second
movement came from within Judaism itself, as
Christianity.
The Greek Jews who came to believe in Jesus (Heb. Yeshua, or Joshua) as
the promised Messiah far outnumbered the Judeans who accepted Jesus.
Moreover, as the disciples of Jesus traveled through the ancient world, many
pagans were converted to the new belief. Christianity was originally regarded as
a Jewish sect, but as more and more pagans were accepted into
Christianity, their faith revolved almost entirely about the person
and preaching of Jesus. The Judeo-Christians, on the other hand, remained,
essentially, Jews. The Jewish answer to these new movements was to permit no
laxity in observance of the forms of traditional religion.
During the 1st century AD, religious conflict caused bloody battles. The Roman
governors of Judea were despotic and gave little respect to the Jewish religion.
In AD 66 a violent insurrection, led by the Zealots, a fanatic Jewish sect,
began against Rome.
Nero, then emperor, sent the Roman general Vespasian (later emperor) to put an
end to the conflict. By 70 the revolt was crushed, the Temple was destroyed, and
Jerusalem was razed; Masada, the last fortress, fell in 73.
Nominally, Judea continued to exist. The center of Jewish learning was
transferred to Jabneh (Jamnia, now Yavne, Israel) under the direction of the
great sage Johanan Ben Zakkai. For the next generation Judea was more or less
peaceful, under strict Roman control. Then the Roman emperor Hadrian ordered
Jerusalem rebuilt as a pagan city, to be called Aelia Capitolina, in honor of
Jupiter; at the same time he