Pontius Pilate was a cunning politician and often treacherous but not usually a fearful ruler.Why then did he become fearful when hearing the charge that Jesus had made himself God's Son? For two good reasons.
Although they tolerated their Roman rulers within Israel there was always some group, such as in the infamous Dagger Men, who often assassinated Roman officials in broad daylight, seeking the opportune moment to instigate rebellion against Rome.
Exactly how much this threat affected Pilate when passing sentence on Jesus is not clear but it is no secret that Roman rulers had tried to appease the Jewish people by leaving much of the day to day government, including religious matter up to the Jews themselves and did not want to become entangled in religious problems unless it was something that threatened Rome.
So Pilate likely was concerned about alienating the Jewish religious leaders as well as most of the general Jewish population who had so much hatred for Jesus.
On top of this there was the Roman emperor himself. By the time of Pilate and Jesus Roman emperors had become regarded as gods, successors to Julius Caesar who had been posthumously declared a god. So all of his successors were declared divi filius or "Son of a Divine One."
Thus when the Jewish High Priest alleged Jesus was trying to establish him as a God and King in opposition to Caesar and that Pilate would be an accomplice to him if he did not execute Jesus Pilate caved in to their demands out of fear.
And he was afraid of more than just getting the Jewish people mad. The Roman emperor at this time was Tiberius Caesar, a man who demanded complete loyalty. He executed anybody he considered an enemy -- without hesitation.
So when the Jews started claiming the Pilate would be disloyal to Caesar if he did not order the execution of Jesus he fearfully ordered Jesus" scourging and execution on a stake.
He ordered Jesus execution although he knew that Jesus was innocent of the Jewish charges as described in John 19: 8, 12-16.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Travel Around the Time of Christ
Travel during the time of Jesus Christ and his Apostles could an arduous -- often dangerous adventure by land or sea. You had to be tough and determined to reach your destination.
Travel by Land
The Romans by this time had built a system of roads major centers in the empire. These were up to 15 feet wide, paved with stone and even had curbs. Addition to this many of these Romans roadways had a series of inns constructed every so many miles. Although many of these were often dirty and centers for things like prostitution they did provide a place to rest for the careful traveler.
In Palestine, however travelers faced far more dangers from the weather, wild animals, and robbers while traveling along these dirt trails cut through fields and ravines -- which provided ideal hiding places for robbers wanting to ambush travelers.
As night fell travelers, loaded down with personal belongings such as a staff for protection, extra shoes and clothing, a money bag, a collapsible leather bucket for drawing water from streams, a water flask and other items either made quick encampments beside the roads or stayed in caravansaries -- stone enclosures with rooms build around a court yard built every so many miles beside the roadways.
These places were often dirty but did provide some protection from the weather and thieves.
These roadways were used by a wide variety of travelers -- from people on foot, loaded down with their personal belongs when making longer journeys to merchants transporting their goods on donkeys, in wagons pulled by oxen for heavier loads, and even on the backs of camels and couriers racing by with mail or royal decrees.
Lucky travelers could stay with family or friends along the route.
Travel By Sea
Travel by sea could also be a very hazardous undertaking. The Apostle Paul, says at 2 Corinthians 11: 25-27 that, "Three times I experienced shipwreck, a night and a day I spent in the deep."
Following the lead of the early sailors from Tyre and Israel, who were the early pioneers in Mediterranean coastal and deep ocean voyages, sailors from Israel and other countries such as Rome and Greece had become very skilled coastal and deep water sailors.
But still their wooden vessels, whether the small coastal ships or larger Roman galleys were no match for the sometimes violent Mediterranean, shipwrecks, such as the ones Paul mentioned, were fairly common and few long voyages were attempted between the middle of September and May.
And even when the weather was good these were not cruise ships for travelers. Most of them were used for ferrying troops as well as cargo up and down the Mediterranean.
There were few comforts on these vessels for the travelers such as Paul and others.With below decks crammed with cargo travelers had to sleep on the open decks in all kinds of weather, dependent on the food and other items they brought with them to make the trip as bearable as possible. The ship's captain or master provided passengers only with water.
Such was travel through the Mediterranean area during the time of Christ and the Apostles -- with none of the comforts travelers or tourists enjoy today. Still the early Christians made good use of these road and maritime routes to spread their message and traders and merchants used them to establish profitable trade routes from one end of the Mediterranean to the other.
Travel by Land
The Romans by this time had built a system of roads major centers in the empire. These were up to 15 feet wide, paved with stone and even had curbs. Addition to this many of these Romans roadways had a series of inns constructed every so many miles. Although many of these were often dirty and centers for things like prostitution they did provide a place to rest for the careful traveler.
In Palestine, however travelers faced far more dangers from the weather, wild animals, and robbers while traveling along these dirt trails cut through fields and ravines -- which provided ideal hiding places for robbers wanting to ambush travelers.
As night fell travelers, loaded down with personal belongings such as a staff for protection, extra shoes and clothing, a money bag, a collapsible leather bucket for drawing water from streams, a water flask and other items either made quick encampments beside the roads or stayed in caravansaries -- stone enclosures with rooms build around a court yard built every so many miles beside the roadways.
These places were often dirty but did provide some protection from the weather and thieves.
These roadways were used by a wide variety of travelers -- from people on foot, loaded down with their personal belongs when making longer journeys to merchants transporting their goods on donkeys, in wagons pulled by oxen for heavier loads, and even on the backs of camels and couriers racing by with mail or royal decrees.
Lucky travelers could stay with family or friends along the route.
Travel By Sea
Travel by sea could also be a very hazardous undertaking. The Apostle Paul, says at 2 Corinthians 11: 25-27 that, "Three times I experienced shipwreck, a night and a day I spent in the deep."
Following the lead of the early sailors from Tyre and Israel, who were the early pioneers in Mediterranean coastal and deep ocean voyages, sailors from Israel and other countries such as Rome and Greece had become very skilled coastal and deep water sailors.
But still their wooden vessels, whether the small coastal ships or larger Roman galleys were no match for the sometimes violent Mediterranean, shipwrecks, such as the ones Paul mentioned, were fairly common and few long voyages were attempted between the middle of September and May.
And even when the weather was good these were not cruise ships for travelers. Most of them were used for ferrying troops as well as cargo up and down the Mediterranean.
There were few comforts on these vessels for the travelers such as Paul and others.With below decks crammed with cargo travelers had to sleep on the open decks in all kinds of weather, dependent on the food and other items they brought with them to make the trip as bearable as possible. The ship's captain or master provided passengers only with water.
Such was travel through the Mediterranean area during the time of Christ and the Apostles -- with none of the comforts travelers or tourists enjoy today. Still the early Christians made good use of these road and maritime routes to spread their message and traders and merchants used them to establish profitable trade routes from one end of the Mediterranean to the other.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Houses of Ur
Abraham and Sarai gave a great deal of comfort when they responded to God's command to leave their homes in Ur and spend the rest of their lives as nomads living in tents.
When Leonard Woolley excavated the site of ancient Ur between 1922 and 1934 he found at least 73 two-story homes that had built of brick -- not clay or other less durable materials.
These homes he found which featured up to a dozen rooms or more and featured whitewashed walls, a drainage system and others features were the homes of the middle- class such as "shopkeepers , petty mer chants, scribes, and so on, "
Many of these homes were constructed with the rooms opening onto a paved central courtyard. This courtyard sloped gradually towards a central drain for carrying away waste and rain water -- a style also used by the Romans
In addition to these features, many of the larger homes featured en-suite lavatories in the guests rooms on the ground level of the house.
Other rooms on the ground or main level contained slaves quarters and kitchens with fireplaces for cooking and heating.
The family slept in the upper rooms which were at the top of a staircase. These family bedrooms were entered through a wooden balcony which were built around the upper walls of the courtyard below. A very attractive and practical design very similar to the way some townhouses and even office building are laid out today.
When Leonard Woolley excavated the site of ancient Ur between 1922 and 1934 he found at least 73 two-story homes that had built of brick -- not clay or other less durable materials.
These homes he found which featured up to a dozen rooms or more and featured whitewashed walls, a drainage system and others features were the homes of the middle- class such as "shopkeepers , petty mer chants, scribes, and so on, "
Many of these homes were constructed with the rooms opening onto a paved central courtyard. This courtyard sloped gradually towards a central drain for carrying away waste and rain water -- a style also used by the Romans
In addition to these features, many of the larger homes featured en-suite lavatories in the guests rooms on the ground level of the house.
Other rooms on the ground or main level contained slaves quarters and kitchens with fireplaces for cooking and heating.
The family slept in the upper rooms which were at the top of a staircase. These family bedrooms were entered through a wooden balcony which were built around the upper walls of the courtyard below. A very attractive and practical design very similar to the way some townhouses and even office building are laid out today.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Search for Water in Bible Times
Man's search for drinkable water has always been a concern for people around the world and people in ancient Israel were no exception. They built a variety of sources from water channels through rock y ground to water stations around springs and the traditional well according to author Andre Chouraqui.
Home builders designed their homes with enough of a slope to direct the rain towards underground cisterns cut into the ground where it was stored during the rainy season from October to April so they didn't go thirsty during the arid summer months.
On a national scale Israelite engineers cut channels into the rocky hillsides to capture the water thunderingdown the torrent valleys into large cisterns cut into rock near larger cities and towns such as the one that King Hezekiah built near Jerusalem to keep it supplied with cool, refreshing water. This one consisted of the underground pool as well as a conduit or channel to carry the water into the city.
Smaller cities villages such En-shemesh were built in locations were water that had sunk into the ground in the highlands emerged lower down the slopes as bubbling springs. Such springs are mentioned in numerous parts of the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament.
In still other parts of the country they built the traditional wells in order to tape into the underground water supply that was kept replenished by these underground rivers running from the highlands to the valleys.
According to Chouraqui the early Israelite engineers were quite remarkable in their design and construction of systems, especially the cisterns with their supply channels cut into the rock, to capture, store and transport water to the people.
Home builders designed their homes with enough of a slope to direct the rain towards underground cisterns cut into the ground where it was stored during the rainy season from October to April so they didn't go thirsty during the arid summer months.
On a national scale Israelite engineers cut channels into the rocky hillsides to capture the water thunderingdown the torrent valleys into large cisterns cut into rock near larger cities and towns such as the one that King Hezekiah built near Jerusalem to keep it supplied with cool, refreshing water. This one consisted of the underground pool as well as a conduit or channel to carry the water into the city.
Smaller cities villages such En-shemesh were built in locations were water that had sunk into the ground in the highlands emerged lower down the slopes as bubbling springs. Such springs are mentioned in numerous parts of the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament.
In still other parts of the country they built the traditional wells in order to tape into the underground water supply that was kept replenished by these underground rivers running from the highlands to the valleys.
According to Chouraqui the early Israelite engineers were quite remarkable in their design and construction of systems, especially the cisterns with their supply channels cut into the rock, to capture, store and transport water to the people.
Friday, October 21, 2011
God's Name in Early German Bible
Back in 1537 a Catholic theologian, Johann Eck, identified the God we all refer to as Lord or Adonai as Jehoua in his German translation of the Bible.
This might come as a surprise to many of because most of the time God is referred to simply as Lord or sometimes Adonai. But long before the time of Eck the early writers of the Hebrew Scriptures or the Old Testament used the Hebrew equivalent of Jehovah in placed like Deuteronomy 6:4.
Morever 2800 years ago Jesus Christ made God's name -- Jehovah -- known and it was recorded in the early Christian Greek Scriptures or the New Testament so Eck had good reason to include God's personal name in his German translation of the Bible.
Everybody has a name and God is no exception. Johann Eck certainly got it right, although many translation since his time have not.Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Don't Assume The Day Always Begins at Midnight
Most of us, in the Western world at least, assume the calendar day starts and ends at midnight, but this has not always been so -- and with some people it still is not today.
There was no set way of counting days following the Noachian Flood and the spread of civilizations throughout the Middle-East. Some began and ended their days in the evenings. Some started each new day at sunrise. Some began a new day at midnight.
Like us the ancient Egyptians and Romans had a day that ran from midnight to midnight. But the Babylonians started their days at sunrise. But others like the Jews. Numidians and Phoenicians set a 24 hour day which ran from one evening to the next -- from one sunset to the next.
This was a pattern established by Jehovah God in his six creative days were one day started in the evening and ended the following morning ( Genesis 1: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) and in his commands to observe the seventh day as a Sabbath at Leviticus 23: 28, 32 were he said: "from one evening to the next you should observe your sabbath."
This is a custom still practiced by modern day Jews.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Ships of Tarshish
The Phoenicians were among the first builders of ocean going vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. These were ships that helped make King Solomon very rich -- and the Phoenicians, at least for a time, not only very rich but also the masters of the Mediterranean from Tyre along its eastern shores as far West as Spain.
Their seamanship grew gradually. First they built and sailed smaller vessels made from Juniper wood and propelled by the wind and linen sails and sailors manning oak oars up down the eastern end of the Mediterranean trading with their neighbours to the North and South of them such as Israel and King Solomon of Israel thousands of years before the time of Christ.
As their ship technology and building skills grew over the years they eventually built vessels over a hundred feet long and their sailors ventured farther West along the northern shores of Africa creating trading alliances and settlements as they went.
Eventually they reached what today is known as the Straits of Gibraltar at the western entrance to the Mediterranean and crossed over to Spain where they established a lucrative trading business with the inhabitants of Tarshish who had an abundance of minerals such as gold, silver, and other minerals to trade.
Because of their ability to withstand the often violent weather they encountered on these 4,000 mile voyages these ships soon became renowned as "The Ships of Tarshish" and other nations, such as Israel, seeking to building their own navies on the Mediterranean and Red Seas copied both the design and name of these early ocean going vessels
Their seamanship grew gradually. First they built and sailed smaller vessels made from Juniper wood and propelled by the wind and linen sails and sailors manning oak oars up down the eastern end of the Mediterranean trading with their neighbours to the North and South of them such as Israel and King Solomon of Israel thousands of years before the time of Christ.
As their ship technology and building skills grew over the years they eventually built vessels over a hundred feet long and their sailors ventured farther West along the northern shores of Africa creating trading alliances and settlements as they went.
Eventually they reached what today is known as the Straits of Gibraltar at the western entrance to the Mediterranean and crossed over to Spain where they established a lucrative trading business with the inhabitants of Tarshish who had an abundance of minerals such as gold, silver, and other minerals to trade.
Because of their ability to withstand the often violent weather they encountered on these 4,000 mile voyages these ships soon became renowned as "The Ships of Tarshish" and other nations, such as Israel, seeking to building their own navies on the Mediterranean and Red Seas copied both the design and name of these early ocean going vessels
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