How did the Romans mistreat the Jews?

Answer 1

they took over their country

Answer:

Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, the two sons of the Jewish King Yannai (Johanan Hyrcanus, 1st century BCE), got the Romans involved in Judea when they asked the Romans to settle a dispute. At first the Romans were cordial; and they actually became party to a military treaty with Judea (Talmud, Avodah Zara 9a). A couple of decades later, however, they unilaterally abrogated the treaty, and placed Roman governors over the land who afflicted the Jews with crushing taxation (Talmud, Yoma 9a). In the first two centuries CE, things got worse, with the Romans destroying the Second Temple and temporarily outlawing Torah-observances, and the Jews attempting to revolt. The Romans destroyed large numbers of Jewish communities in the Holy Land, and they killed some of the leading Jewish sages.

(During those times that the Romans didn't interfere with the internal life of the Jews, the reason was because the Romans wanted to receive their taxes. That, and making sure none of their colonies planned rebellions, was usually the only thing that the Romans were really concerned about.)

Answer 2

They were tolerated like every other religion, provided they didn't cause any trouble. However, they had become mostly monotheistic by the beginnings of Christianity. That monotheism did distinguish them from the polytheistic population of Rome.

Answer 3

At first the Romans honored us with a treaty (Talmud, Avodah Zarah 9a), which they abrogated after a couple of decades (ibid). After that, they levied crushing taxation (Talmud, Yoma 9a), and occasionally made harsh anti-Jewish decrees (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 19a and elsewhere). After Jewish zealots attempted a revolt, the Romans perpetrated massacres against the Jews (Talmud, Gittin 57a). they also destroyed the Second Temple and many Jewish towns in Judea (which they renamed Palestine).

Answer 4

In 66 there were clashes between Jews and Greek in Judea. The Romans did not intervene. This caused anti-Roman protests which escalated into widespread anti-taxation protests and there were some attacks on Roman citizens. The Roman governor responded by breaching the Second (Jewish) Temple in Jerusalem, seizing some gold from the temple, and executing up to 6,000 Jews. This sparked the Great Revolt (66-73). Titus besieged and then stormed Jerusalem. He destroyed the city and the Second Temple. A great many people were killed and 97,000 war captives were taken to Rome to be sold as slaves.

Later, in 130, the emperor Hadrian decided to supervise the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He decided to turn it into a Roman city. He renamed the city Aelia Capitolina after the name of his family and Jupiter Capitolinus, the supreme Roman god. A temple to Jupiter replaced the destroyed Second Temple. Hadrian also built a Roman forum and a large temple to the Roman goddess Venus. He abolished circumcision, which the romans considered barbarian.

Hadrian's actions sparked a rebellion, the Bar Kokhba revolt or (132-136). Hadrian eventually managed to suppress the rebellion. He tried to root out Judaism, which he saw as the cause of continuous rebellions. He banned the Torah law and the Hebrew calendar and executed Judaic scholars (see Ten Martyrs). The sacred scroll was burned on the Temple Mount. Hadrian wanted to erase the memory of Judaea. He joined Judea with Galile and renamed the two areas Syria Palaestina (Palaestina meant land of the Philistines). The Jews were forbidden from entering Jerusalem. During the war half a million Jews died and 50 towns and over 900 villages were destroyed.

Answer 5

They collaborated with the Jewish leaders to kill Jesus, a Jew; then 70 years later, they destroyed Jerusalem and killed many Jews.