§ Debates · Ch. 4 · Between Caesar and God
What did Bar Kochba and his rebels want?
3 positions · no single answer
Position A · held by Rabbinic literature (tradition about Rabbi Akiba)
To inaugurate the messianic age
Akiba is said to have recognized Bar Kochba as a divinely sent redeemer; the nickname 'Son of a Star' refers to the prophecy of Numbers 24:17.
Rests on: p. 101
Reads the same page as : the same source, different readings.
Where the debate comes up
Statements tied to the debate
- Little is known about the leadership either. Rabbinic literature says that Rabbi Akiba saw in Simon bar Kosiba, whom his followers called Bar Kochba, the messiah foretold in Scripture; the nickname, 'Son of a Star', alludes to Numbers 24:17. Perhaps, then, the aim was to open the messianic age. In the rebels' own documents, however, Bar Kochba is a devout commander who never claims a messianic or supernatural role.
- Bar Kochba is known to have had his own administration, able to issue coinage: in fact Roman coins restruck, with the imperial portraits erased and his name put in their place. From them we know he used the title nasi, rendered 'prince', 'patriarch' or 'president', a term Ezekiel applies to a quasi-royal figure. Some carry the name of a priest, Eleazar, and the Temple façade, a hint that they may have wanted to restore it; but, the authors say, that is only an educated guess.