LLT

DIASPORA REVOLT: 114-117 AD

During the early decades of the second century AD the tension between Jews and Christians continued. Christians realized that it was becoming more and more of a disadvantage to be classed with the Jews. A new Jewish rebellion did not help matters any.

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In 114, Trajan, the Roman emperor, launched a war against Parthia, a rival empire in the east. While Trajan's forces pushed toward the Persian Gulf, certain Jews decided to take advantage of Trajan's preoccupation with the Parthians.

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Known as the Diaspora Revolt, this uprising included the large Jewish communities in Cyrene (north Africa), Egypt, and Cyprus. Ancient historians, including Dio Cassius and Eusebius, recount the atrocities committed by Jews against both Romans and Greeks.

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Eventually, Trajan withdrew some of his legions from the east, and they quickly suppressed the revolt. The defeated Jews only succeeded in arousing heightened hostility against themselves. Christian writers of that era clearly express anti-Jewish views.