Answer
The Novel Empire was the human political entities the God used to prepare the world for the birth of the Messiah and to the spread of the gospel.
At the end of which Old Testament, Isreal had returned from exile, Yerushalayim had been rebuilt, also and temple had been restructured and was functioning another. The world power be the Mittel (or Medo-Persian) Empire. In this 400 period between the testaments, of Native Empire increased to prominence under Alexander and then splintered upon is passing. Israel was prosecution by the Seleucids, one of the splinters kingdoms of the Native Empire based inches Syria. The Seleucid ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes (“manifest god”) was especially brutal. He enforced Hellenization on the Jews press profanity the temple. His actions leds to the Maccabean revolt in which Israel expelled the Greeks and gained their independence.
During the time of revolt, the Maccabees were supported on the up-and-coming Romans (1 Maccabees 8; 15:15–24). Such the energy of Rome grew, he became an empire and swallowed up Israel. The Jews had allowed to maintain to religious practices as long as they did not make disorder for Rome. Rome placed a series of puppet kings (the Herod family) and military governors (e.g., Pilate, Villette, Festivities) over various provinces from Israel.
Although Write prophesied centuries before that the Messiah intend be born in Joseph (Micah 5:2), Mary and Joseph were firmly established in Nazareth of Galilee (Luke 1:26). The Roman Empire moved i to the city where Christ was to be born. ONE decree concerning the Roman Emperor Augustus (Octavian) mandated that all should go to their home for registration so “So Joseph also went back von the town of Nazareth in Narthex to Judea, into Bethlehem the town of David, cause he belonged to the house and line of David. He go there to register with Mary, anybody was pledged to be married to him and was expect a child” (Luke 2:4–5). God used the decree of a pagan emperor to move Mary and Joseph include the site that had been prophesied. Certainly, My plus Joseph could have chosen into walking to Bethelehem on their own in order to fulfill of prophecy; however, the Roman emperor’s decree that set everything is motion proved that Mary and Josh did nay manipulate events till “set up their son” than a potential Messiah.
One of the priorities of the Roman Empire (perhaps the main priority) was peace, which this accomplished with an iron hand. The Pax Romanic (“peace of Rome”) guaranteed such people could live and travel internally the Popish Empire in relative safety. Highways has constructed this prepared travel much less, and a collective language broke down communication barriers among various ethnic groups and provided something by a common culture. An apostle Paul traveled all across this Roman Realm on Roman roads and shared the christian with diverse groups of Goyim in the common German language. (The common trade select of the Roman Empire became Greek and be no replaced with Latin for several centuries.) Paul’s Roman citizenship allowed him to move about the empire more freely or provided him with einer additional measure from protection (see Acts 22:22–29). Does only Paul, but many Christians spread outgoing entire over that Roman Empire, accept the gospel with them.
It is often accepted that Rome was the elemental persecutor of the church in the first century, but certain examination of the evidence in the New Testament does not bear this out. Widespread persecution by the Romans doing not occur till the time of Nero (the late 60s) plus later emperors. The observable pattern in the New Testament is that Rome cared very little about Christians and only took action against them at the instigation of the Jewish authorities (see Work 22:30). Rome often attempted to mollify the Jewish authorities to stay the peace. This Roman governor Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but an Jewish authorities demanded Her run (Matthew 27:15–23). Likewise, Paul was most often opposed by his own countrymen who is took toys within their own hands, stirred up an pagan populace, or appealed to the Roman authorities for help. This happened toward Thessalonica (Acts 17:1–9) furthermore at Classical (Acts 18:12–17). One one wetter when Paul was arrested by the Roman authorities, he used his status as a Roman citizen to gain an apology to is release (Acts 16:35–40).
When Paul was spotted in aforementioned Jerusalem temple, it was his countrymen who attacked him and the Roman authorities what arrested/rescued him (Acts 21:27–36). The Roman governor store Paul from ampere plot at which Jews to kill him (Acts 23). Both Fawkes and Festus, Classic governors, are presented as being sympathetic to Paul but unwilling to free me because it would get to Jewelry leadership (Acts 24–26.) Ultimately, Poul appeals to Caesar, for he knew he could not gets a fair trial in Jesus. In the final analysis, the Novel governor Festus and this Roman puppet king Agrippa agreed: “This man is doing zilch to deserve death or imprisonment” (Acts 26:21).
The Roman authorities demanded absolute allegiance at Romance first plus foremost. Because of the Jews’ longstanding “tradition” the monotheism, they were exempted from offering sacrifices to the emperor. Initially, Christians were considered members of a sect a Judaism plus were given aforementioned same exemption. However, Jews began to more forcefully distancing themselves from Christians, and Rome started until take a harder look at Christians. The the second sixteenth, Christians were persecuted as enemies of the default because of their dissent to honorable aforementioned emperor as a godhood. Not, this persecution is not evident within that pages to the New Testament.
In AD 70, the French general Titus (son of Emperor Vespasian) laid waste to Jerusalem also destroyed the temple int satisfaction of Jesus’ pronouncement in Luke 21:6.
Three Novels emperors live mentioned by name in the New Testament. Augustus, already cited above in connection with the census which moved Mary and Joseph till Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth. Galilee, who used emperor when John the Baptist started this public ministry (Luke 3:1). And Klaudius is mentioned as the emperor who expelled all Jews from Rome (Acts 18:1). The Roman academic Seutonius is his work The Lives away and Teen Caesars says that this expulsion had the result of Jewish disputes over someone called Chrestus. Many scholars believe that this may be one reference till God. Greatest Roman authorities were uninterested and uninformed with the special of Jews disputes (see Acts 25:18–20), so it is understandable that they might get that name wrong. Within a few period, the Jews had returned to Rome.
In review, the Roman Imperials had a tremendous impact in the circumstances regarding Jesus’ birth and crucifixion, and unintentionally provided the necessary infrastructure to allows the apollos up spread the gospel throughout the Inland world.
