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The First Millenium

Welcome to 17 AD!

Germanicus is sent to the east to lead military campaigns. You have to understand that the Roman Empire only circled the Mediterranean Sea. It included all of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. But much of Germany, eastern and northern Europe, and the Arab world were not part of the Empire. Northern Africa was included, except for the north-west. But Rome's hold on Africa only consisted of the coastal areas. Most of Egypt, and all of Ethiopia, were outside the Empire.

Sejanus is put in charge of the Praetorian Guard. Started by Augustus as his personal bodyguard, the Guard would eventually become a powerful political force under Sejanus. But who cares? Why is Sejanus, who is not mentioned in the Bible, such an important Biblical character?
 
Ha, that was quite the challenge that last one.

Apparantly, Sejanus was the one who appointed Pilate who carried out Sejanus' anti-semetic policies. AS long as Sejanus was Pilates' boss (so to speak) the Jews would never have crossed Pilate. Sejanus was not friendly to the Jews at all.

John 19:12-16 (King James Version)

12And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

13When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.


Given that Sejanus was Tiberius' regent and effective ruler in Rome, and given that Sejanus was more than harsh with the Jews, it makes since that the Jews would only make such a threat to Pilate if Sejanus was no longer in power. Sejanus was executed in 32ad, and the next Passover was in 33ad, it is this fact of history that has dated Christ's death in 33ad.

All of which I never knew until now. Great post, Vince.
 
18 AD

It wasn't a good year for Rome. Their army was mostly stationed on the frontiers of the Empire, and when they needed extra troops, they had no reserves. So they would take troops from various legions, form them into a temporary unit, and send them where needed. Unfortunately, one of these groups got ambushed and massacred in Africa this year.

The Emperor Tiberius was made a consul, as was Germanicus. Consul was the highest elected office in the Empire.
 
Welcome to 19 AD!

A lot of big news this year, Folks. Having been defeated the previous year by other Germans, the Marcomoni virtually collapse. Rome puts them under Roman protection, and the threat from Germany ends--for a while.

Germanicus, the popular general who had been elected consul, was touring the eastern part of the Empire. When Piso, governor of Syria, undid some of Germanicus's reforms, Germanicus ordered him sent to Rome. And then Germanicus died, accusing Piso of poisoning him. While awaiting trial in Rome, Piso died.

It was announced that Piso had committed suicide, while it was speculated that either Tiberius or Sejanus had ordered him poisoned. There was also speculation that either Tiberius or Sejanus had ordered the popular Germanicus to be poisoned, and they didn't want Piso to tell the truth.

Possibly influenced by the Jew-hating Sejanus, Tiberius deports 4,000 Jews from Sicily.
 
And now it's 20 AD!

Hillel, the great Jewish scholar, dies. He is a major source of the Torah, a set of discussions and commentaries on Jewish Law. These oral teachings were later written down after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Agrippina, the widow of Germanicus, had suspected that the Emperor Tiberius had been involved in her husband's death, However, she dies this year.

Herod Antipas builds the city of Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee, as his capital. Later, the Romans will try to change it to the Sea of Tiberius, but it just never took. At first, Jews refused to live in Tiberius, because it was built on a graveyard, but the city eventually grew into a center of rabbinical learning.
 
21 AD

Rome puts down two large revolts, and someone starts manufacturing pens. A round metal nib was attached to the end of a quill (bird feather), making writing more consistent. However, the idea really didn't catch on.

Quirinius, who conducted the census that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, dies in Rome. For his last eight years, he had been an associate of the Emperor Tiberius. Arminius, the German king who had given Rome so much trouble, is assassinated by rival kings.
 
Welcome to 22 AD!

Gaul (Modern-day France) was already a fully-integrated part of the Roman Empire, so Roman Law was now installed. This superceded Celtic customs.
 
23 AD

Strabo publishes his "Geography," containing fairly accurate maps, but valuable information on the peoples and their customs of the ancient world. Strabo had visited the various lands personally, and his work is considered unusually accurate.

Suddenly, the son of Emperor Tiberius, dies. A heavy drinker, his death causes no suspicion, but later evidence suggests that Sejanus poisoned him. With his rival removed, Sejanus begins assuming more power, as Tiberius loses interest in the government. Sejanus is a Jew-hater, and he endorses "baiting" as a means of controlling the Jews and others.

Knowing that a well-organized revolt can cause serious damage, Sejanus would antagonize a group so that their more courageous members would rebel without taking the time to plan properly. This brought the rebels into the open, where it was easier to kill them.

Pliny the Elder, the great scientist and philosopher, is born.
 
Welcome to 24 AD!

It's a good year for Rome. Tacfarinas, a Roman army deserter, had mobilized various Berber tribes in northern Africa in an attempt to drive out the Romans. His lightly-armed troops never had a chance, but they de-stabilized necessary grain shipments to Rome. After a ten-year war, Rome won, and Rome then annexed two African kingdoms into the Empire.

Philo of Alexandria, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, declares that the Old Testament is the eternal Law of God. Philo had worked at blending pagan Greek religions into Judaism, and some early "Christian" writers were influenced by him. Over a period of centuries, this blending of God's Word with paganism would produce the Roman Catholic Church.
 
It is now 25 AD!

Our old friend Sejanus has been consolidating his power, while the Emperor Tiberius lets him run things. But when he tried to marry the widow of Tiberius's son, he was refused. Tiberius did settle a boundary dispute between two Greek provinces, though.

Pomponius Mela. the earliest known Roman geographer, does a really bad job. He divides the earth into five temperature zones, only two of which are habitable. He teaches that the farther south you go, the hotter it gets, until you cannot survive the heat.
 
It's 26 AD!


The Emperor Tiberius retires to the island of Capri, leaving Sejanus in charge. At about the same time, Pontius Pilate is appointed Procurator of Judea. Either Sejanus appointed him, or Sejanus approved him in order to get Tiberius to appoint him.

The names of most Roman rulers have disappeared, but Pilate's name was found engraved on a limestone dedication to the Emperor Tiberius. Jewish historians describe him as a cruel ruler, which would make sense: Sejanus was a Jew-hater, and an area like Judea would require a tough ruler.

At various times in both the Bible and history, Pilate is called the "Governor," "Procurator," or "Prelate" of Judea. These Roman titles often overlapped, but they all referred to a person who answered directly to the Emperor, and whose main duties were keeping order and collecting taxes. And while the typical procurator served either one or three years, Pilate served for ten, indicating that he was a man of unusual competence.
 
27 AD

The Gospel begins. John the Baptist, who is already living in the wilderness, is called by God to preach... "in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee..." Shortly afterwards, Jesus came to be baptized.

Fidenae was an ancient town about 8 kilometers from Rome. A wooden stadium collapsed, killing 20,000 people. It is still the worst stadium disaster in history.

Herod Agrippa II is born. The Apostle Paul will someday stand before him.
 
Welcome to 28 AD!

The Frisians were a Germanic people who settled along the coasts of Holland, Germany, and Denmark. Faced with conquest by the Romans, they negotiated a treaty with them at the Rhine River. They had to pay taxes, but the Romans let them keep their independence.

Sejanus, who virtually rules the Empire, is busy plotting. He worked at setting members of the Emperor's family against each other, while carefully controlling all information that was sent to Tiberius (who was living on the Isle of Capri). It is not known whether Sejanus was trying to become the Emperor or was simply trying to prevent anyone else from gaining the throne and perhaps getting rid of Sejanus.

I have pointed out the difficulty in chronology. Even when an encyclopedia gives an exact year, historians agree that there is a margin of error of a few years in either direction. For the purpose of this chronology, I am assuming that Jesus was born in 4 BC and was crucified in 31 AD.
 
29 AD

Agrippina the Elder is exiled to an island. She was the beloved granddaughter of Caesar Augustus, the mother of future Emperor Caligula, and (through her daughter) the grandmother of the Emperor Nero. She had been married to Germanicus, the great general, and she had accompanied him on some of his campaigns. However, she joined several senators in opposing the growing power of Sejanus. Sejanus easily persuaded Tiberius (who disliked her) to exile her. Eventually, she starved herself to death while in prison.

Livia, the widow of Caesar Augustus and mother of Tiberius dies. Various prominent Romans were descended from her, but Sejanus still refused to attend her funeral.
 
Welcome to the year 30!

The Romans found the city of Tournai, which is the oldest city in Belgium.

Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount, possibly the most widely-quoted speech ever given.

Herod executes John the Baptist.

Nerva, who will later become a weak but honest Emperor for two years, is born.

Phaedrus, an educated slave, translates a variety of Greek fables into Latin under the pen name "Aesop."

Sejanus stages a series of faked trials of senators and wealthy men, building his power and enriching both the government and himself. Some of the accused commit suicide rather than be disgraced at the trials.
 
It's 31 A.D., and a bad year for Sejanus.

The Emperor Tiberius learns of his treachery, and Tiberius gets to work. He sends contradictory letters to the Senate, alternately praising and condemning Sejanus. The senators cautiously withdraw their support, perhaps remembering how many innocent men Sejanus had killed or forced to commit suicide.

Tiberius also contacts Macro, who was in charge of Rome's police and fire department, which was organized into one force. Sejanus receives an order to appear before the Senate to be honored, and while they read a long rambling letter from the Emperor, Macro shows the Praetorian Guard another letter, removing Sejanus and putting Macro in charge. Meanwhile, the police and fire department surround the Senate building. At the end of his long, rambling letter, Tiberius condemns Sejanus and orders his arrest. That evening, he is strangled and a mob tears apart his body.

Afterwards, Tiberius returns to Rome and resumes his power.

Tomorrow, I'll continue with 31 A.D.
 
We're still in the year 31 AD. Soon after resuming power, Tiberius orders the government to treat Jews fairly. It is often pointed out that Pilate was afraid of antagonizing the Jews, so Jesus must have been crucified after the death of Sejanus. Since Sejanus was executed on October 18, 31 AD, and Jesus was crucified near April (when the Passover was held), if this is true, then Jesus was crucified in 32 AD, which is possible. But various chronologies of early Christian history make 31 AD more likely. SInce even exact years have a margin of error, it is impossible to tell.

I would also like to point out that Jesus died on a Thursday, not a Friday. He was three days and nights in the tomb. Since He rose from the dead on Sunday morning, before dawn, a Friday crucifixion is impossible. The day after His Death was a Sabbath, but the first day of Passover was a Sabbath, even if it didn't fall on a Saturday.

A crucifix consisted of an upright stake, called a "tree," and a horizontal beam, called a "cross." Jesus carried the cross to Golgotha, where the tree was already inserted into the ground. He was nailed to the cross, and then hung on the tree.

And then He rose from the dead.
 
It's 32 A.D., and a new religion is growing rapidly in Palestine!

Tiberius goes through a short period of slaughter, killing off the supporters of Sejanus. Their bodies are left in the streets, before being thrown into the Tiber, while spies watch to see who mourns for them. And then Tiberius gives in to lethargy, allowing the government to function under the bureaucracy that Augustus had established. The result? No one in Rome does anything to stop the rapidly-growing Christian movement.
 
Welcome to AD 33!

A credit crisis hits Rome, ruining many wealthy families. Tiberius responds by starting a bank to make loans. It went something like this: A hurricane destroyed three richly-laden cargo ships. Fearing that the owners would not be able to repay their loans, depositers began withdrawing their money, causing the bank to fail. This made depositers go to other large banks to withdraw their money. These other banks had lent large amounts to noblemen in northern France, which was having a revolt, and they weren't able to repay their loans early, so those banks collapsed. The Senate responded by ordering all Senators to invest 1/3 of their fortunes in Italian land, but this forced many Senators to call in private loans and/or withdraw their own deposits, making the crisis worse. Tiberius responded by ordering a huge amount of the Imperial Treasury to be deposited in banks, to be lent out without interest for three years, and to be lent only to the most needy. Thanks to Tiberius, the crisis passed. And with the entire government tied up by the crisis, no one has time to interfere with a growing new religion in Palestine.


Galba is made a consul, the highest elected office in the Empire. He was a successful military leader, known for being both strict and just, and very well-educated. He was also a practicing homosexual. Later, he will become Emperor.
 
It's 34 A.D.! How time flies.

Rome begins constructing a magnificent, three-tiered, 269-mile long aqueduct to bring water to Nimes, a colony in southern France.

Remember Macro, the head of the Roman police and fire departments, who had become head of the Praetorian Guard? He's buddies now with Caligula, even having his wife Eunia have an affair with him. Macro figures that if he helps Caligula become Emperor, Macro will advance even farther. And Caligula promises Eunia, in writing, that if he does become Emperor, he will marry her.

The Dacians were the earliest known inhabitants of Romania, and they had a kingdom along the north-eastern Roman areas. With Roman encouragement, the Lazyges, a people related to the Iranians, had conquered them. But the Dacians revolted and drove the Lazygens out.
 
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