Tuesday, April 29, 2014

The Roman Empire


  • Ides of March: Julius Caesar was stabbed to death 23 times by the senate.
  • Octavian - AKA Caesar Augustus
  • Augustus - the first emperor - getting it done
    • begins the pax romana - a period of peace and prosperity
    • built roads, aqueducts (brought water to the cities)
    • set up civil service to take care of roads, the grain supply, even a postal service
    • Augustus dies at age 76 in A.D. 14, and passes power to...
  • Tiberius.
  • but first, a word about Jesus. And Paul.
    • Jesus was a Roman citizen and a practicing Jew
    • At 30, he began his ministry (A.D. 31 - 33), preaching to the poor (and there were lots of 'em) in the empire, and reaching out to outsiders
    • Statements like "My kingdom is not of this world" made the Romans (and the Jews) nervous, and they began to plan his execution
    • the governor of the Roman province of Judaea, Pontius Pilate (prompted by Jewish high priests), sentences Jesus to death by crucifixion

That's how far we got in class.

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