Page 36 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies - Textbook w videos short

Study Section 6: Ancient Rome

6.1 Connect.

Of all the empires that have ruled the earth, God decided to send His Son, the Messiah, during
Roman occupation of Israel. Have you ever wondered why? Times were difficult. Life was
rough. The Romans heavily taxed those whom they conquered. And any who opposed them
in any way, they destroyed. So why did God send Jesus to a Roman world? Let’s see if we can
figure that out today…..

6.2 Objectives:

1. The student should be able to explain how Rome had created the mechanism for rapid
spread of the Gospel to all parts of the known world.

2. The student should be able to explain how God protected His son from Rome until the
appointed time of his great sacrifice.

3. The student should be able to share that what you sow, you will reap, especially when studying the
life of Herod the Great.

6.3 Ancient Rome

The Roman civilization began with founding of the city of Rome in the 753 century BC and
lasted until the empire collapsed in the 5 century AD. The empire grew to become the largest
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empires in the ancient world with about 20% of the world’s population under their domination.
Jesus lived during the zenith of the Roman Empire.

The civilization of Rome contributed much in the way of law, politics, engineering, art,
literature, architecture, technology, warfare, and language. It was known for creating extensive systems
of aqueducts and roads, as well as the construction of large monuments, palaces, and public facilities.
Eventually internal moral corruption plagued the empire to the extent that in the 5 century AD,
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surrounding barbarian kingdoms began to conquer and control portions of the kingdom until it finally
dissolved into the Byzantine Empire and moved into the Dark Ages. Eventually, internal moral
corruption plagued the empire and led to its downfall. By the 5th century AD, surrounding barbarian
kingdoms began to conquer and control portions of the kingdom. The Roman Empire gave way to what
is called the “Byzantine” era. The Dark Ages soon followed in Europe. The last vestiges of the Byzantine
Empire were destroyed in 1453 and all evidence of the once-massive Roman Empire slowly disappeared.

The Roman road was the bloodstream of the empire. Merchants paid taxes to Rome on all their
transactions and they needed roads to carry their goods to an ever-widening market across the empire.

Legionnaires marching upon them swiftly gaining access to the battles throughout the country. The
roads funded and facilitated Roman expansion. But God used Rome to be a part of spreading the Gospel
to the known world. As persecution came to Jerusalem, believers walked down these roads in swift
retreat. A new kind of soldier was traversing the roads of Rome: onward Christian soldiers! The roads
were used to quickly disseminate the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire.

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