Racial Conflict in Caesarea

Josephus

The Jewish War 2.266–270

ca. 75

Another disturbance broke out at Caesarea, with racial conflict between the Jewish element of the population and the Syrian inhabitants. The Jews claimed the city as theirs on the grounds that its founder, King Herod, was a Jew. The other side acknowledged that the architect of the new foundation was Jewish, but maintained that it was still…

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Josephus describes the conflict between the Jews and the Greeks of Caesarea over the cultural character of the city as a “contributory cause of the war.” As tensions grew, the situation devolved into daily violent skirmishes among “hotheads on either side.” Not only were the Roman authorities ineffective in subduing this unrest, but they also took advantage of the opportunity it presented to further extract wealth from the local population. As the conflict remained unresolved, the Roman procurator Felix sent representatives of both sides to Rome to argue their cases before Nero. Josephus recounts the continuation of this episode in The Jewish War 2.284–296 (see “The First Flames of War”).

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Creator Bio

Josephus

37–100

Flavius Josephus was born into a prominent Jewish priestly family and served as a general stationed in the Galilee during the First Jewish Revolt (66–73 CE). He was captured by the Romans and eventually integrated into the Flavian imperial aristocracy, who commissioned him to compose chronicles of the Jewish–Roman war and the history of the Jews. Josephus’ works, all written in Greek, include The Jewish War, Jewish Antiquities, Against Apion, and his autobiography, Life of Josephus. These writings provide important insights into the Judaisms of the Second Temple period and include one of the few surviving accounts of the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.

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