ZELOTI (SICARI). - Greek term (ζηλωτής "zealot"), which originally had only a moral meaning, insofar as it distinguished those faithfully observant of the Law: a program that Mattathias dying leaves to his sons and followers (1 Mach. 2:50).
The Zealots organized themselves into a political party under Judas the Galilean (Acts 5:37) at the time of the Roman procurators. They were rigid Pharisees, in whom the nationalist idea predominated over all others.
In their extremist nationalism, the Zealots often turned into common assassins, covering themselves with not a few crimes (Flavius Josephus, Bell. Iud., VII, 268). From the small dagger (lat. sica) used for this purpose, they were also called sicarii. They played a leading role during the revolt against the Romans (66-70 A.D.). Led by Eleazar, they penetrated Jerusalem (Fl. Josephus, ibid., IV, 136 ff.), where they committed all sorts of abuses. Having occupied the Temple (ibid., V, 5-7), at first they fought against the more moderate party led by John of Gischala (ibid., V, 101-103), and then continued the war with extreme fanaticism against the Romans. The last remaining with Eleazar took Masada (v.), where, after a long siege, in order not to fall prisoners they committed mass suicide.
Since "zealot" in Aramaic is qan'ānā, according to not a few exegetes the apostle Simon called καναναῖος "Cananean" (Mt. 10:4; Mk. 3:18) was a Zealot (cf. Lk. 6:15; Acts 1:13) in the primitive sense of the word.