Judas "the Zealot" of Gamala

Judas, son of Hezekiah, was the Jewish leader of a popular revolt against the Romans after a census was ordered by Quirinius for the province of Judaea about 6 CE. Judas died and his followers scattered.

Josephus

"In 4 BCE, king Herod the Great died. Immediately, there were several revolts against the rule of his son and successor, Herod Archelaus."

Josephus says, Judas, the son of that Hezekiah whom Herod had executed, gathered a band of patriots, armed them with weapons from the royal arsenal at Sepphoris, and operated throughout Galilee. Varus came down with two legions and with the help of Arab auxiliaries dispersed the Galilean rebels. Sepphoris burned to the ground and the population sold as slaves. Varus them marched into Judea, caught up the groups of patriots and had as many as 2000 of them nailed to the cross.. many of the patriots branched off the Pharisees and organized the Zealots."
And, "There was Judas, the son of that Hezekiah who had been head of the robbers. (This Hezekiah had been a very strong man, and had with great difficulty been caught by Herod.) Judas, having gotten together a multitude of men of a profligate character about Sepphoris in Galilee, made an assault upon the palace there, and seized upon all the weapons that were laid up in it, and with them armed every one of those that were with him, and carried away what money was left there. He became terrible to all men, by tearing and rending those that came near him; and all this in order to raise himself, and out of an ambitious desire of the royal dignity, for he hoped to obtain that as the reward not of his virtuous skill in war, but of his extravagance in doing injuries. (Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 17.271-272)

"Josephus does not tell what happened to Judas, but he was probably caught by the Roman governor of Syria, Publius Quinctilius Varus, who marched into Archelaus' realm to restore order. . . . Although Judas had 'an ambitious desire of the royal dignity', there are no indications in this story that his aspirations were messianic in nature."

• "Judas, son of Hezekiah (4 BCE)" at Livius.org, citing Flavius Josephus, Jewish War 2.56 and Jewish Antiquities 17.271-272. Accessed Feb. 15, 2013. <http://www.livius.org/men-mh/messiah/messianic_claimants01.html>

Jewish Encyclopedia

Leader of a popular revolt against the Romans at the time when the first census was taken in Judea, in which revolt he perished and his followers were dispersed (Acts v. 37); born at Gamala in Gaulonitis (Josephus, "Ant." xviii. 1, § 1). In the year 6 or 7 C.E., when Quirinus came into Judea to take an account of the substance of the Jews, Judas, together with Zadok, a Pharisee, headed a large number of Zealots and offered strenuous resistance (ib. xviii. 1, § 6; xx. 5, § 2; idem, "B. J." ii. 8, § 1). Judas proclaimed the Jewish state as a republic recognizing God alone as king and ruler and His laws as supreme. The revolt continued to spread, and in some places serious conflicts ensued. Even after Judas had perished, his spirit continued to animate his followers. Two of his sons, Jacob and Simon, were crucified by Tiberius Alexander ("Ant." xx. 5, § 2); another son, Menahem, became the leader of the Sicarii and for a time had much power; he was finally slain by the high-priestly party ("B. J." ii. 17, §§ 8-9).

Grätz ("Gesch." iii. 251) and Schürer ("Gesch." i. 486) identify Judas the Galilean with Judas, son of Hezekiah the Zealot, who, according to Josephus ("Ant." xvii. 10, § 5; "B. J." ii. 4, § 1), led a revolt in the time of Quintilius Varus. He took possession of the arsenal of Sepphoris, armed hisfollowers, who were in great numbers, and soon became the terror of the Romans.

Bibliography: Grätz, Gesch. 3d ed., iii. 260, 364;
Schürer, Gesch. 3d ed., i. 420, passim.

• Jewish Encyclopedia, Judas the Galilean

Wikipedia

Judas of Galilee or Judas of Gamala led a violent resistance to the census imposed for Roman tax purposes by Quirinius in Iudaea Province around AD 6.[1] The revolt was crushed brutally by the Romans. These events are discussed by Josephus in Jewish Wars and in Antiquities of the Jews.

In Antiquities of the Jews[2] Josephus states that Judas, along with Zadok the Pharisee founded the "fourth sect", of 1st century Judaism (the first three are the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes). Josephus blames this sect, usually identified with the later Zealots, a group of theocratical-nationalists who preached that God alone was the ruler of Israel and later urged that no taxes should be paid to Rome, for the Great Jewish Revolt and for the destruction of Herod's Temple.

Josephus does not relate the death of Judas, although he does report that Judas' "sons" (it could also mean disciples) James and Simon were executed by procurator Tiberius Julius Alexander in about 46 AD.[3] He also reports that Menahem, one of the early leaders of the Jewish Revolt in AD 66, was Judas' "son", but most scholars doubt this. Menahem may have been Judas' grandson, however.[4] Menahem's cousin, Eleazar ben Ya'ir, then escaped to the fortress of Masada where he became a leader of the last defenders against the Roman Empire.

Judas is mentioned in the New Testament Book of Acts of the Apostles.[5] The author has Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin, refer to him as an example of a failed Messianic leader. This is evidently an error (unless Josephus and Acts refer to two different events), since it describes the revolt of Theudas, which would not actually take place for another ten years, as happening before that betrayal by Judas, [6]

References

1. Raymond Brown, An Adult Christ at Christmas: Essays on the Three Biblical Christmas Stories, Matthew 2 and Luke 2 by Raymond E. Brown (Liturgical Press, 1978), page 17.
2. Flavius Josephus, Antiquities Book 18 Chapter 1
3. Flavius Josephus, Antiquities 20.5.2 102
4. Messianic claimants (12) Menahem
5. Acts 5:37
6. Paul Barnett, The Birth of Christianity, (Eerdmans, 2005), page 199.

• Wikipedia, Judas of Galilee