Tiberias was the seat of Jewish religious learning during 6th century. The Christians of Palaestina seized the leaders of Judaism in Tiberias. The final Jewish revolt against the Byzantine Empire was in 614 CE. Parts of the Jewish population supported the Persian invaders. The Jewish rebels were financed by Benjamin of Tiberias. In 628, the Byzantine army returned to Tiberias. The Jewish rebels were defeated in the battle of Nineveh. Emperor Heraclius instigated a wide-scale slaughter of the Jews, which practically emptied Galilee of most its Jewish population, with survivors fleeing to Egypt.
