Quite a few Roman Emperors show up in the Scriptures and they were all very different. Because the Gospel and Epistle authors were writing about their own life and times, a lot of times they will simply mention “Caesar” without getting specific. So this month we are going to discuss what was going on in the Roman Empire, why it was such a big deal when the Judean leaders shouted, “We have no King but Caesar” and why that tax coin was such a big deal.

I also found this silly video about all the Roman Emperors to the tune of the can-can music!

So now we are getting into some cool context. The differences between Galilee, where Yeshua/Jesus grew up and lived as an adult, and Judea to the south, where Jerusalem and the Temple were, could be extreme. One of the biggest differences was in rulership. In the north, Galilee was ruled by Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, but in the south, Judea was ruled directly by Rome. This month, we are going to be talking about why Judea was ruled by foreigners, what powers they had, what kind of military force they had at their disposal, taxation – and Pontius Pilate!

Four of Herod’s sons, a grandson, great-grandson, and various granddaughters appear in the Biblical accounts. They all play important roles in the world of first-century politics, and when we understand them as real people, their interactions with John the Baptist, Yeshua (Jesus) and the apostles make a lot more sense. Fortunately, as with Herod the Great, we know a great deal about them from first-century historians outside of the Bible. This will be a Pg/PG-13 teaching because we will be talking about violence and wife-stealing. References are listed below the video.

References:

Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews Book 17, 18 and 19 and The Jewish Wars Book 2

Lightfoot: Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica

Netzer: The Architecture of Herod the Great Builder

Cohen: The Beginnings of Jewishness, and From the Maccabees to the Mishnah

Skarsaune: In the Shadow of the Temple

Schurer: A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, First Division: Vol I and II

Herodian Family Tree

Sons of Herod Family Tree

Herod the Great is one of the most complex and notorious figures in History, and although he is only mentioned briefly in Matthew 2, he and his offspring play into so many of the events in the Gospels and the Book of Acts that we need to understand as much as Herod’s family tree

References

Lightfoot: Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica

Netzer: The Architecture of Herod the Great Builder

Cohen: The Beginnings of Jewishness, and From the Maccabees to the Mishnah

Skarsaune: In the Shadow of the Temple

Schurer: A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, First Division: Vol I and II

France: The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Matthew

Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish Wars

Remember my huge series on the Maccabean Revolt and the first Hannukah? Well, this teaching picks up where that left off – with a new generation of Hasmoneans who were not worthy successors to their famous kin. That is actually a common theme scripturally – a good man having bad kids! This teaching is a solid PG/PG-13 because of the intra-family violence which some kids might find disturbing.

How will this tragically evil line of priest-kings plunge all of Israel back under foreign rule?

Over the next 14 weeks, we will explore the political insanity that marked the era from 104 BCE to 70 AD and beyond. You will never look at your Bible and the power players from the first centuries BCE and CE the same ever again. But most importantly, the Gospels are going to become more and more real to your kids as they see the events firmly rooted in history.

Hasmonean Family Tree