36. Judea - Bar-Kokhba. Emperor Hadrian and Julius Severus.

36.   -Daniel Chapter 11, Verse 16.

Judea - Bar-Kokhba.

Emperor Hadrian and Julius Severus.

AD 132 to AD 135. 

We start our understanding with the simple word, "But" which means:- Yet! Still, - however,- except and besides, etc; We now have a continuation of the story of the King of the north -Rome-, who we have seen come down into Judea in previous verses, because the word "But" is saying, "except and besides" the destruction and fall of Jerusalem that we have seen in the previous verse 15. We now "however", or "yet  Still", have another chapter or story to tell of Jerusalem and of the land of Israel during those times of the supremacy of the King of the North.

The "he" which now stands as a "man" in this verse 16, is out of the "power" of the King of the North. It is not however the same man as verse 15 because the kings of that Roman power were changing, as the history of that European power gradually unfurls. Thus, telling the stories of one dominant King after dominant King, in Daniel's biblical histories within his chapters. But the "power" of the North still remains in the southern land of Judah and that power is of Rome itself.

Here then, in verse 16 is the time of the Emperor Hadrian and another Jewish revolt, during the years of AD 132-135. Let us then look into the history of this Roman man called "he" that came against "him".

The small word "he" is of course masculine, who represents this man, "he" is also a substitute for the third person in power. So, in other words, the first person is Roman power, the second person is "whoever" is on the Roman throne and that "he" becomes Rome itself, in its "strength" of wielding that power. The third person is usually the Commander or General who actually puts that power into force on the battlefield. In this case the "he" not only represents Rome and the Emperor Hadrian, but also Julius Severus the Commander of Roman legions, who was sent by that Emperor to fight "him" of Judea. We take a look now at who "him" is, which means; this word "him" is an objective case of "he", or a term applied to the other man. "Him" is in other words the "object" of this story and the "object" to which the "he" has set his course to fight. That "object" within the Jews of Judea, was the "man" called Bar Kokhba or Barchochebas, meaning "Son of the Star".

When Daniel says, "he" shall do what "he" wants. Meaning, the power of the Roman "will" is so strong at that time of secular history, that nothing can stop "him"! When one's "will" comes into play at a given time, as Daniel states, one's wishes or desires are superior to others, setting forth to others, one's intention for one's will to be carried out. This man has a determination to "do", or not to do, something. This "will" of intentions Roman power had and the Emperor Hadrian possessed and so did Severus.

Let us take a peep into history and see how this "will" of the Emperor Hadrian affected the Roman world, especially Judea. The man Hadrian was named Publius Aelius Hadrianus and he reigned from 117-138 AD. History lists him with other Emperors namely, Nerva, Trajan, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, because historians say, marked a period of 5 good Emperors for Rome following each other in succession. Indeed, secular history recalls they were amongst the greatest men ever to govern Rome, with them the Empire was to reach its greatest height.

The Emperor Trajan was a Spanish Roman and he adopted as his heir another Spanish Roman named Hadrian, who had been his very able General indeed. Thus, when Trajan died in AD 117, Hadrian stepped into his shoes as Emperor, being quite able to make his own policies and changes to the Empire as he saw fit, having had a strong will power! He reorganised boundaries in provinces and even withdrawing some boundaries to a manageable state. A famous boundary remembered through the centuries was, Hadrian's Wall, in the British Isles, which was 73 and a half miles long, guarding the Northern frontier of England from Scotland. It measured 6 feet high and was 8 feet thick, made of turf and stones and was quite a feat in building!

Hadrian took a personal interest in all the far-flung provinces, visiting them in his much-travelled reign. Visiting Judea on occasions, along with Egypt and Syria and seeing the ruins of Jerusalem which remained from the time of Titus. Hadrian, unperturbed by Jewish feelings or revolts of any kind, decided once and for all that a new city bearing his name would be built upon those ruins. His "will" was to call it after himself "Aelia Capitolina".

This able bodied, self-contained man in all his achievements, who modelled his control on the Roman world after the manner of Caesar Augustus, had decided to rebuild Jerusalem Roman style, Complete with baths, arena and a temple to the pagan god Jupiter, which would be built upon the ruins of Solomon's temple.

Hadrian secured many of his goals with other provinces through peaceful treaties of friendship with former enemies. Or, he embarked on personally checking barbarian attacks, as with the Germanic peoples. By his strong "will" and able administration, the Roman world was almost a commonwealth of nations with Emperor Hadrian at the helm. He unified and consolidated Rome's vast Empire.

The running sore of Judea however proved to be his most troublesome, Judea being his most vigorous campaign during his reign.

The Jewish Zealots knowing Hadrian's plan to rebuild Jerusalem and putting that plan into operation building after the manner of a Greco/Roman city. The Zealots banded together harassing and raiding Roman soldiers and officials, proclaiming also it was unlawful for them to pay taxes to an idolatrous master of Rome.

It seems strange after reading of so much carnage amongst the Jews in earlier history that there would have been enough Jews left to raise and fight in Judea, after the destruction in 70 AD. Let alone being able to band together as an army and fight the Romans!

History tells us however, that after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD the centre for the Jewish peoples gradually moved to Antioch in Syria, later Ephesus and then Rome. The Jews met in synagogues instead of the Temple, and from then on, the synagogues became as they are today, centres of worship developing later into modern Judaism. So, by the time this revolt took place in Jerusalem the foundations of another wall were being built. This time being built between Jew, Gentile and Christian, which over the centuries became much too high to be breached.

In 115-116 AD rebellions broke out in Jewish communities in Egypt, Cyrene and Cyprus, and were prevented spreading to Judea by savage retribution, by the Roman governor Lucius Quietus. So, when the Jewish revolt broke out in Jerusalem and it erupted into open rebellion in 132 AD it took the Romans very much by surpass, forcing them to abandon Judea for a short while. So, now the stage was set once more for bloodshed and terror in this special land of the world, Israel.

In the second sentence of Daniel chapter 11, verse 16 he says;- "AND NONE SHALL STAND BEFORE HIM". This sentence now proclaims the death knell of Judea and the Jews, because the word "none" signifies that "not one",- which is used of persons or things. Or, not the least portion of this land or city, -Jerusalem, shall escape the wrath of Roman power held by Emperor Hadrian, then put into practice by Julius Severus. The other words of Daniel verse 16, -"shall stand"- are words putting a man in an upright position upon his feet ready to defend himself. But because of the word "none" the reverse is implied; These other 2 words, "shall stand", the situation in this land instead will be one of defeat and death, all unable to get away unscathed from the "him" who is fighting in the land of Judea.

We are faced now with what secular history calls the "Bar-Kochba" uprising in the land of Judea, which was the last revolt in 132 AD. This man "him" of Daniel's chapter 16 called himself the Jewish Messiah, who had been long awaited by the Jew. Under this banner of Messiah, the Jews banded together to fight the Romans. The Jews had said that their ancient oracles had proclaimed that a conquering Messiah would soon break the chains of the earth that bound them. The man Barchochebas (Bar-Kokhba) announced himself as that Messiah, the long-expected deliverer, calling upon the descendants of Abraham that remained in Judea to fight, who collected a formidable army indeed.

I will quote from a good new book called, "Wanderings", History of the Jews, by Chiam Potok. Which will give us a condensed version of Judea, before and during the time of the "he" of verse 16, who fulfils the last sentence of Daniel which says, -"AND HE" SHALL STAND IN THE GLORIOUS LAND, WHICH BY HIS HAND SHALL BE CONSUMED".- "Wanderings" Page 227-, "HADRIAN BECAME EMPEROR IN 117 C.E. (Or Common Era) TOWARD THE END OF HIS REIGN HE THOUGHT- AS HAD ANTIOCHUS IV- TO STRENGTHEN THE FALTERING EMPIRE BY UNITING ALL HIS SUBJECTS BENEATH A SINGLE DOMINANT CULTURE. HE WOULD SOLVE THE AWKWARD PROBLEM POSED BY THE CONSTANT OTHERNESS OF THE JEWS THROUGH ENFORCED ASSIMILATION. IN 131 C.E. HE ISSUED AN EDICT AGAINST CIRCUMCISION. HE IS REPUTED TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE FINEST AND MOST VERSATILE OF ROMAN EMPERORS; MANY REGARD HIM AS COMING CLOSEST TO CAESAR IN ABILITY. CIRCUMCISION OFFENDED HIS SENSE OF CIVILISED BEHAVIOUR. DECLARATIONS SUCH AS SHEMA YISRAEL -HEAR, O ISRAEL- HE PROBABLY REGARDED AS AN OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO A SUBVERSIVE AND BARBAROUS BROTHERHOOD. HE FORBADE UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH THE PUBLIC READING OF THE TORAH, THE OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH AND FESTIVALS, THE TEACHING OF THE LAW, THE ORDINATION OF RABBIS. HE FOUNDED A ROMAN COLONY, AELIA CAPITOLINA -HIS NAME WAS AELIUS ADIRANUS- AT JERUSALEM AND PLACED A SHRINE OF JUPITA ON THE SITE OF THE DESTROYED TEMPLE. THE JEWS OF PALESTINE SAW IT AS AN END OF JUDAISM. THE LAND ERUPTED AGAIN IN 132 C.E. THE JEWS CAREFULLY CONSCRIPTED AN ARMY. JEWISH CHRISTIANS WHO REFUSED TO SERVE WERE TREATED WITH SEVERITY AND CONTEMPT. THE JEWS FOUGHT FOR SURVIVAL; THE ROMANS FOUGHT FOR THE PRESTIGE OF THEIR EMPEROR AND HIS LEGIONS. OUT OF A BLURRED MASS OF JEWISH FIGHTERS WHO ASPIRED TO THE ROLE OF LEADER AT THE START OF THE WAR, THERE EMERGED A GIANT OF A MAN WHOM MANY, INCLUDING THE GREAT SCHOLAR RABBI AKIVA, REGARDED AS THE MESSIAH. RABBI AKIVA CALLED HIM BAR-KOCHBA- SON OF THE STAR- ONE OF THE NAMES THEN USED TO DESIGNATE THE MESSIANIC KING. FOR 2 YEARS THE JEWS HELD OFF THE ROMANS. THE TENTH LEGION EVACUATED JERUSALEM AND WITHDREW TO CAESAREA. THE JEWS ENTERED JERUSALEM AND REINSTITUTED THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM. THEY STRUCK COINS TO CELEBRATE THE LIBERATION. THE ROMAN TWENTY-SECOND LEGION ADVANCED INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE LAND FROM EGYPT AND WAS ENTIRELY WIPED OUT. THE JEWS FOUGHT WITH CAREFUL PLANNING AND UNDER THE UNIFIED COMMAND OF BAR KOCHBA, A DOMINEERING AND SOMETIMES CRUEL LEADER. MOST OF THE GREAT SCHOLARS OF YAVNEH DIED IN THE WAR, FIGHTING AGAINST THE ROMANS OR TORTURED TO DEATH FOR TEACHING THE LAW. RABBI AKIVA WAS ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED. HE HAD BEEN BORN ABOUT TEN YEARS BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE IN THE PREVIOUS CENTURY, HAD BEEN AN IGNORANT SHEPHERD UNTIL ABOUT THE AGE OF FORTY; THEN, ENCOURAGED BY HIS WIFE RACHEL, HE HAD ENTERED SCHOOL WITH LITTLE CHILDREN TO STUDY THE ALPHABET FIFTEEN YEARS LATER HE WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST SCHOLARS OF HIS TIME. HE ARRANGED IN LOGICAL ORDER THE VAST BODY OF ORAL LAW SO AS TO FACILITATE THE TRANSMISSION TO STUDENTS; PREVIOUSLY IT HAD BEEN ORGANISED BY VARIOUS MNEMONIC DEVICES, ARTIFICIAL AIDS TO MEMORY. HE INSISTED THAT EVERY WORD, EVERY LETTER OF THE SACRED TEXT WAS CAPABLE OF PROFOUND MEANING, THEREBY EXPANDING THE RANGE OF POSSIBILITIES OPEN TO INTERPRETATION. HE WAS A SCHOLAR, A PASSIONATE LOVER OF GOD, A BELIEVER IN MAN'S FREEDOM TO CHOOSE HIS OWN WAY IN A WORLD GUIDED BY A PROVIDENTIAL DEITY. HE WAS A MYSTIC. HE DIED SLOWLY FOR ALL THESE THINGS THAT HE WAS - DRAWING OUT THE WORDS OF THE SHEMA YISRAEL WITH HIS LAST BREATH AS THE IRON COMBS TORE THE SKIN FROM HIS BODY, DYING WITH A LOOK OF SUCH EXULTATION ON HIS FACE THAT HIS ASTONISHED EXECUTIONER ASKED HIM IN AWE, "ARE YOU A SORCERER"? NO, HE WAS NOT A SORCERER HE SAID, HE WAS REJOICING OVER HAVING BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW HIS FULL LOVE FOR HIS GOD- BY DYING. MANY SCHOLARS WERE ARRESTED AND TORTURED. ONE WAS BURNED ALIVE WITH THE SCROLLS FROM WHICH HE HAD TAUGHT WRAPPED AROUND HIM; ANOTHER WAS BEHEADED; YET ANOTHER WAS PIERCED THROUGH LIKE A SIEVE. ROMAN BRUTALITY BURNED THESE DEATHS INTO THE FOLK MEMORY. THE WAR DRAGGED ON. THE ROMANS TURNED IT INTO A MANHUNT IN WHICH A LARGE PART OF THE JEWISH POPULATION OF PALESTINE WAS EXTERMINATED. ONCE AGAIN, AS IN THE TIME OF ANTIOCHUS IV, THE ENTIRE PEOPLE, NOT ONLY INDIVIDUALS, LAY EXPOSED TO MARTYRDOM. WHEN IT WAS DONE AND THE LEGIONS BROUGHT IN FROM OTHER POINTS OF THE EMPIRE HAD FINISHED METHODICALLY CUTTING OFF AND STARVING OUT ONE DISTRICT AFTER ANOTHER AND HAD CLEANSED AND SHEATHED THEIR WEAPONS - WHEN IT WAS ALL DONE, AND BAR KOCHBA WAS DEAD, AND THE LAND LAY BENEATH A FILM OF BLOOD - THE ROMANS REPORTED THAT 56 FORTRESSES HAD BEEN REDUCED, 985 VILLAGES HAD BEEN LEVELLED, AND 580,000 JEWS HAD BEEN KILLED IN SKIRMISHES AND BATTLES IN ADDITION TO COUNTLESS OTHERS WHO HAD PERISHED OF STARVATION, FIRE, DISEASE. THE LEGIONS HAD SUFFERED SUCH HEAVY CASUALTIES THAT HADRIAN, IN HIS REPORT ON THE WAR TO THE SENATE, OMITTED THE TRADITIONAL SALUTATION, "I TRUST YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN ARE WELL, I AND MY TROOPS ARE WELL" ....... THE WAR ENDED IN THE SUMMER OF 135 C.E. THE RELIGIOUS PERSECUTIONS CONTINUED. JERUSALEM BECAME A ROMAN CITY, A GLEANING MODEL CITY DEDICATED TO THE GOD JUPITER. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF SUCH CITIES THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE. A BROAD STREET RAN THROUGH THE HEART OF THE REBUILT CITY, BORDERED BY WIDE COLONNADED WALKS. THE JEWS WHO SURVIVED THE WAR WERE FORBIDDEN TO ENTER THE CITY EXCEPT ON THE NINTH DAY OF AV. JUDEA LOST IT'S NAME AND BECAME SYRIA PALAESTINA. TWO LEGIONS GARRISONED THE LAND. THAT BROAD STREET, THE CARDO, WAS RECENTLY UNCOVERED BY ISRAELI ARCHAEOLOGISTS. I REMEMBER STANDING ON IT'S STONE PAVING IN THE HEART OF THE OLD CITY WITH ARAB BOYS ON DONKEYS AND YOUNG BEARDED JEWS MOVING BY. THE STREET HAD BEEN NARROW AND FRONTED WITH ARAB MARKETS UNTIL AN ARCHAEOLOGIST SANK A SHAFT AND HIT THE STONE OF THE ROMAN PAVING. IT WILL BE EXCAVATED NOW TO ITS ORIGINAL WIDTH AND SOME PORTION OF IT'S LENGTH. THE OLD PAVING WILL BE RETAINED. I HAVE HEARD THAT ISRAELIS WILL BUILD SHOPS ON IT AND SELL THEIR WARES TO TOURISTS. HADRIAN DIED IN 138 C.E. SOME OF THE EDICTS AGAINST THE JEWS WERE RESCINDED BY HIS SUCCESSOR, ANTONIOUS PIUS, IN PARTICULAR THE PROHIBITION AGAINST CIRCUMCISION. THE SURNAME PIUS WAS CONFERRED UPON HIM BY THE SENATE AND MEANS A LIKEABLE PERSON. THE LAND WAS DEVASTATED, JEWS WERE NO LONGER THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION. PAGANS BEGAN TO FILTER INTO THE LAND FROM ADJACENT AREAS. THE REMNANTS OF THE RABBIS AT FIRST REMAINED UNDERGROUND, MEETING IN CAVES AND ISOLATED VILLAGES. THEN THEY RETURNED TO THE SUNLIGHT AND WEPT AT THE DESOLATION OF THE LAND. MANY MEMBERS OF THE SANHEDRIN HAD FALLEN. MUCH OF JUDEA WAS EMPTY OF JEWS. AFTER A TIME THE SANHEDRIN MOVED FROM YAVNEH TO THE GALILEAN CITY OF USHA. THE FIELDS AND VINEYARDS OF JUDEA, WHICH HAD SEEN SOME OF THE HEAVIEST FIGHTING, WERE BURNED AND TORN. VILLAGES REMAINED UNINHABITED. THERE WAS MUCH EMIGRATION TO BABYLONIA AND ITS WEALTHY JEWRY, WITH ITS OWN ORGANISED COMMUNITY LED BY THE EXILARCH, THE HEAD OF THE EXILE, WHOSE FAMILY CLAIMED DESCENT FROM THE HOUSE OF DAVID".

We must Remember reader that, when Daniel 11:15 speaks of the "glorious land" he is most emphatically speaking of all the land of Israel, which became divided into 2 Kingdoms. Judea becoming the most important because it held the cities of Jerusalem and Zion.

Chiam Potok in this excerpt from his book, does not mention the Commander of these Roman legions, that of Julius Severus, who fulfils the last sentence for Daniel's verse 16. Who is the "he" for Roman power that stood in the glorious land of Palestine and "by-his-hand the land was consumed." Werner Keller's book the "Bible as History", does, however. (Page 385). "ON TOP OF THESE DESOLATE AND CHEERLESS RUINS, ON WHICH NEITHER JEWS NOR CHRISTIANS WERE ALLOWED TO SET FOOT ON PAIN OF DEATH, THE EMPEROR HADRIAN BUILT A NEW ROMAN COLONY; AELIA CAPITOLINA. THE SIGHT OF A FOREIGN SETTLEMENT ON THIS SACRED JEWISH SOIL PROVOKED YET ANOTHER OPEN REBELLION. JULIUS SEVERAS WAS SUMMONED TO JUDEA FROM HIS GOVERNORSHIP IN BRITAIN AND SMASHED THE LAST DESPERATE ATTEMPT OF THE JEWS TO REGAIN THEIR FREEDOM. BUT IT TOOK HIM THREE YEARS TO DO SO. THE EMPEROR HADRIAN THEN ERECTED A RACECOURSE, TWO BATHS, AND A LARGE THEATRE. A STATUE OF JUPITER WAS ENTHRONED ABOVE THE RUINS OF THE JEWISH TEMPLE AS IF IN DERISION AND ON THE SITE WHICH CHRISTIAN TRADITION BELIEVED TO BE THAT OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE, STRANGERS CLIMBED THE TERRACED STEPS TO DO HOMAGE AT A SHRINE OF THE PAGAN GODDESS VENUS. THE GREATEST PART OF THE POPULATION OF THE PROMISED LAND, WHICH WAS NOT MASSACRED IN THE BLOODY JEWISH WAR OF 66-70 AND IN THE BAR-KOCHBA REBELLION OF 132-135 WAS SOLD INTO SLAVERY; "AND THEY SHALL FALL BY THE EDGE OF THE SWORD AND SHALL BE LED AWAY CAPTIVE INTO ALL NATIONS".

After researching many books for information on the leadership of Julius Severus during the Bar-Kokhba uprising, very little comes to light and what there is, seems to be repeated much. What does come across however, is the fact that this man was very, very, methodical in his intent upon Judea's land and peoples. It is said of him, that after the Emperor Hadrian gave him the command to put down the Jewish revolt, he did so with great precision, thereby, ending Jewish hopes of freedom from the Roman yoke. Daniel in chapter 11 verse 16 says, that this "he" would stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed." When one reads the word consumed, it is "fire" that readily springs to mind. Yet! The word consumed means other things also, - consumed- means to reduce to nothing, it is to waste and exhaust, to bring to ruin and destroy thereby causing a disappearance of component parts and of course to burn up. Indeed, Julius Severus did all these things to the Holy Land and its peoples. He entered Palestine with 35,000 chosen fighting men, using them under the system of "total warfare", using those "eagles" for destroying and burning all that could not be used by his own army. Severus did not besiege or choose a battle position in the towns or open field, he chose rather to intercept various groups of Jews, deprive them of food, isolate them and wear them out. For over a slow 2 years, Severus slaughtered and burned every living thing before him, men, women, children and cattle of every kind, fell to the blooded swords of these Romans. It was a slow process because this kind of butchery and devastation took time.

The "consummation" of Severus's plan "seen" by Daniel so many years before it happened, was carried out to the letter of the Law. The Jewish population almost vanished from the eyes of the world. The "glorious land" of Judea, was changed beyond recognition and lay desperate and desolate and over 900 of their villages were raised to the ground. No one knew how many Jews perished, because fire, famine and disease slowly took their toll. But secular history says, "very few of the Jews survived and as Keller said, "those that were not massacred were sold into slavery". The "glorious land" was made "off limits" to the Jew, on pain of death to enter! So, when Daniel used the word "consumed" for the "glorious land" of all Israel as punishment, it indeed was the right word to fulfil that terrible prophecy. The Jews were indeed now finally defeated and completely broken as a nation of people. Judea/Israel was no longer a Jewish homeland it was renamed Syria-Palaestina . It had been purged of them and they were forbidden to re-enter, which was to last through history into the 20th century ahead in time.