Notes
Slide Show
Outline
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Centurion: The World of the Legion in Palestine during the First Century
  • L.D. Alford


  • Session 2: The Levant (Palestine)


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Centurion
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Introduction
  • Centurion is a Historical Fiction Novel
    • Published by Capstone
    • Follows life of Centurion Abenadar
    • Time 6 BC to AD 35
    • Location Levant (Palestine)
  • The Levant (Palestine), characteristics and history


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Class Syllabus
  • 1. Centurion’s character, lineage, and life
  • 2.  Palestine in 6 BC to AD 35
  • 3.  The Legions
  • 4.  Training a Legionnaire
  • 5.  The making of a Centurion
  • 6.  Hebrew life and love
  • 7.  The events of the crucifixion and resurrection—a historical perspective
  • 8.  Conclusion
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Characters
  • Primary
    • Abenadar ben Abenadar Iustus from Natzeret
    • Ruth
  • Secondary – in this session
    • Pontius Pilate
    • Herodos – Herod Antipas


  • Language is a primary consideration
    • Latin, Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew

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Geography is Critical
  • What is the climate of the Middle East?
    • Changed radically over time
    • Much due to human action
      • Cedars of Lebanon—no more
      • Spain and Greece were denuded of wood for building fleets
      • Warfare
      • Water depletion - Herodotus writes of Xeres’ army depleting rivers
      • Population—inheritance
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Geography
  • Jewish view
  • Aramaic names
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Geography
  • Roman view
  • Anglicized names
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Geography
  • Terrain
  • Key factor
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History is Critical
  • 400 bce to 0 ce
  • Greeks
    • City-state – each with a different political system
    • Athens only democracy
    • Constant war with each other and with outside enemies
    • Greeks - not generally defeated or subjugated
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History is Critical

    • Alexander - ushered in a new era in politics
      • 336 bce takes kingship of Macedonia
      • 323 bce dies in Babylon of illness
      • Sparked imagination of so many cultures empire became model for world
      • C-S modeled selves after Greeks (Hellenism)
        • Adopted Greek language
        • Greek culture
        • Greek philosophy
        • Greek science (same as philosophy)
        • Greek religion
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History is Critical
    • Alexander
      • Greek religion
        • Paganism
        • Temples
        • Oracles
        • Mystery religion
    • Generals
      • Seleucus - Asia (Persia), Seleucid empire
      • Ptolemy - Egypt
      • Antigonus - Macedon
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History is Critical
    • Romans
      • 509 bce Republic established
        • City-States with Rome as a part
      • Not a world power until 200 bce
      • 1st Punic war 264-241 bce defeats Carthage
      • 2nd Punic war 218-201 bce defeats Hannibal
      • Defeats Macedon 197 bce
      • Defeats Syria 190 bce
      • 3rd Punic war 149-146 bce Carthage raised
      • 49 bce Caesar crosses the Rubicon – beginning of the end of the Roman republic
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History is Critical
  • 200 bce to 0 ce
  • Following Alexander’s death
    • Seleucid empire - Seleucus
      • Controlled the Levant back and forth with Greek Egypt at this time Seleucid empire was in control
      • Goal was Hellenization
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History is Critical
    • 175 bce
      • Jason high priest – political controlling influence
      • Antiochus IV head of the Seleucid empire
      • Jason was open to Hellenization: built gymnasiums, encouraged priests to go to the sporting events
      • Jason rebelled against Antiochus IV and Antiochus sent in troops
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History is Critical
    • Antiochus began a heavy program of Hellenization of the Jews
      • Defiled the temple with swine
      • Did not allow circumcision
      • Prevented temple worship
      • Built an alter to Zeus in the Temple– abomination of desolation (interpreted by the Rabbis)
      • Precipitated Maccabean revolt, 167 bce
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History is Critical
  • The Maccabean revolt
    • Started by Mattathias (priest) and his sons
    • Beginning of the Hasmoneans
    • Successful because Romans eating away at Seleucid empire
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History is Critical
  • Simon proclaimed by people to be their leader and high priest
    • Significant because (according to Josephus) Simon was not of the line of Aaron and not entitled to be high priest
    • Simon and prior to him, his brother Jonathan were proclaimed both high priest and king of Israel - Messiah
    • Line of Hasmoneans through Simon
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History is Critical
  • Proclamation of Simon as king and high priest caused a split into Jewish sects
    • Essenes
    • Pharisees
    • Sadducees
    • Zealots
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History is Critical
  • Essenes
    • Jewish tradition: may have been started by the ex-high priest prior to Jonathan
    • Strictly interpreted Law rejected many elements of Jewish “tradition”
    • Separated from sacrificial Law
    • Resurrection of dead
    • Reward and punishment after life
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History is Critical
  • Pharisees
    • Like Essesens disagreed with Hasmodeans as high priest and king
    • Oral Torah along with the Torah
    • Advocated greater leniency in punishments
    • Believed in resurrection
    • Believed in eternal punishment for wicked
    • Supported by the people
    • Paul (Saul) was a Pharisee
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History is Critical
  • Sadducees
    • Held only Torah as basis for Law
    • No resurrection
    • No punishment after death
    • Generally controlled Temple and high priest
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History is Critical
  • Zealots
    • 6 ce founded by Judas of Galilee
    • Basically Pharisees with an extremist bent
    • Violently opposed the Romans and Hellenization
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History
    • Roman intervention
      • Pompey 66BC sent to stabilize Syria
      • Took Jerusalem and added Judea to Syria
      • End of Hasmodean rule – Pompey appointed his chief lieutenant Gabinius as the administrator
      • Hyrcanus II (a Hasmodean) was appointed high priest by Rome (Pompey), his advisor is Antipater (an Idumean, south of Judea and not a Jew)
      • Antipater’s son was Herod (Herod Antipater)
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History
    • Herod
      • Appointed administrator of Galilee
      • Brother Phasael appointed administrator of Jerusalem
      • Mark Anthony appointed Herod and Phasael as tetrarchs
      • The Parthians invaded Syria and captured Phaseal and Hyrcanus II
        • Phaseal committed suicide in prison
        • Hyrcanus was mutilated so he could not be the high priest any longer
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History
      • Herod retreated to Masada and appealed to Rome
        • 37 BC Rome accepted Herod’s appeal and made him the King of Judea
        • At Herod’s request the last Hasmodean king, Antigonus was put to death
      • Herod was a Idumean whose family had been forced to convert to Judaism at sword point
        • Tied himself to Hasmodeans by marrying Mariamme a princess of the family
        • Appointed her brother an Hasmodean (Aristobulis III) as high priest – Herod had him drowned in 35 BC because of his popularity eliminating the last of Hasmodeans
        • Killed many of his own sons and his wives
          • Caesar Augustus said, “It is better to be Herod’s pig than his son.”
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History
      • Herod’s greatest accomplishments were his building programs and Hellenization of the Levant
        • Rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem
        • Also erected temples to the Roman gods
        • Staged athletic games in Caesar’s honor
        • Constructed the port at Caesarea Maritama
        • Reequipped Masda
        • Rebuilt many cities in Hellenistic style
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Temple
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Temple
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Geography
  • Jewish view
  • Aramaic names
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History
    • Herod’s children
      • 4 BC, riots erupted at Herod’s death that the Roman legate of Syria, Varius had to suppress
      • Herod’s will gave the kingdom to three of his sons (ratified by the Roman Senate)
        • Judea, Samaria, and Idumea – Archelaus as ethnarch
        • Galilee – Antipas as tetrarch
        • Perea – Philip as tetrarch
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History
    • Judea
      • 6 BC a delegation from the Jews and Samaritans convinced Augustus to exile Archelaus to Gaul (France)
      • Judea was annexed to the Roman province of Syria and a procurator was appointed as the local administrator
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History
      • 6 to 41 AD six Roman procurators ruled Judea
        • Administered from Caesarea Maritima
        • Came to Jerusalem during the 3 pilgrim festivals
          • Passover
          • Shavuot
          • Sukkot
        • P. Sulpicius Quirinius 6 AD
          • Started with a census
          • Led to armed rebellion
          • Fearing higher taxes and labor service
          • Placed Ananus as high priest
        • Valerius Gratus
          • Deposed Ananus 15 AD
          • Appointed and deposed 3 other high priests
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History
        • Pontius Pilate 26 AD
          • Ordered legionary standards into Jerusalem
          • imagines (imago) – staffs bearing portraits of the deified and reigning emperors
          • aquila – staffs bearing the legion’s eagle
          • Caused a riot in Caesarea Maritum where there was a great slaughter
          • Josephus tells us about the incident, but it is referred to in Luke
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History
  • Luke 13:1-5
  • 1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
  • 2 Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?
  • 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
  • 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them-- do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?
  • 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
  • (NIV)
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Tower and Pool of Siloam
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History
          • Built an aqueduct for Jerusalem
          • Used Temple funds
    • Herod Antipas
      • Tetrarch of Galilee
      • Divorced his first Queen to marry Herodias wife of his late half-brother Philip
      • Built Tiberias
        • On the ruins of an ancient cemetery
      • 39 AD Caligula exiled Herod Antipas to Gaul
        • Awarded all the lands to Herod Agrippa (a grandson of Herod I)
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Characters
  • Herod Antipas – tetrarch of the Gallil
  • Valerius Gratus
  • Pontius Pilate
  • Essenes
  • Zealots
  • Pharisees - Parush (P’rushim)
  • Sadducees - Tzadok (Tz’dukim)
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Summary
  • Geography of the Levant
  • History of the Levant
  • Met some characters from Centruion
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Next Time
  • The Legions 6 BC to AD 35