Paternal Liberalism

Julius Caesar was an opportunist. Romans worshipped him like any other Roman deity, building temples in his name. Caesar was responsible for the deaths of thousands in Gaul and Britain, justifying it in his Commentarii. An early story of Caesar involves pirates capturing him and holding him for ransom. Caesar later found these same pirates and executed them through crucifixion. It could be the story is apocryphal, but Caesar was not a man to be questioned. He ruled alongside two other men, Crassus and Pompey, during the First Triumvirate. However, after political jockeying, Caesar became the most powerful man in the republic, having defeated the Gauls. Tensions rose between Pompey, the senate, and Caesar. It led to Caesar crossing the Rubicon with his army and establishing himself as dictator of Rome. Pompey raised his own army and started a Civil War across the “Republic.”

Caesar and his army invaded Egypt in 48 BC but were besieged inside the city of Alexandria. His water supply was cut off, and it seemed all hope was lost for Caesar. Yet, one ally came to Caesar’s aid. Hyrcanus led a relief force of 3000 Jewish soldiers to Alexandria, saving Caesar’s army from destruction. Julius Caesar never forgot the help of the Jewish soldiers in Alexandria, rewarding them with religious freedom within the “Republic.” He allowed the Jewish people in the Kingdom of Judea to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restored many other cities to Jewish rule. He abolished heavy taxation on the Jewish inhabitants and let them practice their faith in Rome. It was not uncommon for Jews to serve in the Roman army. They had a long history of military service to the Republic and later the Empire. However, after Caesar’s death, the Jewish population mourned his death. Mark Antony put in place King Herrod of Judea to rule over the Jews, revoking all previous rights given to the Jewish people. The discrimination and hardship led to the siege of Jerusalem and the deaths of thousands.

In a parallel future, Napoleon Bonaparte led a coup d’etat against the French Republic in 1799, establishing himself as dictator of the Republic. Before his takeover of the French government, he led a French expeditionary force to Egypt in an attempt to cut off British trade. Napoleon won countless victories in the land of the Pharaohs, but during the siege of Acre in what is now Israel, Napoleon called on all Jewish people to join him under the flag of Judaism. Unlike Caesar, no Jewish army came to Napoleon’s aid, and he had to abandon the siege. When Napoleon crowned himself Emperor, he established new laws for the Jewish population. He destroyed the Jewish Ghettos and permitted representatives in the French government from the Grand Sanhedrin.

Napoleon is often hailed as a “great liberator” for such practices. However, he was as much of a “cutthroat pragmatist” as any other ruler. He did not believe that the Jewish people deserved these rights, but more as a way to control them and force them into assimilation. It was a paternalistic attitude of the French Emperor. During the Siege of Acre, he needed military aid but received none. He left Israel and Egypt in despair. Napoleon improved Jewish living standards, but it was a far cry from true religious freedom. He went so far as to restrict their migration. Caesar, on the other hand, is more difficult to assess. It was likely as beneficial for his political power as he felt indebted to their help. Their aid during the Siege of Alexandria did not change Caesar’s perceptions of himself or his beliefs. Instead, he doubled down and established himself as “dictator for life,” leading to his eventual downfall.

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