I have heard about that NotWorthy, but I never went beyond the fact that it was a Roman imposition as a reason for the Jews to practice our religion. This was a common Roman law throughout the Empire. Sacrifices had to be offered on behalf of Caesar, as a condition for Temples to stay put. A symbol of subjection. No wonder we lost our Country because we could not stand that situation for too long.
Oh yes. I’ve heard about that too. Apparently, because no homage to the Roman gods could be offered within the confines of the holy Temple, the best the Jews could do was to offer prayers and sacrifices for the well-being of Caesar. And this they did from the time of Augustus up to 66 AD, or so I’ve heard. Apparently, abandonment of these sacrifices laid the foundation for the First Jewish Revolt.
Josephus told once a story (Antiquities 18.8.2-9 [261-309];
Wars of the Jews 2.10.1-5 [184-203]) also related by Philo (
Embassy to Gaius 29.184-42.348) and Tacitus (
History 5.9), about how Caligula ordered that statues of himself be erected in the Temple of Jerusalem:
Now Caius Caesar did so grossly abuse the fortune he had arrived at, as to take himself to be a god, and to desire to be so called also, and to cut off those of the greatest nobility out of his country. He also extended his impiety as far as the Jews. Accordingly, he sent Petronius with an army to Jerusalem, to place his statues in the temple, and commanded him that, in case the Jews would not admit of them, he should slay those that opposed it, and carry all the rest of the nation into captivity: but God concerned himself with these his commands. However, Petronius marched out of Antioch into Judea, with three legions, and many Syrian auxiliaries. Now as to the Jews, some of them could not believe the stories that spake of a war; but those that did believe them were in the utmost distress how to defend themselves, and the terror diffused itself presently through them all; for the army was already come to Ptolemais…
…But now the Jews got together in great numbers with their wives and children into that plain that was by Ptolemais, and made supplication to Petronius, first for their laws, and, in the next place, for themselves. So he was prevailed upon by the multitude of the supplicants, and by their supplications, and left his army and the statues at Ptolemais, and then went forward into Galilee, and called together the multitude and all the men of note to Tiberias, and showed them the power of the Romans, and the threatenings of Caesar; and, besides this, proved that their petition was unreasonable, because while all the nations in subjection to them had placed the images of Caesar in their several cities, among the rest of their gods, for them alone to oppose it, was almost like the behavior of revolters, and was injurious to Caesar.
And when they insisted on their law, and the custom of their country, and how it was not only not permitted them to make either an image of God, or indeed of a man, and to put it in any despicable part of their country, much less in the temple itself, Petronius replied, “
And am not I also,” said he, “
bound to keep the law of my own lord? For if I transgress it, and spare you, it is but just that I perish; while he that sent me, and not I, will commence a war against you; for I am under command as well as you.”
Hereupon the whole multitude cried out that they were ready to suffer for their law. Petronius then quieted them, and said to them, “
Will you then make war against Caesar?”
The Jews said, “We offer sacrifices twice every day for Caesar, and for the Roman people;” but that if he would place the images among them, he must first sacrifice the whole Jewish nation; and that they were ready to expose themselves, together with their children and wives, to be slain. At this Petronius was astonished, and pitied them, on account of the inexpressible sense of religion the men were under, and that courage of theirs which made them ready to die for it; so they were dismissed without success.
-Josephus,
Wars of the Jews, 2.184-195
In another place, he writes:
At the same time Eleazar, the son of Ananias the high priest, a very bold youth, who was at that time governor of the temple, persuaded those that officiated in the Divine service to receive no gift or sacrifice for any foreigner.
And this was the true beginning of our war with the Romans; for they rejected the sacrifice of Caesar on this account; and when many of the high priests and principal men besought them not to omit the sacrifice, which it was customary for them to offer for their princes, they would not be prevailed upon. These relied much upon their multitude, for the most flourishing part of the innovators assisted them; but they had the chief regard to Eleazar, the governor of the temple.
-Josephus,
Wars of the Jews, 2.409-410
