Tag Archives: Roman Empire

A Brief Introduction to Herod the Great

Posted on April 23, 2019 by

The World Around Judea in the Time Before Herod After the Maccabean Revolt in 167-160 BCE the Judean people had a time of independence and were ruled by Hasmonean kings who were descendants of the Maccabees who are credited with, … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Reflections, Gospel of Matthew, Historical Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Revelation 13 Rome Portrayed as a Beast

Posted on August 13, 2018 by

 Revelation 13: 1-10 The Beast from the Sea 1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Reflections, Revelation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mark’s Portrait of Jesus and the World in which He Lived Part 2

Posted on November 12, 2015 by

Mark’s Portrait of Jesus and the World in which He Lived Part 2: The Pax Romans and the Peace of Christ In the 1990s and early 2000s there was a vast amount of writing done by New Testament scholars that … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical Reflections, Gospel of Mark | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Place of Authority Part 3-1: The Fall of the Western Empire and the Rise of the Bishop of Rome

Posted on July 18, 2012 by

Meeting Between Leo the Great and Attila the Hun, Raphael (1514), Public Domain Artwork The reason that the western half of the Roman Empire collapsed are legion (pardon the pun). Although the eastern half of the empire and the Eastern … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Place of Authority 2-5: The Constantinian Revolution Part 1-The Rise of Power and the Crisis of Authenticity

Posted on July 4, 2012 by

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Place of Authority 2-2: Rome’s Christian Problem

Posted on June 30, 2012 by

Anti-Christian Graffito from the Paedagogium, part of the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill, Rome On the 18th and 19th of July of 64 CE the city of Rome burned, and of the fourteen districts only four remained relatively untouched. … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Place of Authority Part 2-1: The Beginning of the Christian Story

Posted on June 29, 2012 by

Carl Heinrich Bloch, The Sermon on the Mount, Public Domain Image Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Place of Authority: A Brief History Part 5: A New Crisis of Collapse in Judaism and a Summary of Authority to this Point

Posted on June 26, 2012 by

Detail of the Arch of Titus Showing the Sack of Jerusalem Judea and Galilee have had the seeds of revolt planted in the popular memory of the Maccabees and in the practices that have held their identity as a Jewish … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments