ROMAN EMPIREROMAN EMPIREThe New Testament YearsThe New Testament Years

Famous EmperorsFamous Emperors• 1. Caesar Augustus / Octavian. Caesar Augustus / Octavian

– Began the empire years– Adopted son of Julius– Only 18– Ruled empire from Northern Europe to Spain

to Euphrates– Greatest contribution was Pax RomanaPax Romana

* 200 yrs of peace * Entire New Testament during this time beginning with the birth of Christ

– He was fair and wise– Wanted representatives with abilities not just

money or a name– Made many changes:

• Restored some power back to the Senate but made himself the First Tribune with veto power

• Reorganized the military and made himself the chief commander

• Encouraged trade and industry throughout the empire

• 2. TiberiusTiberius– Reigning at time of the crucifixion – Cruel- tossed enemies over the cliffs– Pronounced dead, revived and then

smothered by his mother

• 3. CaligulaCaligula “little boots” real name Gaius– Reigned only 4 yrs– Assassinated at age 29– Lived lavishly

• 4. Claudius Claudius - Good emperor - Acts 18:2- Murdered for choice of successor

• 5. Nero Nero “the monster”– Started out well but got sick and went crazy– Killed his mother, two wives and a step

brother– Was a pyromaniac– Blamed for the fire that destroyed Rome – Began the persecution of Christians– Peter and Paul killed

• 6. VespasianVespasian– First emperor w/o family connection to Julius– Built the Coliseum– Destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD– Well loved and died of old age

• 7. HadrianHadrian– Built a wall to mark farthest extent of the

Roman Empire

8. DiocletianDiocletian– Divided the empire in an attempt to salvage

it– Persecution was considered the worst under

him

• 9. ConstantineConstantine– Built a new capital city in the eastern half– Exactly like Rome– Name Constantinople– 313AD313AD decreed the Christianity was legal

which ended the persecution of Christians – Edict of Milan

The Coliseum

PersecutionPersecution• 1. What is it?• 2. Why does it happen?• 3. What forms can it take?• 4. As believers, should we expect it?• 5. If so, how should we respond?

Mt 5:10-12, Mt 5:44, Jn 15:20, Rom 12:14, II Tim 3:11-12, II Thes 1:4

Travel, industry and TradeTravel, industry and Trade• Rome was known for its system of roads

– Connected all parts of the empire– Designed to allow her military to move

quickly from one end of the empire to the other

• Beginning with the reign of Augustus, Rome expanded her industry to include– Glass making– Pottery– Wine production– Metal working

• Rome’s trade was improved because of1. system of roads2. great harbors and shipping3. unified system of money– All the money was in the form of coins– The emperor’s image was on the coin– To finance such a large empire, Rome

collected taxes or tributetribute

• Because of her vast empire and great transportation systems, it was possible to buy almost anything in the markets

• Romans modeled their marketplaces after the Greek Agora

• Romans called it the forumforum • Every major city in the empire had at

least one

Roman HomesRoman Homes• The population of Rome was estimated at

60 million people. One million actually lived in the city of Rome

• The plebeians and patricians lived very differently.

• Plebeians– Lived in apartment buildings/ insulaeinsulae– 4-5 stories high– 1st level was made of stone and was usually a

shop or restaurant– owner and family lived above the shop

• Upper floors were poorly constructed of wood and either collapsed or burned

• They had no plumbing so the garbage would be thrown into the streets and washed into the Tiber

• Residents could not cook inside their home– Cooked in the street below– Ate at nearby “fast food” restaurants

• Patricians– Lived in single homes called a domusdomus– Mutiple rooms around a central courtyard

called an atriumatrium• Atriums had a fountain and gardens

– These homes were surrounded by a wall to provide privacy and protection

– Also had a home in the country called a villavilla• Villas were located in the provinces to

avoid the noise and smell of the city• A popular province was Britain• Villa was not only a nice place to live it

was also a farm that turned a profit

• a• a

• Both the domus and villa were lavishly decorated with

• MosaicsMosaics– Thousands of colored tiles carefully arranged

to form a picture– Usually found on the floors

• FrescoesFrescoes– Wall painting where the colored paint is

applied while the base is still wet

• Statue busts• Topic of this art was either landscapes,

geometric designs or portraits

Popular EntertainmentsPopular Entertainments• Government provided:• Theater

– Similar to Greek style– Male actors– Masks differentiated the characters– Romans enjoyed comedy better than tragedy– Romans invented pantomime pantomime

• Circus Circus / Chariot Race– Held in the Circus Maximus

• oval-shaped stadium• Hold 250,000• Teams consisted of a driver, a chariot

and 2-4 horses• Teams raced around a center island• No rules- could be very dangerous

• Gladiator fightsGladiator fights– Most popular– Held in the Colosseum– Three different types of fight

• Animal vs animal• Animal vs man• Man vs man

– Gladiators were prisoners (Christians), slaves or paid volunteers

– Fought to the death– Before the kill, the gladiator looked to the crowd

for their opinion- emperor w/ final decis• Thumbs down-victum dies• Thumbs ups-victum lives

– A gladiator could earn his freedom if he fought successfully and pleased the crowd

• Bath HouseBath House– Available to everyone, just not to same degree– Poor, simply a place to bathe– Rich the bath house was more like a fitness club

• Swim Gym• Massage Barber/beautician• Steam room Library• Snack bar

– Men and women used the same facility, but at different times of the day

• There were dozens of bath houses in the cities. Therefore, the demand for fresh water was high

• To supply this need, the Romans built the aqueducts.– Engineering feat that allowed for water to

freely flow from many miles away – Designed with a gradual downward slope

• This final form of entertainment was limited to the wealthy

• Dinner partiesDinner parties– Attended or hosted a party several days a

week– Goal was to impress your guests

• Food and wine that was served• Entertainment between courses – muscians,

magicians, dancers, jugglers

– Reclined on couches when they ate• Slaves actually removed the tables and replaced

with the next course

Families & Daily LifeFamilies & Daily Life• Children

– Even legitamate children needed to be adopted in order to become an heir

– Boys were most desirable– Boys and girls of wealthy families were

educated– Boys and girls were taught the basics of

reading or writing – School began at age 6 and lasted till 12-

13– Girls were finished but boys could cont.

– Boys continued their education in subjects like philosophy, geography, geometry and music

– The teachers were always Greeks because the Romans respected and admired the knowledge of the Greeks

– School was taught in Latin not Greek

• Clothing– Men wore a belted tunic for everyday – On special occasions they also wore a togatoga

• It was a huge semi-circular piece of cloth that was wrapped and draped

• They didn’t like it because it was heavy and made moving difficult

• A Senator had a purple strip added to his toga• Only the emperor could wear a purple toga

• Women – Marriage was between 12-14– Marriages were arranged by the parents– On the night before her marriage a girl

offered her childhood toys to the family god. This was her symbolic passage into womenhood

– Two current wedding traditions come from the Romans

• Ring on the third finger of the left hand• Carrying the bride over the threshold

– Roman women had much more freedom than the Greek women

• Women wore a tunic, floor length robe and a stolastola, large piece of cloth draped over her shoulders. The stola could be worn many different ways

– Women received an education and could have a job if she chose

– Wealthy women stayed at home but she had two homes to run

– Roman women were not as concerned about their physical appearance as Greek women were.

– They wore make-up, jewelry and very complicated hairstyles

• Slaves– Often kidnapped from the conquered

provinces– Had no rights or privileges– Bought and sold like property– Slaves could be purchased by individuals or

by the government to construct buildings and maintain the roads

– There were no laws concerning the treatment of slaves

– Greek slaves were the most expensive

ReligionReligion• At first they adopted the gods of the

Greeks but changed the name– Zeus Jupiter– Ares Mars– Posiedon Neptune– Hermes Mercury

• During the empire years emperors were worshipped. The Christians refused

• They also had family gods like the Sumerians

• They built the PantheonPantheon as a temple to all their gods- example of classic Roman architecture

• Eventually the Romans realized that the state gods were useless and therefore began practicing cults from the various provinces.

• They also practiced two Greek philosophies:

Epicureanism Stoicism

Contributions of RomeContributions of Rome

1. New system of government- republic

2. Architectural style – dome, arches3. Engineering skill4. Calendar5. Roman numerals6. Language

Fall of RomeFall of Rome• Causes:

1. People didn’t really care about their govern.2. People spent their time and money on being

entertained3. People expected the government to take

care of them instead of working hard4. Morality of people deteriorated5. Taxes were raised

6. Needed such a large army that Rome hired mercenariesmercenaries- Hired soldiers from the tribes living just outside

the border - Mercenaries remained loyal as long as they got paid

- When Rome could no longer pay, they left their

fellow tribal members to invade. - - There were many tribes which invaded the western portion

- The western half finally collapsed in 476 AD476 AD7. For the next 1000 yrs. the western half was in the

Middle Ages Middle Ages or Medieval Medieval

. .