The Hated Emperor Hadrian

Early in the reign of Emperor Hadrian, good ties prevailed between him and the Jews, and he may even have sought to rebuild the Temple. But the relationship soon soured and reached its tragic nadir with the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Due to the violent suppression of the revolt and the transformation of Jerusalem into a pagan city, the Jews cursed Hadrian’s name with the words “may his bones be crushed.”

In the picture: replica of a bust of Hadrian found not far from Beit She’an.

In the picture: Jerusalem’s eastern cardo (the city’s main longitudinal street), which was built early in Hadrian’s reign not far from the Temple Mount.