Bar Kokhba's Rebellion



The Bar Kokhba Revolt occurred from 132 -- 136 against the Roman Empire as the third major rebellion by the Jews from Judaea and marked the last of the Jewish-Roman Wars. The name of the commander of the revolt was Simon bar Kokhba, and he was hailed as a Messiah who could restore Israel. It established an independent state of Israel over parts of Judaea for more than two years, but Hadrian sent the Roman army to crush it. This army consisted of 6 full legions with auxiliaries and elements from up to 6 additional legions. The Romans barred Jews from Jerusalem, except to attend Tisha B'Av. Even though Jewish Christians worshipped Jesus Christ as the Messiah and didn't support bar Kokhba, they were categorized with the rest of the Jews and barred from Jerusalem as well. The war and its aftermath helped to establish Christianity as a religion distinct from Jerusalem.