Posted: April 29th, 2018

The Roman Empire’s Role in the Bible’s Creation

The Roman Empire’s Role in the Bible’s Creation

The Roman Empire was a powerful political and cultural force that shaped the world of the first century CE. It was also the context in which Christianity emerged and spread throughout the Mediterranean region. In this blog post, we will explore how the Roman Empire influenced the development of the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, as well as the early Christian communities.

The Old Testament and the Roman Empire

The Old Testament, or the Hebrew Bible, is the collection of sacred writings that form the basis of Judaism and Christianity. It consists of 39 books that narrate the history, laws, prophecies, and poetry of the ancient Israelites. The Old Testament was written over a long period of time, from about 1200 BCE to 165 BCE, by various authors and editors.

The Roman Empire had an indirect but significant impact on the formation of the Old Testament. The Roman Empire came after the Greek Empire, which had conquered most of the Near East in the fourth century BCE under Alexander the Great. The Greeks imposed their culture and language on the conquered peoples, including the Jews. This led to a period of cultural assimilation and conflict, known as Hellenization.

Some Jews resisted Hellenization and sought to preserve their ancestral traditions and laws. They rebelled against the Greek rulers, especially against Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who tried to outlaw Judaism and force the Jews to worship Greek gods. The rebellion was led by a family of priests called the Maccabees, who managed to restore Jewish independence for a brief time. The Maccabean revolt is recorded in the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, which are part of the Old Testament in some Christian traditions, but not in others.

The Maccabean period also saw the rise of different Jewish sects and movements, such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. These groups had different interpretations of the Jewish law and expectations of the Messiah, or the anointed one who would deliver Israel from oppression. Some of these groups produced their own writings, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in caves near Qumran in 1947. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain copies of some books of the Old Testament, as well as other texts that reflect the beliefs and practices of the Essenes.

The Roman Empire conquered Judea, the homeland of the Jews, in 63 BCE. The Romans allowed some degree of autonomy to the Jews, but also imposed taxes and governors. Some Jews accepted Roman rule, while others resisted and rebelled. The most famous rebellion was led by Judas Maccabeus’ grandson Judas of Galilee in 6 CE, who refused to pay taxes to Caesar. He founded a movement called the Zealots, who advocated violent resistance against Rome. The Zealots sparked a series of revolts that culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Roman army in 70 CE.

The destruction of Jerusalem was a traumatic event for the Jews. It marked the end of Jewish political independence and religious centrality. Many Jews were killed or enslaved by the Romans, while others fled to other regions or countries. Some Jews tried to rebuild their identity and community around their sacred writings and traditions. They collected and edited their scriptures into a standard form, known as
the Masoretic Text. They also developed oral traditions that explained and applied their scriptures to new situations. These oral traditions were later written down in collections called
the Mishnah and
the Talmud.

The New Testament and the Roman Empire

The New Testament is
the collection of 27 books that narrate
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and
the history and teachings of his followers. The New Testament was written in Greek between
the late first and early second centuries CE by various authors.

The Roman Empire had a direct and profound impact on
the formation of
the New Testament.
The Roman Empire was
the political and cultural environment in which Jesus lived and preached,
the context in which his followers spread his message throughout
the Mediterranean world,
and
the source of persecution and opposition that they faced.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
a town in Judea,
around
the year 4 BCE.
He grew up in Nazareth,
a village in Galilee,
a region that was under
the rule of Herod Antipas,
a puppet king appointed by Rome.
He began his public ministry around
the year 28 CE,
after being baptized by John
the Baptist,
a prophet who called people to repentance and announced
the coming of God’s kingdom.
Jesus traveled around Galilee and Judea,
teaching,
healing,
and performing miracles.
He attracted many followers,
but also aroused
the suspicion and hostility of
the Jewish religious authorities and
the Roman political authorities.

Jesus claimed to be
the Messiah,
the Son of God,
and
the Lord.
These titles challenged
the authority and identity of
the Jewish leaders and
the Roman emperor.
The Jewish leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy and
handed him over to
the Roman governor Pontius Pilate,
who sentenced him to death by crucifixion,
a brutal form of execution reserved for slaves and rebels.
Jesus died on a cross outside Jerusalem around
the year 30 CE.

However, according to
the New Testament,
Jesus did not stay dead.
He rose from
the dead on
the third day after his death,
appearing to his disciples and
others who believed in him.
He commissioned his disciples to be his witnesses and
to make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in
the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
He then ascended to heaven,
promising to return in glory.

The disciples of Jesus,
led by Peter and James,
formed a community of believers in Jerusalem,
who worshiped God and shared their possessions.
They also faced persecution from
the Jewish authorities,
who tried to stop them from preaching about Jesus.
One of the persecutors was Saul of Tarsus,
a zealous Pharisee who later converted to Christianity after encountering the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus.
He changed his name to Paul and became one of the most influential apostles of Christianity.

Paul traveled throughout
the Roman Empire,
preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to Jews and Gentiles alike.
He founded churches in many cities,
such as Antioch, Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Rome.
He also wrote letters to these churches,
addressing various issues and challenges that they faced.
These letters are part of
the New Testament and are considered authoritative sources of Christian doctrine and ethics.

The early Christians enjoyed some degree of tolerance from
the Roman authorities,
as long as they did not disturb the public order or challenge the imperial cult.
The imperial cult was a system of worship that honored the Roman emperor as a divine figure and a source of peace and prosperity.
The early Christians refused to participate in the imperial cult,
because they believed that Jesus was the only Lord and Savior.
They also refused to worship the traditional gods and goddesses of Rome and other cultures,
because they believed that there was only one true God, the God of Israel.

This refusal to conform to the religious norms of the Roman Empire made the early Christians appear as strange, antisocial, and subversive. They were accused of being atheists, cannibals, incestuous, and immoral. They were also blamed for natural disasters, such as famines, plagues, and earthquakes. They faced sporadic and localized persecutions from the Roman authorities, who tried to force them to renounce their faith or face torture and death. Some of the most notorious persecutions occurred under the emperors Nero, Domitian, Decius, Valerian, Diocletian, and Galerius.

The early Christians responded to persecution with courage, faithfulness, and hope. They also produced writings that expressed their beliefs, defended their practices, and encouraged their fellow believers. Some of these writings are part of the New Testament, such as the book of Revelation, which is a symbolic vision of God’s judgment on Rome and God’s salvation for his people. Other writings are not part of the New Testament, but are valuable sources of information about early Christianity, such as the letters of Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Lactantius, and Eusebius.

The Roman Empire played a crucial role in the Bible’s creation. It provided the historical backdrop for both the Old and New Testaments. It also influenced the content, form, and transmission of the biblical writings. The Bible reflects both the challenges and opportunities that the Roman Empire posed for God’s people. It also reveals how God worked through human history to accomplish his purposes.

Bibliography

– Bruce F.F., The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to The History Literature And Theology Of The First Christians (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic 2019)
– Dunn J.D.G., The Early Church (London: SCM Press 1980)
– Ehrman B.D., The New Testament: A Historical Introduction To The Early Christian Writings (New York: Oxford University Press 2016)
– Goodman M., Rome And Jerusalem: The Clash Of Ancient Civilizations (London: Penguin Books 2008)

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