Page 142 - Biblical Backgrounds
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finally Nero. So the culture was Greek throughout the Roman Empire, but the government was
Roman. 189
Different citizens had different rights. A Roman citizen could expect to be treated differently and could
appeal any local court decision to Caesar. Other citizens’ rights were often tried in local courts. In Jesus
time, the Jewish court could convict Jesus, but they needed the Roman authority’s approval to put Him
to death. Paul is beaten, imprisoned, and released in Acts 16. He uses his Roman citizenship to get the
magistrates to escort them out as an official apology (Acts 16:38-39). Greek influence had created many
cities with local government systems and customs. The Romans often used them to rule locally and
exercised supreme authority over those local counterparts.
A good example of this dual government is found in Acts 18:12-17, which says:
189 Photos of the emperors below are public domain images taken from Wikipedia Commons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_emperors#27_BC%E2%80%9368_AD:_Julio-Claudian_dynasty.
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