Bar Kokhba

• SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see Category:Bar Kokhba (subject)

Shimon Bar Kokhba (2nd century CE) was the Jewish leader of the so-called Bar Kokhba revolt (or Third Jewish revolt) against the Roman rule in Judea around 132 CE.

Bar Kokhba in ancient sources

• See Bar Kokhba (sources)

The discovery of letters in a cave near the Dead Sea, some apparently signed by Bar Kokhba himself, have provided some first-hand information about this historical character and the dramatic conclusion of the revolt.

Bar Kokhba in Scholarship

From ancient sources we know that his real name was Simon ben Kosiba. The Aramaic surname (Bar Kokhba = "son of a star") was given to him in reference to the messianic prophecy of Numbers 24:17. After the failure of the revolt, rabbinic writers would rather call him "Bar Kozeba" (= son of disappointment").

Bar Kokhba in Fiction

The rediscovery of Bar Kokhba as a Jewish hero and its transformation into a fearless champion of freedom and independence for his people coincide with the rise of Zionism in the second half of the 19th century. The memory of Bar Kokhba has accompanied the birth of the State of Israel and its struggle for independence and survival.

References

• Bar Kokhba / Benjamin Isaac and Aharon Oppenheimer / In: The Anchor Bible Dictionary (1992 Freedman), dictionary, 1:598-601

• / [[]] / In: The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism (2010 Collins / Harlow), dictionary,

External links

• Wikipedia