Historical Figures Codexery

Simon bar Kokhba

Jewish military leader who led the Bar Kokhba Revolt against Rome (132–135 CE)

Simon bar Kokhba was a Jewish military leader who initiated a revolt against the Roman Empire in 132 CE.[1] Leading the short-lived Jewish state he established, Bar Kokhba assumed the title of nasi for himself.[1]

Quick Facts

Reign
132–135
Occupation
Military leader
Religion
Judaism
Birth name
Simon bar Koseba
Died
135
Place of death
Betar, Judea, Roman Empire

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Bar Kokhba punished any Jew who refused to join his ranks.[2] The Romans adopted a scorched earth policy that demoralized the Judean populace.[3] Bar Kokhba took refuge in the fortress of Betar, which the Romans captured after a siege.[3] According to Cassius Dio, 580,000 Jews were killed in the war.[4]

The Jerusalem Talmud portrays Bar Kokhba as irascible and says he compelled recruits to chop off one of their own fingers.[5] He is reported to have killed his maternal uncle after suspecting him of collaborating with the enemy.[6] From papyri unearthed in the Cave of Letters, it appears his birth name was Shimon bar Koseva.[7] Rabbi Akiva, a prominent Jewish sage active during the uprising, identified Simon as the Jewish messiah.[8]

According to the Jerusalem Talmud, the Star Prophecy found in Numbers 24:17 was applied to him.[8]

What the cited sources add

The Chronicle of Jerome states that Barcocheba murdered Christians who refused to help him against the Roman army.[9] A "Bar Kokhba game" was invented in Hungary where one player thinks of a word and the other asks yes-or-no questions.[10] The person guessing typically begins by asking whether the target is a living creature; if not, they ask if it is a physical object; if not, they conclude it is an abstract concept.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Simon bar Kokhba" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: BOURGEL, "Ezekiel 40–48 as a Model for Bar Kokhba's Title "Nasi Israel"?", Journal of Ancient Judaism, 2023, p. 1–36 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Simon bar Kokhba" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chronicle of Jerome, s.v. Hadrian. See also Yigael Yadin, Bar-Kokhba, Random House New York 1971, p. 258. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Simon bar Kokhba" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bar Kokhba Biography, Revolt, & History Britannica", www.britannica.com, 2025-01-01 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Simon bar Kokhba" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jerusalem Talmud, Taanit 4:5 (24a–b); Dio's Roman History, Epitome of Book LXIX, 14:1-2; pp. 447-451 in Loeb Classical Series. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Simon bar Kokhba" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jerusalem Talmud, Ta'anit 4:5 (24b); same episode repeated in Midrash Rabba (Lamentations Rabbah 2:5) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Simon bar Kokhba" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jerusalem Talmud, Ta'anit 4:5 (24b); same episode repeated in Midrash Rabba (Lamentations Rabbah 2:5); Jerusalem Talmud, Ta'anit 4:5 (24b); same episode repeated in Midrash Rabba (Lamentations Rabbah 2:5) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Simon bar Kokhba" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Encyclopaedia Judaica", Thomson Gale, 2007, p. 156–7; "Bar Kokhba: The Man and the Leader", Thomson Gale; Aharon Oppenheimer, "Eschatology in the Bible and in Jewish and Christian Tradition", A&C Black, 1997, p. 162; Conder, "Tent Work in Palestine: A Record of Discovery and Adventure", R. Bentley & Son, 1887, p. 143; Conder, "Tent Work in Palestine: A Record of Discovery and Adventure", R. Bentley & Son, 1887, p. 143; Schürer, "Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes im Zeitalter Jesu Christi [A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Je en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Simon bar Kokhba" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Akiba ben Joseph article in the Jewish Encyclopedia (1906) by Louis Ginzberg (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Chronicle of Jerome, s.v. Hadrian. See also Yigael Yadin, Bar-Kokhba, Random House New York 1971, p. 258.. facts only, no text reused. tertullian.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Simon bar Kokhba" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rényi, "A Diary on Information Theory", Akadémiai Kiadó, 1984, p. 31-32; "A Barkochba-játék Nevének Eredete: Egy Pesten Kitalált Ókori Zsidó Forradalmár", Mazsihisz, 14 March 2019; Fey, "Barkochba", hhrf.org/szabadsag/archivum, 23 December 2002 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Simon bar Kokhba (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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