Don't Know Much About the Bible - Kenneth C. Davis [139]
MILESTONES IN BIBLICAL TIMES V
THE LIFETIME OF JESUS
40 BCE Herod is appointed King of Judea by Marc Antony in Rome and begins a thirty-three-year reign as Herod the Great in 37 BCE.
31 BCE The Battle of Actium. The Roman general Octavian defeats Marc Antony in this naval battle and becomes ruler of Rome. Marc Antony commits suicide in 30 BCE.
30 BCE Herod, having denounced Cleopatra and Marc Antony, shifts his allegiance to Octavian.
27 BCE The Roman empire is founded by Octavian, who changes his name to Augustus Caesar and reigns for forty-one years.
20 BCE Herod the Great begins to rebuild Jerusalem’s Great Temple in an attempt to restore it to the size and grandeur of Solomon’s Temple.
7-4 BCE Possible date of birth of Jesus. The date, place, and circumstances of this event are the subject of considerable speculation.
4 BCE Herod the Great dies; Judea is divided among his three sons.
6 CE The Roman governor of Syria, Quirinius, orders a local census. This is presumably the “worldwide” census mentioned in Luke.
14 CE Emperor Augustus dies; his stepson rules Rome next as Tiberius.
26 CE Pontius Pilate is made governor of Judea; dismissed and recalled to Rome in 36.
27-28 CE John the Baptist begins preaching; baptism of Jesus.
30-33 CE Possible date of Crucifixion of Jesus. A date as late as 36 is also possible. Tacitus says Jesus was crucified during the reign of Tiberius.
37 CE Tiberius dies; a nephew who is called Caligula rules Rome next.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JESUS
MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN
I am the bread of life. (John 6:35)
I am the light of the world. (John 8:12)
I am the gate for the sheep. (John 10:7)
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
I am the true vine.(John 15:1)
* Was Jesus born on Christmas?
* O Little Town of Bethlehem?
* Annunciation. Assumption. Immaculate Conception. Virgin Birth: What’s the difference?
* Did the word “virgin” mean the same thing two thousand years ago?
* Were there really “Three Kings” and where did they come from?
* Did Matthew’s “wise men” meet Luke’s shepherds?
* Did Jesus obey his parents?
* Why did a young girl want John the Baptist’s head on a platter?
* What’s the difference between a disciple and an apostle?
* Did Jesus give a Sermon on the Mount?
* How does a camel fit through a needle’s eye?
* Mary Magdalene: naughty or nice?
* Did Jesus look down on women?
* What’s so “Good” about the “Good Samaritan”?
* What’s so bad about Pharisees?
* Why was Jesus so popular?
* What is a Transfiguration?
* What was the Last Supper?
* Who put Jesus on trial?
* How does crucifixion kill you?
* If you don’t believe Jesus was God, what does he have to offer?
Thirty-five years after the death of John F. Kennedy, the American president’s life and death continue to fascinate the public and provide an endless source of material for biographers, historians, novelists, conspiracy theorists, and revisionist filmmakers. All make claims about the “real” Kennedy: who he was, what he said, and what he might have been thinking. The flood of conjecture, speculation, and outright fiction continues to pour out despite the fact that there are newspaper accounts, tape recordings, film and television footage, and hundreds—if not thousands—of people still alive who knew John F. Kennedy and worked with him on a daily basis. In spite of all that “evidence,” most people still don’t know the “truth” about the “real” JFK.
How, then, can anyone possibly get a “true” picture of the “historical” Jesus, a man who left no writings or Oval Office tape recordings? We are not even sure if the people who said they knew him really knew him or where they got their stories if they didn’t. Nevertheless, since the nineteenth century—and especially in recent years—it has become popular to distinguish between the Jesus of “faith,” as presented in the New Testament, and the “historical Jesus.” Apart from a scattering of references