For PPT- Christology

Jewish Palestine at the time of Jesus

The political situation

Palestine in Jesus’ day was part of the Roman Empire, which controlled its various territories in
a number of ways. In the East (eastern Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt), territories were
governed either by kings who were “friends and allies” of Rome (often called “client” kings or,
more disparagingly, “puppet” kings) or by governors supported by a Roman army. When Jesus
was born, all of Jewish Palestine—as well as some of the neighbouring Gentile areas—was ruled
by Rome’s able “friend and ally” Herod the Great. For Rome, Palestine was important not in
itself but because it lay between Syria and Egypt, two of Rome’s most valuable possessions.
Rome had legions in both countries but not in Palestine. Roman imperial policy required that
Palestine be loyal and peaceful so that it did not undermine Rome’s larger interests. That end
was achieved for a long time by permitting Herod to remain king of Judaea (37–4 BCE) and
allowing him a free hand in governing his kingdom, as long as the requirements of stability and
loyalty were met.
Palestine: Roman era
Palestine during the time of Herod the Great and his sons.

When Herod died shortly after Jesus’ birth, his kingdom was divided into five parts. Most
of the Gentile areas were separated from the Jewish areas, which were split between two of
Herod’s sons, Herod Archelaus, who received Judaea and Idumaea (as well as Samaria, which
was non-Jewish), and Herod Antipas, who received Galilee and Peraea. (In the New Testament,
Antipas is somewhat confusingly called Herod, as in Luke 23:6–12; apparently the sons of Herod
took his name, just as the successors of Julius Caesar were commonly called Caesar.) Both sons
were given lesser titles than king: Archelaus was ethnarch, and Antipas was tetrarch. The non-
Jewish areas (except Samaria) were assigned to a third son, Philip, to Herod’s sister Salome, or
to the province of Syria. The emperor Augustus deposed the unsatisfactory Archelaus in 6 CE,
however, and transformed Judaea, Idumaea, and Samaria from a client kingdom into an
“imperial province.” Accordingly, he sent a prefect to govern this province. That minor Roman
aristocrat (later called a procurator) was supported by a small Roman army of approximately
3,000 men. The soldiers, however, came not from Italy but from nearby Gentile cities, especially
Caesarea and Sebaste; presumably, the officers were from Italy. During Jesus’ public career, the
Roman prefect was Pontius Pilate (ruled 26–36 CE).
Although nominally in charge of Judaea, Samaria, and Idumaea, the prefect did not govern his
area directly. Instead, he relied on local leaders. The prefect and his small army lived in the
predominantly Gentile city Caesarea, on the Mediterranean coast, about two days’ march
from Jerusalem. They came to Jerusalem only to ensure peace during the pilgrimage festivals—
Passover, Weeks (Shabuoth), and Booths (Sukkoth)—when large crowds and patriotic themes
sometimes combined to spark unrest or uprisings. On a day-to-day basis Jerusalem was governed
by the high priest. Assisted by a council, he had the difficult task of mediating between the
remote Roman prefect and the local populace, which was hostile toward pagans and wanted to be
free of foreign interference. His political responsibility was to maintain order and to see that
tribute was paid. Caiaphas, the high priest during Jesus’ adulthood, held the office from about 18
to 36 CE, longer than anyone else during the Roman period, indicating that he was a successful
and reliable diplomat. Since he and Pilate were in power together for 10 years, they must
have collaborated successfully.

Thus, at the time of Jesus’ public career, Galilee was governed by the tetrarch Antipas,
who was sovereign within his own domain, provided that he remained loyal to Rome and
maintained peace and stability within his borders. Judaea (including Jerusalem) was nominally
governed by Pilate, but the actual daily rule of Jerusalem was in the hands of Caiaphas and his
council.

Economic conditions

Most people in the ancient world produced food, clothing, or both and could afford few
luxuries. Most Palestinian Jewish farmers and herdsmen, however, earned enough to support
their families, pay their taxes, offer sacrifices during one or more annual festivals, and let their
land lie fallow in the sabbatical years, when cultivation was prohibited. Galilee in particular was
relatively prosperous, since the land and climate permitted abundant harvests and supported
many sheep. Although it is doubtful that Galilee was as affluent in the 1st century as it was
during the late Roman and Byzantine periods, archaeological remains from the 3rd, 4th, and 5th
centuries nevertheless confirm the plausibility of 1st-century references to the region’s
prosperity. There were, of course, landless people, but the Herodian dynasty was careful to
organize large public works projects that employed thousands of men. Desperate poverty was
present too but never reached a socially dangerous level. At the other end of the economic
spectrum, few if any Palestinian Jews had the vast fortunes that successful merchants in port
cities could accumulate. However, there were Jewish aristocrats with large estates and grand
houses, and the merchants who served the Temple (supplying, for example, incense and fabric)
could become very prosperous. The gap between rich and poor in Palestine was obvious and
distressing to the poor, but, compared with that of the rest of the world, it was not especially
wide.

Jesus of Nazareth was an ancient Jewish preacher who posthumously became the central figure
of Christianity. Explore Jesus' life, learn about his teachings, and discover the impact his death
had on the world. 

Jesus of Nazareth

If you had to name one person who most influenced the United States of America, who would
that be? You might choose George Washington, the first President and a general during the
Revolutionary War, or you might choose Abraham Lincoln, who saw the country through the
Civil War, which threatened to tear it apart.
As important as these figures are, when you start talking about the most influential people in the
history of the world, your scope has to get much larger. One person whose impact has been large
enough to fit this bill is Jesus of Nazareth - the icon of today's largest religion, Christianity. In
this lesson we'll look at the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of Nazareth.

Life & Teachings

This ideal can be much harder than it might seem. The most authoritative voices we have on the
life of Jesus of Nazareth are also the ones that seek to aggrandize him the most: the gospels of
the Christian Bible's New Testament. No physical evidence remains to give us clues about
Jesus's life, so it is really from the gospels and a few ancient writers who mention the preacher
that we gain all of our information.

Regardless of the difficulties of piecing together the true man who many in the world today
consider a deity, many historians and literary scholars have tried to do just that. The details we
know of Jesus's early life are scant and incomplete.

We do know that Jesus was born to a Jewish family in Bethlehem, in modern Palestine, and his
father was a carpenter by trade. An exact date is unknown, though estimates invariably revolve
around 0 A.D. Whether he had a happy childhood or not is virtually unknown; few sources relate
any stories concerning Jesus's adolescence. It's possible though that Jesus showed an interest in
religious matters early in life, as one story from the gospel of Luke claims his parents once found
him in discussion with Jewish priests.

We know far more about Jesus as a man. Most gospels pick up the story of Jesus when he was
about 30. By that point, Jesus was a wandering preacher, who traveled from settlement to
settlement speaking about the importance of love and kindness, often challenging the traditional
Jewish law of the day. Authorities were often suspicious of any type of wandering preacher, and
Jesus was often forced to do his preaching from hillsides several miles outside principal
settlements. There he purportedly drew large crowds and performed miracles for his followers as
well, including turning water into wine and reviving a dead man.
According to the gospels, Jesus of Nazareth often taught his followers using parables. For
example, Jesus used a story about two sons, one who stayed beside his father on the father's
farm, and another who took his half of his inheritance and left to look for his fortune elsewhere.
When he returned years later, penniless and hungry, the father threw an enormous feast for his
prodigal son. When the son who had stayed asked why he had never been thrown a feast, his
father reminds him that all his father's land will be his, and that they should still celebrate the
return of the other son because he was dead to them, and has essentially returned from the dead.
The story was used by Jesus to display the messages typical of his teachings: the unconditional
love the Christian God has for all humans, the unconditional love that all humans should have for
one another, and the idea of redemption.

While the parables and lessons Jesus taught were certainly important to his followers, perhaps
even more important to the Christians of today are the stories concerning Jesus's birth and
afterlife.
Ref: https://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Christological_Titles.htm (title of Jesus)

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jesus/Scribes-and-Pharisees (Jesus of Nazareth)