ABSTRACT
Jewish religious ideological resentment towards the Roman occupation of Judea reached its peak during the fi rst century . Messianic fi gures, miracle makers, prophetic hermits, and charismatic preachers abounded throughout the province, along with revolutionary moral teachers and socioreligious reformers. eir promises of redemption from Rome and just retribution for the sinful elite were bound to draw large followings, and in many cases they did. At a diffi cult time, when the religious establishment seemed unable to provide answers, hope, or comfort, the charismatic preacher represented an attractive alternative, which neither the eff orts of the moderate Jewish leadership nor brutal Roman suppression could quell. Religious zeal buttressed with historical memories and popular myths and intensifi ed by political, economic, and social strain hazed the concrete reality of insurmountable Roman military advantage. is chapter summarizes the central factors that infl uenced fi rst-century Jewish ideology and contributed to the intensifi cation of zeal. ese elements or their variations can later be found at the core of sentiment and commitment in both major Jewish uprisings against Rome, and these wars were fought in and over the ideological landscape they created.
