Jesus
was a Roman citizen and a practicing Jew
At 30, he began his ministry (A.D. 31-33), preaching to the poor.
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 a part of the New Testament
- If not for the efforts of Paul, He may just have been remembered as a preacher not as the savior.
Caligula
- Germanicus' son, Tiberius' adopted grandson and great- nephew, putting him in line for Emperor.
- He started off 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.
- He began to fight with the senate.
- He claimed to be a 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 too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest.
- Assassinated by his own aides, A.D. 41 age 28
Claudius
- limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment- Thought to be Cerebral palsy or polio.
- last adult male in his family when Caligula died.
- conquered Britain, built roads, canals, and aqueducts
- Had an awful marriage, his wife, Messalina, plotted to kill him and let her lover get to be the emperor, so Claudius killed them.
Religious Troubles
- Christianity and Judaism: Monotheistic.
- A.D. 66: a group of Jews called the zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall).
- Half a million Jews died in the rebellion.
- Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor.
- especially Christians who were viewed as a "cult"
- often used for "entertainment" purposes in the Colosseum.
- Christianity grew quickly by A.D. 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman Empire were Christians.
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