The Roman Empire, a dominant political and military power during the time of the New Testament, played a significant role in the historical and cultural context of the Bible. Its influence is evident in the governance, social structures, and events that shaped the early Christian church.

Historical Context

The Roman Empire, established in 27 BC under the rule of Augustus Caesar, extended its reach across the Mediterranean, encompassing territories in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. By the time of Jesus Christ's birth, the Roman Empire had already established control over Judea, having made it a client kingdom in 63 BC and later a province in AD 6. This political backdrop is crucial for understanding the New Testament narrative.

Roman Governance and Society

The Roman Empire was characterized by a complex system of governance, with the emperor at its head, supported by a network of governors and local rulers. In Judea, the Roman prefect or procurator, such as Pontius Pilate, held significant authority, as seen in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27:2: "They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor"). The Herodian dynasty, including Herod the Great and his successors, ruled as client kings under Roman oversight, maintaining a delicate balance between Roman interests and Jewish traditions.

Roman society was marked by a rigid class structure, with citizens enjoying privileges not afforded to non-citizens. The Apostle Paul, a Roman citizen by birth, utilized his status to appeal to Caesar, as recorded in Acts 25:11 (BSB: "If, however, I am guilty of anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is nothing to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!").

Roman Religion and Culture

The Roman Empire was polytheistic, with a pantheon of gods and goddesses, and the emperor himself often venerated as a deity. This religious environment posed challenges for early Christians, who refused to worship the emperor or participate in pagan rituals. The Apostle Paul addressed the idolatry prevalent in Roman society, as seen in his letter to the Romans (Romans 1:21-23: "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles").

Persecution of Christians

The Roman Empire's initial indifference to Christianity gradually shifted to periods of intense persecution. Christians were often scapegoated for societal issues and accused of subverting Roman religious and social norms. The Book of Revelation, written during a time of persecution, symbolically references Rome as "Babylon," a representation of oppressive power (Revelation 17:5: "On her forehead a mysterious name was written: Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth").

Impact on Early Christianity

Despite persecution, the Roman Empire's extensive network of roads and relative peace, known as the Pax Romana, facilitated the spread of Christianity. The Apostle Paul's missionary journeys, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, were made possible by the infrastructure and stability provided by Roman rule. The epistles, many of which were written to churches within the empire, reflect the challenges and opportunities faced by early Christians living under Roman authority.

The Roman Empire's eventual adoption of Christianity as the state religion under Emperor Constantine in the early 4th century marked a significant turning point in the history of the church, leading to the widespread establishment of Christian doctrine and practice throughout the empire.Roman Empire

1. The first historic mention of Rome in the Bible is in 1 Macc. 1:10, about the year 161 B.C. in the year 65 B.C., when Syria was made a Roman province by Pompey, the Jews were still governed by one of the Asmonaean princes. The next year Pompey himself marched an army into Judea and took Jerusalem. From this time the Jews were practically under the government of Rome. Finally, Antipater's son Herod the Great was made king by Antony's interest, B.C. 40, and confirmed in the kingdom by Augustus, B.C. 30. The Jews, however, were all this time tributaries of Rome, and their princes in reality were Roman procurators, On the banishment of Archelaus, A.D. 6, Judea became a mere appendage of the province of Syria, and was governed by a Roman procurator, who resided at Caesarea. Such were the relations of the Jewish people to the Roman government at the time when the New Testament history begins.
2. Extent of the empire . --Cicero's description of the Greek states and colonies as a "fringe on the skirts of barbarism" has been well applied to the Roman dominions before the conquests of Pompey and Caesar. The Roman empire was still confined to a narrow strip encircling the Mediterranean Sea. Pompey added Asia Minor and Syria. Caesar added Gaul. The generals of Augustus overran the northwest Portion of Spain and the country between the Alps and the Danube. The boundaries of the empire were now the Atlantic on the west, the Euphrates on the east, the deserts of Africa, the cataracts of the Nile and the Arabian deserts on the south, the British Channel, the Rhine, the Danube and the Black Sea on the north. The only subsequent conquests of importance were those of Britain by Claudius and of Dacia by Trajan. The only independent powers of importance were the Parthians on the east and the Germans on the north. The population of the empire in the time of Augustus has been calculated at 85,000,000.
3. The provinces . --The usual fate of a country conquered by Rome was to be come a subject province, governed directly from Rome by officers sent out for that purpose. Sometimes, however, petty sovereigns were left in possession of a nominal independence on the borders or within the natural limits of the province. Augustus divided the provinces into two classes -- (1) Imperial; (2) Senatorial; retaining in his own hands, for obvious reasons, those provinces where the presence of a large military force was necessary, and committing the peaceful and unarmed provinces to the senate. The New Testament writers invariably designate the governors of senatorial provinces by the correct title anthupatoi , proconsuls. (Acts 13:7; 18:12; 19:38) For the governor of an imperial province, properly styled "legatus Caesaris," the word hegemon (governor) is used in the New Testament. The provinces were heavily taxed for the benefit of Rome and her citizens. They are said to have been better governed under the empire than under the commonwealth, and those of the emperor better than those of the senate.
4. The condition of the Roman empire at the time when Christianity appeared has often been dwelt upon as affording obvious illustrations of St. Paul's expression that the "fullness of time had come." (Galatians 4:4) The general peace within the limits of the empire the formation of military roads, the suppression of piracy, the march of the legions, the voyages of the corn fleets, the general in crease of traffic, the spread of the Latin language in the West as Greek had already spread in the East, the external unity of the empire, offered facilities hitherto unknown for the spread of a world-wide religion. The tendency, too, of despotism like that of the Roman empire to reduce all its subjects to a dead level was a powerful instrument in breaking down the pride of privileged races and national religious, and familiarizing men with the truth that "God had made of one blood all nations on the face of the earth." (Acts 17:24,26) Put still more striking than this outward preparation for the diffusion of the gospel was the appearance of a deep and wide-spread corruption, which seemed to defy any human remedy.

4516. Rhome -- Rome, the capital of Italy and the Rom. Empire ...
... Transliteration: Rhome Phonetic Spelling: (hro'-may) Short Definition: Rome Definition:
Rome, the famous city on the Tiber, the capital of the Roman Empire. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4516.htm - 6k

3625. oikoumene -- the inhabited earth
... participle present passive of oikeo (as noun, by implication, of ge); land, ie The
(terrene part of the) globe; specially, the Roman empire -- earth, world. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3625.htm - 7k

1149. Dalmatia -- Dalmatia, southern Illyricum on the Adriatic Sea
... Definition: Dalmatia Definition: Dalmatia, a province of the Roman Empire, east
of the Adriatic, a later name for part of what was earlier called Illyricum. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1149.htm - 6k

1290. diaspora -- a dispersion (Isr. in Gentile countries)
... seed . 1290 () is used figuratively of . They were literally throughout
the Roman empire (ie ) and therefore called "the .". [1290 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1290.htm - 7k

3934. Parthos -- a Parthian, an inhabitant of Parthia
... a Parthian Definition: a Parthian, an inhabitant of the country beyond the eastern
boundary of the Roman Empire between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3934.htm - 6k

The Roman Empire at the Time of the Birth of Christ. Upwards of a ...
... CHAPTER I. THE ROMAN EMPIRE AT THE TIME OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. ... CHAPTER
I. THE ROMAN EMPIRE AT THE TIME OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/chapter i the roman empire.htm

Grecian Literature, and the Roman Empire.
... HEATHEN WORLD. FROM THE BIRTH OF CHRIST TO THE DEATH OF ST. JOHN, ad
1-100 Section 12. Grecian Literature, and the Roman Empire. ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 12 grecian literature and.htm

The Church under the Roman Empire
... CHAPTER VI The Church under the Roman Empire. AD312-AD680 [Sidenote:
Persecution arrested by conversion of Constantine.]. [Sidenote ...
/.../blunt/a key to the knowledge of church history/chapter vi the church under.htm

That the Cause of the Roman Empire, and of all Kingdoms, is ...
... Book V. Chapter 1."That the Cause of the Roman Empire, and of All Kingdoms, is
Neither Fortuitous Nor Consists in the Position of the Stars. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 1 that the cause of.htm

Of the Falsity of the Augury by which the Strength and Stability ...
... Book IV. Chapter 29."Of the Falsity of the Augury by Which the Strength and
Stability of the Roman Empire Was Considered to Be Indicated. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 29 of the falsity of.htm

How Claudius, the Second of the Romans who came into Britain ...
... III. How Claudius, the second of the Romans who came into Britain, brought the islands
Orcades into subjection to the Roman empire; and Vespasian, sent by hint ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap iii how claudius the.htm

Admission of the Fugitive Goths into the Roman Territories, which ...
... Chapter XXXIV."Admission of the Fugitive Goths into the Roman Territories, which
caused the Emperor's Overthrow, and eventually the Ruin of the Roman Empire. ...
/.../chapter xxxiv admission of the fugitive.htm

Whether it was Desirable that the Roman Empire Should be Increased ...
... Chapter 10."Whether It Was Desirable that The Roman Empire Should Be Increased by
Such a Furious Succession of Wars, When It Might Have Been Quiet and Safe ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 10 whether it was desirable.htm

The victory of Constantine, and the Blessings which under Him ...
... Book X. Chapter IX."The Victory of Constantine, and the Blessings which
under him accrued to the Subjects of the Roman Empire. ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter ix the victory of constantine.htm

John and Daniel have Predicted the Dissolution and Desolation of ...
... Against Heresies: Book V Chapter XXVI."John and Daniel have predicted the dissolution
and desolation of the Roman Empire, which shall precede the end of the ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxvi john and daniel have.htm

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