BEMA Episode Link: 79: Silent Years — Zealots
Episode Length: 40:49
Published Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2018 01:00:00 -0700
Session 3
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings, joined by special guest Megan Gambino, continue the journey through the silent years and the context of Jesus’s ministry, examining the group known as the Zealots.

Silent Years — Zealots Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 79

Megan Gambino on Instagram

Megan’s Website [no longer available]

Transcript for BEMA 79

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 79: Silent Years - Zealots - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

This episode explores the Zealot movement, the fourth Jewish response to Hellenism during the Second Temple period. The hosts examine how this passionate, militant group emerged from a desire to preserve Jewish identity and religious purity in the face of Greek cultural dominance and later Roman oppression. Through historical analysis of key events like the Maccabean revolt, the fortifications at Gamla, and the eventual tragedy of Masada, this episode reveals both the strengths and dangers of zealous religious fervor.

Key Takeaways

  • The Zealots were one of five major Jewish responses to Hellenism, characterized by their willingness to use violence to defend religious purity and Jewish independence
  • The Hebrew word “qanah” (zeal) carries connotations of passionate, romantic jealousy - the kind of devotion God has for His people
  • The Zealots drew inspiration from biblical figures like Phinehas (who killed an Israelite and Midianite woman for public sexual immorality) and Elijah (who called down fire from heaven)
  • After the successful Maccabean revolt, the Zealots handed power to the priesthood, which became corrupt within 20 years
  • The Zealots were part of the Hasidim (“pious ones”), along with the Pharisees, representing those who moved north to Galilee to escape Hellenistic corruption
  • Jesus likely taught in Zealot synagogues (like the one at Gamla) and called at least two Zealots as disciples (Simon the Zealot and possibly Judas Iscariot)
  • The Zealot stronghold at Gamla withstood months of Roman siege by 35,000 troops before falling, with 5,000 Jews choosing death over Roman conquest
  • Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, was originally Joseph the Zealot leader who allegedly betrayed his people to save his own life
  • While the Zealots embraced the “myth of redemptive violence,” their zeal and passion are necessary qualities for kingdom work when properly channeled

Main Concepts & Theories

Hellenism as Cultural Threat

Hellenism represented the philosophy that “man is the measure of all things” (Protagoras), placing humanity at the center of the universe. This worldview directly contradicted the biblical narrative’s emphasis on God’s sovereignty. The episode frames this tension through the lens of Empire (self-preservation) versus Shalom (self-sacrifice), showing how different Jewish groups responded to this cultural pressure.

The Five Responses to Hellenism

The episode positions the Zealots as the fourth of five major Jewish responses:

  1. Sadducees: Wealthy, Hellenized priestly aristocracy who controlled the Temple
  2. Herodians: Political allies of Herod who accommodated Hellenism
  3. Essenes: Separatist priests who withdrew to the desert (like Qumran)
  4. Zealots: Militant resistors who used violence to preserve Jewish purity
  5. Pharisees: (to be covered in next episode) Torah-focused teachers and interpreters
The Hasidim Movement

The Hasidim (“pious ones”) represented those who rejected both the corrupted priesthood and complete withdrawal from society. This group moved north to Galilee and consisted of two main factions: the Pharisees (who focused on Torah study and interpretation) and the Zealots (who took militant action). Understanding this common origin helps explain why Jesus could engage with both groups despite their different methodologies.

Qanah: The Theology of Holy Jealousy

The Hebrew word “qanah” provides theological foundation for Zealot ideology. This term describes God’s jealousy for His people - not petty envy, but the passionate, protective love of a devoted spouse. When God declares “I am a jealous God,” He’s expressing the kind of exclusive devotion that tolerates no rivals. The Zealots believed their violence was an expression of this same holy zeal, defending God’s honor against pagan corruption.

Biblical Justification: Phinehas and Elijah

The Zealots found scriptural warrant for their actions in two primary figures:

Phinehas (Numbers 25): When an Israelite man publicly engaged in sexual immorality with a Midianite woman at the entrance to the Tabernacle, Phinehas took a spear and killed them both. God’s response was to praise Phinehas for his zeal and establish a covenant of peace and lasting priesthood with him. The text says Phinehas “turned away my anger” because “he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am.”

Elijah: The prophet who called down fire from heaven, confronted corrupt kings, and executed the prophets of Baal represented the kind of dramatic, uncompromising action the Zealots admired.

These biblical precedents created a genuine theological dilemma: How should faithfulness be expressed when God’s people are compromised? The Zealots answered with action, not merely study or withdrawal.

The Maccabean Legacy

The Hanukkah story provided the Zealots’ most powerful historical precedent. When Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar, Judah “the Hammer” Maccabee led a successful revolt. In eight days, this small band of Jewish fighters miraculously defeated the Seleucid Empire and rededicated the Temple. This victory proved that passionate zeal, combined with God’s favor, could overcome impossible odds.

However, the tragic irony was that after this miraculous victory, the Zealots handed power to the priesthood, which became completely Hellenized and corrupt within just 20 years - the Hasmonean dynasty they fought to establish betrayed everything they stood for.

The Sicarii: Oath-Bound Assassins

A subset of the Zealot movement, the Sicarii took their name from the “sicar” (dagger) they concealed in their sleeves. These militants took oaths never to leave a Roman soldier alive if they encountered one alone. They functioned as ancient insurgents or terrorists, conducting assassinations even in the Temple courts (including the murder of a sitting high priest). This willingness to use violence in sacred spaces demonstrates how thoroughly they believed the ends justified the means.

The Caves of Arbel: Protecting Families

When Rome began targeting Zealot families after the men repeatedly escaped, the Zealots hid their women and children in the Caves of Arbel near the Sea of Galilee. These caves, carved into steep cliff faces on both sides of a canyon, seemed impregnable. However, Roman forces erected scaffolding on the cliff face, lit fires at the cave entrances, and used smoke to force families out. Those who emerged were caught with pitchforks and thrown to their deaths. This brutal history shaped the Zealots’ understanding that Rome would show no mercy.

Gamla: The Camel Fortress

Gamla (meaning “camel” for its shape when viewed from the side) became a major Zealot stronghold in the first century AD. Built into terraces on a steep hillside northeast of the Sea of Galilee, it was naturally defensible. Following the strategy of casemate housing (double walls with living spaces between that could be filled with stones during siege), Gamla’s fortifications were formidable.

The key strategic element was leaving one house empty - a secret exit point that could allow defenders to flank attacking forces. This architectural detail would become Gamla’s downfall.

The Siege of Gamla (AD 66-67)

After a revolt in Caesarea resulted in 20,000 Jewish executions, Zealots trapped Roman forces in Jerusalem’s Antonia Fortress. When the Romans negotiated surrender, laying down their arms in exchange for safe passage, the Zealots slaughtered them all - an act that provoked massive retaliation.

Vespasian assembled 35,000 troops in Damascus, including three elite legions:

  • The 10th Legion: Strategic and precise (like the Marines)
  • The 12th Legion: Engineering experts and problem-solvers
  • The 15th Legion: Known for their brutal efficiency in combat

Despite this overwhelming force, the Zealots under Joseph’s leadership initially held them back. When Rome finally besieged Gamla, the fortress held for months. Rome punched through the wall in June but couldn’t enter the city until October - a testament to defensive ingenuity.

The Tragedy of Josephus

Joseph, the Zealot commander, instructed Gamla’s defenders on fortification strategy, including the location of the one empty house in the wall. He then went out to fight Vespasian and was captured. Under mysterious circumstances, he was adopted by Vespasian and became known as Josephus Flavius - the historian whose writings preserve much of what we know about this period.

Most historians believe Josephus revealed the location of the empty house to Rome, enabling them to breach Gamla’s defenses. This betrayal transformed him from Rome’s greatest enemy to the emperor’s adopted son - but also made him one of history’s most controversial figures in Jewish thought.

The Fall of Gamla

When Rome finally breached the wall at the location Josephus allegedly revealed, they still couldn’t penetrate the city for months. The turning point came when a lookout in one of Gamla’s towers thought he saw a Roman inside the city and shouted “The Romans are in the city!” Whether or not a Roman had actually gotten through, panic ensued.

The population of approximately 9,000 Zealots stampeded to the back of the fortress. 4,000 died in the fighting. 5,000 jumped off the cliff to their deaths rather than be captured by Rome. This mass suicide prefigured the more famous tragedy at Masada and demonstrated the Zealots’ willingness to choose death over defeat.

The Myth of Redemptive Violence

The hosts identify the Zealots’ fundamental error as buying into the “myth of redemptive violence” - the belief that righteous violence can bring about God’s kingdom. This pattern appears throughout history: oppression leads to violent resistance, which leads to brutal retaliation, which leads to more violence, in an endless cycle that ultimately consumes everyone involved.

However, the episode challenges listeners to recognize that this critique comes from a position of relative safety and privilege. Those who haven’t experienced systematic oppression may not understand the desperation that drives such responses.

The Necessity of Zeal

Despite criticizing their methods, the hosts argue that the church and kingdom work desperately need the kind of passion the Zealots embodied. Jesus called at least two Zealots as disciples (Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot), and Peter demonstrated Zealot tendencies when he cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in Gethsemane.

The key is channeling zeal into kingdom purposes using kingdom methods - the “weapons” of love, mercy, and compassion rather than literal violence. Megan’s testimony illustrates this transformation: her passionate zeal for justice in the clothing industry and for oppressed people remained constant, but she learned to express it in ways that invited others into change rather than burning them with anger.

Burning Embers vs. Consuming Flames

Marty’s counsel to young disciple Megan provides a powerful metaphor: let your flames die down to burning embers. The goal isn’t to extinguish passion but to maintain a “low-grade fire” that provides steady heat without consuming everything it touches. This image captures how zeal must be tempered with wisdom, patience, and love to be effective for kingdom purposes.

Examples & Applications

Modern Zealots in Social Justice

Megan’s work in the clothing industry provides a contemporary example of channeled zeal. Rather than angrily attacking those who participate in exploitative fashion systems, she creates art that serves the lonely and marginalized while raising awareness about oppression. Her passion never diminished, but her methods evolved to be more effective and invitational.

Understanding Abuse Survivors

The participant who confronted Marty at Gamla offered a crucial perspective: those who have experienced systematic abuse may relate to the Zealots’ willingness to choose death over continued oppression. This challenges comfortable assumptions about the “obviously wrong” nature of their choices and demands empathy for those whose experiences we haven’t shared.

College Students and Institutional Change

Marty’s work with college students illustrates the ongoing need for Zealot energy. Changing corrupt institutions, confronting empire, and transforming church culture requires more than careful study (Pharisees) or withdrawal (Essenes). It demands the kind of passionate commitment to action that characterizes Zealots - provided that passion uses kingdom methods.

Jesus in Zealot Synagogues

The historical reality that Jesus “went to all the towns of the Galilee and taught in their synagogues” means he almost certainly taught in Zealot compounds like Gamla. The synagogue ruins at Gamla - never rebuilt after its destruction - represent the actual space where Jesus would have engaged with Zealot ideology, neither wholly endorsing nor completely condemning their passion for God’s honor.

The Early Church’s Zeal

The book of Acts references Zealot movements multiple times, including Gamaliel’s speech about Theudas and Judas the Galilean (Acts 5:36-37). The early church’s rapid growth and willingness to face persecution suggests they channeled Zealot-like passion into spreading the gospel rather than political rebellion.

Ray Vander Laan’s Challenge

Ray’s confrontation with Marty at Gamla - grabbing his collar and demanding he consider what Romans would do to his daughter Abigail - forces privileged interpreters to acknowledge their distance from the Zealots’ reality. Until we can honestly say we wouldn’t jump off the cliff ourselves under similar circumstances, we lack the standing to judge too harshly.

Phinehas and God’s Covenant

The Numbers 25 passage concludes with God making a “covenant of peace” with Phinehas precisely because of his violent zeal. This troubling text doesn’t provide a blanket endorsement of religious violence, but it does complicate simplistic readings that assume God always condemns forceful action. The covenant language suggests God saw something of His own heart in Phinehas’s refusal to tolerate public desecration.

The Betrayal of the Hasmonean Dynasty

The tragic arc from Maccabean purity to Hasmonean corruption illustrates how revolutionary movements often replicate the systems they overthrow. The priesthood the Zealots fought to protect became indistinguishable from Hellenistic corruption within a generation - a cautionary tale about power’s corrupting influence.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Comparative Analysis of Religious Militancy

How do the Zealots compare to militant movements in other religious traditions? What theological and contextual factors contribute to the emergence of groups that use violence for religious purposes? How do modern groups like ISIS, Christian militia movements, or Buddhist nationalist movements mirror or differ from first-century Zealots?

The Ethics of Resistance

What constitutes appropriate resistance to oppression? When does non-violent resistance become collaboration with evil? How did figures like Bonhoeffer, who ultimately participated in a plot to assassinate Hitler, wrestle with these questions? What framework should guide Christians facing systematic oppression today?

Josephus as Historical Source

How reliable is Josephus given his controversial defection to Rome? What methodologies do historians use to evaluate sources written by individuals with clear biases and complicated loyalties? How do we read “The Jewish War” and “Antiquities of the Jews” critically?

The Relationship Between Zealots and Pharisees

If both groups emerged from the Hasidim movement, what caused their divergent approaches? How did they interact with each other? Did Pharisees ever support Zealot actions, or were they always opposed to violence? How did their shared origins influence Jesus’s engagement with both groups?

Archaeological Evidence at Gamla and Masada

What can material culture tell us about Zealot life and values? How do the archaeological remains at Gamla corroborate or complicate Josephus’s account? What do ritual baths, synagogue design, and domestic architecture reveal about Zealot religious practice?

The Theology of Holy War in Scripture

How should we interpret texts like the conquest narratives in Joshua, Phinehas’s violence in Numbers, and Elijah’s execution of Baal’s prophets? Are these descriptive (recording what happened) or prescriptive (endorsing what happened)? How did Second Temple Jews interpret these texts, and how should modern readers?

Women in the Zealot Movement

What roles did women play in Zealot resistance? Were there female Zealot leaders? How did the presence of women and children in fortresses like Gamla shape Zealot strategy and Roman response? What voices and perspectives are missing from historical accounts written primarily by men?

The Sicarii and Asymmetric Warfare

How do modern insurgent tactics compare to ancient Zealot methods? What can studying the Sicarii teach us about the psychology and strategy of resistance movements operating under occupation? How do governments and empires respond to such movements, and what patterns persist across history?

Jesus’s Engagement with Zealot Disciples

Why did Jesus call Zealots like Simon and possibly Judas? How did their worldview shape their understanding of Messiah? Did Jesus deliberately include Zealots to transform their zeal, or did he value their passion despite their methods? How did Zealot expectations contribute to Judas’s betrayal?

The Transformation of Zeal in Acts

How did the early church channel Zealot-like passion into gospel proclamation? Were any of the “seven” in Acts 6 former Zealots? How did Pentecost transform revolutionary fervor into missionary zeal? What role did former Zealots play in the spread of Christianity?

The Covenant of Peace with Phinehas

How can God make a “covenant of peace” with someone who just committed a violent act? What does this teach about God’s character and values? How does this covenant relate to other biblical covenants? Is there a distinction between human-initiated violence and violence that God specifically endorses in the moment?

Collective Trauma and Historical Memory

How did the tragedies of Gamla and Masada shape Jewish identity and collective memory? How do communities metabolize massive losses? What role does remembering such events play in forming group identity and values? How should modern communities remember both heroism and tragedy in their histories?

Comprehension Questions

  1. Theological Framework: Explain the meaning of the Hebrew word “qanah” and how it provided theological justification for the Zealot movement. How does this concept of holy jealousy relate to God’s character, and why might the Zealots have seen their violent actions as consistent with biblical teaching?

  2. Historical Irony: Describe the tragic irony of the Maccabean revolt and its aftermath. What did the Zealots fight for, what did they accomplish, and what happened within 20 years that undermined their victory? What does this teach about revolutionary movements and the corrupting nature of power?

  3. Strategic Analysis: Explain the architectural strategy of casemate housing and the “empty house” tactic used at Gamla. How did this strategy both protect the city and ultimately lead to its downfall? What does this reveal about the role of intelligence and betrayal in ancient warfare?

  4. Comparative Responses: The Zealots were one of five Jewish responses to Hellenism. Compare and contrast the Zealot approach with that of the Essenes and Sadducees. What did each group value, what strategies did they employ, and what were the strengths and weaknesses of each approach?

  5. Modern Application: How should modern Christians channel Zealot-like passion while avoiding the “myth of redemptive violence”? Use Megan’s testimony about “burning embers vs. consuming flames” to explain how zeal can be preserved while being transformed for kingdom purposes.

Personalized Summary

This episode challenges comfortable assumptions about religious violence by examining the Zealot movement with both critique and empathy. While clearly identifying the “myth of redemptive violence” as a fundamental error, the hosts refuse to simply dismiss the Zealots as misguided extremists. Instead, they invite us to consider what systematic oppression, brutal retaliation, and the desecration of sacred things might drive ordinary people to do.

The Zealots emerge as complex figures who found genuine biblical warrant for their actions in figures like Phinehas and Elijah, who experienced real oppression under corrupt priesthoods and brutal empires, and who demonstrated extraordinary courage and commitment. Their willingness to die rather than compromise represents both their greatest strength and their tragic flaw.

The episode’s most powerful insight is that the church desperately needs Zealot-like passion, even while rejecting Zealot methods. Without people who have the fire, commitment, and willingness to sacrifice that characterized the Zealots, the church becomes impotent against empire, injustice, and corruption. The challenge is to maintain the burning embers of zeal while using the weapons of love, mercy, and compassion rather than literal violence.

Megan’s testimony provides a living example of transformed zeal - passion that never diminished but learned to express itself in ways that invite rather than burn, that serve rather than attack, that persist in pursuit of justice while honoring the humanity of others. This is the kind of zeal Jesus needs in his disciples: passionate enough to risk everything, wise enough to know which weapons to use, and humble enough to remember that kingdom change happens through self-sacrifice, not self-preservation.

The tragedy of Gamla - 5,000 people choosing death over Roman conquest - should humble those of us who have never faced such choices. Before judging too harshly, we must ask ourselves honestly: wouldn’t we have been among those who jumped? The episode calls us to hold together two truths in tension: the Zealots were wrong about their methods, but we need their zeal. The synthesis of these truths produces disciples who burn with holy passion while wielding the weapons of the kingdom.

Original Notes

  • Review
    • Hellenism is when man made themselves the center of the universe
    • Empire is the narrative of self preservation and shalom is the narrative of self sacrifice.
    • Sadducees were a corrupt Jewish mafia that ran the temple system
    • Herodians were a brother group to the Sadducees that didn’t see Hellenism as a threat to the biblical narrative
    • Essenes were priests that didn’t want to be a part of the corrupt priestly systems. Some went out into the desert.
  • Zealots: A group that believes in the myth of redemptive violence but has the zeal needed to actually get the job done.
    • After the Selucids took over in the area, Antiocus would take over, sacrifice a pig on the alter and the Maccebeans would revolt to fight against and defeat the Selucids who were led by Antiochus.
    • The group that revolted would move north toward Galilee and they would be known as the Hassidim, the pious ones.
    • The Hassidim would split into two groups, the Pharisees and the Zealots. The Zealots were known as the Canaim (kah-nah-eem).
    • Phinehas, who killed an Israelite man and a Moabite woman while they were together in the man’s tent by driving a spear through both of their bellies ending a plague on the Israelites, was one of the poster children for the Zealots.
    • Elijah was the other poster child of the Zealots.
    • Zealots were very much the terrorists or insurgents of their day.
      • One would enter the temple courts to murder the sitting high priest.
      • The Secari Zealots were known for their dagger, the secar, and they took an oath to kill any Roman soldier who they found alone.
    • In 47 BC, the Hasmoneans approached Herod the Great to become their Jewish King.
    • In 45 BC, Julius Caesar backed the deal that was made.
    • In 43 BC, there is a Zealot named Hezekiah who is so appalled at the agreement because Herod is a pagan king who married a Jewish woman, that he leads an unsuccessful revolt and the Zealots are driven north to the Galilee where they settle.
  • The Caves of Arbel
    • The Zealots, men, women, and children, at one point lived in the caves or Arbel.
    • Rome erected scaffolding along the cliff faces.
    • One the other end of the caves, Rome lit fires and blew smoke into the caves forcing all of the Zealots to run out onto the scaffolding.
    • Rome then impaled those escaping the smoke with long pitchforks and threw them off the scaffolding to their deaths.
  • Zealots would find a new place to live after Arbel and settled at Gamla (meaning camel). Gamla would be one of their last stands.
    • Gamla would eventually be destroyed and never rebuilt.
    • Jesus would have spoken and taught at the very synagogue picture in the presentation. That is the original synagogue and not one that had been constructed on an over one.
  • There are Zealots in other places, including Egypt. Gamliel discussed the Zealots in Acts. Paul is asked in Acts if he was the Zealot of Egypt.
  • Josephus Flavius, the Zealot who led the revolt against Rome ends up becoming a partner of Rome. He was very much considered to be a traitor.
    • Most historians believe that Josephus tells Vespasian which home in the casemate housing when not filled with stones. Vespasian and the Romans would break through this house with perfect accuracy.
    • A Jew in the Gamla tower believed he saw a Roman soldier in the city. He announced to everyone that the Romans had invaded and the Zealots escaped out the back. 4000 Jews died in the fighting and 5000 Jews died falling to their death out the back of the compound.
  • Words of caution:
    • Be careful to judge the Zealot too quickly.
    • The zeal of the abused.
    • The zeal of the father protecting his family.
    • God has a place for the zealous.
    • We will need Zealots if we’re going to impact the world.

Discussion

  • Head
    • Has anyone read the complete works of Josephus?
    • Has anyone spent time mapping out the timeline of the Zealot movement?
  • Heart
    • Who relates to Megan?
    • For Zealots in the room, do you have any perspective for things that you’ve experienced or endured?
    • If you relate to the Zealots, do you ever struggle to feel like there is a place for you?
  • Hands
    • What do you do with zeal and passionate hutzpah?
    • What are you passionate about? Who are you passionate about?
    • What should the rest of us be more passionate about?

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