UNIT 12

1. UNIT 12 Judea and the Flavian Dynasty

2. JESUS OF NAZARETH A Historical Perspective

3. SLIDES 13-21 QUIZ • 1. The village of Nazareth was located in the province of _____________. • 2. Arriving in Jerusalem in 26 A.D., _______________ was exiled in 36 A.D. because of his cruel actions toward the Jews. • 3. ____________________ is believed to be the man whom Jesus could have initially followed.

6. History of Jerusalem • 586 B.C. – sacked by the Babylonians • 516 B.C. – Persians take control • 332 B.C. – Alexander conquers Jerusalem • 323 B.C. – given to Ptolemaic Empire • 198 B.C. – conquered by the Seleucid Empire • 164 B.C. – Jewish hegemony over Jerusalem • 63 B.C. – Rome takes control • Cicero derided it as a “hole in the corner” • He also believed monotheism was a “barbarian superstition”

7. Rome respected the Jewish population • “The vanquished have given laws to the victors” – philosopher Seneca • Messiah – “anointed one” • Relative of David, given the responsibility of rebuilding David’s kingdom • Was is this tantamount to declaring war on Rome?

8. “KING OF THE JEWS” • Roman client-king of Judea • His father, Antipater was an ally with Caesar • 37 B.C. – Rome declared Herod “King of the Jews” • Incredibly violent and brutal • “I would rather be Herod’s pig than his son” - Augustus • Extravagant buildings = high taxes… • 4 B.C. – Herod dies, Judea falls into chaos • No more independence, no more client-kings!

9. GOSPELS • Mark – 66-70 A.D. • Matthew – 70-90 A.D. • Luke – 80-100 A.D. • John – 90- 100 A.D. (possibly even later)

10. FAITH AND HISTORY • History and Faith can be two separate modes of knowing In a sense.. • Faith is concerned with what is possible • History is concerned with what is likely

11. JESUS’ CHILDHOOD • What do we already know?

12. JESUS’ CHILDHOOD • BORN: 1-6 A.D. • Nazareth – TINY village • No roads, no public buildings, no synagogue • Full of peasant farmers and day laborers • Jesus was likely born and raised here • Known commonly as the “Nazarean” • Luke and John are the ONLY gospels that mention Bethlehem – the city of David • Trip to Bethlehem for the census cannot be historically accurate because of chronological issues • WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? • Gospels were written to reveal truths not facts • EXAMPLE: • Hosea 1:11- “Out of Egypt I have called my son” • Meant to draw parallels to Moses • Micah 5:2 – “And you Bethlehem…from you shall come to me a ruler in Bethlehem”

13. JESUS’ CHILDHOOD • Mark 6:3 – Jesus was a tekton; woodworker or artisan • VERY poor; just above slave and indigent • Likely illiterate • Most likely spoke Aramaic, maybe Greek • Jesus likely had siblings • The Gospels, letters to Paul and the historian Josephus all corroborate this • James, Joseph, Simon, Judas • VERY little known about Joseph • Virgin birth? • Mark 6:3 – “Is this not Mary’s son?” and “Son of the carpenter and Mary”

14. PONTIUS PILATE • What do we already know?

15. PONTIUS PILATE • Arrived in Jerusalem in 26 A.D. • Samnite • Very brave soldier who served under Julius Caesar • HATED THE JEWS • Marched in the Temple with Roman standards • Gave a donation to the Temple from Roman gods • Stole from the treasury to fund aqueducts • Slaughtered Jews in the streets • Crucified SO MANY Jews, they lodged a formal complaint with Rome • Worked with the high priest Caiaphas, enemy of Jesus Exiled from Rome in 36 C.E. for violence against the Jews! Which emperor exiled him??

16. JOHN THE BAPTIST • What do we already know?

18. JOHN THE BAPTIST • Began baptizing in 28 A.D. • Who was he? Where was he from? • Herod Antipas had him executed around 30 A.D. • Considered a Jewish zealot • Baptized Jesus • This is where the historical life of Jesus begins! • Baptisms were an initiation • Most likely Jesus was joining his order or sect • “Baptized INTO John’s baptism – Acts 19:1-3 • Jesus most likely followed John the Baptist • “For they seemed ready to do anything that he should advise” – Herod Antipas as written in Josephus’ Antiquities

19. JOHN THE BAPTIST • John and Jesus’ roles could have possibly been reversed • MARK: • “There is one coming after me who is stronger than I am, one whose sandals I am not worthy to untie – Mark 1:7-8 • Never mentions Jesus…after the heavens open he never evens comments! • MATTHEW: • “I baptize you with water, he baptizes you with the Holy Spirit” – Matthew 3:11

20. JOHN THE BAPTIST • LUKE: • “Now when all the people had been baptized, and Jesus too was baptized, the heavens opened” – Luke 3:21 • Never even mentions John! • BIRTH – John born to a barren woman, Jesus to a Virgin • JOHN: • “I myself saw the holy spirit descend upon him from heaven like a dove” – John 1:32 • “I am not the messiah. I have been sent before him. He must increase as I must decrease” – John 3:28-30 • John only exists as a witness to Jesus’ divinity • John makes sure to claim that Jesus is the Lord, the “one who existed before me” – John 1:15

21. NAZARETH • Galilee was a major focus of Roman force following Herod the Great’s death • Pastoral people; subsistence farming • “the people of the land” • “Certainly you are also one of Jesus’ disciples, for your accent betrays you” – Matthew 26:73. Commentary during Simon Peter’s arrest

22. JESUS’ MINISTRY • Jesus’ family struggle to accept his ministry • “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” – Mark 3:21 • Nazareth was also reluctant to accept Jesus’ teachings • According to Luke, they tried to push him off of a cliff! – Luke 4:14-30 • “No prophet is accepted in his hometown” – Luke 4:24

23. JESUS’ MINISTRY • Traveled to Capernaum • 72 disciples in all • What is a disciple? • The Twelve apostles were ambassadors of his message • Spoke independently of Jesus; his chief missionaries • These descriptions come from Luke 9:1-6

25. JESUS’ ENEMIES? • Jesus immediately disrupted the status quo • His authority came from God! • Pharisees? • Warned Jesus his life was in danger – Luke 13:31 • Helped bury him after his execution – John 19:39-40 • Saved his disciples lives after his death – Acts 5:34 • Caiaphas emerges as Jesus’ main instigator to kill Jesus because of the threat he posed • Mark 14:1-2 • Matthew 26:57-66 • John 11:49-50

26. THE GOOD SAMARITAN • “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite (priest), when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ – Luke 10:30-37 • What do you think Jesus message is?

27. JESUS’ RISING FAME • Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” • “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. • The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. • Mark 1:23-28

28. JESUS THE MIRACLE WORKER? • No one denied his miracles • Performed them free of charge! • His apostles were also able to perform similar acts • “A doer of startling deeds” • Josephus in Testimonies • CHARGED WITH: • Sedition • Blasphemy • Rejecting the Law of Moses • Refusing to pay tribute • Threatening the Temple • But, NOT being a magician! • Healed a blind man – Mark 22-26 • Healed a deaf and dumb man – Mark 7:31-35 • Had his powers “drained” from him; healing a hemorrhaging woman – Mark 5:24-34

29. “KINGDOM OF GOD” • “Our Father, who is in heaven, holy is your name. May your kingdom come…. • Lord’s prayer, taught to Jesus by John and then taught to Jesus’ disciples • “My kingdom is not of this world” – John 18:36 • In Greek: “Oukestinektoukosmou” – “not part of this order/govt.” • “The first shall be last, the last shall be first” – Matthew 5:3-12, Luke 6:20-24 • “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth, but the sword” – Matthew 10:34, Luke 12:51 • Turn the other cheek? • Why would these interpretations potentially frighten the Jewish aristocracy?

30. “KINGDOM OF GOD” • VERY IMPORTANT: Jesus was a Jew, therefore his priority was his fellow Jews • His mission was “solely to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” – Matthew 15:24 • “Go nowhere near the gentiles and do not enter the city of the Samaritans” – Matthew 10:5-6 • “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” – Mark 7:27

31. “KINGDOM OF GOD” • Jesus handpicked The Twelve to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. • Isaiah claimed a reconstituted Israel will “swoop down on the backs of the Philistines in the west and plunder the people of the east.” – Isaiah 11:11-16 • Did Jesus know that he was radical?? • “The secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you to know. But to outsiders, everything is said in parables so that they may see and not perceive, they may hear and not understand.” – Mark 4:11-12

32. JESUS THE “MESSIAH” • Herod Antipas believed he was John the Baptist risen from the dead. • Mark 14:1-2; Mark 6:14-16; Luke 9:7-9 • “But who do you say I am?” “You are the messiah” • Simon Peter, first proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah • MESSIANIC SECRET • Jesus and his clothes become dazzling white • Elijah and Moses appear on the mountaintop • “This is my son. The Beloved. Listen to him.” • Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36

33. JESUS’ MINISTRY • Traveled in ministry for two years • Stayed in small villages gathering support, then headed for Jerusalem

34. PALM SUNDAY • Approx. 30 A.D. • Jesus enters Jerusalem • People break off palm branches and lay down cloaks for him “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Cry out, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and victorious is he, humble and riding upon an ass, upon a colt, the son of a donkey” - Zechariah 9:9

36. JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE • Overturns the tables of money changers • Drives out food vendors • Releases the sheep and cattle • Break open the cages of doves and pigeons • “Take these things out of here!” • “It is written: My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. But you have made it a den of thieves” • “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” • Matthew 21:13; Luke 19:46; Mark 11:17

37. GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE • 33 A.D. ?? • Jesus is arrested • Tipped off by Judas Iscariot • Jesus’ men are armed, brief melee but Jesus puts a stop to it. • Jesus is arrested, his disciples flee

39. JESUS’ TRIAL • Brought in front of Caiaphas, other chief priests, scribes and elders. • “The Sanhedrin” • Jesus is then brought to Pontius Pilate and Pilate has trouble deciding his fate • Why is this such a curious detail? • SANHEDRIN TRIALS • Not permitted to meet at night • Not permitted to meet on the eve of the Sabbath • “The one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death: the congregation shall stone him to death

40. JESUS’ TRIAL • MARK: • “Why? What evil has he done?” “Crucify him! Crucify him!”– Mark 15:1-20 • MATTHEW: • “May his blood be on our heads, and our children!” – Matthew 27:1-26

41. JESUS’ TRIAL • LUKE: • “You brought this person to me as one who was turning people away from the Law. I have examined him in your presence and found him guilty of none of the charges you have brought against him. Neither has Herod, when I sent Jesus to him. He has done nothing worthy of death.” – Luke 23:13-15 • JOHN: • “The one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” • “We have no king but Caesar!” – John 19:1-16

42. CRUCIFIXION • Carried out often • VERY public • Purpose was humiliation • Why?? • Bodies left to decay

43. CRUCIFIXION • Jesus was killed for sedition • Jewish authorities had no authority for capital punishment, only Roman authorities did • Crucified on Golgotha with two other lestes, or bandits

44. AFTERMATH • Simon Peter denies knowing Jesus three times • Temple veil splits in half • Jesus rises three days later • Simon Peter is crucified Oct. 3, 64 AD • Stephen is stoned to death • “Stephen sees “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” – Acts 7:56 • This is the shift from the historical Jesus to the divine! • Nero kills MANY other Christians following Stephen’s claims • These people were asked to deny claims THEY witnessed. They were also guilty of sedition • This is what makes Jesus so unique and special when compared to others

46. DID HE RISE FROM THE DEAD? • Ghost? • Ate fish and bread – Luke 24:42-43 • Spirit? • “Does a spirit have flesh and bones” – Luke 24:36-39 • Apostles touch his hands • Stolen? • Armed guards at the tomb witnessed his resurrection • The crucifixion was “a stumbling block for the Jews” – 1 Corinthians 1:23 • Why would the message of Jesus be centered around Jerusalem?

47. PAUL THE APOSTLE • Saul of Tarsus • Was visited by a vision of Jesus on the way to Damascus • Converted to the movement around 37-42 A.D. • James, Peter and John were “so-called pillars of the church” – Galatians 2:9 • He did not KNOW Jesus • “But when it pleased God…to reveal his son to me, so that I might preach him to the gentiles, I did not confer with anyone, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to ask permission of the apostles before me. Instead I went directly to Arabia, and then again to Damascus.” – Galatians 1:15-17

48. JAMES, THE “JUST” • “James, the brother of Jesus, the one they call the messiah” – Josephus’ Antiquities • “We entreat you, restrain the people, for they have gone astray in regard to Jesus, as if he were the Christ. – historian Hegesippus (110-180 A.D.) • “The disciples said to Jesus, ‘We know that you will depart from us. Who will be our leader? Jesus said to them, ‘Where you are, you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being.” – Gospel of Thomas • After Jesus ascended into heaven, James was “immediately appointed Bishop of Jerusalem by the apostles.” – Lives of Illustrious, St. Jerome • “Believe no teacher, unless he bring from Jerusalem the testimonial of James the Lord’s brother, or whosoever may come after him.” – Saint Peter in Recognitions 4:34-35 • Executed in 62 A.D. • His following in Jerusalem dies out and Paul becomes the primary source for Catholic doctrine

49. NICAEAN CREED • 325 A.D. • Constantine gathers leaders of Christianity for one consensus • 398 B.C. council in the city of Hippo Regius (Algeria) canonized the New Testament • One letter from James • Two letter from Peter • Three letters from John • FOURTEEN letter from Paul • 15 of the 27 book in the New Testament are written by or about Paul!