Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

598 21b. syria, palestine and mesopotamia
too, paganism persisted, especially in remote areas: the Christianization of
the limestone massif east of Antioch was largely complete by 420, whereas
pagan cults survived in the rural H · aurān until the late sixth century. 31
In the late fifth and sixth century, tensions between the Jewish and
Samaritan communities in Palestine and the Christian authorities seem to
have been increasing. The Samaritans had not traditionally been militant
but, apparently because of Christian attempts to remove sacred relics from
Joseph’s tomb, they raised a revolt in 484. Churches which had been built
on their sacred Mt Gerazim and in Neapolis were destroyed, and they
crowned one Justus or Justasas as their king. Caesarea was taken, many
Christians were killed and Justasas celebrated victory games, but their
success was short-lived. Troops sent by the emperor Zeno put down the
rebellion, and Justasas was executed. In 529 there was another revolt. In
June communal riots between Samaritans, Christians and Jews broke out in
Scythopolis, and many parts of the city were burned by the Samaritans (at
least, according to the account of the Christian chronicler Malalas). 32
Fearing the emperor’s wrath, the Samaritans broke into open rebellion.
Again they crowned a king/messiah called Julian, churches were burned
and the provincial capital of Scythopolis taken and held. When Justinian
reasserted Byzantine control, large numbers of Samaritans were killed, and
the Ghassānid phylarch is said to have taken 20,000 boys and girls and sold
them in Persia and India (probably, in fact, south Arabia or Ethiopia) as
slaves. Malalas alleges that there were 50,000 Samaritan exiles at the Persian
court who encouraged Kavadh to invade Byzantine territory, promising to
hand over their own land, all Palestine and the holy places. There may well
be no truth in these accusations, but they illustrate the kinds of inter-communal
tensions which could arise in the sixth century.
On the whole, the Jews were more passive, even in the face of the
increasingly hostile legislation of Justinian, but there are signs of growing
militancy in the late sixth century. In 556 Samaritans and Jews allegedly took
advantage of trouble between the Greens and the Blues in Caesarea to
attack the Christians, and succeeded in killing the governor and storming
his palace. 33 There are a number of reports which claim that the Jews joined
the Persians in attacking the Christians in the invasion of 614. However,
recent scholarship has shown that the evidence for this is based almost
entirely on Christian polemical writing of the early Islamic period and has
more to do with explaining Christian defeat than with historical accuracy. 34
In contrast to the comparative tranquillity of political life, church life in
this area was always vigorous and was marked by passionate disputes. 35 The
31 Trombley, Hellenic Religion 34–5. 32 Malalas pp. 445–7 Bonn; cf. Binns (1994) 138–9.
33 Malalas pp. 487–8 Bonn. 34 See Cameron (1994) and (1996); Schick (1995).
35 For full accounts, Frend, Monophysite Movement; Meyendorff, Imperial Unity 165–292; and ch. 27
(Allen), pp. 824,8 below.
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