A Jewish nationalist group. From the Latin, sicarius,
meaning "dagger-man," which in turn goes back to the word sica, "dagger." "These men
committed numerous murders in broad daylight and in the middle of the City (Jerusalem - SL). Their favorite trick was to mingle with the
festival crowds, concealing under their garments small daggers with which they
stabbed their opponents." The Sicarii first
appear in the 50's AD, but Menahem, their leader, was the son or grandson of
Judas the Galilean, a rebel from the time of Jesus' childhood. They occupied Masada,
where their synagogue and ritual baths testify to their piety.