Causes of the First Jewish Revolt

The First Jewish Revolt of Jewish War of 66-70AD/CE originated from several areas. The first area that would lead to an inevitable rebellion of the Jewish people against an indestructible Roman Empire was the lingering bitterness left over from the Maccabean Revolt. An attitude of resentment and desire for liberty combined caused a number of young Jewish men to form different philosophies that led to a rebellious attitude toward Roman occupation. The ideal of the Jewish people living under the rule and laws of God had been around since the time of Moses never really left the hearts of the Jewish people. The view of God being the ruler of the Jews led to different groups promoting philosophies of rebellious acts and the martydom for the sake of God's laws as acceptable and necessary. Jewish leaders such as Judas the son of Sepphoraeus, Matthias the son of Margalus, Judas the Galilean, and Sadduc the Pharisee were instigators of this view. These men would lead groups of young followers into rebellious acts and their philosophies became widespread among the Jewish people. The growing idea of a messiah coming to rescue the Jewish people from the Romans and conflict among the Jewish Groups (Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, and Essenes) themselves would create a hostile environment as well, which was a brewing for war.

The second area that could be considered a major cause of the war when combined with the philosophies proposed by the men aforementioned is the countless ruthless rulers that were appointed by the Roman Empire over the Jewish populations. The Romans began appointing direct rule over specific areas after the failures of Herod the Great's sons to keep peace and order. Procurators such as Felix, Nero, Albinus and Gessius Florus created an environment of intolerable living conditions for the Jewish people. The abomination acts of these men led the restriction of Jewish rights in certain areas, reduction in religious practices, assassinations of High Priest, and eventual taking of the treasures from the temples. These acts became intolerable to the Jewish leadership, which eventually declare that war was inevitable.