Sample Sources
The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.
Judaea Falls under Roman Control
The first Roman to subdue the Jews and set foot in their temple by right of conquest was Gnaeus Pompey: thereafter it was a matter of common knowledge that there were no representations of the gods…
Herod and His Sons
Now Pompey clipped off some of the territory that had been forcibly appropriated by the Judaeans, and appointed Herod to the priesthood; but later a certain Herod, a descendant of his and a native of…
Racial Conflict in Caesarea
Another disturbance broke out at Caesarea, with racial conflict between the Jewish element of the population and the Syrian inhabitants. The Jews claimed the city as theirs on the grounds that its…
Roman Capture of the Antonia and Burning of the Colonnade
Meanwhile the rest of the Roman army demolished Antonia and its foundations in seven days and engineered a wide road giving access to the temple. The legions could now approach the first…
Roman Losses during the Revolt
On the Parthian War
To the Emperor Antoninus.
. . . . The God who begat the great Roman race has no compunction in suffering us to faint at times and be defeated and wounded. Or would Father Mars…
Tensions in Parthian Babylonia and the Rise and Fall of Asineus and Anileus
A terrible, most severe disaster now took place among the Jews in Mesopotamia, especially those who were living in Babylonia, as great a slaughter of them as had ever…
The Law of the Kingdom Is the Law
Samuel said, One who took possession of [land on a] riverbank is an impudent person, but we certainly do not remove him. But nowadays that the Persians write, “It [a field on a…
The Famine in Jerusalem
[The Roman authorities then] sent Nero Caesar against [the Jews]. When he came [to Jerusalem, he wished to test his fate]. He shot an arrow to the east [and the arrow] came [and] fell in Jerusalem.…
The Judicial Power of the Exilarch
Rav said: One who desires to judge and be exempt if he errs should ask permission from the exilarch. Similarly, Samuel said: He should ask permission from the exilarch. Obviously! From here to here…
Marriage to Sadducean Women
The daughters of the Sadducees, so long as they are accustomed to walking in the paths of their fathers, are to be regarded as Samaritan women [i.e., as nonpracticing Jews]. If they left those paths…
The Birth of Jesus
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the…
John Questions Jesus’ Identity
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered…