Direct Roman Rule. After the death of Agrippa I, all of Palestine returned to direct Roman rule. A series of seven procurators ruled over a span of 22 years. These years were marked by uprisings and general civil unrest, and Jewish discontentment with Roman rule reached its peak. Fueled by messianic fervor against the Roman authorities, several charismatic leaders, including Theudas and the “Egyptian prophet,” gathered followers. Organized groups such as the Sicarii and the Zealots carried out acts of violence against the Romans and their supporters.

Adding to the volatile situation was massive unemployment resulting from the completion of Herod’s temple project in ad 64. The last Roman procurator, Gessius Florus (ad 64–66), incited a full Jewish revolt when he robbed the temple treasury and authorized his soldiers to plunder Jerusalem (Koester, Introduction, 392, 398–401). In response, Jewish zealots organized a large-scale revolt in ad 66.