Jesus: Historical Background
Mar 07 in Just Follow ME
Looking at the period of time in which Jesus was born forces us to look back at the historical background before His arrival.
Israel had pleaded for a King; they wanted to be as the surrounding nations. Saul was crowned the first King of Israel, followed 20 years later by King David (1000BC) and succeeded by Solomon in 931BC (legendary for his wisdom and wealth). He built the Temple fulfilling King David’s prayer, to build a habitation for God, a dwelling place; however by the time his son Rehoboam took the throne the people refused to submit to his authority; subsequently Israel was divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.
In 721 BC the Northern Kingdom is invaded by the Assyrians (Northern Mesopotamia which is our present northern Iraq, south-east Turkey, northwestern Iran and north eastern Syria) and dispersed throughout the Empire, becoming what we now refer to as ‘the ten lost tribes of Israel’ which over the centuries migrated to all regions of the world including North America, the Levant, Australia, Russia and Europe.
Between 597BC and 581BC the Babylonians (King Nebuchadnezzar ruler of Babylon: the capital of the whole region between Harran and the Persian Gulf in the southeast) conquered the Southern Kingdom of Judea and Jerusalem and took into exile the leading men of the land of which Daniel was one; part of the elite (aristocracy) of the land. In Daniel 2 we read of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the revelation of the Kingdoms that would follow.
Babylon – the head of gold – was to fall to the Persian King Cyrus the Great (539BC) and the exiled Judeans allowed to return to their land (the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem began around 516BC). The Medo-Persian Empire was to be the chest and arms of silver.
By 332BC the Macedonian (Greek) King Alexander the Great, the conqueror; destroys the Persian Empire (the belly and thighs of bronze) – Aristotle a pupil of Plato became the tutor of Alexander the Great: Taught in the Hellenistic school of thought/ a philosophy concerned with a striving after knowledge. At his death, the kingdom is divided into 4 kingdoms – as per Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
In 63 BC the Romans (Legs of Iron) invade Greece, the Jews will have a measure of autonomy in Jerusalem – however, Judea is very much under Roman Rule. In 37BC Romans turn Judea into a Roman Province, placing Jewish King Herod as administrator. ‘Roman policy stated that all people had religious and political freedom and freedom of thought however still needed to be subject to their overall authority, for they needed to maintain strong control’.
The Jews hated the Roman Empire, King Herod had killed all the Jewish babies born around the same time as Jesus. He had profaned the Temple by placing idols. The Jewish governing system or ruling class were the Pharisees (strict to the Jewish Law) and the Sadducees (the wealthy elite) who deeply disliked each other until the time where they would unite against Jesus.
Jesus was born (possibly between 6-1BC) to a Jewish family in a Roman-Greek world. The Romans ruled the land of Israel, the Jewish government had to report to King Herod who in turn reported to Rome (Emperor Caesar). At the time of Jesus’ birth, Caesar (Octavian) Augustus was the Roman Emperor. He built many of the roads that would be later used for the propagation of the gospel. It was also known as an era of peace (pax Romana). His successor Tiberius a man disliked for his lifestyle would later appoint Pontius Pilate as prefect of Judea.