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Tag: judea

Returning to seven servants in the Spirit
Acts of the Apostles 21:

7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day.

8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.

Returning to the Church in order to serve

Paul had first embarked on three missions TEN YEARS AGO from Antioch, with Jerusalem being little more than a stop on his way back to Syria along the roads of a distant mission skirting Galatia once more and bypassing Asia Minor to sail the Aegean to Macedonian and Greek cities.

~ AD 57

His FIVE YEAR THIRD MISSION now complete, the Apostle to the Gentiles now returns to Jerusalem.

Although the Lord Jesus Himself had taught in Tyre and Sidon (and also presumably the great Maccabean port of Ptolemais between them) Paul now lands in Caesarea, Herod’s great Hasmonaean port named for the Emperors they served.

1st c. Roman Cities

ROME ruled with a westward wave that had included all of the Aegean by the time its dual citizen, Saul of Tarsus, had preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to much of Syria and Hellenist cities of a former Macedonian Empire.

~ A.D. 40 – a Judean history Before Christ
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NOTE: Earlier in ACTS of the APOSTLES 12 I may have slighted the historical significance of this coastal area in our transition between ACTS of the Apostle Peter and the ACTS and missions of the Apostle Paul.
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Now that Paul is returning home in the year of our Lord 57, let’s take a brief look at another map in the minds of Paul and historical context of Judeans born about the time of Christ Jesus.

~ AD 37

Saul had encountered the risen Christ along a road to Damascus. At the same time the Apostle Peter had taken the Gospel to Samaria and even to the gentiles.

And Saul [Paul], who had been received the the Apostles, then fled to Tarsus from Caesarea. – Acts 9:26-30

Paul is returning to brothers and sisters in Christ in Caesarea all these years later.
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Dr. Luke, who knew a gentile history of his Aegean homeland, must have been taking Paul's account of these days as they sailed toward Judea and Jerusalem.

Here is even more history familiar to the Judeans.
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a Strategic Coastline even Before Christ

The Romans eventually affirmed an alliance with the Maccabean leaders and encouraged other nations in the region to do the same.

The map shown here displays this complex political world of the Near East around 90 B.C., shortly before the Romans absorbed the Seleucid Empire and the Maccabean Kingdom in 63 B.C.
Source: Bible Mapper Atlas

~ 90 B.C.
- After Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C., his empire was divided among his generals, including Ptolemy and Seleucus.
  - Seleucid Empire led Antiochus IV Epiphanes
- open rebellion by faithful Jews under the leadership of Mattathias Maccabeus and his sons in 167 B.C.
- The Romans eventually affirmed an alliance with the Maccabean leaders and encouraged other nations in the region to do the same. The map shown [above] displays this complex political world of the Near East ~90 B.C.,
- the Romans absorbed the Seleucid Empire and the Maccabean Kingdom in 63 B.C.
  - source
Antiochus IV Epiphanes sought to unify his diverse domain by forcing Greek religious and political practices upon all his subjects (1 Maccabees 1; 2 Maccabees 6-7) – source

Division

Before Christ, the GREAT Hellenist ALEXANDER had died in the BABYLON he conquered in a world to the EAST from where Judeans had earlier returned home to Jerusalem under Nehemiah.

Alexander’s thrice-divided Kingdom would eventually leave Jerusalem divided between Maccabean and Hellenist. The ruthless and GREAT builder King Herod also left legacy of a thrice-divided Kingdom to sons upon his death [~4 BC].

The JUDEA (and Jerusalem) prominent in the times of JESUS and Paul does NOT include a separate Samaria (home of the Maccabean revolt) OR Galilee.

Herod had not only named his great harbor and fortress CAESAREA (a clear concession to a Hellenist Rome) but had built a town and fortress to the north also named for the Hellenist father of Alexander, CAESAREA PHILLIPI.

SAUL (Paulos) in Caesarea
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Arriving before Saul - Philip
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- Jerusalem:
Now in those days, while the disciples were multiplying in number, there was grumbling from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.
Acts of the Apostles 6:1 LSB

.. and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and began proclaiming the [Messiah] Christ to them.
ACTS of the Apostles 8:5 NASB20
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This had been at about the same time Saul was persecuting the church.
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What hinders me from being baptized?
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Philip the Evangelist and deacon from Jerusalem had travelled to Gaza, then was miraculously taken up to take the Gospel north to Caesarea where he would reside.
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But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.
Acts 8:40 NASB

PAUL Returning 20 years later to Philip in Caesarea

we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.

9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

¹⁰After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

ACTS of the Apostles 21 – Paul’s return from his third missionary journey – To be continued…

Comment on Scripture + Share the Gospel
April 19, 2024
Herod Vexing Opposition of the Church
Acts 12: of Herod vs Jesus’ Apostles

Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
Acts of the Apostles 12:1 King James Version
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A contest is about to begin between: King Herod Agrippa verses the Apostles of Jesus.
Today we'll read the King James Version of the Bible for our look at Acts 12. Like me you'll probably have to look up some of these 'kingly' 17th c. 'Olde English'  words like "vex."
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And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

James – a Greater Thunder and a lesser king

Last time we pointed out that James (in English) is rooted in the Hebrew name Jacob.

Score one for Agrippa (ten to go)

And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also.
(Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
Acts 12:3-4 of Herod Agrippa – King James Version

πάσχα – pascha

King James of the 17th century translates the Pascal Feast as Easter. Jews of the first century church celebrate the same Passover Feast before which the Messiah Jesus had been hurriedly convicted as “KING OF THE JEWS” then hung on a Cross as our Pascal Lamb of Sacrifice for sin.

Lexicon :: Strong’s G3957 – pascha

Source: BlueLetterBible.org –
1. the paschal sacrifice (which was accustomed to be offered for the people’s deliverance of old from Egypt)
2. the paschal lamb, i.e. the lamb the Israelites were accustomed to slay and eat on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan (the first month of their year) in memory of the day on which their fathers, preparing to depart from Egypt, were bidden by God to slay and eat a lamb, and to sprinkle their door posts with its blood, that the destroying angel, seeing the blood, might pass over their dwellings; Christ crucified is likened to the slain paschal lamb
3. the paschal supper
4. the paschal feast, the feast of the Passover, extending from the 14th to the 20th day of the month Nisan
If you think of the Easter Jesus rose from death as ~A.D. 30, then this Pascal Feast takes place in ~A.D. 44, some fourteen years later.

the Herod’s Vex their Opponents

‘Who will be king of the Jews’ becomes a question of self-preservation and obsession of most of the Herod’s who consequently eliminated other heirs and vexed ANY potentially popular opponents such as John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth.

κακῶσαί – to vex

Lexicon :: Strong’s G2559 – kakoō
- to oppress, afflict, harm, maltreat
- to embitter, render evil affected
Jerusalem’s religious leaders had harassed these little Christs by stoning Stephen [A.D. 32] and sending their most zealous Pharisee Saul of Tarsus after them for nearly five years. But then on his way to Damascus, Saul miraculously became a Christian and disappears in Arabia [in AD 37] just as Agrippa comes to power in Jerusalem.

So now Jerusalem’s political king begins with Jesus’ inner circle of Apostles.

Peter, James, John and the other Apostles have challenged authority of the Herod’s ever since their bold appearance in the Temple during Pentecost more than a decade ago [A.D 30].

Ἡρῴδης

A Hero Conquers (and changes the maps)

As you know, the Herod’s are not a particularly nice family. Agrippa’s grandfather, King Herod the Great, tried to kill Jesus as soon as Israel’s Messiah was born. Agrippa is not quite so powerful, but his grandpa had built many of Judah’s great buildings (with Roman taxes and adept political action of Herod intermingling with Rome’s unpredictable leaders).

King Agrippa’s grandfather also had five wives! Herod’s wives had ten sons in the line of kingly succession. So everyone’s question: Which one will become king?

What you may not understand about the ‘maps’ of your Bible is this:

Several subtle shifts in the political winds of Rome blurred boundaries of the landscape of what was once Israel and corrupted Jerusalem’s Jewish rulers who have been under Rome’s control during this half century since the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C. until now [A.D. 44].

The Jerusalem of Agrippa is looking back at Herod the Great’s glory days and the Jews want to make Jerusalem great again.
Herod had Agrippa’s mother Mariamne killed.

Herod charged his sons Alexander and Aristobulus (Agrippa’s father) with treason and received Caesar Augustus’ permission to execute them.

Antipater II (his son not listed here) was executed just days before Herod died.

Judea had been annexed to Rome in AD 6. No Herod’s had any authority in Jerusalem until AD 37 when Agrippa I became a king cooperating with his Roman Prefect.

Antipas, ruler of Galilee who had beheaded John the Baptist (and questioned Jesus at his trial even though he was NOT a king of the Jews or had any authority in Judea) was now dead, as was Herod Philip. King Agrippa prevails.

Source for a great read about the Herod's - Who was Herod? by Jayson Bradley - Overview Bible .com
Herod the Great (whose father Antipater was a son of Esau, not a son of Jacob {Israel}) chose his successor son with the same cunning and ruthlessness by which he ruled as king.

In AD 44, Herod Agrippa is the ONLY King of the Jews remaining in the line of his grandfather, Herod the Great.

BUT, Jerusalem is still all abuzz with the boldness of these Apostles of Jesus.

For a king whose power is waning..

.. every month is an election year.

The killing of James:

And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also…

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
Acts of the Apostles 12:5 King James Version

Next? The Apostle Peter

And when Herod [Agrippa I] would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
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Do you recall the much earlier embarrassment of the Temple's religious officials questioning Peter and John?
Acts 4:3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day.. 

.. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. - Acts of the Apostles 4:21
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Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church…

Agrippa makes certain that this leading Apostle of Jesus will not elude his Roman authority to execute any who cause them trouble. There will be no turning Peter loose to his crowds of disciples while Herod sits on the throne of Jerusalem.

BUT, a messenger of One with more authority than a mere king comes to Christ’s Apostle.

Acts 12:7

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly.

And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals.

And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord:

and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
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Peter's Escape from Herod:  +To be continued
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August 17, 2022
Kings, Governors, Politicians & Priests – Power in the Palaces of Justice
Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.
John 18:28 KJV

the Praetorium – in the Palace of Power

Herod’s Palace – Salome presents head of John the Baptist to Herod

I don’t know about you, but the rapid-fire events of the conviction of the Messiah Jesus in so brief a time in the early hours of the day confuses me concerning the places these trials took place.
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If you have a comment of clarification please add it to this post.
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IF, unlike those present at the Lord’s first century trials you do not understand who is in charge, the venues of Jesus’ trials can get a little confusing.

You may ask, ‘What does this banquet hall of Herod..’ (where King Herod had been presented the head of John the Baptist) ‘.. have to do with the Messiah Jesus on this morning following the betrayal of Judas?’

The Praetorium is a semi-public place where Jesus has been sent — this place is on the grounds of the palace of King Herod.

Let’s look back briefly at the history of the keys players in this developing drama which convicts the Messiah Jesus at night.

King Herod

Briefly, the history of the Herod’s gets complicated at times, but remember here that we are not talking about Herod the Great who navigated the complex politics of Rome with great agility.

After Herod’s death, Augustus Caesar ratified the wishes of his client king, Herod, to divide this eastern territory of Rome into three parts.
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Source: Herodian Tetrarchy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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1. Herod Archelaus was appointed Ethnarch (a governor & not king) of Idumaea, Judea (including Jerusalem) and Samaria.
2. Herod Antipas (simply, Antipas to the Romans & his subjects, but described as ‘Herod‘ in the Gospels) became Tetrarch of Galilee (including Nazareth and Capernaum) and Perea.
3. Philip I, son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra of Jerusalem, became Tetrarch of the northern part of Herod’s kingdom (area in modern Lebanon & Syria).
‘Governor Herod‘
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You've never heard Herod called that, have you?
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This is no longer the Jerusalem of Herod the Great! Jews are now considered merely as an ethnic people and Judeans an ‘ethnic group’ similar to nearby client Roman states. They are now governed as a regional people rather than as a small kingdom allied to Rome for mutual military advantage.
- Herod Archelaus – Ethnarch
- Herod Antipas – Tetrarch
- (Herod) Philip II – Tetrarch
Ethnarch (technically) is a Roman rank just a little higher than Tetrarch. (Kind of like Arch-Bishop is to Bishop in the church.)

Judean Governors (like Herod) sometimes appear politically and practically to be more Roman than like traditional sons of David.

IF these Herod’s were officially governors of their respective Roman regions, i.e. Judea, Galilee, Ituria, etc., — who then governed the governors?

Who governs these Jews?

John now addresses the question of who’s in charge in Jerusalem, who’s in charge of Judea, which Tetrarch governor of which ethnic region has authority in what was once the Kingdom of Israel.

As Jesus is dragged from place to place for trial the quiestions mount:

Is He a Judean? A Galilean? A Jew with authority in Jerusalem? A would-be King? Who IS this Man?

Other Gospel writers have hinted earlier how this delicate duality of rule in first century Jerusalem provided opportunity of great hypocrisy among the rulers of the Jews and their religious political parties, i.e. Sadducees, Pharisees, etc..

The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him…
So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.
Luke 20:19a,20 NASB

“Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

But He detected their trickery and said to them,

“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?”

They said, “Caesar’s.” – Luke 20:22-24 NASB

John 18:

28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.

29 Therefore Pilate went out to them and said,

“What accusation do you bring against this Man?”

the Praetorium – palace of the Governor

WAIT! Even knowing something of the political intrigue and complexity of the Herod’s, I’m still confused.
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Again, please comment if you can help or have a question.
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Note that the King James Version {at beginning of this post} states:

‘Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment…’

I get that a hall of judgment could be a large room in the palace.

Note now in the NASB translation,

‘.. into the [a]Praetorium..’

AND by definition:

πραιτώριον = Praetorium [note a]

‘John 18:28 i.e. governor’s official residence’

Why is Pilate there?

Why does Pilate emerge from the Governor’s palace to greet the religious police who have taken the Messiah Jesus into custody?
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The CSB clearly calls it 'the governor’s headquarters.'
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Wasn’t Pilate’s headquarters outside Jerusalem’s walls with the Roman Legion he commanded?

NO!

When Rome moved into a captured land they ‘civilized’ its remaining residents to become supporting (taxed) residents (not citizens) under Roman rule. As long as they paid their taxes and did not rebel against Roman authority these local Jews could do what they want with their own ethnic people.

What accusation?

Roman custom is such that some public judgments are made from the court of the Governor in charge. Pilate asks the local Jewish leaders who have led a prisoner to him the reasonable question of a Governor and Judge:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/jhn/18/1/t_concf_1015029Τίνα κατηγορίαν φέρετε κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου
“Tis katēgoria pherō kata ho anthrōpos hoytos?
John 18:29 – question of Pilate to the Jews who brought Jesus before him

These Jewish leaders of Jerusalem have brought a prisoner to Pilate in the earliest hours of the morning. Pilatos, the sixth Roman procurator of Judah and Samaria, addresses them in the universal language of the vast Empire, Greek — not his native Latin, the religious Hebrew tongue of these Jews or a local Aramaic language.

Their prisoner bound for trial appears to be Jesus, who had led thousands of followers to Jerusalem’s gates just a few days ago. Pilate would already know that the Man has not caused any trouble, except one minor incident within the courts of the Jews own Temple.

The Governor has plenty to be concerned about for the upcoming day in monitoring the massive multitudes here for the Jewish holiday Pesach.

Imagine the thoughts of Pilatos:

You’ve brought a prisoner to the governor in these early hours of this busy day?

What does your warrant accuse that I should imprison the Man now?

I have more important things to do than trifle with such matters of your religious concern.

So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked,
“What is your charge against this man?”
John 18:29 NLT
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To be continued...
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September 28, 2020