Wikipedia's first sentence called it “last standing jewish fortress in the bar kochba revolt of the 2nd century ce”. Today it says “ancient jewish town in the judaean mountains”. 1 accusation words in the opening on October 6 2023. Today: 3 today.
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The opening as it read in 2010
Betar hill in Bethlehem Governorate , West Bank Betar was the last standing Jewish fortress in the Bar Kochba revolt of the 2nd century CE, destroyed by the Roman army on Tisha B'av . The site of historic Betar (also spelled Beitar or Bethar), next to the modern village of Battir southwest of Jerusalem , was known as Khirbet al-Yahudi, Arabic for "the Jew's ruins".1The destruction of Betar put an end to the last great revolt against Rome, and effectively quashed any Jewish dreams of freedom. Accounts of the event in Talmudic and Midrashic writings thus reflect and amplify its importance in the Jewish psyche and oral tradition in the subsequent period. The best known is from the Babylonian Talmud , Gittin 57a-b: "Through the shaft of a litter Bethar was destroyed." It was the custom when a boy was born to plant a cedar tree and when a girl was born to plant a pine tree, and when they married, the tree was cut down and a canopy made of the branches. One day the daughter of the Emperor was passing when the shaft of her litter broke, so they lopped some branches off a cedar tree and brought it to her. The Jews thereupon fell upon them and beat them. They reported to the Emperor that the Jews were rebelling, and he marched against them. [In explanation of the verse] "He hath cut off in fierce anger all the horn of Israel." R. Zera said in the name of R. Johanan: These are the eighty thousand battle trumpets which assembled in the city of Bethar, when it was taken and men, women and children were slain in it until their blood ran into the Great Sea [=Mediterranean]. Do you think this was near? It was a whole mil away. It has been taught: R. Eleazar the Great said: There are two streams in the valley of Yadaim, one running in one direction and one in another, and the Sages estimated that [at that time] they ran with two parts water to one of blood. In a Baraitha it has been taught: 'For seven years [after the massacre at Beitar] the gentiles fertilized their vineyards with the blood of Israel without using manure.' ...Rab Judah reported Samuel as saying in the name of Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel; What is signified by the verse, "Mine eye affecteth my soul, because of all the daughters of my city?" There were four hundred synagogues in the city of Bethar, and in every one were four hundred teachers of children, and each one had under him four hundred pupils, and when the enemy entered there they pierced them with their staves, and when the enemy prevailed and captured them, they wrapped them in their scrolls and burnt them with fire. Other Midrashic sources can be seen here .2
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The opening as it stood in 2015 16 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Betar fortress ( ) was an ancient, terraced farming village in the Judean highlands.The Betar fortress was the last standing Jewish fortress in the Bar Kochba revolt of the 2nd century CE, destroyed by the Roman army of Emperor Hadrian in the year 135.The site of historic Betar (also spelled Beitar or Bethar), next to the modern Palestinian village of Battir , southwest of Jerusalem , is known as Khirbet al-Yahud in Arabic (meaning "ruin of the Jews").Today, the Israeli settlement and city Beitar Illit is also located nearby.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669514454.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Betar fortress ( ) was an ancient, terraced farming village in the Judean highlands. The Betar fortress was the last standing Jewish fortress in the Bar Kokhba revolt of the 2nd century CE, destroyed by the Roman army of Emperor Hadrian in the year 135. The site of historic Betar (also spelled Beitar or Bethar), next to the modern Palestinian village of Battir , southwest of Jerusalem , is known as Khirbet al-Yahud in Arabic (meaning "ruin of the Jews"). Today, the Israeli settlement and city Beitar Illit is also located nearby.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 965122902.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Ancient Jewish fortress near Battir, West Bank, Israel This article is about the ancient Jewish town destroyed during the Bar Kokhba Revolt .Betar ( ), also spelled Beitar , Bethar or Bether , was an ancient Jewish town in the Judean Mountains .Continuously inhabited since the Iron Age , it was the last standing stronghold of the Bar Kokhba revolt , and was destroyed by the Imperial Roman Army under Hadrian in 135 CE.Ancient Betar's ruins can be found at the archeological site of Khirbet al-Yahud ( ), located about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of Jerusalem .It is located in the modern Palestinian village of Battir , which preserves Betar's ancient name.Excavations at the site have uncovered evidence of the Roman siege and destruction, such as defensive walls and arrowheads .The Israeli settlement and city Beitar Illit , named after the ancient city, is also located nearby.Tent Work in Palestine: A Record of Discovery and Adventure (1887 ed.).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178170029.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Ancient Jewish fortress near Battir, West Bank, Israel This article is about the ancient Jewish town destroyed during the Bar Kokhba Revolt . Betar ( Biblical Hebrew : בֵּיתַּר , romanized: Bēttar ), also spelled Beitar , Bethar or Bether , was an ancient Jewish town in the Judaean Mountains . Continuously inhabited since the Iron Age , it was the last standing stronghold of the Bar Kokhba revolt , and was destroyed by the Imperial Roman Army under Hadrian in 135 CE. Ancient Betar's ruins can be found at the archeological site of Khirbet al-Yahud ( Arabic : خربة اليهود , lit. ' Ruin of the Jews ' ), located about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of Jerusalem .It is located in the Palestinian village of Battir , which preserves Betar's ancient name.Although it has never been systematically excavated, limited archaeological excavations have revealed remains associated with the Roman siege and destruction, such as defensive walls and arrowheads .The Israeli settlement Upper Beitar was named after Beitar and established 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the ruins of the ancient village.The first residents settled in 1990. Tent Work in Palestine: A Record of Discovery and Adventure (1887 ed.).
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Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “last standing jewish fortress in the bar kochba revolt of the 2nd century ce”. Today it says “ancient jewish town in the judaean mountains”. 1 accusation words in the opening on October 6 2023. Today: 3 today. Read the current article and compare.
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
last standing jewish fortress in the bar kochba revolt of the 2nd century ce
Now
ancient jewish town in the judaean mountains
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
