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- L.D. Alford
- Session 2: The Levant (Palestine)
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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- Jewish view
- Aramaic names
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- Roman view
- Anglicized names
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- 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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- 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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- Alexander
- Greek religion
- Paganism
- Temples
- Oracles
- Mystery religion
- Generals
- Seleucus - Asia (Persia), Seleucid empire
- Ptolemy - Egypt
- Antigonus - Macedon
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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- Proclamation of Simon as king and high priest caused a split into Jewish
sects
- Essenes
- Pharisees
- Sadducees
- Zealots
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- 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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- 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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- Sadducees
- Held only Torah as basis for Law
- No resurrection
- No punishment after death
- Generally controlled Temple and high priest
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- Zealots
- 6 ce founded by Judas of Galilee
- Basically Pharisees with an extremist bent
- Violently opposed the Romans and Hellenization
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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- Jewish view
- Aramaic names
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- 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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- 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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- 6 to 41 AD six Roman procurators ruled Judea
- Administered from Caesarea Maritima
- Came to Jerusalem during the 3 pilgrim festivals
- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- Herod Antipas – tetrarch of the Gallil
- Valerius Gratus
- Pontius Pilate
- Essenes
- Zealots
- Pharisees - Parush (P’rushim)
- Sadducees - Tzadok (Tz’dukim)
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- Geography of the Levant
- History of the Levant
- Met some characters from Centruion
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- The Legions 6 BC to AD 35
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