The Night Jerusalem's Jews Were Expelled by the Byzantines

In 614 CE, the Sasanian Persian army under General Shahrbaraz besieged Jerusalem, aided by Jewish forces from the Galilee. After a 21-day siege, the city fell, and tens of thousands of Christians were massacred. The Persians handed control of Jerusalem to a Jewish leader, Nehemiah ben Hushiel, who became governor. For the first time in centuries, Jews were permitted to sacrifice on the Temple Mount. But the Jewish ascendancy was brief. In 617, the Persians reversed course, expelled the Jews, and returned the city to Christian rule. This episode explores the complex alliance between Jews and Zoroastrian Persians, the role of messianic expectations, the destruction of churches, the recovery of the True Cross, and the lasting impact on Jewish-Christian relations. We discuss the key figures: Shahrbaraz, Nehemiah, and the Christian patriarch Zacharias. We also examine the sources, including the Armenian historian Sebeos and the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes. This is a forgotten chapter in Jerusalem's long history of conquest and religious change.

#SasanianConquest #Jerusalem614 #JewishRevolt #ByzantineEmpire #Shahrbaraz #NehemiahbenHushiel #TrueCross #Zacharias #Sebeos #Theophanes #TempleMount #Messianism #PersianRule #ChristianPersecution #HolySepulchre #Golgotha #FexingoHistory #History

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