78 From the book: THE HISTORY OF A GREAT LODE 23 JEWISH WARS It was the thirtieth year of a new era. Judea was seething. The Roman government, having made Judea autonomous, subordinated the government to the Syrian ruler. In Jerusalem, there was a procurator of Judea and a garrison of Roman soldiers. The civil power was divided among the heirs of Herod the Great. The Sanhedrin exercised religious authority. Numerous religious gatherings: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes. These three main religious and philosophical schools waged scholastic disputes about the correctness of the presentation; in fact, it was a struggle for power and influence. A party of fanatics called for armed resistance and the killing of Roman soldiers.