Question

Why were the Romans unpopular among Jews? *

Answer 1

Jews existed in fairly peace in the Roman Empire throughout the first century AD. Backed by Rome, everything went well before Judaea rebels led to a tremendous shift in the practice of their religion.

Explanation:

• In 63 B.C, Judea, a country of the Jews was conquered by the Romans. Rome recognizes immediately that it has a problem because the Jews have rejected paying homage to the Roman gods. Rome granted this requirement to and exempted the Jews.
• This was done partly by Rome because, a few years before, the Jews helped Roman General Julius Caesar won an important battle. Rome soon accepted Jewishness as a legitimate religion that allowed Jews to worship openly.
• Yet Rome looked at the Jews suspectedly and constantly punished them. A severe conflict began in Judea in A.D. between Rome and the Jews on Nero's becoming emperor. The Roman governor of Judea decided unwisely to confiscate from the treasury of the Grand Temple in Jerusalem a large amount of money.
• He believed that the Emperor owed him taxes. Rioting exploded, ruthlessly repressed by Roman troops. The outcome was a national party of Jewish rebels, known as Zealots, who killed the Romans in the Roman Province of Jerusalem and targeted Roman troops elsewhere.
• During the Christian period the Church came to recognize the Emperor's duty to use secular powers to reinforce religious unity as Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
• Whoever does not adhere to Catholic Christianity within the Church was perceived as a challenge to the superiority and integrity of "the true religion," and was seen as a right to protect it by any means possible