The Reliability of the Gospels -- 2 HHiissttoorriiccaall BBaacckkggrroouunndd To understand the writing of the However, as time went on relations Gospels it is a good idea to have a between Romans and the local Jewish picture of the history of the period in authorities grew worse. Both which they were written. This detailed and Galilee had considerable non- review helps us to see that the Gospels Jewish populations who spoke Greek were set in a real context, against the rather than Hebrew or Aramaic and background of real events and real who were highly antagonistic to the people. Jewish religion. Jesus worked and taught in Galilee and Judea, at a time when Judea was Conflict governed by the Romans and Galilee was governed by a minor king from the As matters grew worse, violence Herodian dynasty. increased until in 66AD a war broke out between Jewish irregular forces Romans and and the Romans. The course of this war was recorded by the historian While the Roman governor Pontius Flavius Josephus, a Jewish comman- Pilate nominally ruled Judea, there der who was captured by the Romans were only a handful of Romans in the and changed sides. Josephus called province and much of the real power this “The Jewish War”. lay with the priests and scribes of the The war found its climax in the sack religious establishment in . of Jerusalem in 70 AD; the destruction In Galilee the king was Herod Antipas, of Jerusalem at this time was so son of Herod the Great, who managed severe that, according to Josephus, to balance Roman power with his own those who passed by could not tell that authority. there had been a city there at all. The Both of these rulers had to keep the temple was destroyed and most of the Romans happy, but as long as they inhabitants were killed. The survivors, could do this they had considerable along with the population of more rural autonomy. areas of Judea, Samaria and Galilee,

Time Chart of the New Testament Period Start of Jewish Judea becomes a Fire of War Jerusalem Kitos Bar-Kochba Roman Province Rome Destroyed War Rebellion

BC/AD 50AD 100AD 150AD

Birth of Period in which The Oldest Known Resurrection of Jesus the Gospels fragment of a manuscript Jesus Christ were written of the New Testament

14 Glad Tidings were taken out of the land as captives Gospels and letters (called the “Epis - and sold as slaves throughout the tles”) of the New Testament in context. . From then on the area If nothing had changed it would have was settled by a new population of been much more difficult to work out Greek-speaking people from other the time and place in which the events places. The language changed and the described in the Gospels took place. cities were rebuilt to new designs. As matters stand it is relatively easy for Even so there was still friction archaeologists to date remains in that between Jews in the Eastern Mediter - century and for linguists to show how ranean and the Romans. Two more the culture and speech of the locals wars followed. In the “Kitos” war (115- underwent revolutionary change. All 116 AD) the Jewish populations of this will appear in this series, as we cities all over the Eastern empire rose look at the way the Gospels were in support of the Parthians who lived written and make a proper assess - in what is now Iraq and Iran. This was ment of their reliability. put down with great severity by the Romans. In 132 AD started to Other Accounts rebuild Jerusalem as a pagan city with a temple to the pagan god on During this period a considerable the Temple mount. This caused number of documents were written another revolt, this time among Jews which had a bearing on the origins of who had crept back into Judea since Christianity. Various Roman historians the Jewish War. The Jewish leader was make mention of the new Christianity known as “bar Kochba”, and so this is including Josephus, Pliny the Younger, known as the “Bar Kochba rebellion”. Tacitus and Suetonius, and there are The Romans again devastated Pales - also Jewish sources. Some documents tine, which became a paganised area were written by Christians; these were of the Roman province of Syria. after the completion of the New Testa - This disaster for the Jews was ment and must be treated cautiously, matched by a similar crisis for Chris - but the earliest of them were written tians. In 64 AD, during the reign of by people who had met Apostles and Nero, Rome suffered a great fire which spoken with them; these are called the destroyed much of the city. To divert “Apostolic Fathers”. Later writers are suspicion from himself, Nero blamed known as the “Early Church Fathers”; the Christians and ordered their perse - these are still less reliable, but never - cution. This persecution spread theless they provide some evidence. throughout the empire and continued The historical background to the for two and a half centuries. The rela - New Testament helps us to put the tionship between Christians and the Gospels and Epistles in context and Roman Empire was greatly changed. hence to see when they were written and what problems the writers might The New Testament in Context have had to deal with. The result is to improve our confidence in the reliabi- The great changes in the circum - lity of the New Testament in general stances of both Jews and Christians in and especially the Gospels. the first and second centuries AD make it much easier to place the John Thorpe

132 nd Year 15