Kingdom Come

There was a significant difference between the converts to the recently resurrection Yeshua of Nazareth of the Jews.

1. The Jews based their understanding of Yeshua’s claim to be the Son of God on the scriptures, the word of God.
2. The scripturally illiterate Gentiles based their understanding of “Son of God”. on their religious backgrounds. Certain concepts were alien, such as:
   • Jesus’ purely spiritual teaching that at that time, “My kingdom is not of this world” and “The kingdom of God is within you.“
   • Paul’s monotheistic commands to “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

“Now when the [Roman] centurion, and they [other Romans]  that were with him [managing the crucifixion], watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:39)

The text is very clear that the basis for the Roman observers’ conviction / faith that Jesus was the Son of God was based on the associated signs of hyperdimensional power over the natural order at his death. They could easily believe that Jesus King of the Jews had achieved immortality – i.e. godhood – after he died and his soul ascended into Heaven because this was a common occurrence among the pagan divine and semi-divine monarchies within the Roman Empire.

But this is not saving faith. The end game of biblical saving faith is not power for power’s sake. It is power for righteousness’ sake. 

In Julius Caesar’s case, his devoted followers didn’t even wait for his apotheosis at death. During his lifetime, after emerging victorious from Rome’s Civil War of 49-45 BC, statues were set up to Caesar as “unconquered god. A special priest was ordained for him, which ranked Caesar not only as divine, but as an equal of Jupiter / Zeus / Satan and Mars / god of war. The living Caesar’s honors in Rome were already and unambiguously those of a full-blown god when he was assassinated by Republicans precisely for this power play.

A fervent popular cult to divus Julius followed…the Senate soon succumbed to Caesarian pressure and confirmed Caesar as a divus of the Roman state. Caesar’s young heir, his great-nephew Octavian, held ceremonial apotheosis / deification for his adoptive father…Provincial cult centres (caesarea) to the divus Julius were founded… The Imperial cult of ancient Rome…was rapidly established throughout the Empire and its provinces…A deceased emperor held worthy of the honor could be voted a state divinity (divus, plural divi) by the Senate... The granting of apotheosis…allowed living Emperors to associate themselves with a well-regarded lineage of Imperial divi…

The merging of religion and politics in Caesar’s imperial cult – religious worship of Caesar as the incarnation of his ancestor god by political subjects – was absolutely necessary to legitimize the elevation of his theocratic rule over a republican shell government.

When there were no naturally begotten sons to inherit the throne they were simply adopted per legal process,  including, as is still the same today, taking their adoptive family name. In their case, that was “Caesar”. 

With this background, we can now see how the Gentile converts from the multitude of nationalities within the Roman empire perceived themselves in a casual reading of the teachings of the apostles.

Those who allied themselves with the resurrected therefore deified Hero Savior of the Jews, by Roman convention renamed themselves as his sons, using their own empire-wide language for ease of communication among the polyglot nations.

• “God…hath blessed us…unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:1-5)
• “to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia…ye are…a royal priesthood, a holy nation, the people of God.” (I Peter 1:1-3, 2:9-10)

Other converts, who had always believed in multiple gods, didn’t accord this Jesus from Nazareth any special status at all.

The Roman concept of religion had never been that of an…exclusive obligatory moral loyalty to an unseen and highly spiritual Being. It made the relation between man and the gods entirely objective and unmystical. But it had recognized decent regard for the formulas of the community religion as a political duty of all good citizens…

The purely Roman system had no body of priests corresponding to the Aaronic priesthood among the Hebrews… Its religious officials were merely political functionaries of state…The pontifex maximus himself, recognized head of the religious system of Rome, was no more a cleric than…King George V in his official relation to the Church of England…

The Roman religion was simply a part of the political system of the state, and a nominal acceptance of it was expected of all citizens and subjects of the state, precisely as they were expected to accept obediently its political rule. Yet as an ordinary citizen nowadays may live quite comfortably and unsuspiciously without taking any active interest in politics, so a resident of the Roman realm might live under ordinary circumstances without having any special concern about its official religion…

a miscellaneous swarm of…strange cults from Egypt and the East…dwelt at Rome in amicable relations with her official religion…as variegated in source and character as her increasing polyglot population…there were a few occasions when the government laid a heavy hand upon an imported cult, prohibited its exercise in Rome, and even put to death or banished its adherents; but…In every case the religion was, or was believed to have been, made a cloak for definite offences against…law or social order…

The empire of Rome had grown by gradual accretions made to the territory of a single city-state. Her whole ideal was one of political consolidation centered about a governing power at Rome…needed only in the moral sphere of patriotism the reinforcement of a sentimental attachment…The worship of Augustus, or of Rome and Augustus, spread rapidly through all the fringe of provinces from Asia Minor to Spain…In succeeding reigns the Augustus of “Rome and Augustus” meant always the living Prince of the day….

the worship of the reigning Augustus was not so much a reverence of the living man as of his genius…a concept difficult for a modern to define or to understand…closely akin to his spirit…

The only sect in the Roman realm to which…this cult was a decidedly abhorrent thing was that of the Jews…Their national Jehovah was…the One and Only God. He demanded of Hebrews, as of their voluntary and complete adherents from other nationalities, an absolutely exclusive loyalty and devotion. The worship of any other god by his people was idolatry…the worst of sins. The first two of the Mosaic commandments expressed his injunction on this point with irrevocable decision. Evidently no orthodox Jew could join in emperor-worship, even when it was professedly regarded as a test of civic loyalty and not as resting on any theological beliefs. Apparently no other Roman citizens or subjects were in such a case. No other deity claimed the exclusive loyalty of his devotees…

The Jewish realm realm in that land was in the eye of Rome a foreign state, whose citizens might be tolerated as residents in any part of the Roman dominions…The Jews had a national religion, and, however absurd and debasing it might be, they might of course celebrate its rites freely.

Jews had…some special and perhaps unique privileges accorded them…In all strictness Jews who were Roman citizens…had lost all rights of citizenship in another state, and accordingly would not be entitled to share in these special privileges. But the Romans…made the adherence to the Jewish national religion the sole determining test of claim to such grants of privilege, at least in the case of Jews by blood…

The legal condition of the Jews, then, was distinctly favorable…in the Rome of the first century after Christ. It does not appear probable that the Jews made a very great number of proselytes in Rome…But they did attract attention… No doubt the voluntary social isolation and cliquiness of the Jews made them objects of dislike to the populace, with the lower orders of which they generally ranked; for none are more given than the common people to resenting the action of neighbors who “keep to themselves.” In the popular Roman mind the aspect of such privacy tended to breed suspicion of immoral practices. This popular disapprobation and suspicion was of course readily transferred to the Christians, who were naturally regarded as merely a sect of the Jews, from whom they sprang, and among whom they were chiefly recruited in the earlier years of their existence…

The Christians of course shared at first in the special political toleration accorded the Jews. But when the protests of both Jew and Christian had succeeded (probably about the time of Nero) in convincing the intelligent Roman that Christians were not of the Jewish faith, the new sectaries doubtless were judged to be not entitled to the privileged position of the Jews…

They had fallen into the general class of Roman citizens and subjects, and were theoretically held to all the duties of people of that status…The alleged crime was not concerned with the religious question intrinsically…it indicated a hostile attitude toward the government…

Only with the Roman political background in place can we can understand the details of Paul’s trials – in every sense of the word – under Roman judges, for the accusation of stirring revolt against Rome, with detailed transcripts reported in five chapters. That’s top heavy with significance. 

So once again, we need more than theologians spiritualizing the Bible, we need historians providing background to understand what was common knowledge at the time this account was written, about 60 A.D.

In any examination of a person by a lawyer, psychiatrist, psychologist, police detective, teacher, pastor, etc. knowing the background of all persons involved in the incident and the relationships influencing the individual’s answer to questions is essential. 

Except for the short period of the reign of Herod Agrippa I over all of Palestine from 41-44 C.E., Samaria and Judea fell under the authority of procurators appointed directly from Rome… Life for the Jews under the procurators was exceedingly difficult. For example, Pontius Pilate was described by Agrippa I as unbending and severe with the stubborn, and was accused of bribery, cruelty, and countless murders…

There thus emerged within Judaism groups of revolutionaries who looked back to the militaristic Maccabees and their zeal for the Law as great heroes. These “Zealots”…attempted to arouse the people to revolt… Self-styled prophets and messiahs appeared from time to time…

From Acts 21:26 – 26:32:

1. And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple…And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them…and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done…1) commanded him to be carried into the castle [as a prisoner].But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew…I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people…I am verily a man which am a Jew…brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women…suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I…heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?…I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest…And he said unto me…I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live…

2. The chief captain 2) commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?…Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman…On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

3. And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?..But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided…there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them [this is not a euphemism], 3) commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle [to protect him]…And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;  And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe [as a Roman citizen] unto Felix the governor.

4. And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul…we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes…Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:

   • they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city:

   • Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.

   • But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, 

   • And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men. 

   • I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings. Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me. Or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the council, 

   • Except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day. 

   • And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter….And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him. But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound [out of sight, out of mind, out of vexing political problems].