Masada

Background

Masada is a rocky plateau rising on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Its summit is flat, and steep cliffs surround it on all sides. The name derives from the Hebrew Metzada, meaning "fortress." The place name Masada does not appear in the Bible. However, the same word appears as a common noun in 1 Samuel 22 and elsewhere for the "hold," or stronghold, in which David took refuge.

Most of the literary evidence for Masada comes from The Jewish War by the first-century Jewish historian Josephus. According to Josephus, the site was first fortified by the high priest Jonathan of the Hasmonean dynasty (the dynasty that ruled Judea during the intertestamental period). Later, in the latter part of the first century BC, Herod the Great greatly expanded the fortress, turning it into a fortified refuge equipped with palaces, storehouses, and large cisterns for collecting rainwater.

Course of Events

• AD 66: A revolt against Rome broke out in Judea (the First Jewish–Roman War). At this time a radical resistance faction known as the Sicarii seized Masada. The name Sicarii comes from a Latin word referring to their practice of carrying concealed daggers. They are often grouped with the Zealots, but Josephus distinguished between the two groups. The "murderers" mentioned in Acts 21:38 are generally understood to refer to this group.
• AD 70: The Roman army captured Jerusalem and burned the Temple. Some of the remaining rebels held out at Masada under the leadership of Eleazar ben Yair.
• c. AD 73 (some scholars date it to 74): Flavius Silva, the Roman governor of Judea, besieged Masada with the Tenth Legion. The Romans surrounded the site with a siege wall and camps and built a massive earthen ramp on the western slope to bring up their siege engines. Josephus describes what happened on the night before the wall was breached: after hearing a speech by Eleazar, the defenders and their families, 960 in all, chose to die by their own hands rather than be taken captive. Only two women and five children, who had hidden in a water conduit, survived.

Outcome and Influence

The fall of Masada effectively brought the First Jewish–Roman War to an end. From 1963 to 1965 the Israeli archaeologist Yigael Yadin conducted large-scale excavations at the site, uncovering Herod's palaces and the Roman siege works. Several potsherds inscribed with names were also found; because one of them bears the name "ben Yair," some interpret them in connection with the casting of lots described by Josephus. The excavators also found a building used as a place of assembly, which many scholars identify as a synagogue. In addition, a manuscript of Ecclesiasticus (Ben Sira) was recovered, along with fragments of documents also found at Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

In modern Israel, Masada has become a symbol of national resistance. In 2001 it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a frequent stop, along with Qumran and En-gedi, on Holy Land pilgrimages to Israel organized by Korean churches.

Assessment

• Limitations of the sources: Josephus was not present at the scene and was at the time aligned with the Roman side. Many scholars therefore consider it likely that passages such as Eleazar's speech are his own reconstructions.
• Historicity of the mass suicide: Some argue that Josephus's account cannot be accepted at face value, pointing to the prohibition of suicide in Jewish law and to the fact that far fewer skeletal remains have been excavated than the number of dead he records. Others, by contrast, hold that the archaeological findings broadly agree with his account.
• Assessment of the people involved: Some view the defenders of Masada as people who fought to the end for freedom. Josephus, however, also records that they raided the village of En-gedi and killed many of its inhabitants. On the basis of this record, others regard them as a radical armed faction.
• In Christian contexts, Masada is treated as background for understanding Jewish society in the period surrounding the lives of Jesus and the apostles, as well as the destruction of the Temple.