Page 148 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

Early Greek culture had established what was called the “Polis” or city-state. Each city-state was
autonomous initially, but they were unified during and after Alexander's rule. Each Polis had a
government administration, a religious center, a market, a gymnasium, and other important locations.
Greece had risen through Alexander to dominate a large empire and in doing so, spread its culture. That
empire eventually fell to Rome. It was ruled by Julius Caesar and then Caesar Augustus until 14 AD.
Augustus reorganized the empire before he died. Philippi, Corinth, and other colonies were established
in the Hellenistic world to give a home to former soldiers and maintain a presence in their areas. During
Jesus' time, Tiberius ruled. During Paul’s ministry in the Greco-Roman world, Caligula, then Claudius, and
finally Nero. So the culture was Greek throughout the Roman Empire, but the government was
Roman. 198

198 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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