Download Stepping Stones of History

Stepping Stones of History
Burning of Rome and Temple
The importance of History
-History is the telling of God’s story, a story that began at creation and will end the fulfillment of the
final Kingdom.
-Every person who has lived or who ever will live plays a role in this larger story.
–Today we are the players in this story and our perspective of where we are at and what our role is,
is primarily based on the events of history.
-The people and events of history are the stepping stone’s that led us to the place we are today.
-Are you a stepping stone?
Christians, A Sect of Judaism
-The New Testament church was primarily established on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) but at first it
was recognized as just another sect of Judaism. (Acts 24:5, 14)
-As Christians began to preach Jesus as the promised messiah and the Jews openly began to reject
the claim, the two groups inevitably began to drift apart.
-2 events in History finally drove the final wedge that made a distinction between Jew and Christian.
Roman View of Religion
-The Roman Empire was generally quite tolerant of other religions.
-For the Romans, religion was first and foremost a social activity that promoted unity and loyalty to
the state.
-They typically viewed Christianity as something strange and foreign (superstition)
-Roman distaste for Christianity arose because they felt it posed a threat rather than promote loyalty
to the state. .
-Christians were also distrusted in part because of the misunderstood nature of their worship.
-Though they were tolerant, the Romans were distrustful of Christians.
Distrust Leads to Scapegoat
-In 54 AD a man named Nero became the emperor of Rome.
-Emperor Nero was known to be a bit eccentric and perhaps borderline maniacal.
-64 AD Rome suffered a great fire that burned for 6 days and 7 nights and destroyed part of the city.
-Nero took the opportunity to build a larger palace for himself on the freed up land.
-Rumor began to go around the empire that Nero set the fire to Rome himself to make room for his
construction projects.
-Nero needed a scapegoat, so he blamed the Christians and a persecution broke out.
-Tacitus, writes of this in his book “Annals” published a few years after the event. "Nero Persecutes The
Christians, 64 A.D.," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2000).
-This marked the first official persecution of the Church and it marked the first time that the
government made a distinction between Jews and Christians.
-After Nero, it became a capital crime to be a Christian, although pardon was always available if one
publicly condemned Christ and sacrificed to the gods. "Nero." Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.
2005. "Christianity." Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 2005
The Burning of the Temple
- 66 AD the Jews revolted against Roman rule.
-Nero sent his general Vespasian to squelch the revolt.
-By the year 68 most of the rebellion had been put down and the army now laid siege on the city of
Jerusalem. They surrounded the city slaughtered thousands, enslaved thousands more and
others were sent abroad to be part of the gladiator games. The temple was ransacked and was
burned to the ground.
-Josephus gives us a first hand account of this event.
-By the time this event takes place most Christians had already fled from Jerusalem but the
destruction of the temple had decisively pushed the church out on her own. No longer was she a
step-child to Judaism. From this point on the divergence of Christianity and Judaism is decisive
(Noll, Mark A., “ Turning Points, Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity 2nd edition, p27)
Conclusion:
-After this period of persecution there will be 9 more major persecutions in the next 260 years.
-If you had been one of these early Christians, what would you have done if approached by a Roman
Soldier and asked to renounce Christ?
-When a choice has to be made between loyalty to Christ and loyalty to Caesar/government
government must always take second place.
-Christians must never let any man rob Christ of first place.
-These early Christians, though anonymous in name, are stepping stones. Are we?
Emperor Nero 54-68AD
Emperor Vespasian 69-79 AD
The Fire of Rome, 18 July 64 AD
Burning of Temple 70 AD
Persecution of Christians
Josephus