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Sicarii

January 25, 2024

For other uses, see Sicarius.

The Sicarii (Modern Hebrew: סיקריים siqariyim) were a splinter group of the Jewish Zealots who, in the decades preceding Jerusalem's destruction in 70 CE, strongly opposed the Roman occupation of Judea and attempted to expel them and their sympathizers from the area.[1] The Sicarii carried sicae, or small daggers, concealed in their cloaks.[2] At public gatherings, they pulled out these daggers to attack Romans and alleged Roman sympathizers alike, blending into the crowd after the deed to escape detection.

The Sicarii are regarded as one of the earliest known organized assassination units of cloak and daggers, predating the Order of Assassins and Japanese ninja by centuries.[3][4] The derived Spanish term sicario is used in contemporary Latin America to describe a hitman.

Etymology edit

In Latin, Sicarii is the plural form of Sicarius "dagger-man", "dagger-wielder". Sica, possibly from Proto-Albanian *tsikā (whence Albanian thika, "knife"), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- ("to sharpen") possibly via Illyrian.[5][6] In later Latin usage, "sicarius" was also the standard term for a murderer (see, e.g., the Lex Cornelia de Sicariis et Veneficiis),[7] and to this day "sicario" is a salaried assassin in Spanish[8] and a commissioned murderer in Italian[9] and Portuguese.[10]

History edit

See also: Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70) and Zealot Temple Siege

Victims of the Sicarii are thought to have included the High Priest Jonathan, although it is possible that his murder was orchestrated by the Roman governor Antonius Felix. Some murders were met with severe retaliation by the Romans on the broader Jewish population of the region. However, on some occasions, the Sicarii would release their intended victim if their terms were met. Much of what is known about the Sicarii comes from the Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War by Josephus, who wrote that the Sicarii agreed to release the kidnapped secretary of Eleazar, governor of the Temple precincts, in exchange for the release of ten captured assassins.[11][12]

At the beginning of the First Roman-Jewish War, the Sicarii, and (possibly) Zealot helpers (Josephus differentiated between the two but did not explain the main differences in depth), gained access to Jerusalem and committed a series of atrocities in an attempt to incite the population into war against Rome. In one account, given in the Talmud, they destroyed the city's food supply, using starvation to force the people to fight against the Roman siege, instead of negotiating peace. Their leaders, including Menahem ben Yehuda and Eleazar ben Ya'ir, were notable figures in the war, and the group fought in many battles against the Romans as soldiers. Together with a small group of followers, Menahem made his way to the fortress of Masada, took over a Roman garrison and slaughtered all 700 soldiers there. They also took over another fortress called Antonia and overpowered the troops of Agrippa II. He also trained them to conduct various guerrilla operations on Roman convoys and legions stationed around Judea.[4]

Josephus also wrote that the Sicarii raided nearby Hebrew villages including Ein Gedi, where they massacred 700 women and children.[13][14][15]

The Zealots, Sicarii and other prominent rebels finally joined forces to attack and temporarily take Jerusalem from Rome in 66 AD,[16] where they took control of the Temple in Jerusalem, executing anyone who tried to oppose their power. The local populace resisted their control and launched a series of sieges and raids to remove the rebel factions. The rebels eventually silenced the uprising and Jerusalem stayed in their hands for the duration of the war.[17] The Romans finally came to take back the city, and they led counter-attacks and sieges to starve the rebels inside. The rebels held for some time, but the constant bickering and the lack of leadership led the groups to disintegrate.[16] The leader of the Sicarii, Menahem, was killed by rival factions during an altercation. Soon, the Romans regained control, and finally destroyed the whole city in 70 AD.

Eleazar and his followers returned to Masada and continued their rebellion against the Romans until 73 AD. The Romans eventually took the fortress and, according to Josephus, found that most of its defenders had committed suicide rather than surrender.[4] In Josephus' The Jewish War (vii), after the fall of the Temple in 70 AD, the sicarii became the dominant revolutionary Hebrew faction, scattered abroad. Josephus particularly associates them with the mass suicide at Masada in 73 AD and to the subsequent refusal "to submit to the taxation census when Cyrenius was sent to Judea to make one" (Josephus) as part of their rebellion's religious and political scheme.

Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament, was believed by some to be a sicarius.[18][19] This opinion is objected to by modern historians, mainly because Josephus in The War of the Hebrews (2:254–7) mentions the appearance of the Sicarii as a new phenomenon during the procuratorships of Felix (52–60 AD), having no apparent relation with the group called Sicarii by Romans at times of Quirinius.[20] The 2nd century compendium of Jewish oral law, the Mishnah (Makhshirin 1:6), mentions the word sikrin (Hebrew: סיקרין), perhaps related to Sicarii, and which is explained by the early rabbinic commentators as being related to the Greek: ληστής (= robbers), and to government personnel involved with implementing the laws of Sicaricon.[21] Maimonides, in his Mishnah Commentary (Makhshirin 1:6), explains the same word sikrin as meaning "people who harass and who are disposed to being violent."[22]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Goodman, Martin (2008). Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations. New York City: Vintage Books. p. 407. ISBN 978-0375726132.
  2. ^ Paul Christian Who were the Sicarii?, Meridian Magazine, June 7, 2004
  3. ^ Pichtel, John, Terrorism and WMDs: Awareness and Response, CRC Press (April 25, 2011) p.3-4. ISBN 978-1439851753
  4. ^ a b c Ross, Jeffrey Ian, Religion and Violence: An Encyclopedia of Faith and Conflict from Antiquity to the Present, Routledge (January 15, 2011), Chapter: Sicarii. ISBN 978-0765620484
  5. ^ Orel, Vladimir (1998). Albanian etymological dictionary. Brill. pp. 477–478. ISBN 9004110240.
  6. ^ Havers, Wilhelm (1984). Die Sprache. A. Sexl. p. 84.
  7. ^ "Definition of sicarius (noun, LNS, sīcārius) - Numen - The Latin Lexicon - An Online Latin Dictionary". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  8. ^ "sicario, ria". Real Academia Española.
  9. ^ "sicàrio". Treccani.it.
  10. ^ "sicário". Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.
  11. ^ Smallwood 2001, pp. 281f.
  12. ^ Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XX 9.
  13. ^ Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome; Cunliffe, Barry. The Holy Land. Oxford Archaeological Guides (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 378–381.
  14. ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book IV 7-2.
  15. ^ Ancient battle divides Israel as Masada 'myth' unravels; Was the siege really so heroic, asks Patrick Cockburn in Jerusalem, The Independent, 30 March 1997
  16. ^ a b Levick, Barbara (1999). Vespasian. London: Routledge, pp. 116–119. ISBN 0-415-16618-7
  17. ^ Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book II 8-11, Book II 13-7, Book II 14-4, Book II 14-5.
  18. ^ "Judas Iscariot web", Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved 30 September 2014
  19. ^ Bastiaan van Iersel, Mark: A Reader-Response Commentary, Continuum International (1998), p. 167.
  20. ^ . Archived from the original on 2014-11-18. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  21. ^ Rabbi Hai Gaon's Commentary on Seder Taharot, cited in Babylonian Talmud (Niddah Tractate), s.v. Mishnah Makhshirin 1:6; also in The Geonic Commentary on Seder Taharot - Attributed to Rabbi Hai Gaon, vol. 2, Berlin 1924, s.v. סיקריקין.
  22. ^ Yosef Qafih (ed.) Mishnah with Maimonides' Commentary (vol. 3), Mossad Harav Kook: Jerusalem 1967, s.v. Makhshirin 1:6 (p. 393) [Hebrew].

References edit

Further reading edit

  • Brighton, Mark Andrew (2009). The Sicarii in Josephus's Judean War: Rhetorical Analysis and Historical Observations. Early Judaism and Its Literature, 27. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature. ISBN 9781589834064. OCLC 758719597.

January 25, 2024
sicarii, other, uses, sicarius, modern, hebrew, סיקריים, siqariyim, were, splinter, group, jewish, zealots, decades, preceding, jerusalem, destruction, strongly, opposed, roman, occupation, judea, attempted, expel, them, their, sympathizers, from, area, carrie. For other uses see Sicarius The Sicarii Modern Hebrew סיקריים siqariyim were a splinter group of the Jewish Zealots who in the decades preceding Jerusalem s destruction in 70 CE strongly opposed the Roman occupation of Judea and attempted to expel them and their sympathizers from the area 1 The Sicarii carried sicae or small daggers concealed in their cloaks 2 At public gatherings they pulled out these daggers to attack Romans and alleged Roman sympathizers alike blending into the crowd after the deed to escape detection The Sicarii are regarded as one of the earliest known organized assassination units of cloak and daggers predating the Order of Assassins and Japanese ninja by centuries 3 4 The derived Spanish term sicario is used in contemporary Latin America to describe a hitman Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 Further readingEtymology editIn Latin Sicarii is the plural form of Sicarius dagger man dagger wielder Sica possibly from Proto Albanian tsika whence Albanian thika knife from Proto Indo European ḱey to sharpen possibly via Illyrian 5 6 In later Latin usage sicarius was also the standard term for a murderer see e g the Lex Cornelia de Sicariis et Veneficiis 7 and to this day sicario is a salaried assassin in Spanish 8 and a commissioned murderer in Italian 9 and Portuguese 10 History editSee also Siege of Jerusalem AD 70 and Zealot Temple Siege Victims of the Sicarii are thought to have included the High Priest Jonathan although it is possible that his murder was orchestrated by the Roman governor Antonius Felix Some murders were met with severe retaliation by the Romans on the broader Jewish population of the region However on some occasions the Sicarii would release their intended victim if their terms were met Much of what is known about the Sicarii comes from the Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War by Josephus who wrote that the Sicarii agreed to release the kidnapped secretary of Eleazar governor of the Temple precincts in exchange for the release of ten captured assassins 11 12 At the beginning of the First Roman Jewish War the Sicarii and possibly Zealot helpers Josephus differentiated between the two but did not explain the main differences in depth gained access to Jerusalem and committed a series of atrocities in an attempt to incite the population into war against Rome In one account given in the Talmud they destroyed the city s food supply using starvation to force the people to fight against the Roman siege instead of negotiating peace Their leaders including Menahem ben Yehuda and Eleazar ben Ya ir were notable figures in the war and the group fought in many battles against the Romans as soldiers Together with a small group of followers Menahem made his way to the fortress of Masada took over a Roman garrison and slaughtered all 700 soldiers there They also took over another fortress called Antonia and overpowered the troops of Agrippa II He also trained them to conduct various guerrilla operations on Roman convoys and legions stationed around Judea 4 Josephus also wrote that the Sicarii raided nearby Hebrew villages including Ein Gedi where they massacred 700 women and children 13 14 15 The Zealots Sicarii and other prominent rebels finally joined forces to attack and temporarily take Jerusalem from Rome in 66 AD 16 where they took control of the Temple in Jerusalem executing anyone who tried to oppose their power The local populace resisted their control and launched a series of sieges and raids to remove the rebel factions The rebels eventually silenced the uprising and Jerusalem stayed in their hands for the duration of the war 17 The Romans finally came to take back the city and they led counter attacks and sieges to starve the rebels inside The rebels held for some time but the constant bickering and the lack of leadership led the groups to disintegrate 16 The leader of the Sicarii Menahem was killed by rival factions during an altercation Soon the Romans regained control and finally destroyed the whole city in 70 AD Eleazar and his followers returned to Masada and continued their rebellion against the Romans until 73 AD The Romans eventually took the fortress and according to Josephus found that most of its defenders had committed suicide rather than surrender 4 In Josephus The Jewish War vii after the fall of the Temple in 70 AD the sicarii became the dominant revolutionary Hebrew faction scattered abroad Josephus particularly associates them with the mass suicide at Masada in 73 AD and to the subsequent refusal to submit to the taxation census when Cyrenius was sent to Judea to make one Josephus as part of their rebellion s religious and political scheme Judas Iscariot one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament was believed by some to be a sicarius 18 19 This opinion is objected to by modern historians mainly because Josephus in The War of the Hebrews 2 254 7 mentions the appearance of the Sicarii as a new phenomenon during the procuratorships of Felix 52 60 AD having no apparent relation with the group called Sicarii by Romans at times of Quirinius 20 The 2nd century compendium of Jewish oral law the Mishnah Makhshirin 1 6 mentions the word sikrin Hebrew סיקרין perhaps related to Sicarii and which is explained by the early rabbinic commentators as being related to the Greek lhsths robbers and to government personnel involved with implementing the laws of Sicaricon 21 Maimonides in his Mishnah Commentary Makhshirin 1 6 explains the same word sikrin as meaning people who harass and who are disposed to being violent 22 See also editSikrikim a modern group inspired by the Sicarii Knife attack tactic used by the group List of Jewish civil warsNotes edit Goodman Martin 2008 Rome and Jerusalem The Clash of Ancient Civilizations New York City Vintage Books p 407 ISBN 978 0375726132 Paul Christian Who were the Sicarii Meridian Magazine June 7 2004 Pichtel John Terrorism and WMDs Awareness and Response CRC Press April 25 2011 p 3 4 ISBN 978 1439851753 a b c Ross Jeffrey Ian Religion and Violence An Encyclopedia of Faith and Conflict from Antiquity to the Present Routledge January 15 2011 Chapter Sicarii ISBN 978 0765620484 Orel Vladimir 1998 Albanian etymological dictionary Brill pp 477 478 ISBN 9004110240 Havers Wilhelm 1984 Die Sprache A Sexl p 84 Definition of sicarius noun LNS sicarius Numen The Latin Lexicon An Online Latin Dictionary Retrieved 30 September 2014 sicario ria Real Academia Espanola sicario Treccani it sicario Dicionario Priberam da Lingua Portuguesa Smallwood 2001 pp 281f Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Book XX 9 Murphy O Connor Jerome Cunliffe Barry The Holy Land Oxford Archaeological Guides 5th ed Oxford University Press pp 378 381 Josephus Wars of the Jews Book IV 7 2 Ancient battle divides Israel as Masada myth unravels Was the siege really so heroic asks Patrick Cockburn in Jerusalem The Independent 30 March 1997 a b Levick Barbara 1999 Vespasian London Routledge pp 116 119 ISBN 0 415 16618 7 Josephus Wars of the Jews Book II 8 11 Book II 13 7 Book II 14 4 Book II 14 5 Judas Iscariot web Encyclopaedia Britannica retrieved 30 September 2014 Bastiaan van Iersel Mark A Reader Response Commentary Continuum International 1998 p 167 Zealots and Sicarii Archived from the original on 2014 11 18 Retrieved 30 September 2014 Rabbi Hai Gaon s Commentary on Seder Taharot cited in Babylonian Talmud Niddah Tractate s v Mishnah Makhshirin 1 6 also in The Geonic Commentary on Seder Taharot Attributed to Rabbi Hai Gaon vol 2 Berlin 1924 s v סיקריקין Yosef Qafih ed Mishnah with Maimonides Commentary vol 3 Mossad Harav Kook Jerusalem 1967 s v Makhshirin 1 6 p 393 Hebrew References editJosephus 1737 75 Wars of the Jews The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus the Jewish Historian translated by William Whiston London Josephus 1737 93 Antiquities of the Jews The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus the Jewish Historian translated by William Whiston London Smallwood E M 2001 The Jews Under Roman Rule From Pompey to Diocletian a Study in Political Relations Biblical Studies and Religious Studies Brill Academic Publishers ISBN 978 0 391 04155 4 Retrieved 9 February 2018 Further reading editBrighton Mark Andrew 2009 The Sicarii in Josephus s Judean War Rhetorical Analysis and Historical Observations Early Judaism and Its Literature 27 Atlanta Society of Biblical Literature ISBN 9781589834064 OCLC 758719597 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sicarii amp oldid 1189129645, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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