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The First Millenium

Welcome to 82 AD.

The Emperor Domitian fears conspiracies, especially among military heroes who are more popular than he is. He begins executing retired generals, including Silva, the general who had defeated the Masada. Hated by the Senate as a tyrant, Domitian is loved by the people and the army. A ruthless but efficient dictator, he strengthens the economy.

Dio Chrysostom, a famous Greek orator and historian, arrives in Rome, criticizes Domitian, gives advice to a conspirator, and is banished. He will wander for over a decade, giving good advice wherever he goes, and actually strengthens the Empire.

Domitian forms the First Minervan Legion, which for centuries will help keep the peace in Germany.

Agricola invades Ireland, but withdraws because he doesn't have enough troops to spare. Later, he will complain bitterly that he could have conquered Ireland with a single legion, but Rome wouldn't give him one.
 
And now it is 83 AD.

Agricola sends a fleet to panic the Scots, and they circumnavigate Scotland, proving that Britain is an island. Wanting to force the Scots into battle, Agricola advances on their storage grainaries, forcing the Scots to fight or starve. At the Battle of Mons Graupius, keeping his Roman troops in reserve, Agricola's auxiliaries kill 10,000 Scots while losing 360 men. Twenty thousand Scots escape.

Rome defeats a German tribe called the Chatti, and they establish a line of forts in Germany.

Rome passes a law prohibiting the castration of slaves.

Meanwhile, the Emperor Domitian is coming to grips with the fact that the invasion of Britain was a mistake. The cost to the treasury is far exceeding the benefits to the Empire. Since Rome now knew that Britain is not part of a gigantic land mass, they knew that this nation of warring tribes had never posed an invasion threat.
 
And now it's 84 AD.

The Emperor Domitian has the budget so well under control that he gives the army a 1/3 pay increase. Confident of their loyalty, he openly places himself above the Senate and names himself permanent director of morals. He also begins building a line of forts in Germany.

Agricola's land forces reach the northern shore of Scotland, and he constructs a network of forts in central Scotland. Suddenly, Domitian fires him. Why? Having spent a fortune conquering a land of tiny warring nations that had never posed a thread to Rome, the Empire is stuck with the expense of keeping them under control. After honoring Agricola with everything except a position of authority, Domitian lets him retire peacefully. Domitian then begins a policy of slowly withdrawing from Scotland, while trying to hold on to England and Wales.
 
Here we are in 85 AD.

Decebalus ("The Brave One") king of Dacia, revolts. Located in east central Europe, in the area around Romania, Dacia had been conquered by a the Romans and made into a client state. He invades the Empire but is driven back.

Ptolemy, the great Greek astronomer, is born.

Baekje, a kingdom in Korea, invades Silla, another Korean kingdom. Along with another kingdom, the Koreans will fight each other for about six centuries before becoming one nation.
 
It's time for 86 AD!

A Christian stone carving in China is dated at 86 AD. Sparce records suggest that missionaries from Syria had brought the Gospel to China.

The Roman poet Martial writes satires on Roman life. He survives by flattering his patrons and ridiculing their enemies.

The Emperor Domitian re-institutes the Capitoline Games. Modeled after the Greek Olympics, they honor champions of sports, combat, poetry, speeches, etc.

General Trajan, a future Emperor, begins an attack on a German uprising.

Rome invades Dacia, hoping to end the rebellion of Decebalus ("The Brave One"). The Dacians annihilate an entire Roman army and force Rome to pay them tribute. You can see why modern Romania regards him as a hero.

A military order by Domitian makes General Longinus the temporary procurator of Judea. A former consul and senator, Longinus might have been an older man who was picked for his administrative ability. As there is little news from Judea, it is assumed that things were quiet there.
 
Welcome to 87 AD!

About this time, Cerinthus tries to blend Gnosticism, Christianity, Judaism, and Ebionism into a new and better religion. Gnosticism has existed before Christianity, teaching that the “godhead†consisted of a series of gods. Never very popular, Gnosticism had latched onto Christianity's rising star. Cerinthus starts a school and gathers disciples, but none of their writings survive. Gnosticism, however, will trouble Christianity for the next few centuries.

The aged Apostle John opposes this. Living in the Roman province of Asia, he PROBABLY wrote the fourth Gospel about this time. By 120 AD, a complete copy of the Gospel of John had arrived in Rome. John might have written this Gospel as early as 50 AD, but nothing in surviving church history supports this. John spends most of his time in the city of Ephesus.

Aksum, located in modern Ethiopia, is growing into one of the world's four mightiest kingdoms. Over time, it will conquer or absorb its neighbors to form the nation of Ethiopia.

The church at Corinth had received more Biblical help than every other church in the New Testament combined. But at this point in time, it is doing well.
 
It's 88 AD, and it's an important year!

Clement becomes bishop of Rome. Maybe. They're not sure of the year. Differing sources name him as the second, third, fourth, or fifth bishop of Rome. That's assuming that Peter was the first bishop of Rome, which is unlikely. With a population of over 1.5 million, most people in the city wouldn't know anything about him. The New Testament PATTERN, but not COMMAND, was that there was one church in a city, meeting in many locations, with one bishop leading the church. As Christianity grew, this became impossible to continue. And with Christianity having now reached China, there is no way that Clement could have been leader of the entire church, since most Christians never heard of him, he didn't know where they were, and he had no way to communicate with people who weren't going to listen to him anyway. But in a few more years, Clement is going to write a very important letter.

Several letters written by Ignatius, the third bishop of Antioch, urged Christians (most of whom couldn't read well) to obey their bishops. Ignatius explains that Christians must not blend Judaism into their religion, and he insists strongly that Jesus had been a literal Man Who suffered a literal death. He appears to be refuting Gnosticism.

Various writings from this time, which cannot be dated precisely, indicate that bishops and presbyters were either identical or equal (in the New Testament, presbyters were men who were temporarily assembled to evaluate someone). A few large churches had more than one bishop.

The Emperor of China dies and is replaced.
 
And now it is 89 AD.

Budapest, the modern capital of Hungary, is founded.

Needing troops for the war with Dacia, Domitian withdraws an entire legion from Scotland. The Romans dismantle their gigantic fortress at Inchtuthil, hiding 10 tens of iron instruments (mostly nails)so well that they are not discovered until the 1960's.

Polycarpus (not to be confused with Polycarp, who is 19 years old at this time), the bishop of Constantinople, dies. He is replaced by Plutarch (who is not to be confused with the famous biographer). Located in modern Turkey, Constantinople is developing its own brand of Christianity independent of Roman influence. The Apostle Andrew had brought Christianity to Constantinople, which is only a minor city at this point in history.
 
90 AD

Ptolemy, the great Greek mathematician, geographer, astronomer, and astrologist, is born. How could a man of Ptolemy's intelligence believe in astrology? His brilliant defense consisted mainly of showing the limitations of astrology. He never gave specific methods or even guidelines.

Nerva and the Emperor Domitian are both elected as Roman Consuls, the Empire's highest elected office. Nerva was a wise man who had advised and served Nero, Vespasian, and Titus before serving Domitian.

About this time, the Apostle John is exiled to the Island of Patmos. This 13 square mile Greek island includes a cave where John might have seen part of his vision. The story that he survived being boiled in oil is probably false. Sparce records indicate that Roman officials had him sent there, but they do not explain why. John personally instructed Polycarp, who would become a famous bishop and some of whose writings have survived. It is possible that Prochoros, one of the seven deacons from the Book of Acts, voluntarily accompanied John into exile.

China is a large kingdom on the Pacific coast of Asia. The Han Dynasty has subdued various smaller kingdoms into client kingdoms, but eventually absorbs them. This year, the Hans win a smashing victory over tribes in what is now northern China, expanding the kingdom and driving the tribes farther west. The Hans are also developing a great trade route, knows as the Silk Road. Eventually, the Silk Road will reach the Mediterranean Sea.
 
Welcome to 91 AD!

Julia Flavia, daughter of the Emperor Titus, and mistress of her uncle the Emperor Domitian, dies in childbirth. An old nurse keeps her ashes, because she has a clever plan.

Meanwhile, sensitive about his baldness, Domitian has started wearing wigs. He spends a lot of time outside Rome, visiting remote parts of the Empire, but always keeping firm control of the government. He rules honestly, appointing honest men to government posts, but he is an absolute dictator.

With Rome still recovering from two great fires and the civil wars (during the Year of the Four Emperors in 69 AD), Domitian rigorously enforces tax laws, and he usually balances the budget. While building extensive defensive networks, he avoids wars of expansion simply because the Empire can't afford them.
 
Welcome to 92 AD!

The Sarmatians, located in western Hungary, rebel. They annihilate an entire Roman legion.

But Rome does defeats the Marcomanni, a powerful German tribe. Retreating into the depths of Germany, the surviving Marcomanni are still not subdued.

And Rome advances into the Parthian-controlled area of Mesopotamia (The Land Between the Rivers) in modern-day Iraq. At the same time, the king of Parthia dies and is replaced by his son.

About this time, the Apostle John is released from Patmos. He returns to Ephesus. John seems to be the spiritual leader of the entire Roman province of Asia. This is probably due to his being an Apostle, giving him authority over any church that he can contact. Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence, resists this authority. There is isolated persecution, but no systematic persecution directed by Rome.

Jewish Christians, who had fled Jerusalem as Roman armies approached, are putting up church buildings in Pella. Archaeology indicates that they had many small buildings scattered throughout the area over the next four centuries. Along with history, this suggests that these Christians could not agree on doctrine. Located in north-western Jordan, Pella is one of the twelve cities of the Decapolis, a semi-independent region of twelve cities and towns surrounded by desert.
 
And now it’s AD 93.

Josephus publishes his great work “Antiquities of the Jews.†Written in Greek for Gentile readers, the twenty volume work strives to prove that the Jews are a great people who are actually a lot like the Gentiles.

In Mongolia, a cold and barren area north of China, the Xianbei nation incorporates about 100,000 Xiongnu into their kingdom. Over a period of centuries, the Xianbei will establish various rival kingdoms, absorbing and being absorbed by Chinese tribes, eventually forming the Mongolians. In another 1100 years, Genghis Khan will expand Mongolia into a great empire.

Agricola, the former governor of Britain, dies. His great deeds will be mixed with another four centuries of great deeds, and all of them will combine to form the legendary King Arthur.

Last year, the Romans had invaded Mesopotamia. This year, Parthia invades, trying to get back their territory.

The Emperor Domitian executes about a dozen senators accused of conspiring against him. He complains that nobody believes an Emperor’s charges about conspiracy unless the Emperor gets murdered. He tries to placate the aristocrats by appointing some of them to important positions, but he still demands honesty and competence.
 
Welcome to the year 94 AD!

The Emperor Domitian rebuilds the Senate building, which had burned down in 64 AD. He also bans all philosophers from Rome.

China conquers the Tarim Basin, located in the western part of modern China. This 150,000 square mile wasteland is sparsely inhabited and mostly desert. Here, the Silk Road divides into two roads in order to avoid the center. But a few decades later, China will be pushed out of the basin again.

Campanus is now procurator of Judea. Again, things are quiet, and Israel has virtually disappeared from history at this time.

About this time, the Didache is making its first appearance. Beginning with instructions for Gentiles who wanted to become Jews, which might have been written in 40 AD, it was “Christianized†over a period of about a century. Adding lists of man-made rules (You have to fast before you are baptized), it requires baptism by immersion unless there is not enough water. Falsely claiming to have been authored by the Apostles, the work seems to be about five different books, from different authors. It includes instructions on how to live, a manual for pastors to follow, quotes from various Scriptures, and descriptions of church offices. Scholars cannot agree as to whether it was completed at the end of the first or second centuries, but it is referred to by different writers in the third century, some of whom rejected it.

A variety of Christian literature is appearing about this time. Most of them follow the patterns of Scripture, some of them are letters written by early bishops, and some of them are silly stories.
 
And now it is 95 AD.

Clement, the bishop of Rome, writes an epistle to the church at Corinth about this time. This letter is so important that tomorrow the entire post will be dedicated to it.

Frontinus, who had been governor of Britain before Agricola, is put in charge of the aqueducts in the city of Rome. This is no small task. Rome has about 1.5 million people in a city with no electrical pumps. Frontinus had devised an ingenious system of aqueducts to help operate gold mines in Britain, and he does an excellent job in Rome.

The Apostle John probably wrote the Book of Revelation this year. Despite some early rejections, the great majority of Christians have always accepted it as genuine. John mentions seven churches in the province of Asia, but he only describes one as being persecuted.

China is expanding rapidly to the west. They know about the Roman Empire, and they resent the fact that the Parthians are the middlemen in trading between the two. Can China conquer Rome? They send an army towards the Empire.
 
We return to the year 95 AD, about the time that the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians was written.

Clement, who was bishop of Rome, explained that the church at Corinth had been doing so well that even the pagans respected it. But jealous men had rebelled against some of the elders and had used violence to help remove them from office. Those elders had not been guilty of any wrong-doing, and Clement stresses repeatedly that jealousy, not Godliness, had been the motive for removing them.

He describes the church as having more than one bishop, with the elders ruling under their authority. Deacons served the bishops and elders, but did not have ruling authority on their own.

Clement describes the roc, a mythological bird that cremated itself and rose from the dead out of its own ashes, as literally true. He reports that all of the leaders appointed by the Apostles had died, apparently not realizing that the Apostle John is still alive.

He explains that Jesus had chosen the Apostles, they had chosen leaders, and those leaders had the authority to appoint leaders after them. Clement's tone is friendly, not authoritative, and he urges obedience without commanding it. Nowhere does he state that he has the authority to command the Corinthians to obey him, nor does he describe himself as being the head of the Church on earth.

Clement's epistle was read in the church at Corinth, along with Scripture, until the fourth century, indicating that the Corinthians agreed with his teachings.
 
Welcome to 96 AD!

Ban Chao, the great Chinese general, has conquered most of central Asia and continues his advance towards Rome. “How can I waste my life on writing?†he asks.

Little is known about Kosho, the Emperor of Japan, except that “Japan†only controlled a minority of the four main islands of the modern nation. He was the son of the former Emperor, and he reigned from a palace.

Back in Rome, the Senate has had their fill of Domitian. Officials organize a complicated assassination, and the Emperor is knifed to death. The Senate quickly appoints Nerva as the new Emperor. Modern historians reject the Senate’s claims that he was a cruel and evil madman. Domitian’s successful policies were a major factor in bringing in the next century of Roman prosperity.

The Emperor Nerva had served in high positions under former Emperors. Moderate and just, he is a 65-year-old weakling, but a good one. Remembering the civil wars that had followed Nero’s death, he moves decisively to prevent trouble. He quickly restores most of the Senate’s powers, frees political prisoners, returns confiscated property, distributes money to the poor, ends taxes on the poor, and lends money to wealthy landowners at 5% interest, all of which is given to needy children.

Mostly forgotten, he is remembered kindly by history as the first of “The Five Good Emperors.â€

Trajan, who will be the next Emperor, is made governor of Upper Germany.
 
Welcome to 97 AD!

The Emperor Nerva appoints Trajan as his successor, thus avoiding a revolt by the Praetorian Guard. Having successfully avoided civil war, Nerva faces a new problem: he spent too much money achieving peace. He drastically cuts expenses by cutting down on public entertainment, and he also outlaws human sacrifice anywhere in the Empire.

Rome establishes a military garrison at Cuicul in northern Algeria, eventually building it into one of the most beautiful small cities in the world. They do such a good job that most of the buildings still stand.

Israel finally gets back into the news. Nerva recognizes the Sanhedrin at Jamnia as an official Jewish governmental body, and he receives a representative from Judea to be stationed in Rome.

A 60,000 man Chinese army reaches the Caspian Sea, between Russia and Iran, and from there they send a military ambassador to Rome. He reaches the eastern shore of the Persian Gulf, where the Parthians lie that once he reaches Italy, it will take years for him to sail back. He returns, describing the many walled cities of the Romans and their client kingdoms, the well-maintained roads, and the well-disciplined Roman army. After hearing his report, the Chinese face reality: they can never conquer the Roman Empire. Their army returns to China.
 
And now it it 98!

The Emperor Nerva dies peacefully in his sleep, and Trajan becomes the new Emperor. Entering Rome quietly, he quickly gains the public's confidence and restores all of the Senate's former powers. He establishes a welfare system for poor children and partially renovates the city of Rome. Some of his buildings still stand.

He expels Domitian's informers from Rome, and he re-opens a canal between the Nile and the Red Sea.
 
Sorry, Folks, but I forgot an interesting item. In 91 AD, I had mentioned: "Julia Flavia, daughter of the Emperor Titus, and mistress of her uncle the Emperor Domitian, dies in childbirth. An old nurse keeps her ashes, because she has a clever plan."

What was her clever plan? The same nurse, being a family nurse, had also taken care of the Emperor Domitian when he was a child, and she still loved both of them. When Domitian was assassinated in 96, the Senate had condemned him and had him cremated.

The elderly nurse stole Domitian's ashes and combined them with Julia's ashes before having them buried.

Good help like that is so hard to find these days.
 
Welcome to 99 AD!

Atticus becomes procurator of Judea. His father had been the richest Greek in the world until Domitian confiscated most of his wealth and possibly murdered him. But when Nerva became Emperor, Atticus “found†part of the treasure and purchased a seat in the Senate, and shortly afterwards became governor of Judea. Little else is known about him. His son became a famous orator, teacher, and benefactor.

Kush King Kanishka, under whose reign the kingdom reaches its peak, sends a delegation to Rome to devise a surprise attack against Parthia. Kush was located in northern India, Afghanistan, and large parts of the southern Soviet Union. But his plan is rejected by Rome. A former Chinese ally, Kush had attacked China, been defeated, and was now paying them tribute.
 
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