About Jews vs. Rome

A new history of two centuries of Jewish revolts against the Roman Empire, drawing on recent archeological discoveries and new scholarship by leading historian Barry Strauss.

Jews vs. Rome is a gripping account of one of the most momentous eras in human history: the two hundred years of ancient Israel’s battles against Rome that reshaped Judaism and gave rise to Christianity. Barry Strauss vividly captures the drama of this era, highlighting the courageous yet tragic uprisings, the geopolitical clash between the empires of Rome and Persia—ancient Iran, and the internal conflicts among Jews.

Between 63 BCE and 136 CE, the Jewish people launched several revolts driven by deep-seated religious beliefs and resentment towards Roman rule. Judea, a province on Rome’s eastern fringe, became a focal point of tension and rebellion. Jews vs. Rome recounts the three major uprisings: the Great Revolt of 66–70 CE, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, culminating in the Siege of Masada, where defenders chose mass suicide over surrender; the Diaspora Revolt, ignited by a humiliating tax that singled out Jews as well as by a desire to rebuild the Temple; and the Bar Kokhba Revolt. We meet pivotal figures such as Simon Bar Kokhba but also some of those lesser-known women of the era like Berenice, a Jewish princess who played a major role in the politics of the Great Revolt and was improbably the love of Titus—Rome’s future emperor and the man who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.

Today, echoes of those battles resonate as the Jewish nation faces new challenges and conflicts. Jews vs. Rome offers a captivating narrative that connects the past with the present, appealing to anyone interested in Rome, Jewish history, or the compelling true tales of resilience and resistance.

#1 New Release in Ancient Roman History, Amazon.com
#1 Best Seller in History of Judaism, Amazon.com
#1 Bestseller in Jewish Social Studies, Amazon.com
The Federalist’s Notable Books of 2025, The Federalist
The Bradley Foundation’s 2025 Holiday Reading List, The Bradley Foundation
The Octavian 2025 Book List, The Octavian Report
2025 End-of-Year Review, Hoover Institution
2025: A Year in Reading, National Review
2025: Best Books, Jim Clair

"Mr. Strauss is excellent at using modern archaeology to extract information from ancient battlefields. . . . Jews vs. Rome is packed with tales of assassins, mobs, agents provocateurs, zealots and traitors. . . . Without the Jews and their indomitable determination to resist Rome, this book argues powerfully, modern Judaism would look very different—and less heroically noble—than it does today."
Andrew Roberts, Wall Street Journal

“This is a terrific book (I have been listening to the audio version). Professor Barry Strauss has written a history that may reorient many readers to how they understand Israel today. It would be a great gift for anyone who loves great history or who follows Israel today.”
Hugh Hewitt, radio talk show host

“A thrilling and sensitive read by an excellent military historian, commentator on the classical era, skilled popularizer and proud Jew.”
Steven Fine, Yeshiva University, Contemporary Jewry (forthcoming)

“The publication of this clearly written work of impeccable scholarship could not have been more timely.”
“Jews vs. Rome is a beacon of scholarly light and a wellspring of strategic wisdom.”
Guy MacLean Rogers, Wellesley College, Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs

“Gripping and authoritative history….Jews Versus Rome is both a dramatic story of insurgency and a profound meditation on identity, belief, and survival in the face of overwhelming force.”
Richard Hurowitz, The Octavian Report

“A masterwork.”
Gordon Robertson, Christian Broadcasting Network

“Strauss is a master storyteller, and so Jews vs. Rome reads like a historical thriller.”
Dia Chakravarty, Daily Telegraph

“Strauss writes brisk, vivid prose handled with scholarly care.”
Katherine Howell, National Review

“The book offers a captivating narrative that connects the past with the present, appealing to anyone interested in Rome, Jewish history, or compelling true tales of resilience and resistance.”
Hoover Institution, Ideas Advancing Freedom in 2025

“If you’re a Christian (like me) and wish to learn more about early Christianity, the time of Jesus, and the culture and environment he lived in, Jews vs. Rome is excellent.
“I’m not Jewish, yet I imagine the history Strauss details will resonate with Jewish readers. The fall of Jerusalem, its causes, the early Jewish rebels and later the rabbis who saved Judaism against Rome’s attempt to eradicate it — Strauss delivers a wonderful history.”
Jim Clair, professional reader

"Bar­ry Strauss, a lead­ing author­i­ty on ancient mil­i­tary his­to­ry, uses his con­sid­er­able exper­tise to exam­ine three major Jew­ish revolts against the Roman Empire. . . . [An] engag­ing and acces­si­ble nar­ra­tive his­to­ry."
Linda Kantor-Swerdlow, Jewish Book Council

“The book that Barry Strauss has written, all sound scholarship presented in excellent prose...”

“The complex tale … is told in admirable detail by Strauss, …. a trained classicist who is also fully cognizant of the Jewish texts."

“For the general reader whose Greek and Latin might be a tad rusty, Barry Strauss’s Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion against the World's Mightiest Empire provides a very useful bridge across the deep valley that divides the history of the Roman empire from the few Roman centuries in the millennial history of the Jews.”
Edward Luttwak, Mosaic

“Today’s headlines bear a striking resemblance to the battles between the Jewish people and Rome, as a brilliant new book shows. Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World’s Mightiest Empire by Barry Strauss rivetingly recounts a tragic history that would conclude, millennia later, with the triumph of Israel.”

“Reading Jews vs. Rome serves as a bloody and tragic testimony—but also a timely guidebook for today.”
Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern, aish.com

“For those who enjoy military history, the author does an excellent job offering details about the number of those who fought in the battles and descriptions of the different military actions that took place. … However, Strauss doesn’t stint on the political intrigue that was happening in Rome and Judea as people strove for power.”
Rabbi Rachel Esserman, The Reporter

“Strauss’s book is a masterful addition to the literature of ancient history and a powerful reminder that the past is a mirror image and snapshot of current struggles, and what motivated the past continues to shape the world we live in.”
Israel Drazin, The Times of Israel

“Jews vs. Rome is a book that needed to be written for its historical value alone, but its useful timing is a bonus. The book holds lessons for the here and now.”
Seth Mandel, Commentary (subscription needed)

“Though the subject is heavy, it’s a very readable book….the period Strauss narrates was absolutely pivotal to the development of both Judaism and Christianity, and indeed all of Western civilization. This is a history that Christians ought to know.”
Rachel Lu, Word on Fire

"Historian Strauss hits another home run with this thorough account of the tumultuous relations between Rome and its most contentious subjects, the Jews, in ancient times. . . . There is no better history of this important but little-known subject."
Library Journal, starred review

"Judaism as we know it today is not the Judaism of the Bible—it is the Judaism that emerged from the destruction of the Second Jewish Commonwealth at the hands of the Romans. As Barry Strauss illustrates in this riveting account, this pivotal period was defined by conflicting values and visions among Jews, corruption of their religious institutions, infighting when they could least afford it and much more that our own time eerily echoes. This stunning account leaves us with a much deeper understanding of not only the Jews’ past, but their present as well, and perhaps even their future."
Daniel Gordis, author of Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn

“Incisive, timely, and thought-provoking, Jews vs. Rome is an insightful history of the way implacable faith and resistance fueled two centuries of Judea’s doomed blows against the Empire. Barry Strauss is a master at illuminating the strong personalities, complex motives, and turbulence during Rome’s struggle to control the Middle East.”
Adrienne Mayor, Research scholar, Department of Classics and History and Philosophy of Science, Stanford University, and author of Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws, and Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities

“Jews vs. Rome retells, with passion and immediacy, the Jews’ continuous confrontations with the great power of Rome and their own unceasing, often violent internal disputes, and ultimately indicates an enduring spiritual strength to explain their survival as a people. Behind the story of survival is a dire warning against disunity in perilous times.”
Jonathan J. Price, the Fred and Helen Lessing Professor of Ancient History, Departments of Classics and General History, Tel Aviv University

"For two hundred years, the Jews fought the world’s greatest power–Imperial Rome–and by doing so, won their rightful place as one of history’s most consequential people. Told by the master historian of the ancient world, this is a wonderful and important read."
Karl Rove, former White House Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff and author of The Triumph of William McKinley

“Strauss provides play-by-play accounts of military actions” while also “humanizing the various actors through trying to understand their motives.”
Nadya Williams, Law & Liberty

“Jews vs. Rome is scholarly and reliable.”
Joseph Epstein, Washington Free Beacon