Conclusion: the Jewish Threat to Rome

There were many short-term and long-term causes of the Roman-Jewish wars, particularly that of 66–70 CE: corruption of and misrule by the Roman procurators of Judaea, poor economic conditions in Judaea and social divisions in Judaean society, as well as Jewish religious and demographic expansion, intrinsic conflict between Judaism and Hellenism, Jews and gentiles, and Greek anti-Semitism. All came from or were worsened by the rule of the central government in Rome. Greek anti-Semitism was not officially maintained in Roman policy but in the first century CE could in some ways be in Roman interests as an antidote to Jewish religious and demographic expansion. Rome’s policy was Divida et Impera (Divide and Rule). Tacitus’ epigram on the German tribes (Tacitus, Germania 33) might be applied with qualification to Greeks and Jews under early imperial rule: ‘Fatis nihil iam praestare fortuna maius potest quam hostium discordiam (Fortune can guarantee us nothing better than discord among our foes).’ The enmity of these rivals could be Rome’s strength.

Authors and Affiliations

1. Baltimore Hebrew University, USA

   Moshe Aberbach (Professor Emeritus)

2. McGill University, Montreal, Canada

   David Aberbach (Associate Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature, Visiting Academic)

3. London School of Economics, UK

   David Aberbach (Associate Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature, Visiting Academic)

© 2000 Moshe Aberbach and David Aberbach

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