we have liberated the land of our
forefathers from foreign occupation."
(Maccabees I, Chapter 15, verse 33)
THE FIRST CENTURY: ROME AND JERUSALEM[1]
by Dr. Frank Lanza who is Director of the Hineni Ministries, a Zionist Christian organization. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Freeman Center for Strategic Studies.
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Geopolitical interactions between Rome and Judea in the first century, and their historical effect, bear similarity to events occurring today. The Middle East was then, as it remains today, a critical land bridge connecting Europe, Africa, and Asia. It connected Rome’s European empire with its African counterpart, and stood squarely astride three major trading routes: the Silk Road, the Via Maris, and the Trans-Saharan trade routes. The world's commerce moved through the Middle East; control of that region resulted in control over a large part of that commerce. Rome dominated the western world. Its major enemy, Parthia, stood opposite in central Asia. The Middle East remains astride a major trade route today: the Suez canal, which joins Asian and Indian oceanic trade with that of the Mediterranean and Atlantic. The Middle East also serves as a connection between Eastern and Western culture. Finally, our modern economy is dominated by a dependence on fossil fuels, of which the Middle East is a principle supplier. In Roman times Egypt possessed a similar and equally valuable commodity: grain. It should come as little surprise, then, that the Middle East continues to exercise a significant influence over world events today as it did two millennium ago.
The history of the first century cannot be placed into context, however, without knowledge of the events in the preceding centuries. Under Kings David and then Solomon, Israel was a powerful Jewish state. After Solomon’s death circa 924 B.C., the kingdom divided into two smaller states, Israel in the north and Judah in the south. The Assyrians conquered Israel in the north in 722 B.C.; the southern state, Judea, did not fall to the Babylonians until 586 B.C. Those kingdoms, in turn, were defeated by the Medes and Persians and became part of the greater Persian empire. The Persians, in their turn, were conquered by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C.
The conquest of Persia, encompassing most of the Middle East as we know it today, was probably the single most important event in the history of Israel between the death of Solomon and the birth of Jesus. Alexander the Great spread Greek language, culture, and philosophy throughout the region, and established numerous cities. Greek culture was prevalent everywhere, and Greek was the official spoken and written language of the Middle East at the time of Jesus. Yet despite Alexander’s hellenization of the region, many Jews retained their Hebrew language and customs.
Alexander died at age 33 and his empire was divided between four of his generals. The area which we know today as Palestine was allotted to Seleucus, later known at the “King of Asia,” and who established the Selucid dynasty. It was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, his fourth generation great-grandson, who defiled the temple, causing the “abomination of desolation.” While trying to suppress Jewish religion and customs, he erected a statue of Zeus in the temple. Antiochus’ efforts resulted in the Maccabean revolt in 167 B.C. and the subsequent period of Jewish self-rule in Palestine until Roman conquest by Pompey in 63 B.C. The conquest of Jerusalem brought an end to the independent Jewish nation, which became a tributary of Rome.
[1] This article is not intended to present a comprehensive history of the first century. The author’s intention is to point out the interactions between the events of Rome and Judea and how they affected one another and how similar events seem to be occurring today.
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