Jewish revolts in Hellenistic and Roman times

The aim of this study is to analyze the revolts of the Jews during the Hellenistic Kingdoms and the Roman Empire and to reveal the causes and consequences of these revolts. The Hellenistic and Roman periods in Jewish history were times of great religious and political upheaval, resistance and rebellion. In the second century BC, the Seleucid Kingdom's policy of spreading Hellenistic culture posed a major threat to Jewish religious and cultural identity. Since the Jews had a monotheistic religion, the polytheistic beliefs brought by Hellenistic culture were unacceptable to them. The Makkabids, who were now mobilizing for independence, achieved victory in 167 BC as a result of their revolt against the Seleucids and captured Iudeia in 164 BC. Thus, the Makkabites founded the State of Hashmonayim in 143 BC and continued to exist as an independent state for nearly a hundred years. Internal disturbances in Iudeia in 67 BC, relations with Rome and the Roman domination of Iudeia in 63 BC caused tensions between the two sides. The Roman government sought to exert control over Jewish religious and cultural practices. Rome's heavy taxation policies and economic pressures caused great discontent among the Jewish people. The Jews saw Rome's pagan beliefs and policies as a threat to their religion and identity. This led the Jews to take up resistance against Rome. In 66-73 AD, the first revolt of the Jews against Rome was crushed by a major Roman military campaign, and Iudeia and the Temple were captured and destroyed. This was the largest and most violent Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire. After the suppression of the first revolt, the Jews who managed to escape scattered out of Iudeia to various parts of the Mediterranean and started the second revolt against Rome in Cyrene, Cyprus, Mesopotamia and Alexandria between 115-117 AD. But this short-lived revolt was crushed by the Romans. The Bar Kokhba Revolt was the last major Jewish resistance movement against Rome between 132-135 CE. This revolt was also harshly suppressed by Rome and was an important turning point in Roman-Jewish relations. The suppression of this rebellion marked the beginning of years of exile for the Jews