Judas of Galilee

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Judas of Galilee or Judas of Gamala led a violent resistance to a census imposed for Roman tax purposes by Quirinius in Iudaea Province around AD 6. The revolt was crushed brutally by the Romans. These events are discussed by Josephus in Jewish Wars, (Book 2, Chapter 8, Section 1 and Chapter 17, Section 8), and in Jewish Antiquities Book 18. Judas is also mentioned by Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin, in a speech related in Acts 5:37. Gamaliel offers him as an example of a failed Messianic leader.

Josephus in Antiquities Book 18 states that Judas, along with Zadok the Pharisee, founded the Zealots, which he calls the "fourth sect" of first century Judaism (the first 3 are the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes). Josephus blames the Zealots for the Great Jewish Revolt and destruction of Herod's Temple. They preached that God alone was the ruler of Israel and later urged that no taxes should be paid to Rome.

Judas led an assault on a Roman garrison at the kings armory in Sepphoris, then the capital of Galilee (7 km from Nazareth). Josephus does not relate the death of Judas, although he does report (Antiquities 20.5.2 102) that Judas' sons James and Simon were executed by procurator Alexander in about 46 AD, several years after R. Gamaliel's statement.