by and collaborated with the Roman governors during the first century. Not surprisingly, the pilgrims’ celebration of the Passover had potential as a time of protest against Roman and high priestly rule. Recognizing the threat, the Roman governors habitually brought troops into the city and posted them on the porticoes of the Temple complex as a show of force, further exacerbating the structural conflict. Cumanus even unleashed the troops against Passover demonstrators (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities