The word spreads about the risen Jesus
- Paul is instrumental in telling the world about Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and message
- He travels far and wide: Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, Rome, Jerusalem, and maybe even Spain and Britain
- He writes letters to many of those he spoke to- these epistles are part of the New Testament
- if not the efforts of Paul, it is likely that Jesus remains an obscure preacher, instead of the central figure of the world's largest religion
Caligula- good start
- in addition to being Germanicus' son, he was Tiberius' adopted grandson and great- nephew- putting him next in line for emperor
- he started of well: granting bonuses to those in the military, declaring treason trials a thing of the past, and made government spending a matter of public record
- all in all, the first seven months of Caligula's reign were "completely blissful" (according to the historian Philo)
bad finish for Caligula
- he began to fight with the Senate
- he claimed to be god, and had statues displayed in many places- including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem(sacrilege)
- other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, indulged in to many spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest (at least that's what the critics said)
- assassinated by his own aids, AD 41 (pg. 28)
Next in line: Claudius
- ostracized by his family because of his disabilities (limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment- thought to be cerebral palsy or polio) he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed
- he rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain; he built roads, canals, and aqueducts, he renovated the Circus Maximus
- Had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was quite often unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize power for her lover Silius through a coup- so Claudius had them killed
Meanwhile- religious troubles
- Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
- romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewed as a god
- AD 66: a group of Jews called the Zeolots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple ( except for one wall)
- the western wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
- half a million Jews died in the rebellion
Persecution of Christians
- Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor
- especially Christians who were viewed as followers of a new, upstart religion (cult)
- often used for "entertainment" purposes in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions etc.)
- despite the opression, Christianity grew quickly- by AD 200 , around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians
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