Timeline 6 BC to 70 AD One Clue Often Repeated Is Christ’S Birth Could Not Have Been in the Winter, Near December First Century Revelation 25
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Hugh Lindsay, Strabo and the Shape of His Historika Hypomnemata
The Ancient History Bulletin VOLUME TWENTY-EIGHT: 2014 NUMBERS 1-2 Edited by: Edward Anson David Hollander Timothy Howe Joseph Roisman John Vanderspoel Pat Wheatley Sabine Müller ISSN 0835-3638 ANCIENT HISTORY BULLETIN Volume 28 (2014) Numbers 1-2 Edited by: Edward Anson, David Hollander, Sabine Müller, Joseph Roisman, John Vanderspoel, Pat Wheatley Senior Editor: Timothy Howe Editorial correspondents Elizabeth Baynham, Hugh Bowden, Franca Landucci Gattinoni, Alexander Meeus, Kurt Raaflaub, P.J. Rhodes, Robert Rollinger, Carol Thomas, Victor Alonso Troncoso Contents of volume twenty-eight Numbers 1-2 1 Hugh Lindsay, Strabo and the shape of his Historika Hypomnemata 20 Paul McKechnie, W.W. Tarn and the philosophers 37 Monica D’Agostini, The Shade of Andromache: Laodike of Sardis between Homer and Polybios 61 John Shannahan, Two Notes on the Battle of Cunaxa NOTES TO CONTRIBUTORS AND SUBSCRIBERS The Ancient History Bulletin was founded in 1987 by Waldemar Heckel, Brian Lavelle, and John Vanderspoel. The board of editorial correspondents consists of Elizabeth Baynham (University of Newcastle), Hugh Bowden (Kings College, London), Franca Landucci Gattinoni (Università Cattolica, Milan), Alexander Meeus (University of Leuven), Kurt Raaflaub (Brown University), P.J. Rhodes (Durham University), Robert Rollinger (Universität Innsbruck), Carol Thomas (University of Washington), Victor Alonso Troncoso (Universidade da Coruña) AHB is currently edited by: Timothy Howe (Senior Editor: [email protected]), Edward Anson, David Hollander, Sabine Müller, Joseph Roisman, John Vanderspoel and Pat Wheatley. AHB promotes scholarly discussion in Ancient History and ancillary fields (such as epigraphy, papyrology, and numismatics) by publishing articles and notes on any aspect of the ancient world from the Near East to Late Antiquity. -
How Roman Culture Merged with Judean Culture 37 Bc
HOW ROMAN CULTURE MERGED WITH JUDEAN CULTURE 37 BC The Political/Religious Situation of Judea: • Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian (26 yrs) (later to add the title “Augustus”) was in control of the western half of the Roman Republic. • Marcus Antonius (46 yrs) controlled the eastern half of the Roman Republic. • Cleopatra VII (31 yrs) (of Greek descent) was ruling over Egypt with an iron fist; she had great influence over Mark Anthony & she did not care for Herod. • Herod (36 yrs) had been declared “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate at the insistence of both Mark Anthony & Octavian. • Herod had recently appointed his 17-year old brother-in-law, Aristobulus, as High Priest, at the insistence of his mother-in-law, Princess Alexandra. • Alexandra’s father, the former High Priest & Ethnarch, Hyrcanus (74 yrs) (the great- grandnephew of the famous Judas Maccabee), was living a private life in Jerusalem. Herod had assigned an honor-guard/security detail to his mother-in-law, in part because he did not really trust her not to conspire against his kingship. Alexandra complained (in correspondence) to Cleopatra, who made arrangements for she & her son to be smuggled out of Judea to Egypt in a pair of coffins. The plan was revealed to Herod, who simply stopped it from being carried out. FEAST OF TABERNACLES The Jewish festival crowd responded so positively to the young High Priest that Herod became worried that they would prefer him as their king. SHORTLY AFTER THE FEAST Aristobulus (18 yrs) was “accidently” drowned during some swimming pool horse play with Herod’s servants at Jericho. -
The Near East: 100 B.C. to 0∗
Connexions module: m17969 1 The Near East: 100 B.C. to 0∗ Jack E. Maxeld This work is produced by The Connexions Project and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License y 1 THE NEAR EAST Back to The Near East: 200 to 101 B.C.1 1.1 ARABIA AND JORDAN During the Hellenistic era the Himyarites of southern Arabia had lost their chief source of prosperity when part of the Indian trade was diverted through Egypt, but in 24 B.C., they were still strong enough to defeat the Roman General Gallus, who had been sent to conquer them and the invaders were driven into the desert where many died from heat and thirst. The Nabataean kingdom, in present day southern Jordan, became powerful at this time, with a capital at Petra. Amman, in northern Jordan, was rst destroyed and conquered and then rebuilt by the Romans. (Ref. 1762) 1.2 MEDITERRANEAN COASTAL AREAS OF ISRAEL AND LEBANON By 78 B.C. in Judea the Hasmoneans had enlarged their realm so that their territory was as extensive as it had been under Solomon, but the rulers began to lose their religiosity and yielded to Hellenizing elements. Toynbee (Ref. 2213) says that the Jews' Canaanite culture was not a backward one and was probably equal to the Hellenic in achievement, but it was dierent in ethos and the Hellenic was the more potent and soon dominated. In 63 B.C., however, Judea was conquered by Pompey for Rome. As he laid siege to Jerusalem, the Jewish King Aristobulus took refuge in the walled precincts of the Temple and held out for three months. -
The Empire Strikes: the Growth of Roman Infrastructural Minting Power, 60 B.C
The Empire Strikes: The Growth of Roman Infrastructural Minting Power, 60 B.C. – A.D. 68 A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Classics of the College of Arts and Sciences by David Schwei M.A., University of Cincinnati, December 2012 B.A., Emory University, May 2009 Committee Chairs: Peter van Minnen, Ph.D Barbara Burrell, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Coins permeated the Roman Empire, and they offer a unique perspective into the ability of the Roman state to implement its decisions in Italy and the provinces. This dissertation examines how this ability changed and grew over time, between 60 B.C. and A.D. 68, as seen through coin production. Earlier scholars assumed that the mint at Rome always produced coinage for the entire empire, or they have focused on a sudden change under Augustus. Recent advances in catalogs, documentation of coin hoards, and metallurgical analyses allow a fuller picture to be painted. This dissertation integrates the previously overlooked coinages of Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt with the denarius of the Latin West. In order to measure the development of the Roman state’s infrastructural power, this dissertation combines the anthropological ideal types of hegemonic and territorial empires with the numismatic method of detecting coordinated activity at multiple mints. The Roman state exercised its power over various regions to different extents, and it used its power differently over time. During the Republic, the Roman state had low infrastructural minting capacity. -
Consular Years and Sabbatical Years in the Life of Herod the Great
Consular Years and Sabbatical Years in the Life of Herod the Great Andrew E. Steinmann River Forest, Illinois Rodger C. Young St. Louis, Missouri © 2020, Dallas Theological Seminary. This article was accepted for publication by Bibliotheca Sacra, https://www.dts.edu/resources/bibliotheca-sacra/, in September, 2019, and is tentatively scheduled for publication in the Sept.-Dec. 2020 issue. This pre-publication copy is being made available in keeping with Bibliotheca Sacra guidelines. Abstract Much of New Testament chronology, especially the dating of Jesus’s life, is dependent upon the dates for the reign of Herod the Great. In the late nineteenth century Schürer proposed dates for the reign of Herod: 40 (37) BC to 4 BC. These are suspect and are based on Josephus’s erroneous use of Roman consular years. Schürer also cites the sabbatical tables developed by Zuckermann, but this is not an independent source, since they are based on the same citation of consular years in Josephus. When Josephus’s error is recognized, the correct dates for Herod’s reign are demonstrated to be 39 (36) BC to 1 BC, placing the birth of Christ in late 3 BC or early 2 BC. Keywords Josephus, Herod the Great, NT chronology, birth of Christ, Schürer, Filmer, Maccabees, Sabbatical years, Jubilees After the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Roman world was embroiled in a civil war that was described extensively by the Roman historians Appian, Dio Cassius, and Livius. Plutarch’s biographies also provide historical background for the period. Writings from these Roman historians (except Livius, for whom the relevant portions have not survived) give important information regarding the civil war, and also regarding the Roman strife with the Parthians that took place during this unsettled time. -
Cleopatra Was the Last Pharaoh of Egypt, and the Last of the Ptolemy Dynasty of Egyptian Rulers
CLEOPATRA WAS THE LAST PHARAOH OF EGYPT, AND THE LAST OF THE PTOLEMY DYNASTY OF EGYPTIAN RULERS Cleopatra VII Background: The Ptolemaic dynasty was a Macedonian Greek royal family, which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC. They were the last dynasty of ancient Egypt. Ptolemy, one of the seven somatophylakes (bodyguards) who served as Alexander the Great's generals and deputies, was appointed governor of Egypt after Alexander's death in 323 BC. In 305 BC, he declared himself Ptolemy I. The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemy’s as the successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt. Ptolemy's family ruled Egypt until the Roman conquest of 30 BC. The most famous member of the line was the last queen, Cleopatra VII. The timeline of the life of Cleopatra VII: Cleopatra VII was born in early 69 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. The name Cleopatra symbolises ‘glory of the father’. She was one of the five children of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra V of Egypt. There is no record of Cleopatra's mother after her birth, leaving her father to be her primary influence. Her sibling’s names included Berenike IV, Arsinoe IV, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV. In 58 BC, her father Ptolemy XII was expelled from Egypt and fled to Rome with Cleopatra VII. His other daughter Berenike IV seized the throne in his absence, but by 55 BC, Rome’s leaders reinstalled him, and executed Berenike IV, making Cleopatra VII the next in line for the throne. -
84 ©Inspired Educators, Inc. Cleopatra VII Was Born in 69 B.C. In
Cleopatra VII was born in 69 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. The city had been founded by the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great and ruled since his death by his general, Ptolemy, and the line of pharaohs he established. Cleopatra’s father was Ptolemy XII. Based on her ancestry, it could be said that Cleopatra was not really Egyptian but Greek, though she would surely have disagreed. Cleopatra came to the throne upon her father’s death in 51 B.C. at the age of seventeen. She co-ruled with her 12-year-old brother, the pharaoh Ptolemy XIII, whom she married as was the Egyptian tradition for keeping the rule in the family. Highly intelligent, Cleopatra spoke nine languages and proved to be a skilled ruler. Her little brother stayed in the background for a time until he conspired with one of his advisors to force her from power. In 48 B.C. she was stripped of all power and forced into exile in Syria, but was determined to regain her position. Creative and willing to do whatever was necessary, Cleopatra was determined to regain the throne her brother had stolen from her. As Cleopatra was assembling an army to attack Alexandria, the Roman leader Julius Caesar was also on his way to the city. He arrived to a gift from the pharaoh, Ptolemy, intended to gain Caesar’s favor. The gift was the head of Caesar’s greatest political rival, Pompey! Instead of being pleased, though, Caesar was furious about the gruesome murder and the horrible gift! Recognizing an opportunity, Cleopatra dressed to the nines, had one of her attendants wrap her in a Persian rug, and arranged to be delivered to Caesar. -
Star of Bethlehem
STAR OF BETHLEHEM Biblical evidence Matthew II, 1–2: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the King behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.” Matthew II, 9–10: “Then Herod, when he privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently when the star appeared.” [...] “When they had heard the King, they departed; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” What can we say from this? • The wise men (Magi) were most likely priests and/or astrologers. They came presumably from Babylon, but possibly from Assyria or Chaldea. • At about the sixth century tradition changed the Magi into Kings and their number was fixed at three because of the threefold nature of their gifts gold, frankincense and myrrh (but six Kings in the eastern tradition). • The star was not very bright and obvious to everybody, but must have held astrological significance. Also it must have been a fairly long lasting phenomenon. • It was only in medieval times that the star got to be depicted as very bright and with a tail, suggesting a comet or a meteorite. • It remains possible that the story about the star is only fiction; part of a tale to amplify the significance of Jesus’s birth and/or to fulfill the Old Testamental prophecy. -
Athens, Augustus, and the Settlement of 21 B.C
Athens, Augustus, and the Settlement of 21 B.C. Schmalz, Geoffrey C R Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Winter 1996; 37, 4; ProQuest pg. 381 Athens, Augustus, and the Settlement of 21 B.C. Geoffrey C. R. Schmalz N RECENT YEARS much has been made of the 'bad blood' be tween Athens and Augustus, es ecially in the context of I the controversial imperial visit of 21 B.C. The Athenian so journ of Augustus, the second of three, is known from the rather full, if problematic, account in Cassius Dio (54.7.1-4). Over thirty years ago G. W. Bowersock adduced a supplemen tal source in Plutarch's Regum et Imperatorum Apophtheg mata (M or. 207E- F).l This passage purports to preserve a letter addressed to the Athenians by Augustus and is construed as evi dence for a winter stay on Aegina at the time. Thus taken to gether, these two sources are the basis for much of the present understanding of the early relationship between Augustus and his Athenian subjects.2 What follows here is a re-evaluation from several different per spectives of the imperial visit of 21 B.C. Through a closer reading of Dio and Plutarch, a review of the history of the period, and finally a consideration of the epigraphic evidence from Athens, several new conclusions will be drawn. First, it will become evident that Dio's account of the imperial visit cannot be placed in the winter of 21 B.C. but belongs rather to the following summer or perhaps even the fall. -
Introduction
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-03825-7 - The Geography Of Strabo Duane W. Roller Excerpt More information Introduction 1. The life of Strabo All that is known about the life of Strabo is the information that he himself 1 provided in his Geography. Not even his full name is preserved, only 2 “Strabo” (actually “Strabon” in the Greek of the sources). Strabon/Strabo could be either a Roman cognomen or a Greek personal name, meaning, in 3 both languages, “Squinter.” Yet early citations of the Greek name are rare 4 and dubious, and do not predate the third century bc, when Roman names were already becoming known in the eastern Mediterranean. Although there is the remote possibility that “Strabo” was the geographer’s Greek birth name, this seems unlikely. It is more probable that he had a typical Anatolian Greek name, perhaps one of the seven other male names extant from his family (Dorylaos, Philetairos, Lagetas, Stratarchas, Moaphernes, Tibios, and Theophilos). The geographer’s known name was probably from the common Roman cognomen Strabo, first documented with M. Licinius Strabo, military 1 The bibliography on Strabo and his Geography is enormous, and only works relevant to the overall composition are cited in this Introduction. The modern editions of the text are discussed below (p. 29). See also Katherine Clarke, Between Geography and History: Hellenistic Constructions of the Roman World (Oxford, 1999), esp. 193–336; Johannes Engels, Augusteische Oikumene Geographie und Universal-Historie im Werk Strabons von Amaseia (Stuttgart, 1999); Strabo, Géographie (ed. Germaine Aujac, François Lasserre, and Raoul Baladié, Paris, 2003), 1: “Introduction générale”; Germaine Aujac, Strabon et la science de son temps (Paris, 1966), 221–309; Strabo, Geographica: Strabon von Amaseia 4 (ed. -
1 STAR of BETHLEHEM ABSTRACT for Over 400 Years Scholars And
STAR OF BETHLEHEM RONALD E. MICKLE Denver, Colorado 80211 ©2003 Ronald E. Mickle ABSTRACT For over 400 years scholars and theologians have studied the possible origins of the Star of Bethlehem. In preparing for this essay, it was quickly discovered that the articles and publications regarding the origin of the Star of Bethlehem numbered in the hundreds. Due to limited space and time, this critical review of possible interpretations of the Star will focus on only three areas: (1) the accuracy of dates of the event, (2) the possible astronomical origins (stellar and non-stellar), and (3) popular misconceptions. I will draw upon three publications and give my opinion. 1. ACCURACY OF THE DATES OF THE EVENT To help identify the phenomena referred to as the Star of Bethlehem, we must first decide when Jesus was born. Many scientific scholars and theologians have studied the documents over the years and not one, that this writer found, can definitively say in what year the birth occurred. While evidence used by various scholars is, for the most part, factual, their conclusions can be very subjective. In researching documents, I found three occurrences which help fix the date of Christ’s birth. First is the final years of King Herod’s reign, including his death. Second is the Roman census which required Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, to return to their home of ancestry, and last, a series of celestial events. HEROD’S DEATH The reign and death of Herod the Great is documented in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, and, for the most part, agreed upon by scholars[Carroll]. -
Astronomical and Historical Evaluation of Molnar's Solution
This is the author's submitted version for what has been recently published as Chapter 4 in the book "The Star of Bethlehem and the Magi", 2015, edited by Peter Barthel and George van Kooten (published by Brill in Leiden). This book has contributions from the conference on the 'Star of Bethlehem', held in Groningen in October 2014. Copyright for the published chapter is owned by Brill, but they explicitly allow the right to deposit the author's version in a subject repository like arXiv, with due acknowledgement. ASTRONOMICAL AND HISTORICAL EVALUATION OF MOLNAR'S SOLUTION Bradley E. Schaefer Louisiana State University ABSTRACT Previously, the most prominent explanation for the Star of Bethlehem was to identify one of many astronomical events in the sky as being the inspiration for the trip of the Magi. However, all the astronomical answers have detailed refutations. For example, comets, eclipses, and meteors were universally seen as very bad or evil omens, so they cannot be the Star. Also, there were no reported nova or supernova in 5 or 4 BC, because the Chinese reports explicitly identify both objects as being comets. And the claim that the Star was an earlier eruption of the 'recurrent nova' DO Aquilae is certainly wrong because DO Aquilae is not a recurrent novae (so it did not erupt in 5 BC) and it could not possibly have gotten to be bright enough to be visible to the unaided eye. The astronomical answers also have the general refutation that the spectacular astronomical events claimed to be the Star were all of no interest to the Magi.