Ezekiel 40–48 as a Model for Bar Kokhba’s Title “Nasi Israel”?

What is it about?

It is usually assumed that the second Jewish revolt against Rome (132–135/6 CE) was provoked by the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s twofold decision to transform Jerusalem into a heathen city and to build a shrine dedicated to Jupiter there. Following the initial military successes of the insurgents, an independent Jewish state emerged in Judea headed by the rebel leader Shimon Bar Kosiba (Bar Kokhba). According to numerous testimonies, nasi Israel was the official title of Bar Kosiba. The choice of this designation raises important issues pertaining to the way in which he latter conceived his role as leader, the extent of his powers and, more generally, the ideological foundations of his regime. It has often been argued that Bar Kosiba's model of nasi derives from the prophet Ezekiel's depiction of the ideal Davidic nasi and that, as such, it has a messianic overtone. This article puts forward a slightly different model. It proposes that nasi Israel refers to a figure distinct from the Davidic nasi, which is derived from an interpretation of Ezekiel's vision of the restored Temple (Ezek 40–48). This title functioned as a programmatic declaration signaling Bar Kosiba’s main objective to rebuild the Temple and renew the sacrificial worship.

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