Jews vs. Rome
Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire
Published on 11. September 2025
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-1-6680-0959-8 (ISBN)
Description
A new history of two centuries of Jewish revolts against the Roman Empire, drawing on recent archeological discoveries and new scholarship by leading historian Barry Strauss.
Jews vs. Rome is a gripping account of one of the most momentous eras in human history: the two hundred years of ancient Israel's battles against Rome that reshaped Judaism and gave rise to Christianity. Barry Strauss vividly captures the drama of this era, highlighting the courageous yet tragic uprisings, the geopolitical clash between the empires of Rome and Persia, and the internal conflicts among Jews.
Between 63 BCE and 136 CE, the Jewish people launched several revolts driven by deep-seated religious beliefs and resentment towards Roman rule. Judea, a province on Rome's eastern fringe, became a focal point of tension and rebellion. Jews vs. Rome recounts the three major uprisings: the Great Revolt of 66-70 CE, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, culminating in the Siege of Masada, where defenders chose mass suicide over surrender; the Diaspora Revolt, ignited by heavy taxes across the Empire; and the Bar Kokhba Revolt. We meet pivotal figures such as Simon Bar Kokhba but also some of those lesser-known women of the era like Berenice, a Jewish princess who played a major role in the politics of the Great Revolt and was improbably the love of Titus-Rome's future emperor and the man who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
Today, echoes of those battles resonate as the Jewish nation faces new challenges and conflicts. Jews vs. Rome offers a captivating narrative that connects the past with the present, appealing to anyone interested in Rome, Jewish history, or the compelling true tales of resilience and resistance.
Jews vs. Rome is a gripping account of one of the most momentous eras in human history: the two hundred years of ancient Israel's battles against Rome that reshaped Judaism and gave rise to Christianity. Barry Strauss vividly captures the drama of this era, highlighting the courageous yet tragic uprisings, the geopolitical clash between the empires of Rome and Persia, and the internal conflicts among Jews.
Between 63 BCE and 136 CE, the Jewish people launched several revolts driven by deep-seated religious beliefs and resentment towards Roman rule. Judea, a province on Rome's eastern fringe, became a focal point of tension and rebellion. Jews vs. Rome recounts the three major uprisings: the Great Revolt of 66-70 CE, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, culminating in the Siege of Masada, where defenders chose mass suicide over surrender; the Diaspora Revolt, ignited by heavy taxes across the Empire; and the Bar Kokhba Revolt. We meet pivotal figures such as Simon Bar Kokhba but also some of those lesser-known women of the era like Berenice, a Jewish princess who played a major role in the politics of the Great Revolt and was improbably the love of Titus-Rome's future emperor and the man who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
Today, echoes of those battles resonate as the Jewish nation faces new challenges and conflicts. Jews vs. Rome offers a captivating narrative that connects the past with the present, appealing to anyone interested in Rome, Jewish history, or the compelling true tales of resilience and resistance.
Reviews / Votes
"Strauss is one of America's leading classicists and military historians, and his latest book synthesizes a lifetime of learning. . . . A riveting, propulsive history of the people of Judea under Roman rule and in the early years of the diaspora." * <I>Kirkus Reviews</I> (starred review) * "Mr. Strauss is excellent at using modern archaeology to extract information from ancient battlefields. . . . Jews vs. Rome is packed with tales of assassins, mobs, agents provocateurs, zealots and traitors. . . . Without the Jews and their indomitable determination to resist Rome, this book argues powerfully, modern Judaism would look very different-and less heroically noble-than it does today." -- Andrew Roberts * <I>The Wall Street Journal</I> * "Bar-ry Strauss, a lead-ing author-i-ty on ancient mil-i-tary his-to-ry, uses his con-sid-er-able exper-tise to exam-ine three major Jew-ish revolts against the Roman Empire. . . . [An] engag-ing and acces-si-ble nar-ra-tive his-to-ry." -- Lin-da Kan-tor-Swerd-low * The Jewish Book Council * "Judaism as we know it today is not the Judaism of the Bible-it is the Judaism that emerged from the destruction of the Second Jewish Commonwealth at the hands of the Romans. As Barry Strauss illustrates in this riveting account, this pivotal period was defined by conflicting values and visions among Jews, corruption of their religious institutions, infighting when they could least afford it and much more that our own time eerily echoes. This stunning account leaves us with a much deeper understanding of not only the Jews' past, but their present as well, and perhaps even their future." -- Daniel Gordis, author of<I> Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn </I> "Historian Strauss hits another home run with this thorough account of the tumultuous relations between Rome and its most contentious subjects, the Jews, in ancient times. . . . There is no better history of this important but little-known subject." * <I>Library Journal</I> (starred review) * "Incisive, timely, and thought-provoking, Jews vs. Rome is an insightful history of the way implacable faith and resistance fueled two centuries of Judea's doomed blows against the Empire. Barry Strauss is a master at illuminating the strong personalities, complex motives, and turbulence during Rome's struggle to control the Middle East." -- Adrienne Mayor, Research scholar, Department of Classics and History and Philosophy of Science, Stanford University, and author of <I>Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws, and Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities</I> "For two hundred years, the Jews fought the world's greatest power-Imperial Rome-and by doing so, won their rightful place as one of history's most consequential people. Told by the master historian of the ancient world, this is a wonderful and important read."-- Karl Rove, former White House Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff and author of <I>The Triumph of William McKinley</I> "Jews vs. Rome retells, with passion and immediacy, the Jews' continuous confrontations with the great power of Rome and their own unceasing, often violent internal disputes, and ultimately indicates an enduring spiritual strength to explain their survival as a people. Behind the story of survival is a dire warning against disunity in perilous times." -- Jonathan J. Price, the Fred and Helen Lessing Professor of Ancient History, Departments of Classics and General History, Tel Aviv University
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
one 8-pg b-w insert; 3 b-w maps t-o;
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 41 mm
Weight
552 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6680-0959-8 (9781668009598)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2025
Simon + Schuster LLC
€14.83
Available for download
Person
Barry Strauss is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, and a leading expert on ancient military history. He has written or edited several books, including The Battle of Salamis, The Trojan War, The Spartacus War, Masters of Command, The Death of Caesar, and Ten Caesars. Visit BarryStrauss.com.