Sicarians

Sicarians ("knife stabbers", "knife swingers", "dagger bearers"; from Latin sica = dagger ) were a Jewish group in the 1st century that was directed against the Romans and their occupation . Her preferred weapon was a dagger called a sica .

Marcus Antonius Felix became known for suppressing the messianic insurrection movements with a hard hand; According to rumors spread by Josephus , it was also connected with the murder of the Sicarians of the high priest Jonathan ben Hannas (in office from 36–37 and 44) in AD 56.

The political scientist Rapoport (1986) sees the Sicarian Zealots unifying as a terrorist group. Although the phenomena were different, the differences were to be sought more in practical and tactical action than in ideological ones . Most of the Sicarians terrorized members of the Jewish population, while the Zealots terrorized the Roman occupation, but also Greeks.

According to one hypothesis, Judas Iscariot , one of the disciples of Jesus , could have been a follower of this group, which explains his nickname "Iscariot". Since the Sicarians, according to Flavius Josephus, only appeared at a time when Judas had been dead for a long time according to the Gospels, this is considered relatively unlikely, especially since there are other plausible explanations for the epithet.

literature

Aharon Oppenheimer: Sicarians . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE). Volume 31, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2000, ISBN 3-11-016657-7 , pp. 261-263.
PJ Blumenthal : The last days of Masada. In: PM History 200, April issue, p. 49ff.
Flavius Josephus : History of the Jewish War II 13.3; IV 7.2; VII 7-11.

Individual evidence

↑ Martin Hengel: The Zealots. Investigations on the Jewish freedom movement in the time from Herod I to 70 AD. 2nd edition. Brill, Leiden / Cologne 1976, DNB 201102684 , pp. 47-54.
↑ Flavius Josephus, Jüdische Altertümer XX 162ff. In the earlier depiction of Josephus ( Jewish War II 256), however, Felix is not associated with the murder.
↑ David C. Rapoport: Messianism and Terror. Center, Magazine 19 (1986) 30-39
↑ Stefan Malthaner, Peter Waldmann: radical milieus: The social environment of terrorist groups. Vol. 6 Micropolitics of Violence Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2012, ISBN 978-3-5933-9599-9 , p. 46

[1] Martin Hengel: The Zealots. Investigations on the Jewish freedom movement in the time from Herod I to 70 AD. 2nd edition. Brill, Leiden / Cologne 1976, DNB 201102684 , pp. 47-54.

[2] Flavius Josephus, Jüdische Altertümer XX 162ff. In the earlier depiction of Josephus ( Jewish War II 256), however, Felix is not associated with the murder.

[3] David C. Rapoport: Messianism and Terror. Center, Magazine 19 (1986) 30-39

[4] Stefan Malthaner, Peter Waldmann: radical milieus: The social environment of terrorist groups. Vol. 6 Micropolitics of Violence Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2012, ISBN 978-3-5933-9599-9 , p. 46