The Life of the Christ - ForMinistry

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The World of Jesus
The World of Jesus:
Peoples, Powers, and Politics
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in the province of
Judea during the reign of Augustus Caesar, the first Roman ruler
called emperor. About sixty years earlier, the Romans had invaded
Palestine as they continued expanding their great empire
throughout the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and
beyond. At the time of Augustus, the Roman Empire ruled over
fifty million people from many different nationalities—from
Palestine and Syria in the east to Spain in the west, including most
of northern Africa and much of Europe. Because the Romans
were well-organized and had a strong army, their empire was actually
very stable. Travel and trade between areas was easier than it
had ever been. Historians have observed that the international
peace brought by Roman rule and the superior system of Roman
roads helped disciples to spread a new religion based on Jesus’
teachings.
PALESTINE BEFORE ROMAN RULE
The centuries leading up to Jesus’ birth were not politically
stable in the area known as Palestine. The Jewish people who
returned to Judah from exile in Babylon had been allowed to
rebuild their cities and the temple in Jerusalem, but they were
ruled by the Persians. Then the Greeks, led by Alexander the
Great, defeated the Persians and drove them out of Palestine.
Alexander’s generals and their descendants ruled the land for many
years, bringing with them Greek (Hellenistic) culture. One Greek
ruler from the Seleucid family (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) tried to
force the Hellenistic way of life on the Jewish people in Palestine.
When he put up a statue of a pagan god in the holy Jewish temple
in 168 b.c. Jewish people were enraged and rebelled. Led by Judas
Maccabeus, the people defeated the Seleucids, reclaimed the
temple, and created their own government.
For nearly one hundred years the Jewish people were again
in charge of the land, led by members of Judas Maccabeus’ family