Is the Truth About Masada Less Romantic?

History Network ^ | June 12, 2006 | Kim Stubbs

[OldFriend]

No doubt there were Iraqi's nearby who saw the whole thing.

[amigatec]

bttt

[Larry Lucido]

I'll bet just about everything about ancient and midieval history is less romantic than it might seem.

[Larry Lucido]

I'll bet just about everything about ancient and midieval history is less romantic than it might seem.

Even the romantic stuff.

[eddie willers]

"When the legend becomes fact....print the legend"

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

[Libertarianize the GOP]

You might find this of interest

[silverleaf]

It's a fascinating place. I have been there.

[PeteB570]

Ahhh, doesn't this place Jews in the Middle East before the Muslims?

So then it's really the Muslims who are living on "Occupied Land"??

[silverleaf]

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/masada.html

[goldstategop]

Israel's extreme Left wants to discredit Masada, in order to advance its contention there's nothing good in the Jewish past. This isn't about archaeology; this about the pursuit of an ideological agenda. The Israeli critics of the Yigal Yadin just don't want to admit they have one.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[Raycpa]

Minor differences with completely plausible explanations. My guess is the real underlying purpose is to discredit Josephus because he substantiates Jesus.

[spetznaz]

I'll bet just about everything about ancient and midieval history is less romantic than it might seem.

Very true. As the years pass things from the past either take a more horrific tinge or get glossed over into romanticized dreamscapes. Always. Just the other day I was doing some research on the Crusades, and lets just say that not all of the 'Good Guys' were good and gracious Paladins fighting for faith and God.

[aynrandfreak]

That's pretty funny!

[rabidralph]

How is mass suicide heroic?

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.

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I thought it was established that there were only palestinians there in those days.

[robowombat]

I suspected that was the provenance of some of this article. I keep trying to understand the mentality of the Israeli left and cannot. I keep coming down to 'these people are so alienated that they really are Jews who hate being Jewish. They truly are self hating and seem to implicitly have a death wish. Something that is really dangerous for Jews to embrace.

[kenavi]

The Zealots murdered more fellow Judeans than they did Roman soldiers. I'll take Rabbi Ben Yishai and the Academy he established at Yavneh any day of the week (especially on the 7th).

[rmlew]

The Zealots murdered more fellow Judeans than they did Roman soldiers
Really? The Romans lost the better part of 3 Legions or 30,000 men.

I'll take Rabbi Ben Yishai and the Academy he established at Yavneh any day of the week (especially on the 7th).
I belive you meant Yochanan ben Zakhai.

[Suzy Quzy]

I am sincerely asking this question....why is mass suicide of 900 people a GOOD thing?? I HAVE NEVER understood why this is considered a "holy" site. I could defintely call it holy if the 900 people were slaughtered by the Romans, but SUICIDE?? I just don't get the prided involved.

Can anyone explain, and don't call me an anti-Semite for asking such a basic question since in my religion suicide is a sin, and I had thought it was also in the Jewish religion.