Masada—Why Did It Happen?
“LONG since, my brave companions, we determined to serve neither the Romans nor anyone else but only God . . . Come, while our hands are free to hold the sword . . . Let us die before we become slaves under our enemies, and leave this life together as free men with our children and wives!”
This desperate exhortation reportedly was given by Eleazar, son of Jair (or Ben Yaʼir), to the defenders of Masada. It was recorded by the first-century historian Josephus in his work The Jewish War. Why did that Jewish leader urge his companions to commit mass murder and suicide, contrary to God’s law? (Exodus 20:13) More important, how can a knowledge of the circumstances help you survive in today’s violent world?
The Dagger Men of Masada
Prior to the outbreak of the Jewish revolt in 66 C.E., a Roman garrison was stationed at Masada, a fortified hilltop near the Dead Sea. Although Masada was in an isolated spot, Herod the Great had had a beautiful winter palace constructed there. He had a water system built so that even hot baths could be enjoyed. More critically, though, under Roman occupation the fortress housed a large cache of arms. When sentiments against the Roman occupiers of Palestine ran high, the arms were in danger of falling into the hands of Jewish revolutionaries. One such group was the Sicarii, meaning “dagger men,” mentioned in the Bible as being involved in an uprising.—Acts 21:38.
In 66 C.E. the dagger men captured Masada. With their newly acquired weapons, they marched to Jerusalem in support of the revolt against Roman rule. The Jewish revolutionaries’ massacre of Roman garrisons at both Masada and Jerusalem brought upon their countrymen the wrath of the Roman Empire. Before 66 C.E. ended, the Roman Twelfth Legion under Cestius Gallus marched into Judea and encamped outside Jerusalem. The Romans attacked the city from all sides and went so far as to undermine the northern foundations of the temple. Suddenly Gallus withdrew his troops and for no clear reason left Judea. “If only he had persevered with the siege a little longer he would have captured the City at once,” wrote eyewitness Josephus.
But the Romans were not finished. Four years later the Roman general Titus marched to Jerusalem with four legions.a This time the entire city was destroyed, and Judea was brought back under the iron rule of Rome. All except Masada.
Determined to crush this last pocket of resistance, the Romans encircled the fortress with a thick stone wall and eight stone-walled camps. They eventually built a ramp of earth leading to the top—a man-made incline stretching 645 feet [197 m] and rising 180 feet [55 m]! Upon it they built a tower and positioned a battering ram for breaching Masada’s wall. It was only a matter of time before the Roman army would flood through and capture this last Judean fortress!
Today the clear outline of the Roman camps, the encircling siege wall, and the vast ramp testify to how the Jewish revolt ended. An intensive archaeological excavation of Masada was completed in 1965. Commenting on the finds, The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1987) states: “The descriptions of the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus, until then the only detailed source of Masada’s history, were found to be extremely accurate.”
But with the Romans about to break through the walls, how did the dagger men react to the suicide speech of Eleazar, son of Jair? Josephus records: “One and all disposed of their families; . . . then, having chosen ten men by lot to be the executioners of the rest, each laid himself down beside his wife and children, and, flinging their arms around them, exposed their throats to those who had to perform the painful office.b The latter unflinchingly slaughtered them all, then followed the same mode for each other, . . . but an old woman, along with another . . . escaped . . . The victims numbered nine hundred and sixty, including the women and children.”
Why did the Jewish revolt end so tragically? Did it have something to do with the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth?
[Footnotes]
a At Masada, archaeologists found hundreds of coins with Hebrew inscriptions celebrating the revolt, such as “For the freedom of Zion” and “Jerusalem the Holy.” Dr. Yigael Yadin in his book Masada explains: “The shekels in our finds represent all the years of the revolt, from the year one to the very rare year five, the last year the shekel was struck, corresponding to the year 70 AD when the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed.” Note the coin above.
b At a strategic spot near one of Masada’s gates, 11 fragments of pottery were found, with a short Hebrew nickname written on each. Several scholars suggest that these may be the lots referred to by Josephus. Inscribed on one was “Ben Yaʼir,” meaning “son of Jairus.” “Yadin’s discovery of lots, including one with the name Ben Jair on it, is uncanny confirmation of Josephus’ account,” states Louis Feldman in Josephus and Modern Scholarship.
[Picture on cover]
Masada—Proof That Messiah Had Come?
[Picture on page 4]
A Jewish coin of 67 C.E., mentioning “Year 2” of the war with Rome
[Credit Line]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.