Zealots

The Zealots were members of a Jewish political movement during the Second Temple period who sought to incite the people of Judaea to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Land of Israel by force of arms, most notably during the First Jewish–Roman War. "Zealotry" was the term used by the Jewish historian Josephus for a "fourth sect" or "fourth Jewish philosophy" during this period. At the core of Zealotry was the Jewish concept of "zeal", a total commitment to God's will and law, which was epitomized by the biblical figures of Phinehas and Elijah, and the Hasmonean priest, Mattathias. Zealotry was also driven by a belief in Israel's election by God, and is often seen as a key driver of the First Jewish Revolt. Eleazar ben Simon's faction is the only group to have explicitly adopted the title of "Zealots", though the term has since been applied to other rebel factions as well. The Sicarii, another radical group active during the First Jewish Revolt, are widely recognized by scholars as a distinct and rival faction, though one that shared significant similarities with the Zealots. Led by descendants of Judas of Galilee, founder of the Fourth Philosophy, the Sicarii, as noted by scholars like Martin Hengel, adhered to many of the same principles as the Zealots, including a "theocratic ideal" and a deep commitment to the concept of "zeal".