SECTION 3 ("The Quiet Years" of Passive Resistance & Planning)

Between the time following the conquest of the last Jewish outpost of Masada in 73 and
the Jewish taking of Alexandria, Egypt in 115-116; the war was still on in the sense that
the Jews were busy making plans and preparations for another all-out assault on the
Roman oppression.

Some say that the Jews had "learned" from their 'mistakes' of 66-74; however, the truth
was that they were not ready for war with the Romans... they were 'pushed' into it before
they could get ready. After what had happened during those battles of 66-74, they did
learn some things though. They learned how difficult their task really was and that they
needed to spend much more time preparing their calculations and strategy for the next
offensives in the war.

When we look back at the events that occurred and see them with new eyes (that is in
knowing what the war was really about and that it had been a much longer war than had
previously been realized), we can then start to determine that things that were done by
the Jews had purposes that he had not yet considered fully. One may venture to guess,
for instance, what the plans of the Jews were with regard to new strategies in the war -
but it may be that by strengthening their presence in Alexandria, that they had hoped to
acquire that key territory for themselves so as to allow them a critical advantage in
successive offensives against Rome. And that it may have been used as a position from
which they may use as a base from which to rebuild and support strongholds that they
were preparing and possibly to re-establish those that they had previously lost.

About the year 95, Rabbi Akiva was one of the 5 Rabbis that went to Rome to confer
with the Roman leaders - presumably to assure them that the remaining Jews were now
peaceful and would not interfere with the actions of Rome; in exchange for some sort
of allowances from Rome. In doing so, the Rabbis were trying to rebuild the areas in
which they taught, studied and resided. After some years of relative peace, covert
operations were in effect by the Jews in preparation for a planned offensive.

Apparently, around the year 100 or so, under the agreement with Rome, the Jewish
leadership was allowed to build and/or maintain a small Jewish school at Bnai Brak.
Of the Rabbis teaching there, Rabbi Akiva became the foremost in authority and
leadership. Rabbi Akiva was born around the year 60, and so, he knew well what the
war was about and those who had been in it as well as what sacrifices were made for
his sake and the sake of all others in the noble Jewish attempt to abolish slavery from
the Roman empire. The school at Bnai Brak was growing and maintained at least
until about the years 115-116 CE. So, for about 15 years, teaching and strategic
preparations were going on with the goal of gaining the key territory of Alexandria,
Egypt were most probably their foremost concerns. Also during this time, it appears
that a war fund was being built and allies were being formed by the Jews.

SECTION 4 (The Taking of Alexandria, Egypt by the Jews)

Now, this appears to be one of the least known, least researched parts of this war
overall. Until now, the war has not been examined as one long war by those who
style themselves 'scholars'. Instead, they have been thinking in terms of sporadic
"revolts", with no real clue as to what it was really all about. Is it any wonder that
they did not give credence to the importance of this phase of the war?

In 115, the Jews orchestrated simultaneous uprisings which commenced in a)
Alexandria, Egypt, and also in b) Lybia, c) in Cyrenaica, and d) in Cyprus. This was
a deliberately planned effort by the Jews to acquire strategic geographic locations
for the later all-out battle that was being planned and prepared for.

The Alexandrian Jews did succeed in taking Alexandria, Egypt from the Romans for
about a year, but lost it back to the Romans again. The Romans were no fools and
prided themselves on strategy in war as Josephus can't seem to help reporting, stating
that; "incautiousness in war and mad impetuosity are alien to the Romans."

In any case, the loss of Alexandria was no doubt a decisive factor in the resulting
outcome of the last all-out offensive assault by the Jews upon the Romans in this
long war that lasted many generations and that consumed many lives over the
course of all of those years. More and better scholarly work must be done on this
so that the world can finally recognize the great sacrifices and efforts of those heroes
in this war.

SECTION 5 (The Jewish Offensive Preparations)

Now after the loss of Alexandria, the Jews continued in their other stratagems and
even, it appears, managed to fool Hadrian during his visit throughout the countryside
as reported by Dio Cassius. Hadrian, appeared to be convinced that finally there was
at last peace between the Romans and the Jews. Many have commented upon this and
point to several examples on Roman coins of the time that give this impression as well.

With Hadrian being contented, the Jews apparently saw their chance at an advantage
for a surprise attack. It may well be that they either invented a distraction elsewhere
that prompted Hadrian to send his forces away and/or that Hadrian, after visiting
what he had perceived to be a peaceful Judea, he felt that he did not require as many
troops there as he did elsewhere - at the point that sparked the Jewish offensive in
late 131 to early 132 CE. This too, is another area of the war that needs much more
examination.

SECTION 6 (The Culmination of the War & the Diaspora)

As stated at the beginning of this article, there is much more to this long war than
can possibly be put into any one article. And so it is for that reason that we will limit
what we state in this article to those things that are either of the most importance
and/or those things that are not as well-known. Some things will have to be stated
briefly as well. This part of the war is most often referred to as the Bar Cochbah
'revolt' (Bar Cochbah is also spelled "Bar Kokhba", etc.). We prefer to refer to it
as the Bar Cochbah "offensive" and to eliminate the thought of the war in terms of
disconnected 'revolts' that were done for 'religious' reasons. It is time for truth.

The fact of the matter is that the re-emergence of the Jewish war must have caught
Hadrian totally off guard. This was a massive all-out battle that was fought on many
fields and that was extremely costly in terms of the loss of lives on both sides. But the
Jews were resolved to make this one last effort to rid the Roman empire (and hence,
the world) of slavery once and for all. The greater part of this last portion of the war
occurred in 132 CE and lasted until 135 CE. This part of the war as it cannot be
emphasized enough, was extremely injurious to the Romans and had the Jews been able
to retain and secure Alexandria, they may well have won the war. This was not a
hasty, ill-conceived offensive. It was long planned and prepared for.

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