The First Millenium

[Vince]

And now, Christian Forums Dot Net News reports from 64 AD.

On July 18, a fire breaks out in the merchant section of Rome, spreads rapidly through the nearby wooden houses, and damages or destroys almost half the city. Rome was divided into fourteen districts: three were destroyed and seven were severely damaged. Romans fought the fire for five days and almost had it under control when it re-gained strength, lasting one more day.

Nero was in Antium at the time, and the fiddle hadn't been invented yet. He hurried back, opened royal palaces to refugees, organized emergency food shipments to the victims, and contributed heavily from his own funds.

Rome had other great fires, and Nero, a brilliant artist and thinker, determines not to let it happen again. He re-designs the burned sections, widening roads, creating fire-breaks between buildings, ordering homes to be built of brick instead of wood, and designing a palace to replace one that had been burnt. Debris is hauled to the mosquito-laden marshes that had plagued Rome for centuries. Nineteen centuries later, the city of Rome still benefits from Nero's brilliant urban planning.

But Nero's enjoyment of the re-building process fuels false reports that he had set the fire himself. He accuses the Christians, torturing some into confessing guilt. Nero then organizes ornate tortures and executions of Christians, gratifying the population while arousing the sympathies of others.

A few months later, Lyon, in France suffers a great fire. They had sent a large sum of money to Rome to help, and Nero sends them a large sum in return.

Learning that he is going to be replaced as Procurator of Judea, Albinus executes every major criminal in the prisons, and allows the rest to pay for their release.

Gessius Florus, the new Procurator, was no Adolf Hitler, but he did his best. He immediately enacted policies favoring Greek citizens over Jews. When Jewish leaders protested the defiling of a synagogue, Florus arrested the Jewish leaders. Greedy and corrupt, he crucifies various city leaders who object to his crimes.

Having established a successful church in Alexandria, Mark (author of the Gospel) had been in Rome for some time. Friends with both Peter and Paul, he writes down the First Epistle of Peter as Peter dictates this message to the churches he had helped in the eastern part of the Empire.

 

[Vince]

It's 65 AD.

Angered by Nero's excesses, including the persecution of Christians, various senators and other leaders rally around Piso in an attempt to assassinate Nero and proclaim Piso Emperor. A popular orator and law-maker, Piso's plot is dicovered by a freedman. All the conspirators are executed or ordered to commit suicide, including Seneca the Younger, Nero's former adviser.

Attacking his pregnant wife Poppaea in a rage, Nero accidentally kills her. He grieves publicly and sincerely, holding an elaborate state funeral for her.

The Apostle Jude (also called "Thaddeus"), author of the Epistle of Jude, is killed in Armenia.

This is a good time to remind readers that the Book of Acts has closed, and we are now dealing only with history and tradition, which might not be true. The point is that 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Since God does not tell us any of these events, none of them are essential to the Christian life. Falsified historical accounts contradict each other and mix with genuine history in telling us the events of Christian history.

 

[Vince]

It's 66 AD and Halley's Comet appears.

The Jewish Revolt begins. Enraged by mistreatment, the Jews begin attacking Roman citizens in Jerusalem. Moving through the city to restore order, Roman troops are attacked by so many civilians that they evacuate the city. The Zealots seize Jerusalem, while the Sicarii capture the fortress at Masada.

Ananias, the pro-Roman High Priest. is beaten to death by a Jewish mob. Years earlier, after being illegally struck at Ananias's order, Paul had told him "God will smite you, you white-washed wall."

Syrian sent an entire Roman legion, which recaptured part of Jerusalem but was forced to withdraw. As they retreated through the pass of Beth Horon, they were ambushed by massive Jewish forces. Unable to maneuver, almost the entire legion was massacred, the worst Roman defeat during a rebellion in their history. Encouraged by this victory, more Jewish cities joined the revolt. Nero appoints Vespasian, the future Emperor, to put down the rebellion.

Gessius Florus, the brutal procurator of Judea who had provoked the revolt, is replaced by Marcus Antonius Julianus. Absolutely nothing else is known about him.

Back in Rome, Peter dictates his second epistle to Mark, referring to "our beloved brother Paul."

 

[Vince]

67 AD is an interesting year.

Roman general Vespasian lands in northern Galilee, where he is joined by other Roman legions and auxiliary troops. His 60,000 man army quickly defeats all of Galilee (which is the northern 1/3 of Israel). But the Galilean Jews take a stand at Jotapata, under the leadership of the great Jewish historian Josephus, and the Romans massacre 40,000 Jews, taking Josephus prisoner. A smaller massacre occurs at Gamla, a heavily-fortified city.

Vindex, governor of a Roman province in France, rebels against Nero.

Nero also orders the executions of the Apostles Peter and Paul. A variety of historians credit three different men with becoming the next bishop of Rome. Some claim that some of these three men had been Peter's assistants, others that Paul appointed one as the next bishop, and others that Peter appointed one. Telling us everything we need to know in order to be successful Christians, the Bible never tells us to obey the pope, never mentions a pope, never tells us that the bishop of Rome is the pope, and never states that Peter was even in Rome (although he probably was). With the city still rebuilding after the great fire and with poor communications, it is possible that different men became leaders of different parts of the Christian community there.

Traveling to Greece to participate in the Olympics, Nero orders the great Roman General Corbulo, who had defeated Parthia and protected the eastern parts of the Roman Empire, to meet him there. Messengers from Nero meet Corbulo and order him to commit suicide. Without hesitation, Corbulo exclaims "Axios!" ("He is worthy!") and falls on his own sword. We can only wonder whom he was referring to.

Mark, who had helped both Peter and Paul, returns to Alexandria, Egypt.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 68 AD, known as "The Year of the Four Emperors." Since this year did not begin on January 1, it continues into the next year.

Back in Alexandria, a mob seizes Mark, ties a rope around his neck, and drags him through the streets until he dies.

In China, the Emperor completes the great White Horse Temple, from which Buddhism will spread through China and surrounding countries.

Lucius Macer rebels against Nero, cutting off food supplies to the city of Rome. Various Roman governors also revolt. Fleeing his palace, Nero is informed that the Senate has sentenced him to death, and he commits suicide.

Galba, a governor so old that he needs to be carried into battle, is declared Emperor. He arrives at Rome to learn that the Praetorian Guard had killed a rival claimant, but that they had been promised huge sums of money for their loyalty. Galba has the leaders executed and refuses to pay.

Revolts break out all over Germany and France as various Roman armies declare their own generals to be the Emperor.

Leaders from the defeated areas of Galilee enter Jerusalem. The Zealots and the Sicarrii assassinate any leader who supports peace talks with the Romans, and civil war breaks out within the city. By the end of the year, all the leaders in Jerusalem are dead, replaced by leaders of various warring factions.

The Essenes, a minor Jewish sect, bury the Dead Sea scrolls. They rip up parchments they don't like and use them for packing. Nineteen centuries later, modernists are horrified when archaeologists find fragments of the Gospel of Mark in the packing, proving that it was written before the Fall of Jerusalem.

 

[Vince]

We return to 69 AD, the "Year of the Four Emperors."

Ten years earlier, Nero had made the wife of Otho his mistress and had appointed Otho governor of part of Portugal. Returning with Galba, Otho was dismayed to learn that the aged Galba was not going to appoint Otho as the next Emperor. He won the allegiance of the Praetorian Guard, killed Galba, and became Emperor. A kind and competent leader, he quickly wins the allegiance of the common people.

But Roman troops in Germany had revolted and declared General Vitellius the new Emperor. They marched on Rome and defeated Otho, who then committed suicide in order to end the civil war. Vitellius was then declared Emperor.

Trying to rule well, but corrupted by his advisers, Vitellius becomes a gluttonous drunkard. He abolishes the Praetorian Guard, replacing them with his own men. He bans astrologers from Rome, and then starts killing them after they prophesy his early death. He straightens out some abuses in the army, but does little else. Then he learns that Roman troops in the east, who have declared Vespasian Emperor, are marching on Rome.

General Vespasian had re-conquered Galilee the previous year. He was about to attack Jerusalem when he received word of Nero's suicide. Declared Emperor by his troops, he leaves his son Titus in charge, and taking a large part of the army with him, he heads for Egypt, backed by armies sent by various governors. Rather than fight, Vitellius agrees to resign as Emperor. But the vengeful Praetorian Guard captures and kills him.

Still in Egypt, but already ruler of half the Empire, Vespasian learns that troops loyal to him had burned Rome and declared him Emperor. He enters Rome in triumph and reigns for ten years.

 

[Vince]

70 Ad is such a big year that it's going to take more than one day to tell about it.

The Emperor Vespasian begins construction of the Coliseum. A marvel of earthquake-resistant technology, most of it still stands. Over the centuries, gladiatorial battles, sea battles, plays, and other events will be conducted there, with an estimated half million people dying within its walls.

Revolt breaks out in the Netherlands, with two Roman legions (about 4,200 men apiece) being killed. Rome wins, and stations a legion there permanently.

Marching into the Sahara Desert, Rome forces Libyan tribes to make a treaty with them. Another Roman army enters Sudan, south of Egypt.

Samothrace is a 69 square mile island with no harbor and which is too mountainous for much farming. But it is home to the Sanctuary of the Great Gods. There, this independent nation practiced a mystery religion that influenced all of Greece. Vespasian annexes it into the Empire.

The great scientist, Hero of Alexandria, inventor of the steam engine, dies.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem...

 

[Vince]

It's still 70 AD, and it's a bad year to be living in Jerusalem.

Roman troops under Titus surrounded the city but couldn't breach the walls. As usual during a siege, the attacking Romans relied on starvation as a weapon against the defenders. At the Passover, Titus spoke kindly to pilgrims, freely allowing them to enter the city--but not allowing them to leave.

But Jerusalem is a big city, and food supplies kept getting past the Romans. Titus ordered a trench dug around the entire city, with the dirt used to build a wall. As starvation grew inside, Jews tried to surrender or escape, and the Romans crucified them on top of their wall, on one occasion crucifying 500 Jews in a single day.

Inside the city, leaders of the Sacarii and Zealots killed anyone calling for surrender, and rival groups destroyed each other's food supplies. In one bizarre incident, leaders learned that people were hoping that if they could hold out long enough, the Romans would have to accept peace terms, so the leaders destroyed a large supply of food to eliminate that possibility.

The Jews had built a third wall outside the city, and in spring, the Romans breached this wall. In June they breached the middle wall, enabling them to enter the city through various routes.

 

[Vince]

For the third time, we return to 70 AD.

After breaching the second wall, the Romans entered the city through various routes and began destroying everything. They massacred most Jews they encountered, but thousands of others were kept as slaves for Egyptian mines, or for gladiatorial shows.

With most of the city destroyed, the Romans advanced on the Temple mount. Here, large numbers of Jews had assembled for a last-ditch defense, for the hope of Divine protection, for a good place to die, and for some combination of the three.

General Titus was determined to save the Temple itself, perhaps as a temple to the Roman gods. And then, his troops mutinied. Throughout the Roman army, the soldiers rebelled against their leaders and stormed the Temple with the goal of destroying everything. Realizing that he had lost control, Titus pulled his leaders away, fearing that their own troops would kill them.

"For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." Luke 21:22
"And the hills of Judea echoed with the screams of the Jews." Josephus

A Roman managed to throw a burning brand through a Temple window, starting a fire inside that spread a panic. Surging through the doors, the Romans met such fierce resistance that the blood of both sides spilled outside and down the steps. Terrified civilians who had hidden in the Temple tried to escape the flames and were cut down by the Romans. Fighting their way through the Temple itself, the Romans killed every Jew they found, and finally captured the entire building.

After looting the Temple articles for a triumphal parade in Rome, Titus gave the order to pull the Temple down.

 

[Vince]

It's 71 AD, and the big news is the Triumph parade held in Rome to celebrate the destruction of Jerusalem.

Floats, some of them three stories high, celebrated the Roman victories over different Jewish cities. Extravagant wealth from Israel, including the Temple vessels, were paraded. Even the Jewish captives were dressed in expensive clothing, with one of their leaders led to where he was publicly flogged to death. The Arch of Titus, still standing today, was carved with various images of Rome's victory.

After winning a major victory in northern Britain, the Romans establish a major base at York.

Rabel II, becomes the last king of Nabataea. He reigns for 36 years, after which Rome walks in and seizes the kingdom.

The use of locks with specific keys spreads throughout Rome.

Lucilius Bassus is appointed governor of Judea. He defeats some of the remaining Jewish fortresses, and then prepares to storm the Masada.

Mithraism, a new religion, becomes popular among the military. Nothing is known about it except from surviving statues, and it dies out three centuries later.

 

[Vince]

72 AD

Antiochus IV had reigned over parts of Syria for 34 years, as a client king to Rome. He had backed Vespasian as Emperor and had even sent troops to help battle Jerusalem. But, accused of plotting against Vespasian, he is deposed. He retires to Rome, where he lives peacefully.

The Sicarii had captured the Masada, a fortress carved out of rock on an isolated plateau, and from there they raided both Roman and Jewish settlements. Re-enforced by survivors from Jerusalem, they are the last Jewish stronghold. Governor Lucilius Bassus begins the siege of the Masada, but he dies suddenly. Lucius Flavius Silva, the new governor of Judea, is unable to breach the Masada, so he has Jewish slaves build a sloped wall that will eventually get the Romans to a wall that they could batter down. The massive slope stands to this day.

With the ground cleared and supplies at hand, Emperor Vespasian begins the actual construction of the Colosseum, using his share of the loot from Jerusalem to help pay for it.

In India, Brahmins kill the Apostle Thomas.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 73 AD.

The Romans breach the walls of the Masada--and discover that the defenders had committed mass suicide. After hiding in a cistern with five children, two women tell the Romans that the defenders had agreed to kill each other in turn, with the last man killing himself. Today, after passing basic training, members of Israel's armed forces are flown to the Masada to be sworn into the military.

The First Jewish Revolt is the first war in history to claim over 1 million fatalities, many of them from starvation. Not until World War 1 will there be a bloodier war. Titus reportedly refused to accept a wreath of victory, as there is "no merit in vanquishing people forsaken by their own God".

Although about 97,000 Jews were sold into slavery and many others scattered around the Empire, the Romans did not disperse the Jews. Judea remained a Roman province.

Yochanan ben Zaccai, a popular Pharisaical teacher, had sneaked out of Jerusalem early in the siege and been given permission to establish a rabbinical school elsewhere. Eventually, this school became the leader of Judaism, the founder of modern Judaism, and established the doctrine that God had replaced the animal sacrifices with good works.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 74 AD.

Rome re-conquers the Black Forest in southwestern Germany. Forming a rectangle, it is 120 miles long and 37 miles wide. Your German Shepherd dog is descended from wolves that used to hunt there.

Frontinus becomes the new governor of Britain. He re-conquers Wales, establishing a network of small forts. His greatest achievement, however, is constructing a system of aqueducts.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 75 A.D.

The Romans found the town of Caerwent in Wales. Parts of its five meter high walls still stand. In the mists of legend, it will become Camelot, where King Arthur will hold his court.

Pliny the Elder writes his magnificent description of the city of Rome. He tells of 700-year-old buildings that are still in use, describes the 7 underground rivers Rome had built for sewage, and explains Rome's aqueduct system that allows them to provide enough water for a city that is now close to having 1.5 million inhabitants.

China is racked by civil war, rebellions, and foreign wars, but the government steadily advances into forming one of the world's great nations.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 76 AD.

Victory is complete, and Rome officially annexes Wales.

Ban Gu, the great Chinese historian and poet, develops a theory for the beginning of the universe. His family had begun "The Book of Han," which is the greatest record of ancient China, and he added to the book.

Anacletus becomes the third Pope. Well, actually, they're not sure if Cletus and Anacletus are the same person. And the chronology could be off by up to twelve years. And there is no record that anybody outside of Rome obeyed him. And there's no record of anybody back then calling him the "Pope." And there is some evidence that there had been five bishops of Rome before him. In other words, trying to prove the Papacy from history is almost as hopeless as trying to prove it from the Bible.

About this time, the Romans build a victory arch on the Temple Mount, including the name of Flavius Silva, the Roman Governor who had defeated the Masada.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 77 AD!

Agricola becomes governor of Britain. This legendary leader will change the course of British history. He doesn't arrive until next year, but he still dispatches a Roman squadron to explore unconquered Scotland. They discover the Orkney and Shetland islands.

Pliny the Elder publishes the first ten books of his encyclopedia "Natural History." This highly-accurate account of everything known at that time is the basis of modern encyclopedias.

Israel pretty well drops out of history for a while. The Romans quietly restore order, and without their Temple, the Jews quietly survive.

 

[Vince]

It is now 78 AD.

Agricola arrives in Britain and learns that a Welsh tribe had annihilated a Roman cavalry squadron. He annihilates the tribe.

Meanwhile, the Emperor Vespasian deals with one conspiracy after another. He had installed heavy taxes in order to restore financial stability to the Empire, so he has to deal with constant unrest. He persecutes philosophers, regarding them as troublesome men who talk too much. But he provides for educated men, furthering the sciences as well as studies of history and geography. The public is scandalized to learn that he takes his own boots off, rather than have a slave do it.

 

[Vince]

79 AD is not a good year.

The Emperor Vespasian dies, and his son Titus succeeds him. Titus had won fame by destroying Jerusalem. When his father made him leader of the Praetorian Guard, Titus has assassinated several suspected traitors without a trial. He scandalized Romans by living openly with Queen Berenice, the sister of Herod Agrippa II. She was eleven years older than him, had multiple divorces, and had lived in incest with her brother. She had appeared in Acts 25-26 with her brother Agrippa II and had heard Paul present Christianity to them.

Surprisingly, Titus is considered a good Emperor. He had already restored the rights of Jews.

Mount Vesuvius suddenly erupts. The volcano apparently blew its own top off under pressure, spreading ash and poisonous gas so quickly that it killed about 17,000 people, burying Pompeii and three other cities. The single most dangerous volcano in the world, it has a tendency to explode suddenly in a "plinian" eruption, named after Pliny the Younger, who wrote a detailed description of the 79 AD eruption.

Meanwhile, Pliny the Elder, the great scientist and writer, had been made a naval commander, and he brought his ships up close in order to observe the event and rescue survivors. Courageously ignoring flaming debris, he managed to land about two miles away, but fierce winds made it impossible for them to leave. He died of a heart attack the next day while they were working to sail away from the eruption.

Meanwhile, the Colosseum is completed. And Agricola founds the city of Manchester, England. He invades Scotland, meeting fiercer resistance that he had expected.

Under pressure from the Senate, Titus exiles Berenice. She had rapidly achieved enough power that she had sat as judge during a case against her. Berenice then disappears from history.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 80 AD!

Construction begins on the Lullingstone Roman Villa, a large estate in southeastern England, that includes a Christian chapel. There is disagreement on when the room, which appeared to be a pagan chapel, was converted for Christian use.

Building roads and constructing forts, Agricola has all of England occupied. Fighting continues in Scotland.

Another huge fire sweeps through Rome, destroying the Pantheon. Dedicated to all the gods, the building is later rebuilt.

An African is admitted to the Roman Senate.

Timothy, to whom Paul wrote two epistles, is beaten to death by a mob at Ephesus after he tried to halt a pagan procession. Some sources date his death as occurring seventeen years later.

Things are so peaceful in Israel that the Romans only need one legion to keep order. A single coin indicates that Salvidenus was governor. Absolutely nothing else is known about him, and records for this period have virtually disappeared.

Abolishing an official network of spies and informers, The emperor Titus establishes freedom of speech and of the media, allowing criticism of himself and others. He bans the practice of trying a person more than once for the same crime. Learning that his brother Domitian is plotting against him, Titus refuses to kill or exile him. Domitian had held nothing but ceremonial posts and was not considered a menace.

 

[Vince]

It's now 81 AD.

A fever kills the Emperor Titus, and the Praetorian Guard declares his brother Domitian as the new Emperor. A man with little military experience, who has only held ceremonial roles, Domitian works at building the power of the Emperor, even declaring himself "Lord." Under his reign, the typical Roman citizen enjoys a better life. He admits more members from the provinces as Senators.

He declares himself the superintendent of morals and strengthens the Roman religion, while tolerating other religions as long as they obey the law. Three centuries later, a single historian will write that Domitian persecuted Christians, and this false statement has cursed his reputation.

Agricola moves a large army into Scotland, establishing forts and building roads.