Building the Kingdom of god on earth. The Jews in the great roman-persian war (603-628)

Abstract

The Jews played a key role inside the Eastern Roman Empire. Although Byzantium was a Christian State, on the Palestine province the followers of Judaism were an important minority. The politic events that took place in the viith century played an important part in the messianic hopes which still harboured the Jews, letting them go with the Sassanid Persia, as the principal enemies of Constantinople. The Persians were the God’s instrument that would free them of the roman oppression.