History The Frame Of Reference – Jesus

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 1 – The Place

History is a frame of reference in which we may begin to discuss any topic. It just depends on how far back we want to dig [go] for a foundation to then build upon.

Ie. we could begin with discussing the economy of Rome during the 1st Century BC unto 1st Century AD, but we would then have to assume the place of Rome existed to begin with, unless we question this, and so must move our starting position further back to show that Rome actually existed [that is came to exist] to begin speaking about its economy at any given point, and so on and so forth.

So, most people, when having this discussion, will say that they will fully acknowledge and admit to the fact that the Bible has accurately recorded historical names, places and events in it.

[It is from this starting point that then the discussion usually enters about what that actually means.]

The Bible [both Old and New Testaments; Genesis to Revelation] can be tested like any other historical source for its factual and historical validity.

This means that in each case we can go to the gathered historical records, including but not limited to the archeological; paleontological; paleobotanical; anthropological and even the geological data.

Let us get a quick definition of 'history' that shall be utilized in any further replies; “History (from Greek ἱστορία – historia, meaning “inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation”[2]) is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. … Traditionally, historians have recorded events of the past, either in writing or by passing on an oral tradition, and have attempted to answer historical questions through the study of written documents and oral accounts. For the beginning, historians have also used such sources as monuments, inscriptions, and pictures. In general, the sources of historical knowledge can be separated into three categories: what is written, what is said, and what is physically preserved, and historians often consult all three.[17]” [Wikipedia; History] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History.

As can easily be shown by numerous examples, places in the scripture can be verified by such methods as so noted above.

For instance, the Bible directly speaks of the city of “Jersualem”:

[1] And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49

[2] And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. Acts 13:31

[3] But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. Romans 15:25

etc.

We can then go to other sources [wikipedia; encyclopedias; google maps; historians like Josephus the Jewish Historian, Tacitus the Roman Historian, etc] and verify that such a city existed, and even today still exists, though somewhat war-torn and rebuilt in certain areas, as example [3 examples in some context]:

[1] “… This then was the army with which Titus entered enemy territory. (3) He advanced in an orderly fashion, maintaining good reconnaissance and a state of readiness for battle, and encamped at no great distance from Jerusalem.” [The Histories; by Publius Cornelius Tacitus; Book 5 – (A.D. 70); paragraph 5.1] – http://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartbo….p18.htm

[2] “…1. IN the first year of the reign of Cyrus (1) which was the seventieth from the day that our people were removed out of their own land into Babylon, God commiserated the captivity and calamity of these poor people, according as he had foretold to them by Jeremiah the prophet, before the destruction of the city, that after they had served Nebuchadnezzar and his posterity, and after they had undergone that servitude seventy years, he would restore them again to the land of their fathers, and they should build their temple, and enjoy their ancient prosperity. And these things God did afford them; for he stirred up the mind of Cyrus, and made him write this throughout all Asia: “Thus saith Cyrus the king: Since God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of the habitable earth, I believe that he is that God which the nation of the Israelites worship; for indeed he foretold my name by the prophets, and that I should build him a house at Jerusalem, in the country of Judea.”

2. This was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies; for this prophet said that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision: “My will is, that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations, send back my people to their own land, and build my temple.” This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly, when Cyrus read this, and admired the Divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written; so he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, (2) and the temple of God, for that he would be their assistant, and that he would write to the rulers and governors that were in the neighborhood of their country of Judea, that they should contribute to them gold and silver for the building of the temple, and besides that, beasts for their sacrifices. …” [Antiquities of the Jews – Book XI; CONTAINING THE INTERVAL OF TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS. FROM THE FIRST OF CYRUS TO THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT. CHAPTER 1. HOW CYRUS, KING OF THE PERSIANS, DELIVERED THE JEWS OUT OF BABYLON AND SUFFERED THEM TO RETURN TO THEIR OWN COUNTRY AND TO BUILD THEIR TEMPLE, FOR WHICH WORK HE GAVE THEM MONEY.] – http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/ant-11.htm#EndNote_ANT_11.2b

[3] “The Chronicle Concerning the Early Years of Nebuchadnezzar II (“Jerusalem Chronicle”; ABC 5) is one of the historiographical texts from ancient Babylonia. It deals with several subjects, but the reference to the capture of Jerusalem in 597 BCE has received most attention. No less important is the description of Nebuchadnezzar's campaigns against the Egyptian king Necho II, who had tried to conquer Syria ('Hatti'). … 12'. and besieged the city of Judah and on the second day of the month of Addaru he seized the city and captured the king [Jehoiachin; note 2].” [Jerusalem Chronicle; Nebuchadnezzar Tablet] – http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc5/jerusalem.html

Even a cursory trip to the middleast, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Arabia, Egypt etc reveals that many cities, even whole countries [India, Ethiopia, Arabia] still exist to this day, bearing the very same names as they had so long ago, while certain some have since those times have gone through various changes in name.

So, now that we have a place that is historically valid [Jerusalem], we can begin to look at names and events surrounding this historical and literal place. We can also further test the scriptures in these other areas, by and alongside of other sources. There is at no point that we have to automatically assume all, but rather we may gather more at each point tested, placing one stone upon another, built upon the foundation of the evidences.

So, does Jerusalem [under scrutiny] currently exist as a city? Did it exist in the past? Did it exist in the time of the Roman Caesars, in the likes of Julius, Octavius [Augustus], Tiberias, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, … Diocletian … and so on, etc? Did it exist in the days of Alexander III the Great of Macedon [Greece], in the days of Darius I Hystaspes the Persian and Cyrus II The Great [of the Medes/Persians], in the days of Nebuchadnezzar II [of Babylon] and so on?

Each of the above is easily shown to be so from historical sources. Thus, through the frame of reference of History the “place” [Jerusalem] is made known.

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 2 – The Peoples

Now that we have a “place” – Jerusalem, we can begin to look at the history surrounding and those involved with it.

Let us then consider the “peoples” of it, who were/are they?

We can then consider what the Bible calls “Israelites” or also known as “Hebrews”, and also as “Jews” [there there is a certain distinction between these terms which will not be gone into here at this point].

[1] “Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter [was] read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.” Ezra 4:23

[2] “And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest [it].” Mark 15:2

[3]“And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.” Exodus 10:3

We can ask, Did they exist, as the Scriptures give?

We only have to briefly look at the monumental collected and gathered evidences to see that the Israelites/Hebrews did indeed exist, again from – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_archaeology

One such item to possibly consider is the “Merneptah Stele”:

“The Merneptah Stele—also known as the Israel Stele or Victory Stele of Merneptah—is an inscription by the Ancient Egyptian king Merneptah (reign:1213 to 1203 BC), which appears on the reverse side of a granite stele erected by the king Amenhotep III. It was discovered by Flinders Petrie in 1896 at Thebes.

The stele is notable for being the only Ancient Egyptian document generally accepted as mentioning “Isrir” or “Israel”. It is the earliest known attestation of the demonym Israelite. It is therefore refereed to it as the “Israel stele”.” [Wikipedia – Merneptah Stele] – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele” target=”_blank”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele

Or another artifact, like the “Mesha Stele”:

“The Mesha Stele (popularized in the 19th century as the “Moabite Stone”) is a black basalt stone bearing an inscription by the 9th century BC ruler Mesha of Moab in Jordan.

The inscription was set up about 840 BC as a memorial of Mesha's victories over “Omri king of Israel” and his son, who had been oppressing Moab. It is the most extensive inscription ever recovered that refers to ancient Israel (the “House of Omri”). It bears what is generally thought to be the earliest extra-biblical Semitic reference to the name Yahweh (YHWH), whose temple goods were plundered by Mesha and brought before his own god Kemosh. French scholar André Lemaire has reconstructed a portion of line 31 of the stele as mentioning the “House of David”.[1]

The stone is 124 cm high and 71 cm wide and deep, and rounded at the top. It was discovered at the site of ancient Dibon (now Dhiban, Jordan), in August 1868, by Rev. Frederick Augustus Klein (1827–1903), a German CMS missionary.” [Wikipedia – Mesha Stele; aka Moabite Stone] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesha_Stele

Or also the “Tel Dan Stele”:

“The Tel Dan Stele is a stele (inscribed stone) discovered in 1993/94 during excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel. Its author was a king of Damascus, Hazael or one of his sons, and it contains an Aramaic inscription commemorating victories over local ancient peoples including “Israel”…” [Wikipedia – Tel Dan Stele] – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Dan_Stele” target=”_blank”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Dan_Stele

We may also consider language of the people as being evidenced in history:

“The earliest known inscription in the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet was discovered on the stone on a wall at Tel Zayit, in the Beth Guvrin Valley in the lowlands of ancient Judea. The 22 letters were carved on one side of the 38 lb stone (17 kg) – which resembles a bowl on the other. Next would be the Gezer calendar dated to the late 10th century BCE. The script of the Gezer calendar bears strong resemblance to the akin contemporaneous Phoenician inscriptions from Byblos. Clear Hebrew features are visible in the scripts of the Moabite inscriptions of the Mesha Stele. The 8th-century Hebrew inscriptions exhibit many specific and exclusive traits, leading modern scholars to conclude that already in the 10th century BCE the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet was used by wide scribal circles.” [Wikipedia – Paleo-Hebrew Alphabet] – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleo-Hebrew_alphabet” target=”_blank”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki&#8230;.ont>

Thus we now have a “place” [Jerusalem] and now we have a “peoples” [Jews] in Historical record, and from here we can consider further sources from scripture and test them in the light of that same History as well.

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 3a – The Individuals

Ok, now that we have a “place” [Jerusalem] and a “people” [Israel], scripture also speaks of a Roman man by the name of Pilate.

“Pontius Pilate”:

And when they had bound him, they led [him] away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Matthew 27:2

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Luke 3:1

[This witness of Luke gives us a very specific timeframe to work with.] see a chart – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/TwentySevenAD.jpg

For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, Acts 4:27

I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and [before] Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 1 Timothy 3:16

“Pilate” as found in all four [Matthew, Mark, Luke and John] Gospel accounts, in the Book of Acts [again by Luke, additional witness of Paul in it] and 1 Timothy 6 [Paul]:

Matthew 27:2,13,17,22,24,58,62,65;
Mark 15:1,2,4,5,9,12,14,15,43,44;
Luke 3:1, 13:1, 23:1,3,4,6,11,12,13,20,24,52;
John 18:29,31,33,35,37,38, 19:1,4,5,6,8,10,12,13,15,19,21,22,31,38;
Acts 3:13, 4:27, 13:28;
1 Timothy 6:13

A quick source verification says,

“Pontius Pilatus (Greek: Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, Pontios Pīlātos), known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate (play /ˈpɒntʃəs ˈpaɪlət/), was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36.[1][2] He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus. As prefect, he served under Emperor Tiberius.

The sources for Pilate's life are the four canonical gospels, a brief mention by Tacitus, and an inscription known as the Pilate Stone, which confirms his historicity…” [Wikipedia; Pontius Pilate] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontius_Pilate

So, is this Roman man “Pilate” mentioned elsewhere in historical record? Yes:

Philo of Alexandria [aka “(20 BC – 50 AD) … Philo Judaeus, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, Yedidia, “Philon”, and Philo the Jew” [Wikipedia; Philo] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo ]:

“”299. ἔχω δέ τι καὶ φιλοτίμημα αὐτοῦ προσδιηγήσασθαι, καίτοι μυρίων ἀπολελαυκὼς ὅτε ἔζη κακῶν· ἀλλὰ τἀληθὲς φίλον καὶ σοὶ τίμιον. Πιλᾶτος ἦν τῶν ὑπάρχων ἐπίτροπος ἀποδεδειγμένος τῆς Ἰουδαίας· οὗτος οὐκ ἐπὶ τιμῇ Τιβερίου μᾶλλον ἢ ἕνεκα τοῦ λυπῆσαι τὸ πλῆθος ἀνατίθησιν ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἱερόπολιν Ἡρῴδου βασιλείοις ἐπιχρύσους ἀσπίδας μήτε ¦ …

… 304. ὁ δὲ διαναγνοὺς οἷα μὲν εἶπε Πιλᾶτον, οἷα δὲ ἠπείλησεν· ὡς δὲ ὠργίσθη, καίτοι οὐκ εὔληπτος ὢν ὀργῇ, περιττόν ἐστι διηγεῖσθαι, τοῦ πράγματος ἐξ αὑτοῦ φωνὴν ἀφιέντος. 305…”” [Philo; Legatio ad Gaium [Embassy to Gaius [Caligula]]; Greek Sections 299-305 – http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d&#8230;._GR.pdf ; for English see also – http://books.google.co.in/books?i&#8230;._anchor ]

“”299. ἔχω δέ τι καὶ φιλοτίμημα αὐτοῦ προσδιηγήσασθαι, καίτοι μυρίων ἀπ&#9
59;λελαυκὼς ὅτε ἔζη κακῶν· ἀλλὰ τἀληθὲς φίλον καὶ σοὶ τίμιον. Πιλᾶτος ἦν τῶν ὑπάρχων ἐπίτροπος ἀποδεδειγμένος τῆς Ἰουδαίας· οὗτος οὐκ ἐπὶ τιμῇ Τιβερίου μᾶλλον ἢ ἕνεκα τοῦ λυπῆσαι τὸ πλῆθος ἀνατίθησιν ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἱερόπολιν Ἡρῴδου βασιλείοις ἐπιχρύσους ἀσπίδας μήτε ¦ μορφὴν ἐχούσας μήτε ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων, ἔξω τινὸς ἐπιγραφῆς ἀναγκαίας, ἣ δύο ταῦτα ἐμήνυε, τόν τε ἀναθέντα καὶ ὑπὲρ οὗ ἡ ἀνάθεσις. 300. ἐπεὶ δὲ ᾔσθοντο οἱ πολλοί – καὶ περιβόητον ἦν ἤδη τὸ πρᾶγμα – , προστησάμενοι τούς τε βασιλέως υἱεῖς τέτταρας οὐκ ἀποδέοντας τό τε ἀξίωμα καὶ τὰς τύχας βασιλέων καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀπογόνους καὶ τῶν παρ’ αὐτοῖς τοὺς ἐν τέλει παρεκάλουν τὸ νεωτερισθὲν περὶ τὰς ἀσπίδας εἰς ἐπανόρθωσιν ἀγαγεῖν καὶ μὴ κινεῖν ἔθη πάτρια τὸν πρὸ τοῦ πάντα αἰῶνα διαφυλαχθέντα καὶ πρὸς βασιλέων καὶ πρὸς αὐτοκρατόρων ἀκίνητα. 301. στερρῶς δὲ ἀντιλέγοντος – ἦν γὰρ τὴν φύσιν ἀκαμπὴς καὶ μετὰ τοῦ αὐθάδους ἀμείλικτος – , ἀνεβόησαν· “μὴ στασίαζε, μὴ πολεμοποίει, μὴ κατάλυε τὴν εἰρήνην· οὐκ ἔστιν ἀτιμία νόμων ἀρχαίων αὐτοκράτορος τιμή. μὴ πρόφασις τῆς εἰς τὸ ἔθνος ἐπηρείας ἔστω σοι Τιβέριος· οὐδὲν ἐθέλει τῶν ἡμετέρων καταλύεσθαι. εἰ δὲ φῄς, αὐτὸς ἐπίδειξον ἢ διάταγμα ἢ ἐπιστολὴν ἤ τι ὁμοιότροπον, ἵνα παυσάμενοι τοῦ σοὶ διενοχλεῖν πρέσβεις ἑλόμενοι δεώμεθα τοῦ 23/29 δεσπότου.” 302. τὸ τελευταῖον τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτὸν ἐξετράχυνε καταδείσαντα, μὴ τῷ ὄντι πρεσβευσάμενοι καὶ τῆς ἄλλης αὐτὸν ἐπιτροπῆς ἐξελέγξωσι τὰς δωροδοκίας, τὰς ὕβρεις, τὰς ἁρπαγάς, τὰς αἰκίας, τὰς ἐπηρείας, τοὺς ἀκρίτους καὶ ἐπαλλήλους φόνους, τὴν ἀνήνυτον καὶ ἀργαλεωτάτην ὠμότητα διε&#9
58;ελθόντες. 303. οἷα οὖν ἐγκότως ἔχων καὶ βαρύμηνις ἄνθρωπος ἐν ἀμηχάνοις ἦν, μήτε καθελεῖν τὰ ἅπαξ ἀνατεθέντα θαρρῶν μήτε βουλόμενός τι τῶν πρὸς ἡδονὴν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἐργάσασθαι, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐν τούτοις σταθερότητα Τιβερίου μὴ ἀγνοῶν· ἅπερ ὁρῶντες οἱ ἐν τέλει καὶ συνιέντες, ὅτι μετανοεῖ μὲν ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις, δοκεῖν δὲ οὐ βούλεται, γράφουσι Τιβερίῳ δεητικωτάτας ἐπιστολάς. 304. ὁ δὲ διαναγνοὺς οἷα μὲν εἶπε Πιλᾶτον, οἷα δὲ ἠπείλησεν· ὡς δὲ ὠργίσθη, καίτοι οὐκ εὔληπτος ὢν ὀργῇ, περιττόν ἐστι διηγεῖσθαι, τοῦ πράγματος ἐξ αὑτοῦ φωνὴν ἀφιέντος. 305. εὐθέως γὰρ οὐδὲ εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ὑπερθέμενος ἐπιστέλλει, μυρία μὲν τοῦ καινουργηθέντος τολμήματος ὀνειδίζων καὶ ἐπιπλήττων, κελεύων δὲ αὐτίκα καθελεῖν τὰς ἀσπίδας καὶ μετακομισθῆναι ἐκ τῆς μητροπόλεως εἰς τὴν ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ Καισάρειαν, ἐπώνυμον τοῦ προπάππου Σεβαστήν, ἵνα ἀνατεθεῖεν ἐν τῷ Σεβαστείῳ· καὶ ἀνετέθησαν. οὕτως ἀμφότερα ἐφυλάχθη, καὶ ἡ ¦ τιμὴ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, καὶ ἡ περὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀρχαία συνήθεια.”” [Philo; Legatio ad Gaium [Embassy to Gaius [Caligula]]; Greek Sections 299-305 – http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/-020_0050,_Philo_Judaeus,_Legatio_ad_Gaium,_GR.pdf; for English see also – books.google.co.in/books?id=Z3RfAAAAMAAJ&q=pilate#search_anchor]

“Our earliest surviving literary reference to Pontius Pilate is found within the writings of the diaspora Jew, Philo of Alexandria. His Embassy to Gaius (or Legatio ad Gaium) describes how Pilate offended against the Jewish Law by setting up aniconic shields in Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders appealed to Tiberius who ordered Pilate to remove them (§§ 299–305). The incident is found within a letter supposedly from Agrippa I to Gaius Caligula, attempting to dissuade the Emperor from setting up his statue in the Jerusalem Temple (§§ 276–329). …” [Chapter Extract: ebooks.cambridge.org/chapter.jsf?bid=CBO9780511585166&cid=CBO9780511585166A010  ]

“Our earliest surviving literary reference to Pontius Pilate is found within the writings of the diaspora Jew, Philo of Alexandria. His Embassy to Gaius (or Legatio ad Gaium) describes how Pilate offended against the Jewish Law by setting up aniconic shields in Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders appealed to Tiberius who ordered Pilate to remove them (§§ 299–305). The incident is found within a letter supposedly from Agrippa I to Gaius Caligula, attempting to dissuade the Emperor from setting up his statue in the Jerusalem Temple (§§ 276–329). …” [Chapter Extract] – http://ebooks.cambridge.org/chapter&#8230;.166A010

See also the Book: “Philonis Alexandrini Legatio ad Gaium” [E. Mary Smallwood; Page 302 onward] – http://books.google.com/books?i&#8230;.f=false

Tacitus [Roman Historian, aka “Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56 – AD 117)” [Wikipedia; Tacitus] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus ]:
“…Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular….” [Tacitus; “Annals (written ca. 116 AD), book 15, chapter 44.”] – http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/tacitus/TacitusAnnals15.html

Josephus [aka “Titus Flavius Josephus (37 – c. 100),[2] also called Joseph ben Matityahu” [Wikipedia; Jospehus] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus ]:

“…He also deprived him in a little time, and ordained Eleazar, the son of Ananus, who had been high priest before, to be high priest; which office, when he had held for a year, Gratus deprived him of it, and gave the high priesthood to Simon, the son of Camithus; and when he had possessed that dignity no longer than a year, Joseph Caiaphas was made his successor. When Gratus had done those things, he went back to Rome, after he had tarried in Judea eleven years, when Pontius Pilate came as his successor.” [Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Section 29] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.=pilate

“[169] Now Pilate, who was sent as procurator into Judea by Tiberius, sent by night those images of Caesar that are called ensigns into Jerusalem. This excited a very among great tumult among the Jews when it was day; for those that were near them were astonished at the sight of them, as indications that their laws were trodden under foot; for those laws do not permit any sort of image to be brought into the city. Nay, besides the indignation which the citizens had themselves at this procedure, a vast number of people came running out of the country. These came zealously to Pilate to Cesarea, and besought him to carry those ensigns out of Jerusalem, and to preserve them their ancient laws inviolable; but upon Pilate's denial of their request, they fell 1 down prostrate upon the ground, and continued immovable in that posture for five days and as many nights.” [Josephus; Jewish Wars; Book 2; Section 169] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.n%3D169

Coins [Roman Procurator Coinage]:

“The bronze coins (or 'prutah') issued by Pontius Pilate between 26 – 36 AD…” [Wikipedia; Pontius Pilate] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Procurator_coinage#Pontius_Pilate

Picture of the coinage issued by Pontius Pilate – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coin-of-Pilate.jpg

Stone Inscription:

“The Pilate Stone is the name given to a block (82 cm x 65 cm) of limestone with a carved inscription attributed to Pontius Pilate, a prefect of the Roman-controlled province of Judaea from 26-36. The stone is significant because it is the only universally accepted archaeological find with an inscription mentioning the name “Pontius Pilatus” to date.

The Pilate Stone is currently located at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.[1][2]

…

On the partially damaged block is a dedication to the deified Augustus and Livia (“the Divine Augusti”) of a Tiberieum (a building in honour of Tiberius Caesar Augustus). It has been deemed authentic because it was discovered in the coastal town of Caesarea, which was the capital of Iudaea Province[4] during the time Pontius Pilate was Roman governor.

The partial inscription reads (conjectural letters in brackets):

[DIS AUGUSTI]S TIBERIÉUM
[…PO]NTIUS PILATUS
[…PRAEF]ECTUS IUDA[EA]E
[…FECIT D]E[DICAVIT]

The translation from Latin to English for the inscription reads:

To the Divine Augusti [this] Tiberieum
…Pontius Pilate
…prefect of Judea
…has dedicated [this]

…

The limestone block was discovered in June 1961 by Italian archaeologists led by Dr. Antonio Frova while excavating an ancient theater (built by decree of Herod the Great c. 30 BC), called Caesarea Maritima in the present-day city of Caesarea-on-the-Sea (also called Maritima).[5]” [Wikipedia; Pilate Stone] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilate_Stone

A picture of the Stone and its inscription here – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped&#8230;.ion.JPG

Thus, we now have the Roman Pontius Pilate in existence of the time of Tiberius in the very era that the scriptures so clearly give.

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 3b – The Individuals

The “Herod's” of Bible History:

Matthew 2:1,3,7,12,13,16,19,22, 14:1,3,6;

Mark 6:14,16,17,18,20,21,22, 8:15;

Luke 1:5, 3:1,19, 8:3, 9:7,9, 13:31, 23:7,8,11,12,15;

Acts 4:27, 12:1,6,11,19,20,21, 13:1, 23:35;

Also see Herod “Archelaus”:

Matthew 2:22;

Also see Herod “Philip” I [aka “Herod II”]:

Matthew 14:3;

Mark 6:17;

Luke 3:19;

Also see “Philip the Tetrarch” II [aka Herod “Philip” II]:

Luke 3:1;

Also see Herod “Agrippa” II:

Acts 25:13,22,23,24,26, 26:1,2,7,19,27,28,32;

[1] King Herod “the Great” [son of Antipater of Idumea and wife Cypros]

[Wives: [1] “Doris”, [2] “Mariamne I”, [3] “Mariamne II”, [4] “Malthace”, [5] “Cleopatra of Jerusalem”; Children: [1] “Antipater II”, [2] “Prince Alexander”, [3] “Prince Aristobulus IV”, [4] “Princess Salampsio”, [5] “Herod Philip I”, [6] Herod Antipas”; [7] “Herod Archelaus”; [8] “Olympias the Herodian”; [9] “Prince Herod”, [10] “Herod Philip II” [Wikipedia; Herod the Great] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Great ]:

Matthew 2:1,3,7,12,13,16,19,22;

Luke 1:5;

“[19] [For example, I shall relate] how Antiochus, who was named Epiphanes, took Jerusalem by force, and held it three years and three months, and was then ejected out of the country by the sons of Asamoneus: after that, how their posterity quarreled about the government, and brought upon their settlement the Romans and Pompey; how Herod also, the son of Antipater, dissolved their government, and brought Sosins upon them; as also how our people made a sedition upon Herod's death, while Augustus was the Roman emperor, and Quintilius Varus was in that country; and how the war broke out in the twelfth year of Nero, with what happened to Cestius; and what places the Jews assaulted in a hostile manner in the first sallies of the war.” [Flavius Josephus; The Wars of the Jews; Book 1; Section 19] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0148

“(282) … then resolved to get him made king of the Jews … (284) … told them that it was for their advantage in the Parthian war that Herod should be king; so they all gave their votes for it. (285) And when the senate was separated, Antony and Caesar went out, with Herod between them; while the consul and the rest of the magistrates went before them, in order to offer sacrifices, and to lay the decree in the Capitol. Antony also made a feast for Herod on the first day of his reign. …” [Flavius Josephus; The New Complete Works of Flavius Josephus, William Whiston, Paul L. Maier; Book 1; Chapter 14; sections 282-285; Page 692] – http://books.google.com/books?i&#8230;.f=false

“[164] But the people, on account of Herod's barbarous temper, and for fear he should be so cruel and to inflict punishment on them, said what was done was done without their approbation, and that it seemed to them that the actors might well be punished for what they had done. But as for Herod, he dealt more mildly with others [of the assembly] but he deprived Matthias of the high priesthood, as in part an occasion of this action, and made Joazar, who was Matthias's wife's brother, high priest in his stead. Now it happened, that during the time of the high priesthood of this Matthias, there was another person made high priest for a single day, that very day which the Jews observed as a fast. The occasion was this: This Matthias the high priest, on the night before that day when the fast was to be celebrated, seemed, in a dream, 1 to have conversation with his wife; and because he could not officiate himself on that account, Joseph, the son of Ellemus, his kinsman, assisted him in that sacred office. But Herod deprived this Matthias of the high priesthood, and burnt the other Matthias, who had raised the sedition, with his companions, alive. And that very night there was an eclipse of the moon. 2

1 This fact, that one Joseph was made high priest for a single day, on occasion of the action here specified, that befell Matthias, the real high priest, in his sleep, the night before the great day of expiation, is attested to both in the Mishna and Talmud, as Dr. Hudson here informs us. And indeed, from this fact, thus fully attested, we may confute that pretended rule in the Talmud here mentioned, and endeavored to be excused lay Reland, that the high priest was not suffered to sleep the night before that great day of expiation; which watching would surely rather unfit him for the many important duties he was to perform on that solemn day, than dispose him duly to perform them. Nor do such Talmudical rules, when unsupported by better evidence, much less when contradicted there by, seem to me of weight enough to deserve that so great a man as Reland should spend his time in endeavors at their vindication.

2 This eclipse of the moon (which is the only eclipse of either of the luminaries mentioned by our Josephus in any of his writings) is of the greatest consequence for the determination of the time for the death of Herod and Antipater, and for the birth and entire chronology of Jesus Christ. It happened March 13th, in the year of the Julian period 4710, and the 4th year before the Christian era. See its calculation by the rules of astronomy, at the end of the Astronomical Lectures, edit. Lat. p. 451, 452.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 17; Chapter 6; Section 4] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0146

“Herod (Hebrew: הוֹרְדוֹ&
#1505;‎, Hordos, Greek: Ἡρῴδης, Hērōidēs), also known as Herod the Great (born 73 or 74 BCE, died 4 BCE in Jericho[1]), was a Roman client king of Judea.[2][3][4]” [Wikipedia; Herod the Great] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Great

Copper Coin of Herod's: “…bearing the legend “ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΗΡΩΔΟΥ” (“Basileōs Hērōdou”) on the obverse” [Wikipedia; Herod the Great] – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Herod_coin1.jpg

Another Coin of Herod – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Herod_coin.jpg

Bronze Coin of Herod – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped&#8230;.ria.jpg

Tomb of Herod the Great: “The location of Herod's tomb is documented by Josephus, who writes, “And the body was carried two hundred furlongs, to Herodium, where he had given order to be buried.”[46] Josephus provides more clues about Herod's tomb which he calls Herod's monuments:

So they threw down all the hedges and walls which the inhabitants had made about their gardens and groves of trees, and cut down all the fruit trees that lay between them and the wall of the city, and filled up all the hollow places and the chasms, and demolished the rocky precipices with iron instruments; and thereby made all the place level from Scopus to Herod's monuments, which adjoined to the pool called the Serpent's Pool.[47]

Professor Ehud Netzer, an archaeologist from Hebrew University, read the writings of Josephus and focused his search on the vicinity of the pool and its surroundings at the Winter Palace of Herod in the Judean desert. An article of the New York Times states,

Lower Herodium consists of the remains of a large palace, a race track, service quarters, and a monumental building whose function is still a mystery. Perhaps, says Ehud Netzer, who excavated the site, it is Herod's mausoleum. Next to it is a pool, almost twice as large as modern Olympic-size pools.[48]

It took 35 years for Netzer to identify the exact location, but on May 7, 2007, an Israeli team of archaeologists of the Hebrew University led by Netzer, announced they had discovered the tomb.[49][50][51][52] The site is located at the exact location given by Flavius Josephus, atop of tunnels and water pools, at a flattened desert site, halfway up the hill to Herodium, 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) south of Jerusalem.[53] The tomb contained a broken sarcophagus but no remains of a body.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Gush Etzion Regional Council intend to recreate the tomb out of a light plastic material.[54]” [Wikipedia; Herod the Great] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Great

Herodium – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped&#8230;.e_2.jpg

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 3c – The Individuals

[2] Herod “Archelaus”: son of Herod “the Great” and wife Malthace, brother of Herod “Antipas” and half-brother of Herod Philip I [aka “Herod II” originally married to Herodias; this is not Philip the Tetrarch [Herod Philip II] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Archelaus

Matthew 2:22;

“Now the king had nine wives, 1 and children by seven of them; Antipater was himself born of Doris, and Herod Philip of Mariamne, the high priest's daughter; Antipas also and Archelaus were by Malthace, the Samaritan, as was his daughter Olympias, which his brother Joseph's 2 son had married. By Cleopatra of Jerusalem he had Herod and Philip; and by Pallas, Phasaelus; he had also two daughters, Roxana and Salome, the one by Phedra, and the other by Elpis; he had also two wives that had no children, the one his first cousin, and the other his niece; and besides these he had two daughters, the sisters of Alexander and Aristobulus, by Mariamne. Since, therefore, the royal family was so numerous, Antipater prayed him to change these intended marriages.

1 Dean Aldrich takes notice here, that these nine wives of Herod were alive at the same time; and that if the celebrated Mariamne, who was now dead, be reckoned, those wives were in all ten. Yet it is remarkable that he had no more than fifteen children by them all.

2 To prevent confusion, it may not be amiss, with Dean Aldrich, to distinguish between four Josephs in the history of Herod. 1. Joseph, Herod's uncle, and the [second] husband of his sister Salome, slain by Herod, on account of Mariamne. 2. Joseph, Herod's quaestor, or treasurer, slain on the same account. 3. Joseph, Herod's brother, slain in battle against Antigonus. 4. Joseph, Herod's nephew, the husband of Olympias, mentioned in this place.” [Flavius Josephus; The Wars of the Jews; Book 1; Section 561] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0148

“Herod Archelaus (23 BC – c. 18 AD) was the ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea (biblical Edom) from 4 BC to 6 AD. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan, the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I. … ” [Wikipedia; Herod Archelaus] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Archelaus

Coin of Herod Archelaus – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Herod_Archelaus.jpg

[3] Herod “Philip” I: aka “Herod II” originally married to Herodias; this is not Philip the Tetrarch [Herod Philip II]]] [son of Herod “the Great” and wife Mariamne II, who was “daughter of Simon Boethus the High Priest (Mark 6:17)” [Wikipedia; Herod II] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_II

Matthew 14:3;

Mark 6:17;

Luke 3:19;

See previous mention: [Flavius Josephus; The Wars of the Jews; Book 1; Section 561] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0148

“[130] Herod the Great had two daughters by Mariamne, the [grand] daughter of Hyrcanus; the one was Salampsio, who was married to Phasaelus, her first cousin, who was himself the son of Phasaelus, Herod's brother, her father making the match; the other was Cypros, who was herself married also to her first cousin Antipater, the son of Salome, Herod's sister. Phasaelus had five children by Salampsio; Antipater, Herod, and Alexander, and two daughters, Alexandra and Cypros; which last Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, married; and Timius of Cyprus married Alexandra; he was a man of note, but had by her no children. Agrippa had by Cypros two sons and three daughters, which daughters were named Bernice, Mariarune, and Drusius; but the names of the sons were Agrippa and Drusus, of which Drusus died before he came to the years of puberty; but their father, Agrippa, was brought up with his other brethren, Herod and Aristobulus, for these were also the sons of the son of Herod the Great by Bernice; but Bernice was the daughter of Costobarus and of Salome, who was Herod's sister. Aristobulus left these infants when he was slain by his father, together with his brother Alexander, as we have already related. But when they were arrived at years of puberty, this Herod, the brother of Agrippa, married Mariamne, the daughter of Olympias, who was the daughter of Herod the king, and of Joseph, the son of Joseph, who was brother to Herod the king, and had by her a son, Aristobulus; but Aristobulus, the third brother of Agrippa, married Jotape, the daughter of Sampsigeramus, king of Emesa; they had a daughter who was deaf, whose name also was Jotape; and these hitherto were the children of the male line. But Herodias, their sister, was married to Herod [Philip], the son of Herod the Great, who was born of Mariamne, the daughter of Simon the high priest, who had a daughter, Salome; after whose birth Herodias took upon her to confound the laws of our country, and divorced herself from her husband while he was alive, and was married to Herod [Antipas], her husband's brother by the father's side, he was tetrarch of Galilee; but her daughter Salome was married to Philip, the son of Herod, and tetrarch of Trachonitis; and as he died childless, Aristobulus, the son of Herod, the brother of Agrippa, married her; they had three sons, Herod, Agrippa, and Aristobulus; and this was the posterity of Phasaelus and Salampsio. But the daughter of Antipater by Cypros was Cypros, whom Alexas Selcias, the son of Alexas, married; they had a daughter, Cypros; but Herod and Alexander, who, as we told you, were the brothers of Antipater, died childless. As to Alexander, the son of Herod the king, who was slain by his father, he had two sons, Alexander and Tigranes, by the daughter of Archelaus, king of Cappadocia. Tigranes, who was ki
ng of Armenia, was accused at Rome, and died childless; Alexander had ason of the same name with his brother Tigranes, and was sent to take possession of the kingdom of Armenia by Nero; he had a son, Alexander, who married Jotape, the daughter of Antiochus, the king of Commagena; Vespasian made him king of an island in Cilicia. But these descendants of Alexander, soon after their birth, deserted the Jewish religion, and went over to that of the Greeks. But for the rest of the daughters of Herod the king, it happened that they died childless.  And as these descendants of Herod, whom we have enumerated, were in being at the same time that Agrippa the Great took the kingdom, and I have now given an account of them, it now remains that I relate the several hard fortunes which befell Agrippa, and how he got clear of them, and was advanced to the greatest height of dignity and power.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Chapter 5; Section 4] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0146

[4] “Philip the Tetrarch” II: aka Herod “Philip” II whose wife was originally his “niece Salome, the daughter of Herodias” [Wikipedia; Philip the Tetrarch] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_the_tetrarch

Luke 3:1;

See previous mention: [Flavius Josephus; The Wars of the Jews; Book 1; Section 561] – <a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=J.+BJ+1.561&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.lt;font color=”black”>

“Philip the Tetrarch (sometimes called Herod Philip II by modern writers) was son of Herod the Great and his fifth wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem and half-brother of Herod Antipas and Herod Archelaus (not to be confused with Herod II, whom some writers call Herod Philip I.)

Philip inherited the northeast part of his father's kingdom, which includes Iturea and Trachonitis as mentioned briefly in the Bible by Luke (3:1) or Gaulonitis, and Trachonitis, and Paneas as noted by Flavius Josephus.[1] Augustus Caesar made his own division of Herod's kingdom, giving one half to Archelaus, while dividing the other half into two, to Antipas and Philip. Batanea, with Trachonitis, as well as Auranitis, with a certain part of what was called the House of Zenodorus, paid the tribute of one hundred talents to Philip.[2]

He married his niece Salome, the daughter of Herodias[3] and was a member of the Herodian dynasty sometimes called Herod Philip I, but also known as Herod II, or sometimes Philip of Rome. This Salome appears in the Bible in connection with the execution of John the Baptist. The evangelist Mark (6:17) and Matthew (14:3) write that Philip was her father, which seems an odd mistake until one realizes that the older half-brother of Philip the Tetrarch (Herod Philip II) is also sometimes named Herod Philip – Herod Philip I. Philip the Tetrarch rebuilt the city of Caesarea Philippi, calling it by his own name to distinguish it from the Caesarea on the sea-coast which was the seat of the Roman government.” [Wikipedia; Philip the Tetrarch] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_the_tetrarch

“[188] AND now Herod altered his testament upon the alteration of his mind; for he appointed Antipas, to whom he had before left the kingdom, to be tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, and granted the kingdom to Archclaus. He also gave Gaulonitis, and Trachonitis, and Paneas to Philip, who was his son, but own brother to Archclaus 2 by the name of a tetrarchy; and bequeathed Jarnnia, and Ashdod, and Phasaelis to Salome his sister, with five hundred thousand [drachmae] of silver that was coined. …” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 17; Chapter 8; Section 1] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0146

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 3d – The Individuals

[5] Herod “Antipas” the Tetrarch:son of Herod “the Great” and wife Malthace] [original wife – daughter of Aretas, King of Arabia; second wife – Herodias [Philip's [Herod's brother's] wife]] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_antipas

Matthew 14:1,3,6;

Mark 6:14,16,17,18,20,21,22, 8:15;

Luke 3:1,19, 8:3, 9:7,9, 13:31, 23:7,8,11,12,15;

Acts 4:27, 13:1;

See previous mention – [Flavius Josephus; The Wars of the Jews; Book 1; Section 561] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0148

“Herod Antipater (Greek: Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπατρος, Hērǭdēs Antipatros; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), known by the nickname Antipas, was a 1st-century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch (“ruler of a quarter”). He is best known today for accounts in the New Testament of his role in events that led to the executions of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth.

After inheriting his territories when the kingdom of his father Herod the Great was divided upon his death in 4 BC, Antipas ruled them as a client state of the Roman Empire. He was responsible for building projects at Sepphoris and Betharamphtha, and more important for the construction of his capital Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Named in honor of his patron, the emperor Tiberius, the city later became a center of rabbinic learning.

Antipas divorced his first wife Phasaelis, the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea, in favour of Herodias, who had formerly been married to his brother Herod Philip I. According to the New Testament Gospels, it was John the Baptist's condemnation of this arrangement that led Antipas to have him arrested; John was subsequently put to death. Besides provoking his conflict with the Baptizer, the tetrarch's divorce added a personal grievance to previous disputes with Aretas over territory on the border of Perea and Nabatea. The result was a war that proved disastrous for Antipas; a Roman counter-offensive was ordered by Tiberius, but abandoned upon that emperor's death in 37 AD. In 39 AD Antipas was accused by his nephew Agrippa I of conspiracy against the new Roman emperor Caligula, who sent him into exile in Gaul. Accompanied there by Herodias, he died at an unknown date.

The Gospel of Luke states that when Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate for trial, Pilate handed him over to Antipas, in whose territory Jesus had been active. However, Antipas sent him back to Pilate.” [Wikipedia; Herod Antipas] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_antipas

Coin of Herod Antipas – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Herod_Antipas.jpg

[6] Herod “Agrippa” I: son of Aristobulus and wife Berenice; grandson of Herod “the Great” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Agrippa_I

Acts 12:1,6,11,19,20,21;

See previous mention – [Flavius Josephus; The Wars of the Jews; Book 1; Section 561] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0148

“Agrippa I, also known as Herod Agrippa or simply Herod (10 BCE – 44 CE), was a King of the Jews during the 1st century AD. The grandson of Herod the Great and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice.[1], he was born Marcus Julius Agrippa, so named in honour of Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. He is the king named Herod in the Acts of the Apostles, in the Bible, “Herod (Agrippa)” (Ἡρώδης Ἀγρίππας). He was, according to Josephus, known in his time as “Agrippa the Great”.[2]

Agrippa's territory comprised most of Israel, including Iudaea, Galilee, Batanaea and Perea. From Galilee his territory extended east to Trachonitis.” [Wikipedia; Agrippa I] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Agrippa_I

[7] Herod “Agrippa” II: son of Herod Agrippa I – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Agrippa_II

Acts 23:35, 25:13,22,23,24,26, 26:1,2,7,19,27,28,32;

See previous mention – [Flavius Josephus; The Wars of the Jews; Book 1; Section 561] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0148

“Agrippa II (born AD 27/28),[1] son of Agrippa I, and like him originally named Marcus Julius Agrippa, was the seventh and last king of the family of Herod the Great, thus last of the Herodians. He was the brother of Berenice, Mariamne, and Drusilla (second wife of the Roman procurator Antonius Felix). He is sometimes also called Herod Agrippa II.[2]” [Wikipedia; Agrippa II] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_Agrippa_II

Thus we have the Herod's of Scripture from History.

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 3e – The Individuals

Now that we have the Herods, let us see who and what else we may discover:

“John the Baptist”:

The Bible:

“Baptist”:

Matthew 3:1, 11:11,12, 14:2,8, 16:14, 17:13;

Mark 6:14,24,25, 8:28;

Luke 7:20,28,33, 9:19.

“John”:

Matthew 3:1,4,13,14, 4:12, 9:14, 11:2,4,7,11,12,13,18, 14:2,3,4,8,10, 16:14, 17:13, 21:25,26,32

Mark 1:4,6,9,14, 2:18, 6:14,16,17,18,20,24,25, 8:28, 11:30,32;

Luke 1:13,60,63, 3:2,15,16,20, 5:33, 7:18,19,20,22,24,28,29,33, 9:7,9,19, 11:1, 16:16, 20:4,6;

John 1:6,15,19,26,28,29,32,35,40, 3:23,24,25,26,27, 4:1, 5:33,36, 10:40,41;

Acts 1:5,22, 10:37, 11:16, 13:24,25, 18:25, 19:3,4.

“my messenger”:

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:1

“voice in the wilderness”:

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3

For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straightMatthew 3:3

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Mark 1:3

As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Luke 3:4

He said, I [am] the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. John 1:23

”Elijah” [“Elias”]:

Matthew 11:11, 17:10,11 [future tense, Herald of the Second Advent [Rev. 14:6-12; 3 Angels Messages]],12 [present/past tense, Herald of the First Advent];

Mark 9:11,12 [future tense, Herald of the Second Advent [Rev. 14:6-12; 3 Angels Messages]],13 [present/past tense Herald of the First Advent];

Luke 1:17;

John 1:21,25.

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, [with] the statutes and judgments. Malachi 4:4

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: Malachi 4:5

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Malachi 4:6

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:17

“friend of the bridegroom [Christ Jesus]”:

He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. John 3:29

History:

“[116] Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; … Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death…” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Chapter 5; Section 2] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.ion%3D2

Additionally: “There are, however, two approaches to determining when the reign of Tiberius Caesar started.[38] The traditional approach is that of assuming that the reign of Tiberius started when he became co-regent in 11AD, placing the start of the ministry of John the Baptist around 26 AD
. …” – [Wikipedia; “Baptism of Jesus”] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism_of_jesus and according to the prophecies given in the book of Daniel, a specific timeline is there revealed, with the years in which Jesus the Christ would be baptised [AD 27] [6 months after John the Baptist started in AD 26], beginning His 3 1/2 year ministry and also die [AD 31] [see Daniel 9:22-27, etc].

We may also see Ananias the High Priest, whom Paul was brought before in Acts 23-24:

Ananias, the Highpriest:

And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Acts 23:2

And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and [with] a certain orator [named] Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul. Acts 24:1

“Ananias son of Nedebaios (Josephus, Antiquites xx. 5. 2), called “Ananias ben Nebedeus” in the Book of Acts, was a high priest who presided during the trial of Paul at Jerusalem and Caesarea. He officiated as high priest from about AD 47 to 59. Quadratus, governor of Syria, accused him of being responsible for acts of violence. He was sent to Rome for trial (AD 52), but was acquitted by the emperor Claudius. Being a friend of the Romans, he was murdered by the people at the beginning of the First Jewish-Roman War.” [Wikipedia; Ananias son of Nedebaios] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananias_son_of_Nedebaios

“[100] Then came Tiberius Alexander as successor to Fadus; he was the son of Alexander the alabarch of Alexandria, which Alexander was a principal person among all his contemporaries, both for his family and wealth: he was also more eminent for his piety than this his son Alexander, for he did not continue in the religion of his country. Under these procurators that great famine happened in Judea, in which queen Helena bought corn in Egypt at a great expense, and distributed it to those that were in want, as I have related already. And besides this, the sons of Judas of Galilee were now slain; I mean of that Judas who caused the people to revolt, when Cyrenius came to take an account of the estates of the Jews, as we have showed in a foregoing book. The names of those sons were James and Simon, whom Alexander commanded to be crucified. But now Herod, king of Chalcis, removed Joseph, the son of Camydus, from the high priesthood, and made Ananias, the son of Nebedeu, his successor. And now it was that Cumanus came as successor to Tiberius Alexander; as also that Herod, brother of Agrippa the great king, departed this life, in the eighth year of the reign of Claudius Caesar. He left behind him three sons; Aristobulus, whom he had by his first wife, with Bernicianus, and Hyrcanus, both whom he had by Bernice his brother's daughter. But Claudius Caesar bestowed his dominions on Agrippa, junior.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 20; Section 100] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.adus%2C

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 3f – The Individuals

Additionally we may see “Herodias” and her “daughter”[Salome; not the 'Salome' of Mark 15:40, 16:1]:

For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put [him] in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. Matthew 14:3

For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. Matthew 14:4

And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. Matthew 14:5

But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Matthew 14:6

Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. Matthew 14:7

And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. Matthew 14:8

And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded [it] to be given [her]. Matthew 14:9

And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. Matthew 14:10

And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought [it] to her mother. Matthew 14:11

And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. Matthew 14:12

For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. Mark 6:17

For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. Mark 6:18

Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: Mark 6:19

For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. Mark 6:20

And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief [estates] of Galilee; Mark 6:21

And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give [it] thee. Mark 6:22

And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give [it] thee, unto the half of my kingdom. Mark 6:23

And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. Mark 6:24

And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. Mark 6:25

And the king was exceeding sorry; [yet] for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. Mark 6:26

And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, Mark 6:27

And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. Mark 6:28

And when his disciples heard [of it], they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. Mark 6:29

And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; Luke 3:15

John answered, saying unto [them] all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Luke 3:16

Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. Luke 3:17

And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. Luke 3:18

But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, Luke 3:19

Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. Luke 3:20

See also Wikipedia; “Herodias”[1] and Salome “daughter of Herodias”[2]:

[1] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodias

[2] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salome

“[552] BUT an intolerable hatred fell upon Antipater from the nation, though he had now an indisputable title to the succession, because they all knew that he was the person who contrived all the calumnies against his brethren. However, he began to be in a terrible fear, as he saw the posterity of those that had been slain growing up; for Alexander had two sons by Glaphyra, Tigranes and Alexander; and Aristobulus had Herod, and Agrippa, and Aristobulus, his sons,
with Herodias and Mariamne, his daughters, and all by Bernice, Salome's daughter. As for Glaphyra, Herod, as soon as he had killed Alexander, sent her back, together with her portion, to Cappadocia. He married Bernice, Aristobulus's daughter, to Antipater's uncle by his mother, and it was Antipater who, in order to reconcile her to him, when she had been at variance with him, contrived this match; he also got into Pheroras's favor, and into the favor of Caesar's friends, by presents, and other ways of obsequiousness, and sent no small sums of money to Rome; Saturninus also, and his friends in Syria, were all well replenished with the presents he made them; yet the more he gave, the more he was hated, as not making these presents out of generosity, but spending his money out of fear. Accordingly, it so fell out that the receivers bore him no more good-will than before, but that those to whom he gave nothing were his more bitter enemies. However, he bestowed his money every day more and more profusely, on observing that, contrary to his expectations, the king was taking care about the orphans, and discovering at the same time his repentance for killing their fathers, by his commiseration of those that sprang from them.” [Flavius Josephus; Wars of the Jews; Book 1; Section 552] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.erodias

“[181] But when Caius was made Caesar, he released Agrippa from his bonds, and made him king of Philip's tetrarchy, who was now dead; but when Agrippa had arrived at that degree of dignity, he inflamed the ambitious desires of Herod the tetrarch, who was chiefly induced to hope for the royal authority by his wife Herodias, who reproached him for his sloth, and told him that it was only because he would not sail to Caesar that he was destitute of that great dignity; for since Caesar had made Agrippa a king, from a private person, much mole would he advance him from a tetrarch to that dignity. These arguments prevailed with Herod, so that he came to Caius, by whom he was punished for his ambition, by being banished into Spain; for Agrippa followed him, in order to accuse him; to whom also Caius gave his tetrarchy, by way of addition. So Herod died in Spain, whither his wife had followed him.” [Flavius Josephus; Wars of the Jews; Book 2; Section 181] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.erodias

“[109] ABOUT this time Aretas (the king of Arabia Petres) and Herod had a quarrel on the account following: Herod the tetrarch had, married the daughter of Aretas, and had lived with her a great while; but when he was once at Rome, he lodged with Herod, who was his brother indeed, but not by the same mother; for this Herod was the son of the high priest Sireoh's daughter. However, he fell in love with Herodias, this last Herod's wife, who was the daughter of Aristobulus their brother, and the sister of Agrippa the Great. This man ventured to talk to her about a marriage between them; which address, when she admitted, an agreement was made for her to change her habitation, and come to him as soon as he should return from Rome: one article of this marriage also was this, that he should divorce Aretas's daughter. So Antipus, when he had made this agreement, sailed to Rome; but when he had done there the business he went about, and was returned again, his wife having discovered the agreement he had made with Herodias, and having learned it before he had notice of her knowledge of the whole design, she desired him to send her to Macherus, which is a place in the borders of the dominions of Aretas and Herod, without informing him of any of her intentions. Accordingly Herod sent her thither, as thinking his wife had not perceived any thing; now she had sent a good while before to Macherus, which was subject to her father and so all things necessary for her journey were made ready for her by the general of Aretas's army; and by that means she soon came into Arabia, under the conduct of the several generals, who carried her from one to another successively; and she soon came to her father, and told him of Herod's intentions. So Aretas made this the first occasion of his enmity between him and Herod, who had also some quarrel with him about their limits at the country of Gamalitis. So they raised armies on both sides, and prepared for war, and sent their generals to fight instead of themselves; and when they had joined battle, all Herod's army was destroyed by the treachery of some fugitives, who, though they were of the tetrarchy of Philip, joined with Aretas's army. So Herod wrote about these affairs to Tiberius, who being very angry at the attempt made by Aretas, wrote to Vitellius to make war upon him, and either to take him alive, and bring him to him in bonds, or to kill him, and send him his head. This was the charge that Tiberius gave to the president of Syria.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Section 109] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.erodias

“[130] Herod the Great had two daughters by Mariamne, the [grand] daughter of Hyrcanus; the one was Salampsio, who was married to Phasaelus, her first cousin, who was himself the son of Phasaelus, Herod's brother, her father making the match; the other was Cypros, who was herself married also to her first cousin Antipater, the son of Salome, Herod's sister. Phasaelus had five children by Salampsio; Antipater, Herod, and Alexander, and two daughters, Alexandra and Cypros; which last Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, married; and Timius of Cyprus married Alexandra; he was a man of note, but had by her no children. Agrippa had by Cypros two sons and three daughters, which daughters were named Bernice, Mariarune, and Drusius; but the names of the sons were Agrippa and Drusus, of which Drusus died before he came to the years of puberty; but their father, Agrippa, was brought up with his other brethren, Herod and Aristobulus, for these were also the sons of the son of Herod the Great by Bernice; but Bernice was the daughter of Costobarus and of Salome, who was Herod's sister. Aristobulus left these infants when he was slain by his father, together with his brother Alexander, as we have already related. But when they were arrived at years of puberty, this Herod, the brother of Agrippa, married Mariamne, the daughter of Olympias, who was the daughter of Herod the king, and of Joseph, the son of Joseph, who was brother to Herod the king, and had by her a son, Aristobulus; but Aristobulus, the third brother of Agrippa, married Jotape, the daughter of Sampsigeramus, king of Emesa; they had a daughter who was deaf, whose name also was Jotape; and these hitherto were the children of the male line. But Herodias, their sister, was married to Herod [Philip], the son of Herod the Great, who was born of Mariamne, the daughter of Simon the high priest, who had a daughter, Salome; after whose birth Herodias took upon her to
confound the laws of our country, and divorced herself from her husband while he was alive, and was married to Herod [Antipas], her husband's brother by the father's side, he was tetrarch of Galilee; but her daughter Salome was married to Philip, the son of Herod, and tetrarch of Trachonitis; and as he died childless, Aristobulus, the son of Herod, the brother of Agrippa, married her; they had three sons, Herod, Agrippa, and Aristobulus; and this was the posterity of Phasaelus and Salampsio. But the daughter of Antipater by Cypros was Cypros, whom Alexas Selcias, the son of Alexas, married; they had a daughter, Cypros; but Herod and Alexander, who, as we told you, were the brothers of Antipater, died childless. As to Alexander, the son of Herod the king, who was slain by his father, he had two sons, Alexander and Tigranes, by the daughter of Archelaus, king of Cappadocia. Tigranes, who was king of Armenia, was accused at Rome, and died childless; Alexander had a son of the same name with his brother Tigranes, and was sent to take possession of the kingdom of Armenia by Nero; he had a son, Alexander, who married Jotape, the daughter of Antiochus, the king of Commagena; Vespasian made him king of an island in Cilicia. But these descendants of Alexander, soon after their birth, deserted the Jewish religion, and went over to that of the Greeks. But for the rest of the daughters of Herod the king, it happened that they died childless. And as these descendants of Herod, whom we have enumerated, were in being at the same time that Agrippa the Great took the kingdom, and I have now given an account of them, it now remains that I relate the several hard fortunes which befell Agrippa, and how he got clear of them, and was advanced to the greatest height of dignity and power.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Section 130] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.erodias

“[147] For these reasons he went away from Rome, and sailed to Judea, but in evil circumstances, being dejected with the loss of that money which he once had, and because he had not wherewithal to pay his creditors, who were many in number, and such as gave him no room for escaping them. Whereupon he knew not what to do; so, for shame of his present condition, he retired to a certain tower, at Malatha, in Idumea, and had thoughts of killing himself; but his wife Cypros perceived his intentions, and tried all sorts of methods to divert him from his taking such a course; so she sent a letter to his sister Herodias, who was now the wife of Herod the tetrarch, and let her know Agrippa's present design, and what necessity it was which drove him thereto, and desired her, as a kinswoman of his, to give him her help, and to engage her husband to do the same, since she saw how she alleviated these her husband's troubles all she could, although she had not the like wealth to do it withal. So they sent for him, and allotted him Tiberias for his habitation, and appointed him some income of money for his maintenance, and made him a magistrate of that city, by way of honor to him. Yet did not Herod long continue in that resolution of supporting him, though even that support was not sufficient for him; for as once they were at a feast at Tyre, and in their cups, and reproaches were cast upon one another, Agrippa thought that was not to be borne, while Herod hit him in the teeth with his poverty, and with his owing his necessary food to him. So he went to Flaccus, one that had been consul, and had been a very great friend to him at Rome formerly, and was now president of Syria.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Section 147] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.erodias

“[240] BUT Herodias, Agrippa's sister, who now lived as wife to that Herod who was tetrarch of Galilee and Peres, took this authority of her brother in an envious manner, particularly when she saw that he had a greater dignity bestowed on him than her husband had; since, when he ran away, it was because he was not able to pay his debts; and now he was come back, he was in a way of dignity, and of great good fortune. She was therefore grieved and much displeased at so great a mutation of his affairs; and chiefly when she saw him marching among the multitude with the usual ensigns of royal authority, she was not able to conceal how miserable she was, by reason of the envy she had towards him; but she excited her husband, and desired him that he would sail to Rome, to court honors equal to his; for she said that she could not bear to live any longer, while Agrippa, the son of that Aristobulus who was condemned to die by his father, one that came to her husband in such extreme poverty, that the necessaries of life were forced to be entirely supplied him day by day; and when he fled away from his creditors by sea, he now returned a king; while he was himself the son of a king, and while the near relation he bare to royal authority called upon him to gain the like dignity, he sat still, and was contented with a privater life. “But then, Herod, although thou wast formerly not concerned to be in a lower condition than thy father from whom thou wast derived had been, yet do thou now seek after the dignity which thy kinsman hath attained to; and do not thou bear this contempt, that a man who admired thy riches should he in greater honor than thyself, nor suffer his poverty to show itself able to purchase greater things than our abundance; nor do thou esteem it other than a shameful thing to be inferior to one who, the other day, lived upon thy charity. But let us go to Rome, and let us spare no pains nor expenses, either of silver or gold, since they cannot be kept for any better use than for the obtaining of a kingdom.”” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Section 240] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.erodias

“[245] But for Herod, he opposed her request at this time, out of the love of ease, and having a suspicion of the trouble he should have at Rome; so he tried to instruct her better. But the more she saw him draw back, the more she pressed him to it, and desired him to leave no stone unturned in order to be king; and at last she left not off till she engaged him, whether he would or not, to be of her sentiments, because he could no otherwise avoid her importunity. So he got all things ready, after as sumptuous a manner as he was able, and spared for nothing, and went up to Rome, and took Herodias along with him. But Agrippa, when he was made sensible of their intentions and preparations, he also prepared to go thither; and as soon as he heard they set sail, he sent Fortunatus, one of his freed-men, to Rome, to carry presents to the emperor, and letters against Herod, and to give Caius a particular account of those matters, if he should have any opportunity. This man followed Herod so quick, and had so prosperous a voyage, and came so little after Herod, that while Herod was with Caius, he came himself, and delivered his letters; for they both sailed to Dicearchia, and found Caius at
Bairn, which is itself a little city of Campania, at the distance of about five furlongs from Dicearchia. There are in that place royal palaces, with sumptuous apartments, every emperor still endeavoring to outdo his predecessor's magnificence; the place ,also affords warm baths, that spring out of the ground of their own accord, which are of advantage for the recovery of the health of those that make use of them; and, besides, they minister to men's luxury also. Now Caius saluted Herod, for he first met with him, and then looked upon the letters which Agrippa had sent him, and which were written in order to accuse Herod; wherein he accused him, that he had been in confederacy with Sejanus against Tiberius's and that he was now confederate with Artabanus, the king of Parthia, in opposition to the government of Caius; as a demonstration of which he alleged, that he had armor sufficient for seventy thousand men ready in his armory. Caius was moved at this information, and asked Herod whether what was said about the armor was true; and when he confessed there was such armor there, for he could not deny the same, the truth of it being too notorious, Caius took that to be a sufficient proof of the accusation, that he intended to revolt. So he took away from him his tetrarchy, and gave it by way of addition to Agrippa's kingdom; he also gave Herod's money to Agrippa, and, by way of punishment, awarded him a perpetual banishment, and appointed Lyons, a city of Gaul, to be his place of habitation. But when he was informed that Herodias was Agrippa's sister, he made her a present of what money was her own, and told her that it was her brother who prevented her being put under the same calamity with her husband. But she made this reply: “Thou, indeed, O emperor! actest after a magnificent manner, and as becomes thyself in what thou offerest me; but the kindness which I have for my husband hinders me from partaking of the favor of thy gift; for it is not just that I, who have been made a partner in his prosperity, should forsake him in his misfortunes.” Hereupon Caius was angry at her, and sent her with Herod into banishment, and gave her estate to Agrippa. And thus did God punish Herodias for her envy at her brother, and Herod also for giving ear to the vain discourses of a woman. Now Caius managed public affairs with great magnanimity during the first and second year of his reign, and behaved himself with such moderation, that he gained the good-will of the Romans themselves, and of his other subjects. But, in process of time, he went beyond the bounds of human nature in his conceit of himself, and by reason of the vastness of his dominions made himself a god, and took upon himself to act in all things to the reproach of the Deity itself.”” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Section 245] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.erodias

Coin of Salome: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/Salome_coin.jpg

[Additionally, Salome [daughter of Herodias] is mentioned numerous times throughout Antiquities of the Jews and Wars of the Jews by Flavius Josephus – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.uments=

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 3g – The Individuals

Caiaphas and Annas, the Highpriests:

Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. Luke 3:2

“Caiaphas”:

Matthew 26:3,57;

Luke 3:2;

John 11:49, 18:13,14,24,28;

Acts 4:6.

“1) a high priest of the Jews appointed to that office by Valerius Gratus, governor of Judaea, after removal of Simon, son of Camith, A.D. 18, and was removed A.D. 36 by Vitellius, governor of Syria, who appointed Jonathan, son of Ananus (Annus, father-in-law of Caiaphas), his successor.” [Strong's Concordance; Caiaphas [see also Thayer's Lexicon]] – http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang&#8230;.3&t=KJV

“Joseph, son of Caiaphas, Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא or Yosef Bar Kayafa, commonly known simply as Caiaphas (Greek: Καϊάφας) in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest who is said to have organized the plot to kill Jesus. Caiaphas is also said to have been involved in the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus.[1] …” [Wikipedia; Caiaphas] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caiaphas

“[29] As Coponius, who we told you was sent along with Cyrenius, was exercising his office of procurator, and governing Judea, the following accidents happened. As the Jews were celebrating the feast of unleavened bread, which we call the Passover, it was customary for the priests to open the temple-gates just after midnight. When, therefore, those gates were first opened, some of the Samaritans came privately into Jerusalem, and threw about dead men's bodies, in the cloisters; on which account the Jews afterward excluded them out of the temple, which they had not used to do at such festivals; and on other accounts also they watched the temple more carefully than they had formerly done. A little after which accident Coponius returned to Rome, and Marcus Ambivius came to be his successor in that government; under whom Salome, the sister of king Herod, died, and left to Julia, [Caesar's wife,] Jamnia, all its toparchy, and Phasaelis in the plain, and Arehelais, where is a great plantation of palm trees, and their fruit is excellent in its kind. After him came Annius Rufus, under whom died Caesar, the second emperor of the Romans, the duration of whose reign was fifty-seven years, besides six months and two days (of which time Antonius ruled together with him fourteen years; but the duration of his life was seventy-seven years); upon whose death Tiberius Nero, his wife Julia's son, succeeded. He was now the third emperor; and he sent Valerius Gratus to be procurator of Judea, and to succeed Annius Rufus. This man deprived Ananus of the high priesthood, and appointed Ismael, the son of Phabi, to be high priest. He also deprived him in a little time, and ordained Eleazar, the son of Ananus, who had been high priest before, to be high priest; which office, when he had held for a year, Gratus deprived him of it, and gave the high priesthood to Simon, the son of Camithus; and when he had possessed that dignity no longer than a year, Joseph Caiaphas was made his successor. When Gratus had done those things, he went back to Rome, after he had tarried in Judea eleven years, when Pontius Pilate came as his successor.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Section 29] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.aiaphas

“[90] But Vitellius came into Judea, and went up to Jerusalem; it was at the time of that festival which is called the Passover. Vitellius was there magnificently received, and released the inhabitants of Jerusalem from all the taxes upon the fruits that were bought and sold, and gave them leave to have the care of the high priest's vestments, with all their ornaments, and to have them under the custody of the priests in the temple, which power they used to have formerly, although at this time they were laid up in the tower of Antonia, the citadel so called, and that on the occasion following: There was one of the [high] priests, named Hyrcanus; and as there were many of that name, he was the first of them; this man built a tower near the temple, and when he had so done, he generally dwelt in it, and had these vestments with him, because it was lawful for him alone to put them on, and he had them there reposited when he went down into the city, and took his ordinary garments; the same things were continued to be done by his sons, and by their sons after them. But when Herod came to be king, he rebuilt this tower, which was very conveniently situated, in a magnificent manner; and because he was a friend to Antonius, he called it by the name of Antonia. And as he found these vestments lying there, he retained them in the same place, as believing, that while he had them in his custody, the people would make no innovations against him. The like to what Herod did was done by his son Archelaus, who was made king after him; after whom the Romans, when they entered on the government, took possession of these vestments of the high priest, and had them reposited in a stone-chamber, under the seal of the priests, and of the keepers of the temple, the captain of the guard lighting a lamp there every day; and seven days before a festival they were delivered to them by the captain of the guard, when the high priest having purified them, and made use of them, laid them up again in the same chamber where they had been laid up before, and this the very next day after the feast was over. This was the practice at the three yearly festivals, and on the fast day; but Vitellius put those garments into our own power, as in the days of our forefathers, and ordered the captain of the guard not to trouble himself to inquire where they were laid, or when they were to be used; and this he did as an act of kindness, to oblige the nation to him. Besides which, he also deprived Joseph, who was also called Caiaphas, of the high priesthood, and appointed Jonathan the son of Ananus, the former high priest, to succeed him. After which, he took his journey back to Antioch.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 18; Section 90] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.aiaphas

“Annas”:

Luke 3:2;

John 18:13,24;

Acts 4:6.

“1) high priest of the Jews, elevated to the priesthood by Quirinius the governor of Syria c
. 6 or 7 A.D., but afterwards deposed by Valerius Gratus, the procurator of Judaea, who put in his place, first Ismael, son of Phabi, and shortly after Eleazar, son of Annas. From the latter, the office passed to Simon; from Simon c. 18 A.D. to Caiaphas; but Annas even after he had been put out of office, continued to have great influence.” [Strong's Concordance; Annas [see also Thayer's Lexicon]] – http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang&#8230;.2&t=KJV

“Annas [also Ananus[1] or Ananias[2]], son of Seth (23/22 BC–death date unknown, probably around 40CE), was appointed by the Roman legate Quirinius as the first High Priest of the newly formed Roman province of Iudaea in 6 AD; just after the Romans had deposed Archelaus, Ethnarch of Judaea, thereby putting Judaea directly under Roman rule.

Annas officially served as High Priest for ten years (6–15 AD), when at the age of 36 he was deposed by the procurator Gratus 'for imposing and executing capital sentences which had been forbidden by the imperial government.'[3] Yet while having been officially removed from office, he remained as one of the nation's most influential political and social individuals, aided greatly by the use of his five sons and his son-in-law as puppet High Priests[4]. His death is unrecorded, but his son Annas the Younger, also known as Ananus ben Ananus was assassinated in 66 AD for advocating peace with Rome.[2]

Annas appears in the Gospels and Passion plays as a high priest before whom Jesus is brought for judgment, prior to being brought before Pontius Pilate. … ” [Wikipedia; Annas] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annas

“[197] AND now Caesar, upon hearing the death of Festus, sent Albinus into Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high priesthood, and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus. Now the report goes that this eldest Ananus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons who had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and who had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never happened to any other of our high priests. But this younger Ananus, who, as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees, 1 who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of the Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a sanhedrim without his consent. 2 Whereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he would bring him to punishment for what he had done; on which king Agrippa took the high priesthood from him, when he had ruled but three months, and made Jesus, the son of Damneus, high priest.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 20; Section 197] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0146

“[204] Now as soon as Albinus was come to the city of Jerusalem, he used all his endeavors and care that the country might be kept in peace, and this by destroying many of the Sicarii. But as for the high priest, Ananias 1 he increased in glory every day, and this to a great degree, and had obtained the favor and esteem of the citizens in a signal manner; for he was a great hoarder up of money: he therefore cultivated the friendship of Albinus, and of the high priest [Jesus], by making them presents; he also had servants who were very wicked, who joined themselves to the boldest sort of the people, and went to the thrashing-floors, and took away the tithes that belonged to the priests by violence, and did not refrain from beating such as would not give these tithes to them. So the other high priests acted in the like manner, as did those his servants, without any one being able to prohibit them; so that [some of the] priests, that of old were wont to be supported with those tithes, died for want of food.

1 This Ananias was not the son of Nebedeus, as I take it, but he who was called Annas or Ananus the elder, the ninth in the catalogue, and who had been esteemed high priest for a long time; and, besides Caiaphas, his son-in-law, had five of his own sons high priests after him, which were those of numbers 11, 14, 15, 17, 24, in the foregoing catalogue. Nor ought we to pass slightly over what Josephus here says of Annas, or Ananias, that he was high priest a long time before his children were so; he was the son of Seth, and is set down first for high priest in the foregoing catalogue, under number 9. He was made by Quirinus, and continued till Ismael, the 10th in number, for about twenty-three years, which long duration of his high priesthood, joined to the successions of his son-in-law, and five children of his own, made him a sort of perpetual high priest, and was perhaps the occasion that former high priests kept their titles ever afterwards; for I believe it is hardly met with be fore him.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 20; Section 204] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0146

“High Priest” [further references to the High Priests Annas and Caiaphas]:

Matthew 26:3,51,57,58,62,63,65;

Mark 14:47,53,54,60,61,63,66;

Luke 22:50,54;

John 11:49,51, 18:10,13,15,16,19,22,24,26;

Acts 4:6, 5:17,21,24,27, 7:1, 9:1.

See also the List of High Priests of Israel – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_High_Priests_of_Israel

…we now have the High Priests.

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 3h – The Individuals

Is there evidence of the Sanhedrin, and of other influencial councillors?

Sanhedrin [Greek: “synedrion” “συνέδριον” [KJV: “council”]]:

Matthew 5:22, 10:17, 26:59;

Mark 13:9, 14:55, 15:1;

Luke 22:66;

John 11:47;

Acts 4:15, 5:21,27,34,41, 6:12,15, 22:30, 23:1,6,15,20,28, 24:20.

“1) any assembly (esp. of magistrates, judges, ambassadors), whether convened to deliberate or pass judgment; 2) any session or assembly or people deliberating or adjudicating; a) the Sanhedrin, the great council at Jerusalem, consisting of the seventy one members, viz. scribes, elders, prominent members of the high priestly families and the high priest, the president of the assembly. The most important causes were brought before this tribunal, inasmuch as the Roman rulers of Judaea had left to it the power of trying such cases, and also of pronouncing sentence of death, with the limitation that a capital sentence pronounced by the Sanhedrin was not valid unless it was confirmed by the Roman procurator.; b) a smaller tribunal or council which every Jewish town had for the decision of less important cases.” [Strong's Concordance; “synedrion” [Sanhedrin]] – http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang&#8230;.2&t=KJV

see also for additional – http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/S/SANHEDRIN/

“The Sanhedrin (Hebrew: סַנְהֶדְרִין‎; Greek: συνέδριον,[1] synedrion, “sitting together,” hence “assembly” or “council”) was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Biblical Land of Israel.[2]

The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel made of 71 members. The Great Sanhedrin was made up of a Chief/Prince/Leader called Nasi (at some times this position may have been held by the Kohen Gadol or the High Priest), a vice chief justice (Av Beit Din), and sixty-nine general members.[3] In the Second Temple period, the Great Sanhedrin met in the Hall of Hewn Stones in the Temple in Jerusalem. …

… The Sanhedrin is mentioned in the Gospels in relation to the Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus. … ” [Wikipedia; Sanhedrin] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanhedrin

“Hebrew-Aramaic term originally designating only the assembly at Jerusalem that constituted the highest political magistracy of the country. It was derived from the Greek συνέδριον. Josephus uses συνέδριον for the first time in connection with the decree of the Roman governor of Syria, Gabinius (57 B.C.), who abolished the constitution and the then existing form of government of Palestine and divided the country into five provinces, at the head of each of which a sanhedrin was placed (“Ant.” xiv. 5, § 4). Jerusalem was the seat of one of these. It is improbable, however, that the term “synhedrion” as a designation for the chief magistracy was used for the first time in connection with this decree of Gabinius; indeed, from the use made of it in the Greek translation of the Proverbs, Bacher concludes that it must have been current in the middle of the second century B.C. …” [Jewish Encyclopedia Online; Sanhedrin] – http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13178-sanhedrin

“[89] When Gabinius had done thus in the country, he returned to Alexandrium; and when he urged on the siege of the place, Alexander sent an embassage to him, desiring that he would pardon his former offenses; he also delivered up the fortresses, Hyrcania and Macherus, and at last Alexandrium itself which fortresses Gabinius demolished. But when Alexander's mother, who was of the side of the Romans, as having her husband and other children at Rome, came to him, he granted her whatsoever she asked; and when he had settled matters with her, he brought Hyrcanus to Jerusalem, and committed the care of the temple to him. And when he had ordained five councils, he distributed the nation into the same number of parts. So these councils governed the people; the first was at Jerusalem, the second at Gadara, the third at Amathus, the fourth at Jericho, and the fifth at Sepphoris in Galilee. So the Jews were now freed from monarchic authority, and were governed by an aristocracy.” [Flavius Josephus; Antiquities of the Jews; Book 14; Chapter 5; Section 4] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper&#8230;.01.0146

Now that we have the Sanhedrin, the High Priests, Herod's and Pilate, who else may we find?

“Gamaliel”:

Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; Acts 5:34

And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. Acts 5:35

For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. Acts 5:36

After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, [even] as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. Acts 5:37

And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: Acts 5:38

But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. Acts 5:39

And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten [them], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Acts 5:40

I am verily a man
[which am] a Jew, born in Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, [and] taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. Acts 22:3

“1) a Pharisee and celebrated doctor of the law, who gave prudent worldly advice in the Sanhedrin respecting the treatment of the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Acts 5:34 ff. (A.D.29.) We learn from Acts 22:3 that he was the preceptor of Paul. He is generally identified with the very celebrated Jewish doctor Gamaliel, grandson of Hillel, and who is referred to as authority in the Jewish Mishna.” [Strong's Concordance; Gamaliel [see also Thayer's Lexicon]] – http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang&#8230;.9&t=KJV

“Gamaliel the Elder (English pronunciation: /ɡəˈmeɪljəl/),[1] or Rabban Gamaliel I (רבן גמליאל הזקן; Greek: Γαμαλιήλ ο Πρεσβύτερος), was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the mid 1st century CE. He was son of Simeon Ben Hillel, and grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder, and died twenty years before the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (70 CE). He fathered a son, whom he called Simeon, after his father,[2] and a daughter, whose daughter (i.e., Gamaliel's granddaughter) married a priest named Simon ben Nathanael.[3] The name Gamaliel is the Greek form of the Hebrew name meaning reward of God. …

… In the Talmud, Gamaliel is described as bearing the titles Nasi and Rabban (our master), as the president of the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem; although some dispute this, it is not doubted that he held a senior position in the highest court in Jerusalem.[2] Gamaliel holds a reputation in the Mishnah for being one of the greatest teachers in all the annals of Judaism:

“Since Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died, there has been no more reverence for the law, and purity and piety died out at the same time”[9] …

… Various pieces of classical rabbinic literature additionally mention that Gamaliel sent out three epistles, designed as notifications of new religious rulings, and which portray Gamaliel as the head of the Jewish body for religious-law.[15][16][17][18] …

[15] ^ Sanhedrin (Tosefta) 2:6
[16] ^ Sanhedrin 11b
[17] ^ Sanhedrin (Jerusalem Talmud only) 18d
[18] ^ Ma'aser Sheni (Jerusalem Talmud only) 56c ” [Wikipedia; Gamaliel] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamaliel

“His Correspondence.

Son of Simon and grandson of Hillel: according to a tannaitic tradition (Shab.15a), he was their successor as nasi and first president of the Great Sanhedrin of Jerusalem. Although the reliability of this tradition, especially as regards the title of “nasi,” has been justly disputed, it is nevertheless a fact beyond all doubt that in the second third of the first century Gamaliel (of whose father, Simon, nothing beyond his name is known) occupied a leading position in the highest court, the great council of Jerusalem, and that, as a member of that court, he received the cognomen “Ha-Zaḳen.” Like his grandfather, Hillel, he was the originator of many legal ordinances with a view to the “tiḳḳun ha-'olam” (= “improvement of the world”: Giṭ. iv. 1-3; comp. also Yeb. xvi. 7; R. H. ii. 5). Gamaliel appears as the head of the legal-religious body in the three epistles which he at one time dictated to the secretary Johanan (account of Judah b. 'Illai: Tosef., Sanh. ii. 6; Sanh. 11b; Yer. Sanh. 18d; Yer. Ma'as. Sh. 56c). Two of these letters went to the inhabitants of Galilee and of the Darom (southern Palestine), and had reference to the tithes; the third letter was written for the Jews of the Diaspora, and gave notice of an intercalary month which Gamaliel and his colleagues had decided upon. …” [Jewish Encyclopedia Online: Gamaliel I] – http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6494-gamaliel-i

See also the direct Jewish Source in the Babylonian Talmud [Sanhedrin 11b] – http://halakhah.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_11.html#11a_22

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 4a. – Jesus, The Christ

Now that we have so many from history, let us now consider the center of all of which these people and events have surrounded.

Tacitus:

“Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56 – AD 117) was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors. These two works span the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Augustus in AD 14 to (presumably) the death of emperor Domitian in AD 96. … Tacitus is considered to be one of the greatest Roman historians.[1][2] He lived in what has been called the Silver Age of Latin literature, and as well as the brevity and compactness of his Latin prose, he is known for his penetrating insights into the psychology of power politics. … ” [Wikipedia; Tacitus] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus

“In his Annals, in book 15, chapter 44, written c. 116 AD, there is a passage which refers to Christ, to Pontius Pilate, and to a mass execution of the Christians after a six-day fire that burned much of Rome in July 64 AD by Nero.[30] … This narration has long attracted scholarly interest because it is a rare non-Christian reference to the origin of Christianity, the execution of Christ described in the Canonical gospels, and the persecution of Christians in 1st-century Rome. Almost all scholars consider these references to the Christians to be authentic.[32][33]” [Wikipedia; Tacitus; subsection “Tacitus on Christ”] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus#Tacitus_on_Christ

“Such indeed were the precautions of human wisdom. The next thing was to seek means of propitiating the gods, and recourse was had to the Sibylline books, by the direction of which prayers were offered to Vulcanus, Ceres, and Proserpina. Juno, too, was entreated by the matrons, first, in the Capitol, then on the nearest part of the coast, whence water was procured to sprinkle the fane and image of the goddess. And there were sacred banquets and nightly vigils celebrated by married women. But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.

Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed.” [Cornelius Tacitus; Annals [Ab excessu divi Augusti (Annals)]; Book 15; Chapter 44 English] – http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/…201999.02.0078

“44. Et haec quidem humanis consiliis providebantur. mox petita [a] dis piacula aditique Sibyllae libri, ex quibus supplicatum Volcano et Cereri Proserpinaeque, ac propitiata Iuno per matronas, primum in Capitolio, deinde apud proximum mare, unde hausta aqua templum et simulacrum deae perspersum est; et sellisternia ac pervigilia celebravere feminae, quibus mariti erant. Sed non ope humana, non largitionibus principis aut deum placamentis decedebat infamia, quin iussum incendium crederetur. ergo abolendo rumori Nero subdidit reos et quaesitissimis poenis adfecit, quos per flagitia invisos vulgus Chrestianos appellabat. auctor nominis eius Christus Tibero imperitante per procuratorem Pontium Pilatum supplicio adfectus erat; repressaque in praesens exitiablilis superstitio rursum erumpebat, non modo per Iudaeam, originem eius mali, sed per urbem etiam, quo cuncta undique atrocia aut pudenda confluunt celebranturque. igitur primum correpti qui fatebantur, deinde indicio eorum multitudo ingens haud proinde in crimine incendii quam odio humani generis convicti sunt. et pereuntibus addita ludibria, ut ferarum tergis contecti laniatu canum interirent aut crucibus adfixi [aut flammandi atque], ubi defecisset dies, in usu[m] nocturni luminis urerentur. hortos suos ei spectaculo Nero obtulerat, et circense ludicrum edebat, habitu aurigae permixtus plebi vel curriculo insistens. unde quamquam adversus sontes et novissima exempla meritos miseratio oriebatur, tamquam non utilitate publica, sed in saevitiam unius absumerentur.” [Cornelius Tacitus; Annals [Ab excessu divi Augusti (Annals)]] Book 15; Chapter 44 Latin] – http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/tac/a15040.htm#a_15_044

Annals Book 15; Chapter 44 scan [the second Medicean manuscript] [see line 6, 2nd word[chrestianos] and line 7 1st word[christus]] – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi…s/1/1d/MII.png

Thus from Secular History we have:

[1.] “Christians” w
ere being persecuted and tortured by Nero, even “nailed to crosses”, of which even arose “a feeling of compassion” after a time from the citizens of Rome (Matthew 10:18; Mark 13:9 *a).

[2.] “Christ”, was the name for which they [Christians] are so named (Acts 11:26, 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16 *b).

[3.] This Christ “suffered the extreme penalty” [crucifixion] (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; Luke 24:20; John 19:16; 1 Corinthians 2:8; etc *c).

[4.] This Christ died “at the hands” of “Pontius Pilate” (John 19:15 *d).

[5.] This Christ was put to death “during the reign of Tiberius” Caesar (Luke 3:1-2 *e).

[6.] These Christians, were said to be following a “superstition” (Acts 25:19 *f) [religious belief] by the Romans.

[7.] These Christians had to first be “checked” in Judaea, being according to the Romans, “the first source of the evil” (Matthew 2:1; Acts 1:8, 8:1; etc. *g).

[8.] These Christians were then also found to spring up “even in Rome” itself, after it was found originating from Judaea (Acts 19:21, 23:11; Romans 1:7,15; etc. *h).

History – the Frame of Reference Part 4a.. – Jesus, The Christ

References listed in previous [Part 4a.]:

[*a]: And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. Matthew 10:18

But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. Mark 13:9

[*b]: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts 11:26

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Acts 26:28

Yet if [any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 1 Peter 4:16

[*c]: Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered [him] to be crucified. Matthew 27:26

And [so] Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged [him], to be crucified. Mark 15:15

And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. Luke 24:20

Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led [him] away. John 19:16

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:8

etc.

[*d]: But they cried out, Away with [him], away with [him], crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. John 19:15

[*e]: Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Luke 3:1

Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. Luke 3:2

[*f]: But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. Acts 25:19

[*g]: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Matthew 2:1

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. Acts 8:1

etc.

[*h]: After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. Acts 19:21

And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. Acts 23:11

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called [to be] saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7

So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. Romans 1:15

etc.

Prophecy gave the exact year when Christ Jesus would be anointed [Baptised] [AD 27] [3 1/2 years before his death], and crucified [AD 31], even the exact day and time [Passover]:

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Daniel 9:24

Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. Daniel 9:25

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. Daniel 9:26

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Daniel 9:27

… but more upon those exact and specific points later, for the counting of the time began in 457 BC, from the decree given in the 7th Year of Artaxerxes I [Longimanus] in Ezra 7.

According to scripture [Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel 2,7-12, Revelation, etc], after the overturning of the Four major empires, the Kingdoms of Babylonia to Medo-Persia, of Medo-Persia to Greece, and of Greece to Rome, we see it even foretold in Ezekiel:

I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no [more], until he come whose right it is; and I will give it [him]. Ezekiel 21:27

We will come back to these a bit later, and look at them more closely…

According to secular history, Christ [Jesus] lived, in the very era in which scripture declares he did and so died in the time and manner by which they give.

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 4b. – Jesus, The Christ

Suetonius:

“Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius (ca. 69/75 – after 130), was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era.

His most important surviving work is a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to Domitian, entitled De Vita Caesarum. He recorded the earliest accounts of Julius Caesar's epileptic seizures. Other works by Suetonius concern the daily life of Rome, politics, oratory, and the lives of famous writers, including poets, historians, and grammarians. A few of these books have partially survived, but many have been lost. …

… In CE 64, a great fire broke out in Rome, destroying portions of the city and economically devastating the Roman population. Suetonius cast blame on the Emperor Nero himself as the arsonist,[5] claiming he played the lyre and sang the Sack of Ilium during the fires. Tacitus says that Nero attempted to shift the blame to the Chrestiani, usually taken to mean “Christians”, setting off the earliest documented Imperial persecution of what was regarded by the Romans at the time as still a Jewish sect and as a superstitio (“superstition,” or illegitimate form of religious belief).[6] While Suetonius makes no connection to the Christians in his account of the Great Fire, he mentions Chrestus[7] elsewhere as an example of Nero's harshness, saying that punishments were inflicted on them.[8] In his Life of Claudius, Suetonius says that Jews instigated by Chrestus were expelled from the city for causing disturbances.[9] Suetonius' mentions of Chrestus and Christiani, taken with that of Tacitus, is an important piece of evidence in scholarly discussions of the historicity of Jesus.[10]” [Wikipedia; Seutonius] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seutonius

“25 He rearranged the military career of the knights, assigning a division of cavalry after a cohort, and next the tribunate of a legion. He also instituted a series of military positions and a kind of fictitious service, which is called “supernumerary” and could be performed in absentia and in name only. He even had the Fathers pass a decree forbidding soldiers to enter the houses of senators to pay their respects. He confiscated p51the property of those freedmen who passed as Roman knights, and reduced to slavery again such as were ungrateful and a cause of complaint to their patrons, declaring to their advocates that he would not entertain a suit against their own freedmen.71 2 When certain men were exposing their sick and worn out slaves on the Island of Aesculapius72 because of the trouble of treating them, Claudius decreed that all such slaves were free, and that if they recovered, they should not return to the control of their master; but if anyone preferred to kill such a slave rather than to abandon him, he was liable to the charge of murder. He provided by an edict that travellers should not pass through the towns of Italy except on foot, or in a chair or litter. He stationed a cohort at Puteoli and one at Ostia, to guard against the danger of fires.

3 He forbade men of foreign birth to use the Roman names so far as those of the clans73 were concerned. Those who usurped the privileges of Roman citizenship he executed in the Esquiline field.74 He restored to the senate the provinces of Achaia and Macedonia, which Tiberius had taken into his own charge. He deprived the Lycians of their independence because of deadly intestine feuds, and restored theirs to the Rhodians, since they had given up their former faults. He allowed the people of Ilium perpetual exemption from tribute, on the ground that they were the founders of the Roman race, reading an ancient letter of the senate and people of p53Rome written in Greek to king Seleucus, in which they promised him their friendship and alliance only on condition that he should keep their kinsfolk of Ilium free from every burden. 4 Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus,75 he expelled them from Rome. He allowed the envoys of the Germans to sit in the orchestra, led by their naïve self-confidence; for when they had been taken to the seats occupied by the common people and saw the Parthian and Armenian envoys sitting with the senate, they moved of their own accord to the same part of the theatre, protesting that their merits and rank were no whit inferior. 5 He utterly abolished the cruel and inhuman religion of the Druids among the Gauls, which under Augustus had merely been prohibited to Roman citizens; on the other hand he even attempted to transfer the Eleusinian rites from Attica to Rome, and had the temple of Venus Erycina in Sicily, which had fallen to ruin through age, restored at the expense of the treasury of the Roman people. He struck his treaties with foreign princes in the Forum, sacrificing a pig76 and reciting the ancient formula of the fetial priests.77 But these and other acts, and in fact almost the whole conduct of his reign, were dictated not so much by his own judgment as that of his wives and freedmen, since he nearly always acted in accordance with their interests and desires.” [Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus; The Lives Of The Caesars; Life of Claudius [De Vita Claudii]; Section 25.4 English] – http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer&#8230;.s*.html

“25 Equestris militias ita ordinavit, ut post cohortem alam, post alam tribunatum legionis daret; stipendiaque instituit et imaginariae militiae genus, quod vocatur “supra numerum,” quo absentes et titulo tenus fungerentur. Milites domus senatorias salutandi causa ingredi etiam patrum decreto prohibuit. Libertinos, qui se pro equitibus R. p50 agerent, publicavit, ingratos et de quibus patroni quererentur revocavit in servitutem advocatisque eorum negavit se adversus libertos ipsorum ius dicturum. 2 Cum quidam aegra et adfecta mancipia in insulam Aesculapi taedio medendi exponerent, omnes qui exponerentur liberos esse sanxit, nec redire in dicionem domini, si convaluissent; quod si quis necare quem mallet quam exponere, caedis crimine teneri. Viatores ne per Italiae oppida nisi aut pedibus aut sella aut lectica transirent, monuit edicto. Puteolis et Ostiae singulas cohortes ad arcendos incendiorum casus collocavit.

3 Peregrinae condicionis homines vetuit usurpare Romana nomina dum taxat gentilicia. Civitatem R. usurpantes in campo Esquilino37 securi percussit. Provincias Achaiam et Macedoniam, quas Tiberius ad curam suam transtulerat, senatui reddidit. Luciis ob exitiabiles inter se discordias libertatem ademit, Rhodiis ob paenitentiam veterum delictorum reddidit. Iliensibus quasi Romanae gentis auctoribus tributa in perpetuum remisit recitata vetere epistula Graeca p52senatus populique R. Seleuco regi amicitiam et societatem ita demum pollicentis, si consanguineos suos Ilienses ab omni onere immunes praestitisset. 4 Iudaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantisº Roma expulit. Germanorum legatis in orchestra sedere p
ermisit, simplicitate eorum et fiducia commotus, quod in popularia deducti, cum animadvertissent Parthos et Armenios sedentis in senatu, ad eadem loca sponte transierant, nihilo deteriorem virtutem aut condicionem suam praedicantes. 5 Druidarum38 religionem apud Gallios dirae immanitatis et tantum civibus sub Augusto interdictam penitus abolevit; contra sacra Eleusinia etiam transferre ex Attica Romam conatus est, templumque in Sicilia Veneris Erycinae vetustate conlapsum ut ex aerario pop. R. reficeretur, auctor fuit. Cum regibus foedus in Foro icit39 porca caesa ac vetere fetialium praefatione adhibita. Sed et haec et cetera totumque adeo ex parte magna principatum non tam suo quam uxorum libertorumque arbitrio administravit, talis ubique plerumque, qualem esse eum aut expediret illis aut liberet.” [Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus; The Lives Of The Caesars; Life of Claudius [De Vita Claudii]; Section 25.4 Latin] – http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer&#8230;.html#25

The Lives Of The Caesars; Life Of Claudius [De Vita Claudii]; Liber V [Book 5]; Divus Claudius; page 94, Lines 8-9; “4 Iudaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantisº Roma expulit.”] – http://ia600406.us.archive.org/27&#8230;.822.pdf

“16 He devised a new form for the buildings of the city and in front of the houses and apartments he erected porches, from the flat roofs of which fires could be fought;44 and these he put up at his own cost. He had also planned to extend the walls as far as Ostia and to bring the sea from there to Rome by a canal.

2 During his reign many abuses were severely punished and put down, and no fewer new laws were made: a limit was set to expenditures; the public banquets were confined to a distribution of food; the sale of any kind of cooked viands in the taverns was forbidden, with the exception of pulse and vegetables, whereas before every sort of dainty was exposed for sale.45 Punishment was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition. He put an end to the diversions of the chariot drivers, who from immunity of long standing claimed the right of ranging at large and amusing themselves by cheating and robbing the people. The pantomimic actors and their partisans were banished from the city.46” [Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus; The Lives Of The Caesars; Life of Nero [De Vita Neronis] Section 16.2 English] – http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer&#8230;.o*.html

“16 Formam aedificiorum urbis novam excogitavit et ut ante insulas ac domos porticus essent, de quarum13 solariis incendia arcerentur; easque sumptu suo exstruxit. Destinarat etiam Ostia tenus moenia promovere atque inde fossa mare veteri urbi inducere.

2 Multa sub eo et animadversa severe et coercita nec minus instituta: adhibitus sumptibus modus; publicae cenae ad sportulas redactae; interdictum ne quid in popinis cocti praeter legumina aut holera veniret, cum antea nullum non obsonii genus proponeretur; afflicti suppliciis Christiani, genus hominum superstitionis novae ac maleficae; vetiti quadrigariorum lusus, quibus inveterata licentia passim vagantibus fallere ac furari per iocum ius erat; pantomimorum factiones cum ipsis simul relegatae.” [Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus; The Lives Of The Caesars; Life of Nero [De Vita Neronis] Section 16.2 Latin] – http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer&#8230;.html#16

The Lives Of The Caesars; Life Of Nero [De Vita Neronis]; Liber VI [Book 6]; Nero; page 115, Lines 6-7; “afflicti suppliciis Christiani, genus hominum superstitionis novae ac maleficae;”] – http://ia600406.us.archive.org/27&#8230;.822.pdf

Thus, again, from Secular History we have:

[1.] “Jews” ['Christians'; 'seen' as a 'sect' thereof [Acts 24:5, 28:22 *a]] were “constantly” causing “disturbances” in “Rome”.

[2.] These “disturbances”, according to the Romans, were “at the instigation” of “Chrestus” [Christ] [Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15,20; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:8 *b].

[3.] These “Jews” were then “expelled” from “Rome” [Acts 18:2 *c] by Claudius Caesar's command.

[4.] The open use of the designation “Christians” [Acts 11:26, 26:28 *d] in Rome is now noted in the reign of Nero Caesar.

[5.] “Punishment was inflicted upon the Christians” by the Romans [1 Peter 4:16 *e].

[6.] These “Christians” are called a “class of men” given to a “new … superstition” [religion] [Acts 17:18-34; Romans 1:15 *f].

History – the Frame of Reference Part 4b.. – Jesus, The Christ

References of the Bible above:

[*a]: A “sect” that is “spoken against”:

For we have found this man [a] pestilent [fellow], and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: Acts 24:5

But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against. Acts 28:22

[*b]: Going into all the world, beginning at Jerusalem, then in Judaea, then into Samaria and to all the earth [including Rome]:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:20

And he sa
id unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with [them], and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. Mark 16:20

And he said unto them, These [are] the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms, concerning me. Luke 24:44

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, Luke 24:45

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: Luke 24:46

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Luke 24:47

And ye are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:48

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8

[*c]: The expulsion of the “Jews” by Claudius in Scripture:

And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome and came unto them. Acts 18:2

[*d]: Called “Christians” first at Antioch, which then later spread abroad:

And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts 11:26

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Acts 26:28

[*e]: Persecution:

Yet if [any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 1 Peter 4:16

[*f]: Something new, but from of old:

Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. Acts 17:18

And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, [is]? Acts 17:19

For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. Acts 17:20

(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) Acts 17:21

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, [Ye] men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. Acts 17:22

For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. Acts 17:23

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Acts 17:24

Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; Acts 17:25

And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; Acts 17:26

That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: Acts 17:27

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Acts 17:28

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. Acts 17:29

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Acts 17:30

Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead. Acts 17:31

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this [matter]. Acts 17:32

So Paul departed from among them. Acts 17:33

Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which [was] Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. Acts 17:34

So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. Romans 1:15

[Anonymous]

History – the Frame of Reference Part 4c. – Jesus, The Christ

Pliny The Younger:

“Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61 AD – ca. 112 AD), better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him. They were both witnesses to the eruption of Vesuvius on 24 August 79 AD.

Pliny is known for his hundreds of surviving letters, which are an invaluable historical source for the time period. Many are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian, Tacitus. Pliny himself was a notable figure, serving as an imperial magistrate under Trajan (reigned AD 98–117).[1] Pliny was considered an honest and moderate man, consistent in his pursuit of suspected Christian members according to Roman law, and rose through a series of Imperial civil and military offices, the cursus honorum (see below). He was a friend of the historian Tacitus and employed the biographer Suetonius in his staff. …” [Wikipedia; Pliny The Younger] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_younger

“C. Pliny to Emperor Trajan

It is customary for me, sir, to refer to you in all matters wherein I have a doubt. Who truly is better able to rule my hesitancy, or to instruct my ignorance? I was never present at examinations of Christians, therefore I do not know what is customarily punished, nor to what extent, nor how far to take the investigation. I was quite undecided; should there be any consideration given to age; are those who are however delicate no different from the stronger? Should penitence obtain pardon; or, as has been the case particularly with Christians, to desist makes no difference? Should the name itself be punished (even if crimes are absent), or the crimes that go with the name?

Meanwhile, this is the method I have followed with those who were brought before me as Christians. I asked them directly if they were Christians. The ones who answered affirmatively I questioned again with a warning, and yet a third time: those who persisted I ordered led [away]. For I have no doubt, whatever else they confessed to, certainly [this] pertinacity and inflexible obstinacy ought to be punished. There were others alike of madness, whom I noted down to be sent to the City, because they were Roman citizens. Soon in consequence of this policy itself, as it was made standard, many kinds of criminal charges occurred and spread themselves abroad. A pamphlet was published anonymously, containing the names of many.

Those who denied that they were or ever had been Christians, when they swore before me, called on the gods and offered incense and wine to your image (which I had ordered brought in for this [purpose], along with images of the gods), and also cursed Christ (which, it is said, it is impossible to force those who are real Christians to do) I thought worthy to be acquitted. Others named by an informer, said they had been Christians, but now denied [it]; certainly they had been, but had lapsed, some three years ago, some more; and more than one [lit. not nobody] over twenty years ago. These all worshiped both your image and the images of the gods and cursed Christ.

They stated that the sum of their guilt or error amounted to this, that they used to gather on a stated day before dawn and sing to Christ as if he were a god, and that they took an oath not to involve themselves in villainy, but rather to commit no theft, no fraud, no adultery; not to break faith, nor to deny money placed with them in trust. Once these things were done, it was their custom to part and return later to eat a meal together, innocently, although they stopped this after my edict, in which I, following your mandate, forbade all secret societies.

All the more I believed it necessary to find out what was the truth from two servant maids, which were called deaconesses, by means of torture. Nothing more did I find than a disgusting, fanatical superstition.

Therefore I stopped the examination, and hastened to consult you. For it appears to me a proper matter for counsel, most greatly on account of the number of people endangered. For many of all ages, all classes, and both sexes already are brought into danger, and shall be [in future]. And not only the cities; the contagion of this superstition is spread throughout the villages and the countryside; but it appears to me possible to stop it and put it right. Certainly the temples which were once deserted are beginning to be crowded, and the long interrupted sacred rites are being revived, while food from the sacrifices is selling, for which up to now a buyer was hardly to be found. From which it may easily be supposed, that what disturbs men can be mended, if a place is allowed for repentance.” [Pliny The Younger; Epistulae, Volume X, Number 96 [English]]http://www.tyrannus.com/pliny_let.html

“C. Plinius Traiano Imperatori

Sollemne est mihi, domine, omnia, de quibus dubito, ad te referre. Quis enim potest melius vel cunctationem meum regere vel ignorantiam instruere? Cognitionibus de Christianis interfui numquam: ideo nescio quid et quatenus aut puniri soleat aut quaeri. Nec mediocriter haesitavi, sitne aliquod discrimen aetatum, an quamlibet teneri nihil a robustioribus differant; detur paenitentiae venia, an ei, qui omnino Christianibus fuit, desisse non prosit; nomen ipsum, si flagitiis careat, an flagitia cohaerentia nomini puniantur.

Interim in iis, qui ad me tamquam Christiani deferebantur, hunc sum secutus modum. Interrogavi ipsos, an essent Christiani. Confitentes iterum ac tertio interrogavi supplicium minatus: perseverantes duci iussi. Neque enim dubitabam, qualecumque esset quod faterentur, pertinaciam certe et inflexibilem obstinationem debere puniri. Fuerunt alii similis amentiae, quos quia cives Romani erant, adnotavi in urbem remittendos. Mox ipso tractatu, ut fieri solet, diffundente se crimine, plures species inciderunt. Propositus est libellus sine auctore multorum nomina continens.

Qui negabant esse se Christianos aut fuisse, cum praeeunte me deos appellarent et imagini tuae, quam propter hoc iusseram cum simulacris numinum adferri, ture ac vino supplicarent, praeterea male dicerent Christo, quorum nihil posse cogi dicuntur, qui sunt re vera Christiani, dimittendos esse putavi. Alii ab indice nominati esse se Christianos dixerunt et mox negaverunt; fuisse quidem, sed desisse, quidem ante triennium, quidam ante plures annos; non nemo etiam ante viginti. Hi quoque omnes et imaginem tuam deorumque simulacra venerati sunt et Christo maledixerunt.

Adfirmabant autem hanc fuisse summam vel culpae suae vel erroris, quod essent soliti stato die ante lucem convenire carmenque Christo quasi deo dicere secum invicem seque sacramento non in scelus aliquod obstringere, sed ne furta, ne latrocinia, ne adulteria committerent, ne fidem fallerent, ne depositum appellati abnegarent; quibus peractis, morem sibi discedendi fuisse rursusque coeundi ad capiendum cibum, promiscuum tamen et innoxium; quod ipsum facere desisse post edictum meum, quo secundum mandata tua hetaerias esse vetueram.

Quo magis necessarium credidi ex duabus ancillis, quae ministrae dicebantur, quid esset veri, et per tormenta quaerere. Nihil aliud inveni quam superstitionem pravam, immodicam.

I
deo dilata cognitione, ad consulendum te decucurri. Visa est enim mihi res digna consultatione, maxime propter periclitantium numerum. Multi enim omnis aetatis, omnis ordinis, utriusque sexus etiam vocantur in periculum et vocabuntur. Neque civitates tantum, sed vicos etiam atque agros superstitionis istius contagio pervagata est; quae videtur sisti et corrigi posse. Certe satis constat prope iam desolata templa coepisse celebrari, et sacra sollemnia diu intermissa repeti pastumque venire victimarum, cuius adhuc rarissimus emptor inveniebatur. Ex quo facile est opinari, qui turba hominum emendari possit, si sit paenitentiae locus.” [Pliny The Younger; Epistulae, Volume X, Number 96 [Latin]] – http://www.tyrannus.com/pliny_let.html

“You have adopted the proper course, my dear Pliny, in dealing with the Christians who have been brought before you. No general or definite ruling can be laid down. They are not to be hunted out, but if brought before you and convicted of they must be punished. Those, however, who deny their Christianity and prove their denial by praying to our gods, may wipe out past suspicions, and secure a free pardon by their recantation. Anonymous accusations of all sorts are are inadmissible. They are contrary to the spirit of our time.” [Pliny The Younger; Epistulae, Volume X, Number 97; page 216-217 [English]; C. Plinii Caecilii Secundi Epistulae ad Traianum imperatorem cum eiusdem …; for total sections 96-97 [XCVI – XCVII] in Latin and English; see pages 211-217] – http://books.google.com/books?i&#8230;.f=false

“TRAIANUS PLINIO S.

1 Actum quem debuisti, mi Secunde, in excutiendis causis eorum, qui Christiani ad te delati fuerant, secutus es. Neque enim in universum aliquid, quod quasi certam formam habeat, constitui potest. 2 Conquirendi non sunt; si deferantur et arguantur, puniendi sunt, ita tamen ut, qui negaverit se Christianum esse idque re ipsa manifestum fecerit, id est supplicando dis nostris, quamvis suspectus in praeteritum, veniam ex paenitentia impetret. Sine auctore vero propositi libelli nullo crimine locum habere debent. Nam et pessimi exempli nec nostri saeculi est.” [Pliny The Younger; Epistulae, Volume X, Number 97 [Latin]] – http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/pliny.ep10.html  

History – the Frame of Reference Part 4c.. – Jesus, The Christ

Thus, we see yet for a third time from Secular History that we have:

[1.] “Christians”, of all “age(s)”, men, women and children, were being “examined” and subjected to interrogation, even by means “of torture”, by the Romans for their particular practices and faith.

[2.] We see Christianity [thus the “Christians”] spreading outward further from the area of origin in Jerusalem, just as was given in the scriptures. We see that some were even “Roman citizens” themselves; like unto Paul (Acts 22:25-29 *a). They, who refused to renounce and “curse” “Christ”, or to call “on the gods” [Roman pantheon, “our gods”; etc] or to offer “incense and wine to” Caesars “image” when turned in and interrogated were then “led (away)” and if they were also a Roman citizen were sent to the “City” [Rome] for destruction.

[3.] We see that the Romans, including Pliny the Younger, called this Christianity, a “disgusting, fanatical superstition”, and a “madness” that was spreading even among the Roman citizenry; because it was putting to an end of their own Roman worship practices and licentiousness (Acts 14:15; Romans 1:15 *b).

[4.] We see evidence that the greater Roman government feared the Christians, for it was obvious to Pliny [the Younger] of the effect such “superstition” [as he so designated Christianity] was having upon the whole populace of the Roman empire, and so says, “… the number of people endangered. For many of all ages, all classes, and both sexes already are brought into danger, and shall be [in future]. And not only the cities; the contagion of this superstition is spread throughout the villages and the countryside…”. It was all too clear [to Pliny the Younger] that there was direct correlation and evidence that Christianity was greatly and adversely affecting their [Roman] pagan worship and daily lifestyles, etc, for he states that once he had began to put his Roman 'foot down' and enforce laws against their “societies”, and by force make them to cease, as he says that it might be “… possible to stop it and put it right…”, and by so doing, it would bring back all of the pagan worship in their various temples and rites and sacrifices to their “gods”. So, he even notes this correlation, that once he had indeed begun to have Christians “tortured”, etc that the Roman “… temples which were once deserted are beginning to be crowded, and the long interrupted sacred rites are being revived, while food from the sacrifices is selling, for which up to now a buyer was hardly to be found. …”

[5.] We see evidence that these true Christians worshiped “Christ” as “a god” and would not worship others, nor of the “image” of Caesar, even in the face of “torture” and death. This is also verified in the scripture (Luke 24:52; John1:1-18; etc *c).

[6.] We see that written reports were being sent back to the Caesar [in this instance – Trajan] about these matters, and it was asked whether merely the “name” [Christian], ought to be “punished” [ie simply being Christian], whether there were accusers, charges, or any findings of wrongdoing or not. And yet we see that they [who would not renounce Christ; whom all, who being cognizant of the immediate historical facts, understood to be a real person that existed] in the “meanwhile” before the Caesar replied, were being “punished” and “led (away)” for their “pertinacity and inflexible obstinacy” in adherence and unwillingness to renounce and “curse” “Christ”.

[7.] Many people were examined, and we see at least three types of people. The true Christian, the non-Christian, and the Christian in name only, who either had fallen away at some point, or who once persecuted, turned back, or reneged, etc. When it was made known of these things, accusations and “many criminal charges occurred and spread themselves abroad”, that even “A pamphlet was published anonymously, containing the names of many.” Also it is said, that others were turned in by others, “Others named by an informer…” This, Christ Jesus said would happen (Matthew 24:9-10; Mark 13:11-12 *d). Christianity was easily the scapegoat for the problems of Rome, for the populace and their enemies [even go so far as naming someone as a Christian, in the hopes of possibly eliminating an enemy!], even as they had been in the days of the Nero Caesar. We notice that Pliny remarks of that which was rumored to be known of the True Christian which differentiated them from those who were not, “…when they swore before me, called on the gods and offered incense and wine to your image (which I had ordered brought in for this [purpose], along with images of the gods), and also cursed Christ (which, it is said, it is impossible to force those who are real Christians to do) I thought worthy to be acquitted. Others named by an informer, said they had been Christians, but now denied [it]; certainly they had been, but had lapsed, some three years ago, some more; and more than one [lit. not nobody] over twenty years ago. These all worshiped both your image and the images of the gods and cursed Christ.”

[8.] Pliny [the Younger] even gives specific details as to what these Christians believed and practiced, and we can know the information gathered was most accurate of the true Christians, for it was gained under intense scrutiny [“torture”], in that they were known to “…sing to Christ as if he were a god, and that they took an oath not to involve themselves in villainy, but rather to commit no theft, no fraud, no adultery; not to break faith, nor to deny money placed with them in trust. Once these things were done, it was their custom to part and return later to eat a meal together, innocently…”, and we can see evidence of this directly from the scriptures (Acts 2:46, 5:42, 10:22,32, 16:25, 20:20; Romans 13:9, etc *e).

History – the Frame of Reference Part 4c… – Jesus, The Christ

References of the Bible above:

[*a]: And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? Acts 22:25

When the centurion heard [that], he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.  Acts 22:26

Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.  Acts 22:27

And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was [free] born. Acts 22:28

Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. Acts 22:29

[*b]: And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Acts 14:15

So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. Romans 1:15

[*c]: And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: Luke 24:52

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:2

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:4

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended
it not. John 1:5

There was a man sent from God, whose name [was] John. John 1:6

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all [men] through him might believe. John 1:7

He was not that Light, but [was sent] to bear witness of that Light. John 1:8

[That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:9

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. John 1:10

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. John 1:11

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: John 1:12

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:13

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. John 1:15

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. John 1:16

For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:17

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him]. John 1:18

etc…

[*d]: Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Matthew 24:9

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Matthew 24:10

But when they shall lead [you], and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Mark 13:11

Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against [their] parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. Mark 13:12

[*e]: And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Acts 2:46

And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee. Acts 10:22

Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of [one] Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee. Acts 10:32

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. Acts 16:25

[And] how I kept back nothing that was profitable [unto you], but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Acts 20:20

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Romans 13:9

etc…

[Anonymous]

…a small break from looking at Christ Jesus, but we will come back to Him in a bit…

…for many more Historical references on Jesus, Christians, Christianity, etc, please consider the following, and also has helpful answers to questions commonly asked:

[Link] The Historicity of Jesus Christ: Did Jesus really exist? [Link]

…a small video break…

…more Historical and Archeological evidence…

Archeology, Digging For The Truth Of The Bible:
Archaeology Digging for the Truth of the Bible – Dr. Don Patton – YouTube

Proof For The Bible, The Dead Sea Scrolls:
Proof for the Bible ''The dead sea scrolls Dr.Patton Ph.D – YouTube

…the Books of Isaiah and Daniel – Vindicated, The Dead Sea Scrolls Online:
Digital Dead Sea Scrolls

Qumran; Daniel:

[Scroll]1 Q Dan A (1Q71) – [Range] Dan 1:10–17; 2:2–6.These confirm the langauge shift from Hebrew to Aramaic, but omits the phrase ‘in Aramaic’ at 2:4.1

[Scroll] 1 Q Dan B (1Q72) – [Range] Dan 3:22–30; Four fragments on vellum in Aramaic; and confirms the absence of the apocryphal “Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Men.”

[Scroll] 4 Q Dan A (4Q112) – [Range] Dan 1:16–2:33; 4:29–30; 5:5–7; 7:25–8:5; 10:16–20; 11:13–16. Some portions of these verses are incomplete.

[Scroll]4 Q Dan B (4Q113) – [Range] Dan 5:10–12, 14–16, 19–22; 6:8–22, 27–29; 7:1–6, 26–28; 8:1–8, 13–16.These confirm the language shift from Aramaic to Hebrew.
[Scroll]4 Q Dan C (4Q114) – [Range]Dan 10:5–9, 11–16, 21; 11:1–2, 13–17, 25–29. These, the oldest known text of Daniel.

[Scroll]4 Q Dan D (4Q115) – [Range]Dan 3:23–25; 4:5?–9; 4:12–14.The largest of these fragments contain five partial lines in severe decay.

[Scroll]4 Q Dan E (4Q116) – [Range]Dan. 9:12–14?, 15–16?, 17?… There are five small fragments of chapter nine.

[Scroll]6 Q Dan A (6Q7) [aka pap 6 Q Dan] – [Range]Dan 8:16, 17, 20, 21; 10:8–16, 11:33–36, 38.The cave in which these were found contained papyrus manuscripts rather than leather parchment.

The reason that these are important, not only for their historic value [and further validation of the continuity and faithfulness of the scriptures], but also for their validation of the prophetic. Christ Jesus mentions Daniel the Prophet by name:

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand: ) Matthew 24:15

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains. Mark 13:14

…while Daniel foretells successive Kingdoms [verified by historical record] even unto the end, unto the consumation of this world, final judgment and the Eternal Kingdom, and so also speaks of the Advents [comings] of Christ [Jesus] – Daniel 9:24-27; etc; Isaiah speaking of the same [throughout, Chapter 53, etc].

One further, and even a primary, way to test the scriptures, in its historical context, is in its very prophetic content:

Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; God, and [there is] none like me, Isaiah 46:9

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Isaiah 46:10

The Forgotten Dream:
The Forgotten Dream – YouTube

…now, another sticking point…

It has been said, “…The Bible is not to be treated as a science book. …” and so…

… therefore, I want to talk to you about Science.

Let us ask the question then,

“WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF SCIENCE?  AND WHAT IS SCIENCE OR THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD?”

The answer seems to be that,

The word Science (in English) is derived from the Latin scientia (meaning “knowledge”) and is generall
y defined as the state of knowing (to know as distinguished from ignorance and/or misunderstanding) as well as referring to any systematic knowledge or practice.  It is the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of any given phenomena.

The word also has a more restricted use whereby the definition is confined to the system of acquiring knowledge (definable data) based upon the scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge (useful, recognizable and repeatable information) gained through such research.

There are several major umbrella classifications for the empirical (dependant upon physical evidence(s) or consequences and able to be observed through the known senses) sciences.

1.  The Natural sciences (which is the study of natural phenomena and biological aspects) such as Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Earth sciences, Physics and the Cross-disciplines (i.e. biophysics, geophysics, etc.), which generally fall into 'experimental science'.

2.  The Social sciences (which is the study of human behavior and societal aspects) such as Anthropology, Economics, Education, Geography, Law, Linguistics, Political sciences, Psychology, Sociology and additional fields (i.e. Information science, Sociobiology, etc).

3.  The term Formal sciences (which is the study of abstract formal systems), is sometimes used additionally for classifying the various fields of mathematics (logic, statistics, computer science and/or information theory) and is also used in the formation of hypotheses, theories and laws.  Mathematics is slightly different in its approach as it does not strictly use empirical methods to verify its knowledge, but rather a priori (in Latin meaning “from what comes before”, “before experience” and is a deductive reasoning process) methods.

4. Other science is that which falls into the Historical sciences, as anything generally pertaining to the study of the past, events, places, persons, etc., such as Archeology, Paleontology, Crime Scene Investigation, Origins etc. [though empirical science is done in each, it generally reveals things about past events which can only be approximated]

Science is a tool that is used to obtain and/or produce useful and sometimes repeatable models of reality.  This means that science attempts to produce models with useful predictions and also attempts to describe what is.  Using science mankind gathers an ever growing body of recognizable useful information, understanding and/or knowledge of any and all defined systems and can only approach the whole of understanding, but can never actually attain it.  A mental image of this definition would be that science can be represented by everything within a circle and everything that is yet unknown (realized and unrealized) is outside of the circle; while the circle can always become ever larger, there will always be an indefinite/infinite set of unknowns outside of it.

Science, in which something is used in querying, defining, testing, demonstrating and finally repeating… so that it may be written, published and made known to the whole world.

A person hast said, “…God is not interested in teaching man about science because God already gave man the intellect to discover scientific truths on his own. …” and “…The Bible is not to be treated as a science book. …”

So, is this true?  Is the Bible not a science book?…

…and what then is the Science of all Sciences…?  What should we be studying?

What is it? Is it a study of the heavens?

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; Psalms 8:3

When we go outside at night into an area where earthly light is absent and look up into the spacious heavens, we see marvelous treasures of light, glittering and incandescent, filling the vastness of the dark sky, wonders beheld and mysterious.

Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. Job 9:9

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Job 38:31

[Seek him] that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD [is] his name: Amos 5:8

Is it a study of the earth and the things therein?

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Proverbs 6:6

The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces. Proverbs 30:28

Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD. Jeremiah 8:7

Or is it some study of something yet to be discovered?

Consider…

Many will consider how mankind has gone to the moon, only to look back upon the earth from their vantage point, and yet a great deal of those same many, will not consider that God was already looking back from His vantage point… “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were [any] that did understand, that did seek God.”

…these think mankind can go so far to have such a view of the earth, but such a being as God? “Never.”, they think.

Many will consider how mankind has built machines and built a 'space station' orbiting the earth for men to dwell in among the heaven, and they call down to earth via transmissions, invisible to the naked eye, and speak to many upon the earth, and yet a great deal of those same many, will not consider that God is already “”far above all heavens”, who is “”The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, [and] seek God.”, who speaks to the human heart/mind in ways we do not understand.

…these think that mankind can go up [ascend] and come down [descend], but such a being as God? “Never.”, they think.

Many will consider the seasons, the sun and moon and the stars, the heavens, and the weather and come to some understanding of the order present in them, and be able to determine patterns and plan ahead accordingly and make great calculations, and yet a great deal of those same many, will not consider that God is declared the “”Alpha and Omega”, the “”Beginning and the End”, “”the First and the Last”, “”the Author and Finisher of our Faith…”, who “”Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done,…”

…these think that mankind can with relatively good accuracy determine certain physical phenomena, even as it is said, “”And in the morning, [It will be] foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O [ye] hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not [discern] the signs of the times?”, but such a being as God who has foretold the whole of human history upon this earth as in Daniel and Revelation? “Never.”, they think.

Many will consider how there are great plans to go on some far-distant mission, far away from home, sacrificing much, even leaving family and friends behind, enduring hardship and trials, suffering for the sake of others, to obtain something of great value, and yet a great deal of t
hose same many, will not consider how that God [Christ Jesus], left the Throne of Heaven, left the 99 in the Heavens to come and seek and save that which was lost, the 1, sacrificing much, and suffering and enduring hardships and trials, to obtain something of great value.

…these think that mankind is so noble a being, but such a being as God? “Never.”, they think.

Many will consider in their minds and conceive of building a city, of machines and technology, where thousands dwell, that travels through the vast reaches of the universe, and make great deals of epics and stories, and even plan for such, and yet a great deal of those same many, will not consider that God has already “”gone to prepare for us a place”, in the very real “”heavens”, that Christ Jesus hath “”ascended” up into those heavens [to a very real place], far above all heavens, in a physical immortal body, and hath gone back to that eternal city with “”gates…everlasting doors”, with “”foundations” of precious stones “”whose builder and maker is God”…

…these think that mankind can aspire to such advanced means of travel, but such a being as God? “Never.”, they think.

Many will dream afar off of one day perhaps knowing terraforming and altering whole planets and star systems, and even building great and massive structures to contain and harness almost uncalculable energies in things termed “dyson spheres”, and yet a great deal of those same many, will not consider that of God it is declared, “”For he spake, and it was [done]; he commanded, and it stood fast.”, and that HE is “”almighty”, and “”Great [is] our Lord, and of great power: his understanding [is] infinite.”

…these think that mankind can reach 'godlike' status and be able to do such marvelous things, harnessing such energies, but such a being who is actually God wielding it from eternity? “Never.”, they think.

Many delve deeper into the sciences seeking to extend life beyond the normal ranges, seeking to look into the smallest recesses of the human being to be able to correct collective damage, cease current collapse, remove harmful bodies, cut out cancerous growths, bandage the broken, mend the torn, and even seek after the cure for death, and work in areas of cryogenics and dna storage and the such, and yet a great deal of those same many, will not consider that of God is the greatest “”Physician”, the greatest healer, the greatest restorer, the one who has conquered death and will resurrect those who have had faith in Him and have followed Him at His return, and they shall live forever without any further disease or illness.

…these think that mankind with their 'medicines' and 'drugs' and 'surgeries' and advancements therein will eventually solve all of the worlds needs medically, but such a being as God who hath given in His word instruction upon diet and cleanliness and health, restoration to the image of God and even promises of the future resurrection and will wipe away every tear? “Never.”, they think.

Many look into the vast complexities of the workings of time/space and even of the smallest, and marvel at the intricate and manifold machination of the human cell and systems, of roads, and pathways, of interlocking mechanisms, of things coding and of things checking identities, of power sources, and storage, of travel, of redundancies, of the information inherent in them, and that mankind cannot fully explain these things and yet they will not consider that God is infinitely more mysterious, though there are those things which He has revealed unto us and which we can know.

…these think that mankind may have room to consider in many areas and to learn something even yet newer still about that which is not yet known, and still mysterious, and consider that which had never been considered before being brought to light, and yet when it comes to finding out about God Himself? “Never.”, they think and He is, by many, sumarily dismissed even though “”…the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

…these think that beings on this earth can create life, but Creation to them by God is foolishness.

Many think that they study in science, and they look into various fields of research, and question, and test, and demonstrate and repeat many times and rejoice over their discoveries of that which had already existed before they had even considered to look and they publish it abroad to the whole world and write many articles, and yet is any of this really studying in the greatest of sciences? will many not study in the greatest field of all science which is found in the scriptures?

They boldly declare and frantically scream, “”The Bible is not a science book!”, and they would be right in a certain sense, for it is not “a” science book, it is “”THE SCIENCE BOOK!”, in which is the very greatest Science, the Science of the Cross of Calvary, the Science of Salvation and of Prophecy are contained therein.

So, what were the science questions? Satan asked in that skeptic manner, that doubting tone, 'Is God Love?' 'Is God faithful?' 'Is God true?' 'Is God just?'…

And thus Jesus Christ, God, manifest in the flesh, forever proved the answer upon the Cross of Calvary, that the answer is forever and always: “Yes.”

The entire life of Jesus Christ was one of Love and Faith, tested and “”in all points tempted as we, yet without sin.” and when mocked, refused to come down from the cross until He was finished with what He came and was sent to do.

The whole life and especially the last days of Christ Jesus of such infinite Love and Faith, demonstrated, “”And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” and even death could not contain Him, for He is arisen, He is not here, and shows that Love is the greatest and strongest 'force'. It is stronger than gravity, stronger than the 'strong force', stronger that any supposed 'black hole', stronger than 'riches', stronger than any power that has not Love, yea stronger than death itself.

And is to be repeated in you and I, showing that the God who is Love, and the Love of God is truly real, “”Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” and “…let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

““We love him, because he first loved us.”” 1 John 4:19

…there is a true science to consider, and many simply do not take the time to study in that so rich field, for it is written, it is published abroad, and it is is made known to the whole world.

“”Is God Love?”  Yes.

You see, satan has been now, for a long time planting the doubt of this into all he can manage to convince by whatever means necessary. So how did God answer?

The Cross of Calvary, forever answers the question and shuts the mouths of roaring lions, puts an end to the doubt and quells the fear.

Love and Faith was there defined, it was there tested in the man Christ Jesus, God the Son, who was raised up for you and I, it was fully demonstrated by His humility, setting aside Heaven, and coming down to be incarnated as a m
an, living the sinless and perfect life of obedience, even unto that death, the death of the cross, and the Love of God forever proven beyond all question before all creation and every being in Heaven and on earth, and that very same love can be repeated in you and I, for He has promised to re-create in us the very image of God, if we would accept so precious a gift as His salvation and repent of our transgressions by His Love, Grace and Faithfulness.

At the Cross.

God is Love…

…and this… this is the greatest science….

The greatest science, is the science of salvation and of the Love of God.

“”…This is the treasure that is found in the Scriptures. The Bible is God’s great lesson book, His great educator. The foundation of all true science is contained in the Bible. Every branch of knowledge may be found by searching the word of God. And above all else it contains the science of all sciences, the science of salvation. The Bible is the mine of the unsearchable riches of Christ. …” “[Christ's Object Lessons; E.G.White; pg 107]

“…The cross of Christ,—how many believe it to be what it is? How many bring it into their studies, and know its true significance? There could not be a Christian in our world without the cross of Christ….

… This is the highest science that we can learn,—the science of salvation. The cross of Calvary, rightly regarded, is true philosophy, pure and undefiled religion. It is eternal life to all who believe. …” [Sons and Daughters of God; E.G.White; pg 231]

“… Thousands even regard with disdain the matchless grace shown in the plan of redemption. All who are partakers of this great salvation are not clear in this matter. They do not cultivate grateful hearts. But the theme of redemption is one that the angels desire to look into; it will be the science and the song of the ransomed throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Is it not worthy of careful thought and study now? Should we not praise God with heart and soul and voice “for His wonderful works to the children of men”? …” [Testimonies for the Church Volume 5; E.G.White; pg 318]

And yet…

“…Human science is too limited to comprehend the atonement. The plan of redemption is so far-reaching that philosophy cannot explain it. …” [The Desire of Ages; E.G.White; pg 494]

“… By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels. He was the Word of God,—God’s thought made audible. In His prayer for His disciples He says, “I have declared unto them Thy name,”—“merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,”—“that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” But not alone for His earthborn children was this revelation given. Our little world is the lesson book of the universe. God’s wonderful purpose of grace, the mystery of redeeming love, is the theme into which “angels desire to look,” and it will be their study throughout endless ages. Both the redeemed and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song. It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love. In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which “seeketh not her own” has its source in the heart of God; and that in the meek and lowly One is manifested the character of Him who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto. …” [The Desire of Ages; E.G.White; pgs 19-20]

For those interested in the very science of God, that was defined, tested, demonstrated, proven and finally able to be repeated daily in each of your lives… I will recommend a book of reference to the greatest of all science books, the Bible. [It is only a recommendation, you do not have to if you choose not to…]

[The Desire Of Ages]
http://www.connectingwithjesus.org/media/DA.pdf

[The Great Controversy]
http://www.connectingwithjesus.org/media/GC.pdf

[Anonymous]

…let us take a break, and come back, and then we may consider the life of Jesus, His character, who He is scripturally, and of course that which is necessary to consider… the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Additional considerations for later, may also include the Roman Emperors in Scripture, and other events, especially the Global Flood and the literal 6 Creation [God resting the 7th Day there, even as He had in Redemption] itself from the evidences, scripturally and historically, etc.

[Stu]

I liked it better when you were mindlessly ranting on about alcohol.

Stuart

[Proclaimer]

AWHN, Stu is a mere ape going through mid-life crisis, I think.
He can read around 5 sentences at once and then complains that he never gets any evidence.
Just say the word 'banana'. That usually pacifies him.

[Anonymous]

Quote (t8 @ Nov. 27 2012,12:07)

AWHN, Stu is a mere ape going through mid-life crisis, I think. He can read around 5 sentences at once and then complains that he never gets any evidence. Just say the word 'banana'. That usually pacifies him.

Please, let us not deride others.  I like Stu.  His responses let me know he is paying attention to threads created so far and their content [even if all of it is not read, or whether it is read].

I have not always believed as I do now in regards to Creation, etc, but after the evidence was presented both scripturally and other [historically, archeologically, geologically, etc], there are no other options, but to choose between what is clearly truth and demonstrable and what is false and hanging always upon the 'next' thing as ToE is.

For instance, the [invalid] theory of a-biogenesis violates all known laws understood and able to be demonstrated, even those which are held by those which seek to up-hold and promote a-biogenesis etc.  More on these things later.

Same for the [invalid] big bang model [it can be demonstrated even mathematically to be invalid], etc, which by the way was formulated by a Roman Catholic priest [LeMatire].  if onw knew their scripture and history [especially of the order of the sons of Loyola], this would make perfect sense…

Same for those which seek to marry the two ideas of God and evolution, called theistic evolutionists, etc.  They must at some point deny the plain scripture to marry the two, but it is a marriage of two polar opposite worlds, than cannot be.  This can be fully demonstrated as well.

Jesus in history is verified, as that which scripture has given of Him.  We may also look at the resurrection from the same data already garnered and see that it also took place logically, even if one does not take the word of Scripture for it.  There is abundant evidence.

[Stu]

Quote (t8 @ Nov. 27 2012,12:07)

AWHN, Stu is a mere ape going through mid-life crisis, I think. He can read around 5 sentences at once and then complains that he never gets any evidence. Just say the word 'banana'. That usually pacifies him.

There'd be no point complaining about this guy to you in your capacity as a mod, would there.

Is this posting of great screeds acceptable in this forum now?

Shall I start copy / pasting a Christopher Hitchens book or two, one chapter per post?

Stuart

[Stu]

Quote (AWHN @ Nov. 27 2012,15:36)

Quote (t8 @ Nov. 27 2012,12:07) AWHN, Stu is a mere ape going through mid-life crisis, I think. He can read around 5 sentences at once and then complains that he never gets any evidence. Just say the word 'banana'. That usually pacifies him. Please, let us not deride others.  I like Stu.  His responses let me know he is paying attention to threads created so far and their content [even if all of it is not read, or whether it is read]. I have not always believed as I do now in regards to Creation, etc, but after the evidence was presented both scripturally and other [historically, archeologically, geologically, etc], there are no other options, but to choose between what is clearly truth and demonstrable and what is false and hanging always upon the 'next' thing as ToE is. For instance, the [invalid] theory of a-biogenesis violates all known laws understood and able to be demonstrated, even those which are held by those which seek to up-hold and promote a-biogenesis etc.  More on these things later. Same for the [invalid] big bang model [it can be demonstrated even mathematically to be invalid], etc, which by the way was formulated by a Roman Catholic priest [LeMatire].  if onw knew their scripture and history [especially of the order of the sons of Loyola], this would make perfect sense… Same for those which seek to marry the two ideas of God and evolution, called theistic evolutionists, etc.  They must at some point deny the plain scripture to marry the two, but it is a marriage of two polar opposite worlds, than cannot be.  This can be fully demonstrated as well. Jesus in history is verified, as that which scripture has given of Him.  We may also look at the resurrection from the same data already garnered and see that it also took place logically, even if one does not take the word of Scripture for it.  There is abundant evidence.

It's obviously not me who is bananas.

Stuart

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