Simply Jesus: The Bible Study Study Sheet 1 By Rev. Fr. Dustin Lyon Introduction Wright, NT. Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters. New York: HarperOne, 2011. The Roman Storm • 1,000 years of history o Roman Kingdom (8th century BC – 509 BC) o Roman RepubLiC (509 BC – 27 BC) o Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD [Western], 1453 AD [Eastern]) • Gaius Julius Caesar (49 BC – 44 BC) o First Triumvirate ("three men") (Caesar, Crassus, Pompey) o Caesar’s Civil War and the BattLe of PharsaLus (9 August 48 BC) o Caesar beComes a titLe (Kaiser/Tsar) o Divine Status • OCtavian (August Caesar) (27 BC – 14 AD) o 2nd Triumvirate (OCtavian, Lepidus, Mark Antony) o BattLe Actium (2 September 31 BC) and Egypt o Augustus (worthy of honor) and “Son of god” and pontifex maximus o The STORY of Rome = great CLimax at Last (Pax Augusta/Romana) o Virgil Eclogues 4. o The Good News: “We have an Emperor! JustiCe, PeaCe, SeCurity, and Prosperity are ours forever! The Son of God has beCome King of the World!” • Tiberius (42 BC – 37 AD) o Coin: “Augustus Tiberius Caesar, son of the Divine Augustus” & Pontifix Maximus • Middle East o Important for its grain (Like today’s USA dependent on oiL) o VitaL to keep under control (cf., see above, “The Good News”) 1 The Jewish Storm • On going drama, of whiCh they were aCtors, BUT it had a GOAL o Prospective eschatology, Looking FORWARD to a goLden-age = freedom, justice, and peace. It was there’s by right. • Story of the Exodus o Slavery o Passover and Red Sea o Desert o Promised Land • Creation and Covenant o God made world o CaLLed Israel to be his peopLe o Reorder world to rescue his people, Israel • Empires o Out of Egypt to Promised Land § Northern Israel/United Monarchy (930 – 720 BC) § Judah (Judea) (930 – 586 BC) o Assyrian (Conquered Northern IsraeL in 720 BC) o Babylon (Conquered Judah in 586 BC and TempLe destroyed) o Persia (conquered Babylon in 539 BC) o Greeks (conquered Persia in 330 BC) o Rome (Pompey Conquered JerusaLem in 63 BC) 2 .