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]

Masada​—Proof That Messiah Had Come?

BLOODSHED in the name of religion has been a recurring plague in history. Masada was no exception, for its defenders had strong religious motivations. If you visit the excavations at Masada, you can see the ruins of a synagogue where the dagger men met for worship and the ritual baths used for religious cleansing.

Fragments of the Bible have also been found at Masada. How, you may wonder, did the Biblical message available to the dagger men compare with what we read in the Bible today? Dr. Yigael Yadin, in his book Masada, wrote about the first such discovery:

“A quick examination on the spot showed us immediately that here was a fragment from the Book of Psalms, and we could even identify the chapters: the section ran Psalm 81 to Psalm 85. . . . It was possible to date it without the slightest doubt. It could not possibly be later than the year 73 AD, the year Masada fell. . . . This section from the Book of Psalms, like the other biblical scrolls which we found later, is almost exactly identical . . . to the text of the biblical books which we use today.”

Evidently, the dagger men believed that the Divine Author of the Hebrew Scriptures would bless their uprising against Rome. As The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia explains: “The fanatic zeal of the Jews in the Great War against Rome (66-73 C.E.) was strengthened by their belief that the Messianic era was near at hand. The loss of the Temple only increased the speculations as to the coming of the Messiah.”

The Coming of the Messiah

“Jewish messianic enthusiasts,” states The Encyclopedia of Religion, “would often base their calculations on the Book of Daniel.” True, the Hebrew prophet Daniel foretold the coming of “Messiah the Leader.” (Daniel 9:25) In two other accounts, Daniel said that the Messiah would become Ruler of the world and that His Kingdom would destroy all opposing human governments.​—Daniel 2:44; 7:13, 14.

First-century Jewish revolutionaries felt that the time had arrived for the fulfillment of these prophetic visions. “What more than all else incited them to the war,” states Josephus, “was [the belief] that at that time one from their country would become ruler of the world.” But Daniel foretold that the Messianic Leader must first be “cut off” and that after his death Jerusalem and its temple would be brought to ruin by ‘the people of another leader who was coming.’​—Daniel 9:25, 26.

Jewish Views of Gentile Rule

First-century Judea was divided between a few rich and many poor. Some rich Jews, especially among the Sadducees and Pharisees, treasured the authority that Rome allowed them to have in the land, and they despised the common people. Thus, they opposed any thought of revolution, working instead for peaceful relations with Rome.​—Luke 16:14; 19:45, 46; John 2:14; 7:47-49; 11:47, 48.

On the other hand, ordinary Judeans suffered under the burden of Roman taxation and their own oppressive countrymen. They took no comfort in being under the so-called Pax Romana (Roman Peace) but wanted a change. This conflict of interests resulted in terrible civil strife. “One group was bent on domination,” wrote Josephus, “the other on violence and on robbing the rich.”

The dagger men, for example, plundered and killed fellow Jews and justified these terrorist acts as punishment of Jews who supposedly collaborated with Rome. A second-century rabbi, Johanan ben Torta, gave this reason for the calamity that came upon first-century Jews: “They lusted after money and hated one another.”

It is no wonder that those Jews who were truly God-fearing longed for the appearance of the Messiah, who they hoped would overthrow Roman rule and establish a just Kingdom of God. But unscrupulous men played on these hopes.

False Messiahs

About the year 33 C.E., a Jewish leader named Gamaliel reminded fellow rulers of Jerusalem: “Before these days . . . Judas the Galilean rose in the days of the registration, and he drew off people after him. And yet that man perished, and all those who were obeying him were scattered abroad.”​—Acts 5:36, 37.

“The registration” that resulted in Judas’ uprising was organized in 6 C.E. for the purpose of raising taxes for Rome. Josephus tells us that Judas proclaimed that the Jews “were cowards if they submitted to paying taxes to the Romans.” The name Judas comes from the name Judah, suggesting that he belonged to the tribe from whom the Messiah was expected. (Genesis 49:10) “His fiery eloquence and the popularity of his doctrines drew vast numbers to his standard, by many of whom he was regarded as the Messiah,” states McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia.

Notice that Acts 5:37 reports that the followers of this Judas did not perish with him. His movement, according to Jewish scholar Gaalya Cornfeld, “struck deep roots and messianic hopes.” In fact, two leaders of the dagger men, Menahem and Eleazar, descended from that Judas the Galilean. At the start of the Jewish revolt in 66 C.E., Menahem armed his followers with weapons that had been stored at Masada. Then, “he returned like a king to Jerusalem” and “became the leader of the revolution.” “It is almost certain,” adds the Encyclopaedia Judaica, “that Menahem [son of] Judah was considered a Messiah.”

However, in that very year, Menahem was assassinated by members of a rival Jewish revolutionary movement. His followers fled back to Masada, where Eleazar took command of the dagger men until 73 C.E. Eleazar’s suicide speech echoes the mistaken teachings of his forefather Judas: “Long since, my brave companions, we determined to serve neither the Romans nor anyone else but only God.”

Neutrality of Judean Christians

Prior to the Jewish revolt in 66 C.E., Christian congregations had been established in Judea, including, of course, the congregation of Jerusalem. (Acts 9:31) These were made up of Jews who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah whose death and resurrection had been foretold. (Acts 2:22-36) The Jewish Christians zealously spread their beliefs, while peacefully awaiting the Messiah’s second coming, as world ruler. Jesus had indicated that he would return “after a long time.”​—Matthew 25:19, 31; 28:19, 20; Acts 1:8-11.

But once the Jewish revolt broke out in 66 C.E., what protected those Judean Christians from being carried away by its initial success? They no doubt recalled their Master’s warning: “All those who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52) Jesus also had given them a balanced view of Gentile governmental authority. “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar,” he said, “but God’s things to God.” (Mark 12:17) Furthermore, Jesus had foretold that messianic pretenders would come, saying, “‘I am he,’ and, ‘The due time has approached,’” but he warned: “Do not go after them.”​—Luke 21:8.

Jesus had even predicted the outcome of the Jewish revolt, saying: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near. Then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains, and let those in the midst of her withdraw, and let those in the country places not enter into her; . . . for there will be great necessity upon the land and wrath on this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations.”​—Luke 21:20-24.

The terrible flood of destruction that followed the Jewish revolt was a dramatic fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy! Yet, Judean Christians escaped by obediently “fleeing to the mountains.” “Prior to Jerusalem’s siege by Titus [in 70 C.E.],” states the Encyclopaedia Judaica, “its Christian community moved to Pella.” Interestingly, Pella was to the north, in the foothills of a mountain range across the Jordan River and so was completely separated from Judea by the Jordan Valley. “It is hard to account for this escape if [Jesus’] prophecy was written after the event,” states G. A. Williamson in his introduction to Josephus​—The Jewish War.

Indeed, the successful escape of Judean Christians is powerful evidence that they were followers of the true Messiah. This raises important questions. What was the purpose of Messiah’s first coming? And what warning does the disastrous Jewish revolt sound for us today, especially the sector of humanity that is labeled “Christian”? These questions will be discussed further in this magazine.