5/5 notes second part of quiz

What's on second part of quiz

Monday, May 05, 2014

8:28 AM

• Caesar Augustus's real name was Octavion

 

Augustus the first emperor getting it done

• Begins the pax roma- a period of peace and prosperity
• Built roads, aqueducts (brought water to the cities)
• Set up civil service to take care of roads, the grain supply, and postal service
• Augustus dies at age 76 in A.D. 14 and passes power to…
• Paul is instrumental in telling the world about Jesus' life,  death, resurrection, and message
• He travels far and wide: Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, Rome, Jerusalem, and maybe even Spain and Britain
• He writes letters to man of those he spoke to these epistles are a part of the NT
• If not for the efforts of Paul, it is likely that Jesus remains an obscure preacher, instead of the central figure of the  world's largest religion

 

Caligula- good start

• In addition to being Germanicus' son, he was Tiberius' adopted grandson and great nephew

-putting him next to line for emperor

• He started off well; granting bonuses to those in the military, declaring treason trials a thing of the past and made government spending a matter of public record
• All in all, the first seven months of Caligula's reign were "completely blissful" (according to the historian philo)…then…
• He began to fight with the senate
• He claimed to be a God, and had statues displayed in many places-including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem
• Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it. Indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest  (at least that’s what his critics said)
• Assassinated by his own aids, AD 41 (aged 28)

 

NEXT IN LINE: CLAUDIUS

• Ostracized  by his family because of his disabilities (limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment- thought to be cerebral palsy or polio) he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed
• He rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain; he built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated Circus Maximus
• Had an awful marriage to Messalina, who was unfaithful to him, even plotting to seize power for her lover Silius through a coup- so Claudius had them killed

 

MEANWHILE- RELIGIOUS TROUBLES

• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
• Romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewed as God
• AD 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)
• The Western Wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• Half a million Jews died in the rebellion

 

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

• Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor
• Especially Christians who were cult  (trying to start a new religion)
• Often used for "entertainment" purposes in the Coliseum (thrown to lions ect. )
• Despite the oppression Christianity grew quickly by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the roman empire was Christians