Eretz Yisrael; it is imbued with profound religious feeling, and expresses throughout its author’s pain at the destruction of the Temple. The book preaches faith in one God and the moral life, prophesying the destruction of sinful gentile society, and listing a long list of cities doomed to punishment; finally it describes the resurrection of the dead and the day of judgment. It further predicts the return of Nero from over the Euphrates, that is, from Parthia.
That part of the fifth book of the Sibylline Oracles composed before the revolt, of 115-117 is the work of an Egyptian Jew. It alternates praise of the Torah with expressions of hatred for Rome and with apocalyptic visions. It foresees the return of Nero with the aid of the Parthians and accompanied by frightful natural catastrophies, the conquest of Eretz Yisrael and the Temple by the Jewish people. It describes the coming and deeds of the sacred ruler, who will burn down cities and slay the wicked. In the catalogue of the numerous cities doomed to destruction by the author, Memphis, Salamis of Cyprus, Barka, Cyrene and Teucheira appear.
The Second Ezra, on the other hand, sets forth the foundations of the Jewish faith, dwelling more especially on the peculiar value of the Jewish people and its perpetuation. The author struggles with the problem of the sufferings of the righteous, but announces that the end is near and will not be delayed; the community of sinners is condemned to extinction and only a few will be redeemed. Violent hatred for Rome is expressed in the vision of the eagle; the symbol of the Empire, whose doom is pronounced by the lion, the symbol of the Messiah, for —
The concluding chapters of the poem describe the new Jerusalem which will arise in the days of the Messiah and will flourish four hundred years, when foes have been annihilated and the Ten Tribes have returned to Eretz Yisrael. It should be noted that this chapter (11-12) is also the latest in the work, added by the last redactor between the years 100-120 C.E. Box dates it to 120 approximately,[1318] but I see no reason for not dating it in the time of Trajan.
The Vision of Baruch also sees the messianic kingdom as a temporal kingdom of this world, unlike the writers prior to the ist century B.C., who envisage it as an everlasting empire.[1319] Although the messianic rule is to put an end to the corruption of human society, the poet wrestles with bitter doubts over the meaning of human existence. Among the signs foretelling the coming of the Messiah he numbers earthquakes (27, 7-9). He tells a beautiful parable of the destruction of Rome and the rebirth of the Jewish people — the burning of the cypress and the springing of the vine: “And I beheld the cypress burning, and the vine growing, it and all around it, and the valley was filled with unfading flowers. And I awoke, and rose.”[1320]
The peoples which have not oppressed Israel will find pardon, but the oppressors will be trampled under foot. Chapters 78-87 describe a letter sent to the nine and a half Israelite tribes in Assyria, announcing to them the Destruction of the Temple, arousing their hopes and loyalty to the Law, warning them that “the time is very near”. A letter to the two tribes in Babylon is also referred to but not quoted by the author.
It is an interesting question, how far the above writings reflect the extremist ideology of the Sicarii, the Zealots and their allied currents. The expectation of the messianic coming, the rejection of Roman rule and the aspiration to a regime of justice, are certainly a continuation of the general ideology to which the extremist elements of 66-73 were party. But it must also be asked whether in confirmation of the same trend we can trace in the ideology of these works a class orientation hostile to the wealthy.
The only expression in the Vision of Baruch suggesting a class orientation is not in favour of the poor. In Chapter 70 the poem numbers among the horrors of the period before the messianic coming a situation in which “the poor shall enjoy abundance beyond the measure of the rich”; yet in Chapter 74 we encounter an emphasis on the ideas of labour and plenty:
1314
Tac.,
1316
C. C. Torrey,
1317
Ap. R. H. Charles,
1318
Ap. Charles,