Written by Below is a timeline chart showing key events that define the Jewish relationship with Rome, including both positive and negative periods, and a brief explanation of what happened during each phase. The Jewish-Roman relationship evolved over several centuries, from initial cooperation to hostility, and eventually the destruction of the Second Temple and the Jewish exile.
| Year (BCE/CE) | Event | Relationship Status | Brief Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63 BCE | Pompey conquers Judea | Bad | Pompey, the Roman general, conquers Jerusalem after the decline of the Hasmonean Kingdom and interference in a civil war between two Hasmonean brothers. Judea is made a client state of Rome. Pompey desecrates the Holy of Holies in the Temple, marking the beginning of a tense relationship. |
| 37-4 BCE | Herod the Great appointed King of Judea | Good | Herod the Great is installed as a client king of Judea by Rome. He rebuilds the Second Temple in Jerusalem on a grand scale, enhancing its prestige. Though unpopular with some Jews due to his Roman allegiance, the relationship between Rome and Judea stabilizes during his reign due to his diplomatic skills and efforts to maintain Jewish traditions while pleasing Rome. |
| 6 CE | Judea becomes a Roman province | Bad | After the death of Herod’s son, Archelaus, Judea becomes a Roman province governed directly by Roman prefects. Taxation increases, and the Jewish population grows increasingly frustrated with Roman rule. Although some Jews cooperate with Roman authorities, tensions over Roman administration, taxes, and interference in Jewish religious life begin to rise. |
| 26-36 CE | Pontius Pilate appointed governor of Judea | Bad | Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea, is seen as particularly harsh. He introduces Roman military standards with images of the emperor in Jerusalem, causing outrage among Jews who viewed these as violations of Jewish law. His actions contribute to increasing unrest and dissatisfaction with Roman rule. |
| 66-73 CE | First Jewish-Roman War | Bad | Tensions explode into the First Jewish-Roman War, also known as the Great Jewish Revolt. Jews, frustrated by Roman taxation, religious interference, and Roman oppression, rebel against Roman rule. The revolt initially succeeds but is brutally crushed by Roman legions under the future emperor Vespasian and his son Titus. |
| 70 CE | Destruction of the Second Temple | Very Bad | The Romans, under Titus, lay siege to Jerusalem, and after a prolonged and bloody conflict, they destroy the Second Temple, the most significant symbol of Jewish identity and religion. This marks one of the lowest points in Jewish-Roman relations, with the Jewish population devastated and Jerusalem sacked. |
| 73 CE | Fall of Masada | Bad | The Zealots make a final stand at Masada, a fortress near the Dead Sea. After a Roman siege, the remaining Jewish rebels commit mass suicide rather than be captured. The event symbolizes Jewish resistance and the end of the First Jewish-Roman War. The relationship remains severely fractured. |
| 115-117 CE | Kitos War (Second Jewish-Roman War) | Bad | Jewish uprisings in Cyrene, Egypt, Cyprus, and Mesopotamia break out as part of the wider Jewish diaspora’s revolt against Roman rule during the reign of Trajan. The revolts are brutally suppressed, leading to massacres of Jews and further deteriorating relations with Rome. |
| 132-135 CE | Bar Kokhba Revolt (Third Jewish-Roman War) | Very Bad | Bar Kokhba, a Jewish leader, leads a major revolt against Roman rule after the Roman emperor Hadrian bans circumcision and plans to rebuild Jerusalem as a Roman city. Initially successful, the revolt is ultimately crushed by Roman forces. After the defeat, Hadrian bans Jews from Jerusalem, renaming the city Aelia Capitolina, and builds a temple to Jupiter on the site of the former Jewish Temple. The Jewish population is decimated, and Jews are largely exiled from Judea. |
| 135-300 CE | Diaspora and Roman repression | Bad | After the Bar Kokhba Revolt, the Jewish population in Judea is greatly diminished. Jews are banned from entering Jerusalem except on Tisha B’Av, the day of mourning for the destruction of the Temple. The Jewish presence in Judea is greatly reduced, and the Jewish diaspora spreads throughout the Roman Empire, leading to a long period of Roman repression and marginalization. |
| 313 CE | Edict of Milan | Neutral to Good | The Edict of Milan, issued by Constantine I, grants religious tolerance across the Roman Empire, including to Jews. While Christianity is rising as the dominant religion in the empire, Jewish communities in the diaspora benefit from this newfound tolerance, although many remain marginalized. |
| 390s CE | Rise of Christianity as State Religion | Bad | With Christianity becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire under Theodosius I, Jewish communities face growing restrictions. Jewish religious practices are tolerated, but Jews are increasingly marginalized, particularly as Christians come to view Judaism as a rival religion. |
| 410 CE | Fall of Rome and continuing decline | Bad | The weakening of the Western Roman Empire leads to further marginalization of Jewish communities as power shifts to local rulers and the Byzantine Empire in the east, which also becomes increasingly hostile toward Jews. This period marks a continued decline in the status of Jewish communities under Roman and later Christian rulers. |
Key Takeaways:
- Early Relations (63 BCE – 37 BCE): The relationship between the Jews and Rome begins on a bad note with Pompey’s conquest of Jerusalem and the desecration of the Temple. However, under Herod the Great, who was a Roman client king, the relationship stabilized, and Herod’s Temple became a focal point for Jewish identity.
- Tensions Rise (6-66 CE): Under direct Roman rule, tensions grew, particularly under harsh Roman governors like Pontius Pilate. Roman interference in Jewish religious practices and heavy taxation led to growing resentment and unrest.
- Major Conflicts (66-135 CE): The relationship deteriorated significantly during the Jewish revolts against Roman rule, especially the First Jewish-Roman War, which culminated in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Subsequent uprisings, such as the Kitos War and Bar Kokhba Revolt, were brutally crushed, leading to the decimation of the Jewish population in Judea and the exile of Jews from Jerusalem.
- Diaspora and Marginalization (135-313 CE): After the Bar Kokhba Revolt, Jews were largely exiled from Judea, and the Jewish diaspora spread throughout the Roman Empire. Although the Edict of Milan in 313 CE granted religious tolerance, Jews remained marginalized, especially as Christianity became the dominant religion in the Roman Empire.
- Christianity’s Rise (390 CE onward): As Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, Jewish communities faced growing restrictions and persecution, leading to a long period of marginalization and repression under both the Western and Byzantine Roman Empires.
This timeline highlights the overall negative trajectory of the Jewish relationship with Rome, which started with Roman conquest, escalated into violent revolts, and ended with the Jewish diaspora and marginalization, particularly after the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire.