Bar-Chocheba

BAR-CHOCHEBA, or Chochebas, or Chochibus a famous Impostor. It is said that he assumed the name of Cochebar or Bar- Cochebar, that is to say, Son of the Star, by reason of these words of Balaam, which he applied to himself, pretending to be the Messiah¹, There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel. Others are of opinion that he derived his name from the town of Cochaba, situated beyond Jordan, in the neighbourhood of Astaroth-Carnaïm, and beyond Adrac or Edraï². Scaliger observes upon the authority of the Rabbins, that his true name was Gazeb or Casseb, Liar; or Bar-Cosebah, the Son of Lies³; but being ashamed of this name he changed it into that of Bar- Cochebar, Son of the Star. He ingaged the Jews in a revolt under the reign of Adrian. The famous Jew Akiba⁴ supported him, and maintained that he was the Messiah. Spartian⁵ says, that the motive which induced the Jews to rebel at this time, was an order, forbidding them to be circumcised. It is said that Bar-Chochebar, to impose upon the Jews, put kindled straw into his mouth, and made a shew of vomiting flame⁶. He fortified himself in abundance of places, and massacred an infinite number of men. His rage was principally set against the Christians⁷, of whom he destroyed great multitudes.

The Emperor Adrian sent Julius Severus against him and his party, who attacked them separately, and took them in several places; at last he shut them up in Bether⁸. The Siege of this place was long and the defence which the Jews made, very obstinate. At last the town was taken, and soon after the War was finished. Bar-chochebar perished in it⁹, and the multitude of the Jews, who were put to death and sold during this War and after it, is almost innumerable¹⁰. Abundance of them was sold at the fair of Terebinthus; and they who were not put off at this market, were exposed to sale at Gaza; and such of them as they could not get rid of at Gaza, they carried into Egypt, where they perished by shipwreck, or famine, or by the hands of the Heathens. After this Adrian published an Edict, forbidding the Jews on pain of death to go to Jerusalem¹¹, and Guards were placed purposely at the gates to prevent their entring¹². The rebellion of the Jews under Bar-chochebas happened in the 17 and 18th years of Adrian, in the year of J. C. 178, 179.

The Jews say, there were two Impostors in their nation of this name¹³, the Grand-father and Grand-son. That Cacheba or Coziba I. was elected King by the Jews two and fifty years after the destruction of the first Temple, and died at Bether, a City in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, and the Capital of his Empire. His Son succeeded him, after whom reigned his Grand-son Romulus, called Coziba, This last was he whom the Jews acknowledged for the Messiah. The Emperor Adrian being inform’d of Coziba’s revolt, and the insurrection of the Jews, came with an Army into Judæa, took Bether, and destroyed a great number of the Jews in the year 73 from the destruction of the Temple. Others say Coziba was killed by his own people in the City of Bether, because he had not that particular character of the Messiah, which consisted in discerning by the smell if any man were criminal. It is to no purpose to confute facts so ill concerted, and so visibly fabulous.

Bar-chochebas gathered a numerous Army, and committed very great disorders in Judæa. His rage was bent chiefly against the Christians, many of whom it is said, were destroyed by his direction: others of them in great numbers he forced into Apostacy, obliging them, as the Talmudists mention, to be circumcised again, and return to Judaism, which they had before forsaken. Tinnius Rufus was the first who opposed him, afterwards the Emperor sent Julius Severus against him, who took the City of Bether, and put him to death. The Jews say, that Adrian, to whom his head was brought, had the curiosity to see his body; but when they were going to take it up, a Serpent was found about his neck, which terrified the bearers; and this Prince hereupon acknowledged that God alone could kill such a man.

Akiba’s Scholars, who had defended the City, were tied together with their Books, and thrown into the fire. We are told farther, that the massacre was so great, that more Jews perished in this War than came out of Egypt. The Skulls of three hundred Children were found upon one stone only: the streams of blood were so large, that they carried away stones of four pound weight to the Sea, which was four miles distant from it. Lastly, the inhabitants of these places did not dung their lands for seven years after, they being sufficiently manured with dead bodies. In the Fast celebrated on the 18th of the month Ab, which answers to our July and August, they call Adrian a second Nebuchadnezzar, and pray to God to remember this cruel Prince, who destroyed 480 Synagogues. This is part of what the Jews tell us relating to Bar-chochebas.

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