by
Damien F.
Mackey
The era of king Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ (c. 175–164 BC,
conventional dating)
must be lowered on the timescale by a bit over a century and a
half,
to align with the Nativity of Jesus Christ.
According to the conventional pattern of ancient history,
the dates and the succession of Jewish resistance fighters named Simon would go like this:
·
Simon
‘Thassi’ the Hasmonaean (d. 135 BC) fought
in the Maccabean wars against king Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ and his Seleucid
(Greek) successors, and eventually became a great leader over Jerusalem;
·
Simon
bar Giora (d. 70 AD)
fought in the First Jewish Revolt against the Romans (66-70 AD), Vespasian and
Titus, was subsequently defeated, captured and killed;
·
Simon
bar Kochba (d. 135 AD) led
the Second Jewish Revolt (135-135 AD) against Rome’s emperor Hadrian (135-135
AD), and was subsequently defeated and killed.
That is a
collection of three notable leaders named Simon, fighting, variously,
Greeks and Romans, over a span of almost three centuries (135 BC – 135 AD).
Let
us consider these three names in turn and what I think may really have happened.
Simon
‘Thassi’ the Hasmonaean
While
this Simon, so wonderfully eulogised in Sirach 50, “The greatest of his
brothers and the pride of his people …”, is firmly established historically
insofar as he was a leader of the known Maccabean resistance against the
Seleucid Greeks, there are – in my opinion only (for I know of no one else at
this stage who shares this outlook) – at least two absolutely bell-ringing
alterations that need to be made to the conventional view about the Maccabees
and the Seleucid tyrant king, Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’.
The
first one is that the era of king Antiochus (c. 175–164 BC,
conventional dating) must be lowered on the timescale by a bit over a century
and a half, to align with the Nativity of Jesus Christ.
Yes,
that is admittedly a startling claim!
For
its justification, see e.g. my articles:
Judas the Galilean vitally links Maccabean era to Daniel 2’s “rock cut
out of a mountain”
(6)
Judas the Galilean vitally links Maccabean era to Daniel 2’s “rock cut out of a
mountain”
Judas Maccabeus may be essential to establishing the chronology of the
Child Jesus
(5)
Judas Maccabeus may be essential to establishing the chronology of the Child
Jesus
Religious war raging in Judah during the Infancy of Jesus
(6)
Religious war raging in Judah during the Infancy of Jesus
The
second one, which must dramatically affect the history and circumstances
of our third-mentioned Simon (above): “Simon bar Kochba (d. 135 AD) led
the Second Jewish Revolt (135-135 AD) against Rome’s emperor Hadrian (135-135
AD), and was subsequently defeated and killed”, is that Luke’s census emperor
“Caesar Augustus” (Luke 2:1) was the same ruler as the emperor Hadrian.
Yes,
again, that is admittedly a startling claim!
For
its justification, see e.g. my article:
Time to consider Hadrian, that ‘mirror-image’ of Antiochus Epiphanes,
as also the census emperor Augustus
In
other words, Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’/Augustus/Hadrian all coagulate into just the
one emperor at the time of the Nativity census.
This
was a Seleucid Greek, not a Roman, era.
This
now means that there was no Second Jewish Revolt (135-135 AD) against Rome, nor
could there have been after the apocalyptic destructions of 70 AD under general
Titus. This particular revolt against the “Grecophile”, Hadrian, has been
confused with the Maccabean revolt more than half a century before the 70 AD
destruction.
If
Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ was Hadrian, then does that mean, as I had previously
thought, that Hadrian’s supposed adversary, Simon bar Kochba, was a Maccabee,
presumably Simon ‘Thassi’ the Hasmonaean?
Back
to that in a moment.
Simon
bar Giora (d. 70 AD). What
we read above about him, that he “fought in the First Jewish Revolt against the
Romans (66-70 AD), Vespasian and Titus, was subsequently defeated, captured and
killed”, still holds firm, as does our first Simon, “Thassi”. Nor is there
apparently any need, as there was in the case of the Maccabean era, to chime in
with any bell-ringing historical revisions.
Simon
bar Kochba
He
is not terribly well known.
In
answer to my own question (above): “If Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ was Hadrian, then
does that mean, as I had previously thought, that Hadrian’s supposed adversary,
Simon bar Kochba, was a Maccabee, presumably Simon ‘Thassi’ the Hasmonaean?”, I
would now say, NO, they are far too different.
The
correct match for the poorly known Simon bar Kochba is, not Simon “Thassi”, but
the later revolutionary, Simon bar Giora.
“Ben
Kozba [Kochba] further proclaimed himself as the Messiah …”: Bar Kokhba Revolt - Chabad.org and this was also the situation with:
Simon Giora aspiring to be a Messiah King
(7)
Simon Giora aspiring to be a Messiah King
It
was not the case, however, with the noble Simon “Thassi”.
Historically,
Simon bar Kochba and emperor Hadrian could never have crossed paths.
Summing
it all up
The
first Jewish ‘revolt’, war of resistance, was the successful Maccabean one
against the Greek tyrant king Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’, to be re-identified,
further, as Augustus-Hadrian, and to be significantly re-dated to the time of
the census and the Nativity of Jesus Christ, the true Messianic Star.
The
Simon involved in this actual war of resistance was Simon “Thassi” the
Hasmonaean.
The second
revolt, historically known as the First Jewish Revolt, was basically as we know
it, raging from c. 66-70 AD.
Simon bar
Giora and others were pitted against the invading Vespasian and Titus.
It is this
one, rather than the Maccabean resistance war against the emperor Hadrian, that
I think must also have involved Simon Bar Kochba, who would be a good like-fit
for Simon bar Giora: The Other “Messiahs” | Tactical
Christianity
“Jesus was
not the only messianic figure to appear in ancient Palestine. The Jewish
people of the first century were waiting for a messiah who would rise up to
free them from Roman rule – and a number of seeming messiahs did appear (Acts
5:37). Two of the most important of these supposed messiahs were Simon bar
Giora and Simeon bar Kosevah [Kochba]”.
“Bar Giora
coins bore the legend "Redemption of Zion", indicating that there was
a religious aspect to Simon's bid for power”.
Previously I
wrote:
The nail
in the coffin of the textbook history for these times, I had written, was that
Simon Bar Kochba issued coins depicting “The Redemption of Israel” - oh, yes,
and so did Simon Bar Giora do the exact same thing. And, guess what was
depicted on Bar Kochba’s coins?: THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM, which I believe he
was so desperately defending, with the Ark of the Covenant inside it, and a
star, his own star, depicted over the Temple. ….
By contrast
with the other Simon, “Thassi”, Simon bar Giora was an unworthy character with
Messianic pretensions: Simon Bar Giora
“Simon, thinking he might be able to astonish and elude the Romans, put on a white frock, and buttoned upon him a purple cloak, and appeared out of the ground in the place where the temple had formerly been. At the first, indeed, those that saw him were greatly astonished, and stood still where they were; but afterward they came nearer to him, and asked him who he was. Now Simon would not tell them, but bid them call for their captain; and when they ran to call him, Terentius Rufus (who was left to command the army there) came to Simon, and learned of him the whole truth, and kept him in bonds, and let Titus know that he was taken. Thus did God bring this man to be punished for what bitter and savage tyranny he had exercised against his countrymen.
[Flavius Josephus, Jewish War 7.26-32]”
For
further consideration
There
is yet another Simon name, the bearer of which may possibly also be able to be
fitted into our now composite revolutionary messianic character, Simon bar
Giora/ Kochba, and that is the perfidious Simon Magus:
Simon Magus was a Son of Perdition
(9)
Simon Magus was a Son of Perdition
Jezebel of Revelation 2 may have been Helena, the wife of Simon Magus
(10)
Jezebel of Revelation 2 may have been Helena, the wife of Simon Magus
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