Notes 5/5

Notes

Octavian-Aka Caesar Augustus

 The word spreads about the risen lord

• Paul is instrumental in telling the world about Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and message
• He travels far and wide: Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, Rome, Jerusalem, and maybe even Spain and Britain
• He writes letters to many of those he spoke to these epistles are a part of the New Testament
• If not for the efforts of Paul, it is likely that Jesus remains an obscure preacher, instead of the central figure of the world's largest religion

Caligula- good start…

• In addition to being Germanicus' son, he was Tiberius' adopted grandson and great-nephew putting him next in line for emperor
• He started off well: granting bonuses to those in the military, declaring treason trials a thing of the past, and made government spending a matter of public record
• All in all, the first seven months of Caligula's reign were "completely blissful" (according to the historian Philo)….then….

….bad finish for Caligula

• He began to fight with Senate
• He claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places- including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem (sacrilege!)
• Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest (at least that's what his critics said)
• Assassinated by his own aids, AD 41 (age 28)

Next in line: Claudius

• Ostracized by his family because of his disabilities 9limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment- thought to be cerebral palsy or polio), he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed
• He rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain: he built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
• Had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was quite often unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize power for her lover Silius through a coup- so Claudius had them killed

Meanwhile- religious troubles

• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
• Romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewed as a god
• AD 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Romans troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)
• The Western Wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• Half a million Jews died in the rebellion

Persecution of Christians

• Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor
• Especially Christians, who were viewed as followers of a new, upstart religion (cult)
• Often used for "entertainment" purposes in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions,  etc.)
• Despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly - by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians