The Sicarii, a Splinter Group of the Zealots

In The Deadliest Hate, Miriam learns of the Sicarii from her cousin Eli on his ship to Caesarea. He explains:

Another threat to Roman stability comes from the pseudo-messiahs and false prophets who are springing up everywhere in Judea. But the latest menace may be the most dangerous, a splinter group emerging from the Zealots but one the Zealots disavow for their sheer brutality. Called the Sicarii, this secret brotherhood of ruthless assassins is  named for the short, curved daggers, the sicae they conceal under their cloaks. They’ve been organizing terrorist cells in every Judean city. But more than taking aim against our Roman administrators and bureaucrats, they direct their attacks against their fellow Jews, the ones they say "bow too low to Rome."

Unfortunately, they don’t mean just the high priests who accept favors from the legion. They also mean us, the "Greek" Jews they accuse of being faithless collaborators with Rome.

The Sicarii, which may be translated as ‘daggermen’ from the Latin, were a group of Jewish fanatics who lived during the first century CE. Intending to expel the Romans and their collaborators from Judaea,  they resisted their rule. One of the tools they employed in their effort to achieve this end was assassination, especially in crowded places calculated to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. The Sicarii are often considered one of the earliest groups of terrorists.

And so, while Miriam goes to Caesarea to stop the leak of  an alchemical secret, she is threatened by assassins who see her as cooperating with the Romans. But like Miriam, you too can learn to survive by your wits. Just click here.