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- Johanan ben Zakkai - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
(flourished 1st century AD). The Palestinian Jewish sage Johanan ben Zakkai was highly influential in the development and preservation of Judaism. He was revered as a great teacher and scholar. During his lifetime, the Romans controlled Palestine, including Jerusalem. The Temple of Jerusalem was the center of Jewish worship and of national identity. Jews were required to make pilgrimages to the Temple, and the high priests offered animal sacrifices there. When the Romans destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem in AD 70, the Jews needed to find a way to adapt their religion to the new circumstances if Judaism was to continue.