Revolt against Heraclius
Encyclopedia
The Revolt against Heraclius
was a Jewish insurrection against the Byzantine Empire
across Levant, coming to the aid of the Persian during Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628. The revolt began with the Battle of Antioch (613)
, culminating with the conquest of Jerusalem in 614
by Persian and Jewish forces and establishment of Jewish autonomy. The revolt ended with departure of the Persian troops and an eventual surrender of Jewish rebels to Byzantines in the year 625 (or 628).
decided on a tactical move to establish a military alliance with the Jewish population of the Sassanid Empire, with a promise to re-establish Jewish rule over the Land of Israel
(Palaestina province of Byzantine Empire at that time). Following Khosrau II
's pact with Nehemiah
, son of Jewish Exilarch
, a Jewish army, about 20,000 strong, was recruited in Persia and was put in march together with Persian troops towards the Levant.
, joint Sassanid-Jewish army, commanded by Shahrbaraz
, arrived to Palaestina Prima and conquered Caesaria Maritima. Nehemiah's Jewish troops and the Sassanid Persians, commanded by Shahrbaraz
, were joined by Benjamin of Tiberias
(according to Jewish sources – a man of immense wealth), who enlisted and armed additional soldiers from Tiberias, Nazareth
and the mountain cities of Galilee
and together they marched on Jerusalem. Later, they were joined by the Jews of the southern parts of the country and supported by a band of Arabs, the united forces took
Jerusalem on July 614, after a 20 day siege. According to Antiochus Strategos, tens of thousands of Christians were massacred during the conquest of the city.
and Galilee
became an autonomous Jewish province of the Sassanid Empire. At the time 150,000 Jews were living in 43 settlements throughout the newly liberated territory.
According to Jewish sources, after the conquest of Jerusalem
, Nehemiah ben Hushiel
had been appointed the ruler of Jerusalem. He began the work of making arrangements of the rebuilding of the Temple, and sorting out genealogies to established a new High Priesthood. Approximately five years later the Persians gave control of the province to the Christians, as their troops left in an act, seen by Jews as betrayal.
and the Jews who had joined the Persians. In 628, after the defeat and death of Khosrau II
, Heraclius came as victor into Jerusalem. The Jews of Tiberias and Nazareth, under the leadership of Benjamin of Tiberias
, changed sides and joined him. It is even claimed that Benjamin accompanied the Emperor Heraclius himself during his entry into the city of Jerusalem.
According to other sources, Byzantine return was not peaceful since the very beginning, directly resulting in execution of Benjamin of Tiberias
and other revolutionaries by Theodosius in 625.
. According to Eutychius, the Emperor would have kept peace with them, had not fanatic monks instigated him to a massacre. Only a few Jews escaped into Egypt or sought refuge in caves and in forests. In atonement for the violation of an oath to the Jews, the monks pledged themselves to a fast, which the Copts still observe, while the Syrians and the Melchite Greeks ceased to keep it after the death of Heraclius;
Heraclius is said to have dreamed that destruction threatened the Byzantine Empire through a circumcised people (which happened indeed with the Muslim Conquest of the whole Empire in the following centuries). He therefore proposed to destroy all Jews who would not become Christians; and he is reported to have counseled Dagobert
, king of the Franks, to do the same. By that time, the situation of the Jews was so desperate that the Tiburtine Sibyl
said that the entire community of Jews in the Byzantine Empire would be converted in one hundred and twenty years (by 628).
, had emerged in the region. Heraclius sought to consolidate and secure his gains. Though he had previously granted the Jews amnesty for their revolt, he would not risk another likely revolt in a war with the Arabs.
In 638, the Byzantine Empire completely lost control of Judea to the Arabs. The Arab Islamic Empire
under Caliph Umar
conquered Jerusalem and the lands of Mesopotamia
, Levant, and Egypt.
, which partly is attributed to the events of Jewish conquest in 614.
Heraclius
Heraclius was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.He was responsible for introducing Greek as the empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, successfully led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.Heraclius'...
was a Jewish insurrection against the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
across Levant, coming to the aid of the Persian during Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628. The revolt began with the Battle of Antioch (613)
Battle of Antioch (613)
The Battle of Antioch took place in 613 outside of Antioch, Syria between a Byzantine army led by Heraclius and a Persian army. The victorious Persians were able to maintain a hold on their recently taken Byzantine territory.- History :...
, culminating with the conquest of Jerusalem in 614
Siege of Jerusalem (614)
The Siege of Jerusalem in 614 was part of the final phase of the Byzantine-Sassanid Wars. The Persian Shah Khosrau II appointed his generals to conquer the Byzantine controlled areas of the Near East, establishing a strategic alliance with the Jewish population of the Sassanid Persia...
by Persian and Jewish forces and establishment of Jewish autonomy. The revolt ended with departure of the Persian troops and an eventual surrender of Jewish rebels to Byzantines in the year 625 (or 628).
Background
During an early stage of Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628, Khosrau IIKhosrau II
250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II (Khosrow II, Chosroes II, or Xosrov II in classical sources, sometimes called Parvez, "the Ever Victorious" – (in Persian: خسرو پرویز), was the twenty-second Sassanid King of Persia, reigning from 590 to 628...
decided on a tactical move to establish a military alliance with the Jewish population of the Sassanid Empire, with a promise to re-establish Jewish rule over the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
(Palaestina province of Byzantine Empire at that time). Following Khosrau II
Khosrau II
250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II (Khosrow II, Chosroes II, or Xosrov II in classical sources, sometimes called Parvez, "the Ever Victorious" – (in Persian: خسرو پرویز), was the twenty-second Sassanid King of Persia, reigning from 590 to 628...
's pact with Nehemiah
Nehemiah ben Hushiel
Nehemiah ben Hushiel was the son of the Jewish Exilarch, placed as the symbolic leader of Jewish troops within Sassanid army in 608 CE, according to Jewish sources. This army participated in Khasrau II's campaign in the Levant. The joint military effort of Sassanid troops and local Jewish militias...
, son of Jewish Exilarch
Exilarch
Exilarch refers to the leaders of the Diaspora Jewish community in Babylon following the deportation of King Jeconiah and his court into Babylonian exile after the first fall of Jerusalem in 597 BCE and augmented after the further deportations following the destruction...
, a Jewish army, about 20,000 strong, was recruited in Persia and was put in march together with Persian troops towards the Levant.
Revolt
Following the victory in AntiochBattle of Antioch (613)
The Battle of Antioch took place in 613 outside of Antioch, Syria between a Byzantine army led by Heraclius and a Persian army. The victorious Persians were able to maintain a hold on their recently taken Byzantine territory.- History :...
, joint Sassanid-Jewish army, commanded by Shahrbaraz
Shahrbaraz
Shahrbaraz or Shahrwaraz was a general, with the rank of Eran Spahbod under Khosrau II . His name was Farrokhan, and Shahrbaraz was his title...
, arrived to Palaestina Prima and conquered Caesaria Maritima. Nehemiah's Jewish troops and the Sassanid Persians, commanded by Shahrbaraz
Shahrbaraz
Shahrbaraz or Shahrwaraz was a general, with the rank of Eran Spahbod under Khosrau II . His name was Farrokhan, and Shahrbaraz was his title...
, were joined by Benjamin of Tiberias
Benjamin of Tiberias
According to Jewish sources Benjamin of Tiberias was a man of immense wealth, who enlisted and armed many soldiers during the Jewish revolt against Heraclius in the 7th century Palaestina province of the Byzantine Empire...
(according to Jewish sources – a man of immense wealth), who enlisted and armed additional soldiers from Tiberias, Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
and the mountain cities of Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
and together they marched on Jerusalem. Later, they were joined by the Jews of the southern parts of the country and supported by a band of Arabs, the united forces took
Siege of Jerusalem (614)
The Siege of Jerusalem in 614 was part of the final phase of the Byzantine-Sassanid Wars. The Persian Shah Khosrau II appointed his generals to conquer the Byzantine controlled areas of the Near East, establishing a strategic alliance with the Jewish population of the Sassanid Persia...
Jerusalem on July 614, after a 20 day siege. According to Antiochus Strategos, tens of thousands of Christians were massacred during the conquest of the city.
The Sassanid Jewish Commonwealth
Though there are limited sources on what happened in the following years, it appears Jews were given permission to run the city and they effectively did so for the next five years. The Jews of Jerusalem gained complete control over the city, and much of JudeaJudea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
and Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
became an autonomous Jewish province of the Sassanid Empire. At the time 150,000 Jews were living in 43 settlements throughout the newly liberated territory.
According to Jewish sources, after the conquest of Jerusalem
Siege of Jerusalem (614)
The Siege of Jerusalem in 614 was part of the final phase of the Byzantine-Sassanid Wars. The Persian Shah Khosrau II appointed his generals to conquer the Byzantine controlled areas of the Near East, establishing a strategic alliance with the Jewish population of the Sassanid Persia...
, Nehemiah ben Hushiel
Nehemiah ben Hushiel
Nehemiah ben Hushiel was the son of the Jewish Exilarch, placed as the symbolic leader of Jewish troops within Sassanid army in 608 CE, according to Jewish sources. This army participated in Khasrau II's campaign in the Levant. The joint military effort of Sassanid troops and local Jewish militias...
had been appointed the ruler of Jerusalem. He began the work of making arrangements of the rebuilding of the Temple, and sorting out genealogies to established a new High Priesthood. Approximately five years later the Persians gave control of the province to the Christians, as their troops left in an act, seen by Jews as betrayal.
Restoration of Byzantine rule
The sources greatly diverge on what happened in the aftermath of the revolt. According to some, in 625, the Byzantine army reconquered the territory and amnesty was granted to Benjamin of TiberiasBenjamin of Tiberias
According to Jewish sources Benjamin of Tiberias was a man of immense wealth, who enlisted and armed many soldiers during the Jewish revolt against Heraclius in the 7th century Palaestina province of the Byzantine Empire...
and the Jews who had joined the Persians. In 628, after the defeat and death of Khosrau II
Khosrau II
250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II (Khosrow II, Chosroes II, or Xosrov II in classical sources, sometimes called Parvez, "the Ever Victorious" – (in Persian: خسرو پرویز), was the twenty-second Sassanid King of Persia, reigning from 590 to 628...
, Heraclius came as victor into Jerusalem. The Jews of Tiberias and Nazareth, under the leadership of Benjamin of Tiberias
Benjamin of Tiberias
According to Jewish sources Benjamin of Tiberias was a man of immense wealth, who enlisted and armed many soldiers during the Jewish revolt against Heraclius in the 7th century Palaestina province of the Byzantine Empire...
, changed sides and joined him. It is even claimed that Benjamin accompanied the Emperor Heraclius himself during his entry into the city of Jerusalem.
According to other sources, Byzantine return was not peaceful since the very beginning, directly resulting in execution of Benjamin of Tiberias
Benjamin of Tiberias
According to Jewish sources Benjamin of Tiberias was a man of immense wealth, who enlisted and armed many soldiers during the Jewish revolt against Heraclius in the 7th century Palaestina province of the Byzantine Empire...
and other revolutionaries by Theodosius in 625.
Massacres of the Jews (629)
In 629, the situation escalated, resulting in a wide scale massacre of Jewish population throughout Jerusalem and Galilee, ensuing with tens of thousands of Jews put to flight from Palaestina to EgyptAncient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. According to Eutychius, the Emperor would have kept peace with them, had not fanatic monks instigated him to a massacre. Only a few Jews escaped into Egypt or sought refuge in caves and in forests. In atonement for the violation of an oath to the Jews, the monks pledged themselves to a fast, which the Copts still observe, while the Syrians and the Melchite Greeks ceased to keep it after the death of Heraclius;
Heraclius is said to have dreamed that destruction threatened the Byzantine Empire through a circumcised people (which happened indeed with the Muslim Conquest of the whole Empire in the following centuries). He therefore proposed to destroy all Jews who would not become Christians; and he is reported to have counseled Dagobert
Dagobert I
Dagobert I was the king of Austrasia , king of all the Franks , and king of Neustria and Burgundy . He was the last Merovingian dynast to wield any real royal power...
, king of the Franks, to do the same. By that time, the situation of the Jews was so desperate that the Tiburtine Sibyl
Tiburtine Sibyl
The Tiburtine Sibyl was a Roman sibyl, whose seat was the ancient Etruscan town of Tibur .The mythic meeting of Cæsar Augustus with the Sibyl, of whom he inquired whether he should be worshiped as a god, was a favored motif of Christian artists. Whether the sibyl in question was the Etruscan Sibyl...
said that the entire community of Jews in the Byzantine Empire would be converted in one hundred and twenty years (by 628).
Invasion by Arab Islamic armies
After the defeat of the Persian Empire, a new threat, the Arab Islamic EmpireRashidun
The Rightly Guided Caliphs or The Righteous Caliphs is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the first four Caliphs who established the Rashidun Caliphate. The concept of "Rightly Guided Caliphs" originated with the Abbasid Dynasty...
, had emerged in the region. Heraclius sought to consolidate and secure his gains. Though he had previously granted the Jews amnesty for their revolt, he would not risk another likely revolt in a war with the Arabs.
Heraclius experienced a most exquisite triumph as he knelt in the rebuilt church to receive the blessings of the patriarch that extraordinary day. Apologists would say afterwards that only because of the adamant demands of the patriarch and the local clergy did the Emperor rescind his pledge of amnesty and reluctantly authorize the forced baptism and massacre of the Empire's Jews.
In 638, the Byzantine Empire completely lost control of Judea to the Arabs. The Arab Islamic Empire
Rashidun
The Rightly Guided Caliphs or The Righteous Caliphs is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the first four Caliphs who established the Rashidun Caliphate. The concept of "Rightly Guided Caliphs" originated with the Abbasid Dynasty...
under Caliph Umar
Umar
`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....
conquered Jerusalem and the lands of Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, Levant, and Egypt.
In Jewish literature
The events of the Persian-Byzantine struggle in the Levant and the consequent Arab conquest had insipred several apocaliptic Jewish writings of the early Middle Ages. Among those on ecan find the Apocalypse of ZerubbabelApocalypse of Zerubbabel
Sefer Zerubbabel is a medieval Hebrew apocalypse written at the beginning of the 7th century in the style of biblical visions placed into the mouth of Zerubbabel, the last descendant of the Davidic line to take a prominent part in Israel's history, who laid the foundation of the Second Temple in...
, which partly is attributed to the events of Jewish conquest in 614.
See also
- Jewish-Roman warsJewish-Roman warsThe Jewish–Roman wars were a series of large-scale revolts by the Jews of Iudaea Province and Eastern Mediterranean against the Roman Empire. Some sources use the term to refer only to the First Jewish–Roman War and Bar Kokhba revolt...
66–136 CE - Jewish revolt against Gallus 352 CE
- Samaritan RevoltsSamaritan RevoltsThe Samaritan Revolts were a series of insurrections during the 5th and 6th centuries in Palaestina Prima province, launched by the Samaritans against the Christian East Roman/Byzantine Empire...
484–572 CE - Yehud MedinataYehud MedinataYehud Medinata or simply Yehud, was an Achaeminid autonomous province covering Judea and parts of Samaria, located south to Eber-Nari...
- List of conflicts in the Near East
Sources
- Katz, Shmuel. Battleground (1974), p. 97.
- The Persian conquest of Jerusalem in 614 compared with Islamic conquest of 638.