13. excursus, the roman empire,...

Lesson&#13&

Excursus,&the&Roman&Empire&at&the&

Time&of&Luke’s&Gospel&

1"Excursus,"the"Roman"Empire"

In#Lessons#11#&#12#we#con-nued#our#journey#to#Jerusalem,#listening#with#the#crowds#to#Jesus’#teaching#and#conversa-on,#and#in#both#lessons#we#focused#our#a@en-on#on#Jesus’#parables,#5#of#them#in#Lesson##11#and#8#of#them#in#Lesson##12.##In#both#lessons#we#reiterated#that:#

“A#parable#is#a#succinct,#didac-c#story#thrown#alongside#a#common,#ordinary#truth#to#illuminate#that#truth#in#a#striking#and#memorable#fashion.##Parables#are#meant#to#illuminate,#not#to#hide#or#obscure.”##

Although#Jesus#did#not#invent#the#parable#as#a#pedagogic#device,#he#was#a#master#at#using#it,#and#some#of#the#synop-c#gospels’#most#memorable#moments#take#place#within#Jesus’#parables.###


All#three#synop-c#gospels#were#wri@en#30N40#years#aPer#Jesus#walked#this#earth,#and#each#one#of#the#gospels#portrays#Jesus#in#light#of#events#that#followed#his#death,#burial#and#resurrec-on.##Consequently,#each#gospel#writer#looks#back#at#Jesus’#life,#and#his#view#is#colored#by#his#understanding#of#those#historical#events.###

The#Gospel&according&to&Luke#was#probably#wri@en#some-me#in#the#early#to#mid#70s,#a#-me#of#enormous#turmoil#in#the#Roman#Empire.#As#we#learned#in#our#studies#of#Ma@hew#and#Mark,#the#backNstory#begins#with#the#emperor#Nero,#who#rose#to#power#in#A.D.#54.##A#brutal#sociopath,#Nero#murdered#his#mother#Agrippina#in#A.D.#59,#set#fire#to#Rome#in#A.D.#64#(blaming#the#fire#on#the#Chris-ans)#and#began#the#first#stateNsponsored#persecu-on#of#the#Church#in#Rome,#A.D.#64N68.##

During#Nero’s#reign#the#great#Jewish#revolt#of#A.D.#66N73#began,#a#revolt#that#resulted#in#the#death#of#1.2#million#Jews,#the#destruc-on#of#Jerusalem#and#the#Temple,#and#the#Jewish#exile#from#Pales-ne#that#lasted#nearly#2,000#years,#un-l#the#founding#of#the#modern#state#of#Israel#on#May#14,#1948.#


This#experience#was#a#current&event#at#the#-me#the#Gospel&according&to&Luke#was#being#composed,#and#it#could#not#help#but#color#our#author’s#understanding#of#Jesus’#thoughts#and#ac-ons.#

Here#in#Lesson##13#we#examine#Luke#himself,#and#we#review#those#events#that#had#such#an#impact,#not#only#on#Luke’s#gospel,#but#on#all#the#wri-ngs#of#the#New#Testament.#


Although#the#Gospel&according&to&Luke&and#the#Acts&of&the&Apostles&are#anonymous,#the#early#church#unanimously#held#that#Luke#was#the#author#of#both.&

• Raymond#Brown,#perhaps#the#greatest#Roman#Catholic#Scripture#scholar#of#the#20th#century,#points#out#that#the#Muratorian#fragment#(A.D.#170)#and#St.#Irenaeus#(A.D.#180)#support#Luke’s#authorship,#and#the#earliest#manuscript#of#the#gospel#(Papyrus#Bodmer,#p75#c.#A.D.#175N225)#explicitly#ascribes#the#work#to#Luke.#



Papyrus#Bodmer#(P75)#is#the#oldest#surviving#manuscript#of#the#Gospel&according&to&Luke,#da-ng#c.#175N225##The#manuscript#resides#at#the#Va-can#Library.#

To#understand#the#Gospel&according&to&Luke&it#is#essen-al#that#we#understand#the#biographical,#historical#and#cultural#context#from#which#Luke’s#gospel#emerges.##Specifically,#we#must#understand:#

1.   The#perspec-ve#from#which#Luke#writes#his#gospel;#

2.   How#Luke’s#perspec-ve#informs#and#shapes#the#narra-ve#that#his#gospel#presents;#and##

3.   The#historical#and#cultural#context#from#which#Luke’s#gospel#emerges.#


Not#me.##

Excursus,"the"Roman"Empire"

That’s#a#good#place#to#begin!#

Ok,#so#what#do#we#really#know#about#

Luke?"

8"

Here’s#what#we#know#from#Scripture#itself:#• The#earliest#reference#to#Luke#is#in#St.#Paul’s#le@er#to#Philemon#(1:#24),#in#which#Paul#writes:##“Epaphras,&my&

fellow&prisoner&in&Christ&Jesus,&greets&you,&as&well&as&

Mark,&Aristarchus,&Demas,&and&Luke,&my&coHworkers.”&

• Paul#is#wri-ng#from#Rome,#some-me#between#A.D.#60N62,#to#Philemon,#who#lives#in#Colossae#in#Asia#Minor.##Here,#we#learn#that#Luke#is#with#Paul#in#Rome,#as#he#writes.#

• The#2nd#reference#is#in#St.#Paul’s#epistle#to#the#Colossians#(4:#10N11,#14),#in#which#he#writes:##“Aristarchus,&my&

fellow&prisoner,&sends&you&greeKngs,&as&does&Mark&the&

cousin&of&Barnabas&.&.&.&and&Jesus,&who&is&called&Justus,&

who&are&of&the&circumcision&[that#is,#Jews]#.&.&.&[and]#Luke&the&beloved&physician&sends&greeKngs,&as&does&Demas.”&

• Colossians#is#also#wri@en#from#Rome#between#A.D.#60N62,#and#it#is#addressed#to#the#church#that#meets#in#Philemon’s#house#(cf.#Philemon#1:#2).##Here,#we#learn#that#Luke#is#both#a#gen-le#and#a#physician.#


Dr.#Creasy#visits#the#unexcavated#tel#of#Colossae#in#Asia#Minor#(modernNday#Turkey).#


Photography&by&Ana&Maria&Vargas&

Logos#students#atop#the#tel#of#Colossae.#




Colossae#

Rome#

Jerusalem#

Some-me#between#A.D.#64N68#(most#likely#in#68),#St.#Paul#is#on#“death#row”#in#the#Mamer-ne#Prison#in#Rome,#caught#in#Nero’s#net#during#the#persecu-on.##In#2#Timothy#4:#9N11#(his#last#le@er),#Paul#writes#to#Timothy,#his#young#protégé:##“Try&to&join&me&soon,&for&

Demas,&enamored&of&the&present&world,&

deserted&me&and&went&to&Thessalonica,&

Crescens&to&GalaKa,&and&Titus&to&DalmaKa.&&

Luke&is&the&only&one&with&me.”&

• Only#Luke#stays#the#course,#a@ending#to#Paul—as#his#physician,#traveling#companion#and#friend—from#A.D.#50#un-l#Paul’s#execu-on#in#Rome#in#A.D.#68.#


Dr.#Creasy#and#Logos#students#visit#the#Mamer-ne#Prison#in#Rome.#



This#is#the#cell#where#tradi-on#says#St.#Paul#spent#his#final#days.#



On#Paul’s#2nd#missionary#journey#(A.D.#50N52)#Paul,#Silas#and#Timothy#leave#Pisidian#An-och#and#make#their#way#to#Troas;#from#which#they#con-nue#on#to#Philippi,#ul-mately#ending#in#Corinth#where#Paul#spends#the#next##18#months.&

• In#Acts#Luke#writes#about#Paul#in#the#3rd#person#plural#(“they”#and#“them”)#un-l#Paul#and#company#reach#Troas.##At#that#point#(Acts#16:#10)#Luke#shiPs#the#pronouns#to#the#first#person#plural#(“we”#and#“us”),#indica-ng#that#Luke#is#now#traveling#with#Paul#and#his#companions.#



Troas#

Corinth#

Pisidian#An-och#

Syrian#An-och#

Paul’s#2nd#Missionary#Journey#

Dr.#Creasy#teaching#in#Troas,#at#the#harbor#from#which#Paul,#Silas,#Timothy#and#Luke##set#sail#for#Europe#



At#Troas,#the#Aegean#Sea#in#the#background.#



Excursus,"the"Roman"Empire" 20"

Andrea#Mantegna.##Luke&the&Evangelist#[detail#from#the#St.#Luke#altarpiece]#(tempera#on#wood),#1454.##

Brera#Art#Gallery,#Milan#

So,#we#may#reasonably#conclude#that:#• Luke#was#a#physician,#a#gen-le#who#lived#in#Troas;#

• Luke#did#not#meet#Paul#and#knew#nothing#about#Jesus#un-l#A.D.#50,#when#Paul#and#company#arrived#in#Troas;#

• Luke#then#leP#Troas#and#traveled#with#Paul#for#the#next#18#years,#during#which#-me#he#learned#about#Jesus#as&viewed&through&Paul’s&eyes;#

• Luke#stayed#with#Paul#un-l#Paul’s#execu-on#in#Rome,#A.D.#68;##

• Some-me#aPer#that—in#the#early#to#midN70s—Luke#wrote#both#his#gospel#and#Acts;#and##

• Tradi-on#holds#that#Luke#later#lived#in#Syrian#An-och#(where#Paul’s#home#church#was#located)#and#that#he#died#in#Boeo-a,#a#region#in#central#Greece,#in#A.D.#85.##

asdfadsf"

Not#me.##


That#sounds#reasonable#to#

me!#

I#suspect#that#Paul’s#thinking#greatly#influenced#Luke’s#portrayal#of#Jesus#in#his#

gospel.##"

21"

Yes,#that#would,#indeed,#be#a#reasonable#assump-on.##St.#Paul#was#first#and#foremost#“the#Apostle#to#the#gen-les”#(Romans#11:#13),#and#Paul’s#message#to#the#gen-les—including#to#Luke—embodied##a#very#high#view#of#Jesus#.#.#.##

“Who,&though&he&was&in&the&form&of&God,&did&not&

regard&equality&with&God&something&to&be&grasped.&&

Rather&he&empKed&himself,&taking&the&form&of&a&

slave,&coming&in&human&likeness;&and&found&human&

in&appearance,&he&humbled&himself,&becoming&

obedient&to&death,&even&death&on&a&cross.&&Because&

of&this,&God&greatly&exalted&him&and&bestowed&on&

him&the&name&that&is&above&every&name,&that&at&the&

name&of&Jesus&every&knee&should&bend,&of&those&in&

heaven&and&on&earth&and&under&the&earth,&and&every&

tongue&confess&that&Jesus&Christ&is&Lord,&to&the&glory&

of&God&the&Father.”## # # # #(Philippians#2:#6N11)#


Not#me.##


It#sure#is!#

That’s#a#very#different#perspec-ve#on#Jesus#than#we#find#in#either#Ma@hew#

or#Mark!"

23"

In#addi-on#to#his#very#high#Christology,#St.#Paul#held#a#dis-nctly#apocalyp-c#view#of#the#future,#believing#firmly#that#in#the#“end#-mes”#Jesus#would#return#.#.#.#and#he#believed#it#would#happen#within#his#life-me:#

“Indeed,&we&tell&you&this,&on&the&word&of&the&Lord,&

that&we&who&are&alive,&who&are&leV&unKl&the&coming&

of&the&Lord,&will&surely&not&precede&those&who&have&

fallen&asleep&[that#is,#died].&&For&the&Lord&himself,&

with&a&word&of&command,&with&the&voice&of&an&

archangel&and&with&the&trumpet&of&God,&will&come&

down&from&heaven,&and&the&dead&in&Christ&will&rise&

first.&&Then&we&who&are&alive,&who&are&leV,&will&be&

caught&up&together&with&them&in&the&clouds&to&meet&

the&Lord&in&the&air.&&#

# # # #(1#Thessalonians#4:#15N17)#


Not#me.##


I#think#that’s#fair#to#say.#

So,#Paul’s#(and#Luke’s)#understanding#of#Jesus’#return#and#the#Kingdom#of#God#fits#right#in#with#Ma@hew#and#

Mark,#but#their#Christology#is#much#higher."

25"

But#we’re#not#finished#yet!##We#also#have#to#understand#what#was#going#on#in#the#Roman#Empire#during#the#-me#that#Luke#was#traveling#with#Paul—A.D.#50N68—as#well#as#what#happened#immediately#aPerward,#leading#up#to#Luke#composing#his#gospel#and#Acts.##Understandably,#Luke’s#immediate#historical#context#colored#his#understanding#of#Jesus,#adding#tone#and#texture#not#only#to#his#portrayal#of#Jesus,#but#also#to#how#he#viewed#the#emergence#of#the#early#Church.#


Not#me.##


Good#point!#

I#wonder,#though,#if#Luke#was#fully#aware#of#the#historical#events#of#his#day,#and#if#so,#does#he#reflect#them#accurately?##APer#all,#the#Roman#Empire#was#a#big#place,#and#Luke#didn’t#have#the#Internet,#Facebook##

or#Twi@er!"

27"

• Sir#William#Ramsay,#the#foremost#authority#on#the#New#Testament#in#his#day,#wri-ng#in#1915,#says#that#“Luke&is&a&historian&of&the&first&rank;&not&merely&are&his&statements&of&fact&

trustworthy&.&.&.&he&should&be&placed&among&

the&very&greatest&of&historians.”1#

• E.M.#Blaiklock,#Professor#of#Classics#at#Auckland#University,#wri-ng#in#1970,#says#that#“for&accuracy&of&detail,&and&for&evocaKon&of&atmosphere,&Luke&stands,&in&fact,&with&

Thucydides.”2#


1#Ramsay.##The&Bearing&of&Recent&Discovery&on&the&Trustworthiness&of&the&New&Testament.#London!#Hodder#and#Stoughton,#1915),#p.#222.#

2#Blaiklock.##The&Archaeology&of&the&New&Testament.##(Grand#Rapids:##Zondervan#Publishing,#1970),#p.#96.#

It’s#important#to#understand,#however,#that#ancient#historians,#such#as#Thucydides#and#Herodotus—or#Luke,#for#that#ma@er—should#not#be#judged#according#to#modern#standards.#

New#Testament#scholar#Luke#Timothy#Johnson#rightly#observes#that#“Luke’s&account&is&selected&and&shaped&to&suit&his&

apologeKc&interests,&not&in&defiance&of&but&

in&conformity&to&ancient&standards&of&

historiography.”3#

Luke#draws#on#the#history#he#knows—as&

he&perceives&it—and#he#uses#that#history#to#reinforce#his#narra-ve#and#to#create#verisimilitude.#

3#Johnson.#The&Acts&of&the&Apostles&(Louisville:##Liturgical#Press,#1992),#p.#474.#


Not#me.##


But,#it’s#good#to#review!#

So#what#do#we#know#about#the#Roman#Empire#at#the#-me#of#Luke’s#gospel?##

Much#of#it#we’ve#explored#in#our#studies#of#Ma@hew#and#Mark;#some#we#haven’t."

30"

The#1stNcentury#Roman#Empire#was#not#simply#Italy#and#parts#of#Europe;#rather,#the#1stNcentury#Roman#Empire#was#the#enKre&land&mass&

surrounding#the#Mediterranean#Sea:##nearly#half#of#which#is#in#north#Africa!#



1.  By the end of the 1st century A.D. the Roman Empire consisted of 5 million square kilometers, encompassing 40 different modern-day countries and as many different cultures.

2.  Its three largest cities—Rome, Alexandria and Antioch—were over twice as large as any city on earth until the modern-day 18th century industrial revolution.


3. #50-60 million people lived in the Roman Empire.

4. Although commerce was conducted primarily by sea, the Roman empire built over 58,000 miles of roads, many of which are still evident today, over 2,000 years later!

5. To encourage efficient and effective commerce the Roman Empire had a fully-developed banking system and common coinage.


6.  Thanks to Alexander the Great, Greek was the common language of the empire until the 4th century A.D., creating cohesion in a very geographically and culturally diverse population. Although a plethora of local languages were used, the entire New Testament was written in Greek.

7.  Unlike most other ancient cultures, the Roman Empire did not have a rigid class system, but evidenced a high degree of social mobility.


8.  The Roman Empire practiced slavery. Overall, 10-20% of the population throughout the Empire were slaves. Slaves were primarily war captives or indentured servants; slavery was not racially based. Slaves could earn their freedom or be granted their freedom by those who owned them.

10.  Freeborn women were Roman citizens, kept their family name (not their husband’s), could own property independent of their husbands, could own and operate businesses, could inherit property and wealth, wrote their own wills and could travel freely throughout the Empire.


10.  Roman law formed the basis for the entire Western legal tradition, including that of Great Britain and the United States.

12.  Religion in the Roman Empire was an integral part of civil life, and it encompassed practices and beliefs the Romans considered their own. Religions of other cultures within the Empire were respected and protected: the Jews, for example, were free to practice their religion and to operate their temple in Jerusalem.

Of#course,#like#any#great#civiliza-on#Rome#had#its#share#of#rascals#and#rogues,#heroes#and#villains,#wars#and#brutali-es,#scandals#and#horrors.#

The#New#Testament#mirrors#a#brief#slice#of#Rome’s#1,000#year#history,#a#-me#of#great#achievement#but#also#a#-me#of#great#turmoil#and#strife.#


The#2nd#half#of#the#1st#century—the#period#in#which#the#Gospel&according&to&Luke&was#wri@en—witnessed#cataclysmic#turmoil,#especially#as#it#affected#the#Jews#in#Pales-ne#and#the#emerging#Chris-an#Church#throughout#the#Empire.#"


The#story#begins#with#Julia#Agrippina#(A.D.#15N59),#great#granddaughter#of#Caesar#Augustus;#adop-ve#granddaughter#of#the#Emperor#Tiberius;#sister#of#the#Emperor#Caligula;#wife#of#the#Emperor#Claudius;#and#mother#of#the#Emperor#Nero.###

Through#incestuous#marriages,#imperial#intrigue#and#duplicitous#assassina-ons,#Agrippina#engineered#her#son’s#rise#to#power.##APer#poisoning#Claudius#(her#uncle#and#3rd#husband),#her#seventeen#yearNold#son#Nero#became#Emperor#in#A.D.#54,#with#Agrippina#controlling#the#reins#of#power.#####

Quickly,#however,#Nero’s#rela-ons#with#his#mother#deteriorated,#ending#by#Nero#having#her#murdered#in#A.D.#59.##Julia&Agrippina&with&her&son&Nero,&

c.&A.D.&54H59.&&

Aphrodisias&Museum,&Turkey.&#


On#18#July#A.D.#64#the#Great#Fire#of#Rome#erupted,#destroying#a#large#por-on#of#the#city.##According#to#the#historian#Taci-us,#the#fire#raged#for#five#days,#destroying#three#of#fourteen#districts#and#severely#damaging#seven#others.##Both#Suetonius#and#Cassius#Dio#point#to#Nero#as#the#arsonist,#who#wanted#to#clear#a#large#part#of#Rome#so#he#could#build#a#new#palace#complex.#Nero,&

&5th&Emperor&of&the&Roman&Empire.#Capitoline#Museum,#Rome.#


Hubert#Robert.##The&Fire&of&Rome,&18&July&64&A.D.&(oil#on#canvas),#c.#1760.#Musée#Malraux,#Le#Havre,#France.#


To#deflect#blame,#Tacitus#writes#that#Nero#blamed#the#fire#on#Rome’s#Chris-ans:#

Therefore,&to&put&an&end&to&the&rumor&Nero&created&a&

diversion&and&subjected&to&the&most&extraordinary&

tortures&those&called&ChrisKans,&hated&for&their&

abominaKons&by&the&common&people.&The&originator&

of&this&name&[was]&Christ,&who,&during&the&reign&of&Tiberius&had&been&executed&by&sentence&of&the&

procurator&PonKus&Pilate.&Repressed&for&the&Kme&

being,&the&deadly&supersKKon&broke&out&again&not&

only&in&Judea,&the&original&source&of&the&evil,&but&also&

in&the&city&[Rome],&where&all&things&horrible&or&shameful&in&the&world&collect&and&become&popular.&So&

an&arrest&was&made&of&all&who&confessed;&then&on&the&

basis&of&their&informaKon,&an&immense&mulKtude&was&

convicted,&not&so&much&of&the&crime&of&arson&as&for&

hatred&of&the&human&race.&&

Both#Peter#and#Paul#were#martyred#in#Rome#during#this#-me.##

Tacitus#(c.#A.D.#56N117)##Austrian#Parliament#Building,#

Vienna.#


The#persecu-on#ended#with#Nero’s#death.##The#Roman#Senate#had#declared#him#a#public#enemy#of#the#Roman#people#and#announced#their#inten-on#to#have#him#executed.##With#that,#Nero#turned#to#suicide,#but#too#cowardly#to#carry#it#out,#he#enlisted#his#private#secretary,#Epaphroditos,#to#do#the#deed.##Nero#died#on#9#June#A.D.#68,#the#6th#anniversary#of#his#murdering#his#stepsister#and#first#wife,#Octavia.##Claudia&Octavia,&daughter&of&the&

Emperor&Claudius,&stepHsister&and&

wife&of&Nero.&&

NaKonal&Museum&of&Rome.&#43"Excursus,"the"Roman"Empire"

Following#Nero’s#death#civil#war#erupted#and#four#emperors#reigned#in#quick#succession:##Galba#(8#months);#Otho#(2#months);#Vitellius#(8#months);#and#Vespasian#(10#years).##The#first#three#emperors#were#dispatched#through#murder#or#suicide#within#a#year.###

Galba,#A.D.#68N69##(8#months)#Assassinated#

Otho,#A.D.#69#(2#months)#Suicide#

Vitellius,#A.D.#69#(8#months)#Assassinated#

Vaspasian,#A.D.#69N79#(10#years)#

Natural#Death#


#At#this#-me#of#enormous#poli-cal#chaos—in#A.D.#66—the#great#Jewish#revolt#began#in#Pales-ne.##Nero#chose#the#brilliant#general#(and#future#Emperor),#Vespasian,#to#suppress#it.##Fielding#more#than#50,000#combat#troops,#Vespasian#began#opera-ons#in#Galilee;#by#A.D.#68#he#had#crushed#opposi-on#in#the#north,#moved#his#headquarters#to#Caesarea#Mari-ma,#the#deepNwater#port#on#the#Mediterranean,#and#methodically#began#clearing#the#coast.##


#Meanwhile,#the#defeated#Jewish#leaders#in#Galilee#escaped#to#Jerusalem,#where#a#bi@er#civil#war#among#the#Jews#erupted,#piwng#the#fana-cal#Zealots#and#Sicarii#against#the#more#moderate#Sadducees#and#Pharisees.##By#A.D.#68#the#en-re#Jerusalem#leadership#and#their#followers#were#dead,#having#been#killed#by#their#fellow#Jews,#and#the#Zealots#held#the#temple#complex,#using#it#as#a#staging#area#for#their#war#against#Rome.##


With#Nero’s#death#in#Rome,#Vespasian’s#troops#proclaimed#him#Emperor.##Support#spread#quickly,#and#in#A.D.#69#Vespasian#leP#Jerusalem#for#Rome#to#claim#the#throne,#leaving#his#son#Titus#to#conclude#the#war#in#Jerusalem.###

By#the#summer#of#A.D.#70,#Titus#had#breached#the#city#walls#and#captured#the#temple.##During#the#fierce#figh-ng#the#temple#complex#caught#fire,#and#on#Tisha&B’Av#(29/30#July#A.D.#70)#the#temple#fell:##1,000#years#of#Jewish#temple#worship#ended#in#a#single#day.##The#fire#spread#quickly#to#the#city#itself,#destroying#most#of#it.##Tacitus#writes#that#no#fewer#than#600,000#Jews#fought#the#Romans#in#Jerusalem;#those#captured#were#crucified,#up#to#500#per#day;#and#historians#es-mate#that#1.2#million#Jews##

Titus#Capitoline#Museum,#Rome.#

died#during#the#span#of#the#Jewish#Revolt,#A.D.#66N73.##It#was#the#greatest#catastrophe#in#Jewish#history#un-l#the#Nazi#holocaust#of#1939N1944."


David#Roberts.##The&Siege&and&DestrucKon&of&Jerusalem&by&the&Romans&under&the&

Command&of&Titus,&A.D.&70&(oil#on#canvas),#1850.##Private#Collec-on.#


During#the#Jewish#Revolt#of#A.D.#66N73#thousands#of#Jews#fled#Jerusalem#to#other#parts#of#the#Roman#Empire,#many#to#the#far#west.##In#Pompeii,#Mt.#Vesuvius#was#hea-ng#up.##Located#a#li@le#over#five#miles#east#of#modernNday#Naples,#a#short#distance#from#the#Mediterranean#shore,#Pompeii#sits#at#the#foot#of#a#somma#volcano,#a#4,203#foot#high,#humpbacked#mountain#with#a#summit#caldera#surrounding#a#newer#cone.##It#is#one#of#the#most#dangerous#volcanic#mountains#on#earth,#erup-ng#countless#-mes#throughout#history.##In#modern#-mes#Vesuvius#has#erupted#six#-mes#in#the#18th#century,#eight#-mes#in#the#19th#century#and#three#-mes#in#the#20th#century,#the#last#in#1944.##On#several#occasions#postNerup-on#ash#blanketed#all#of#southern#Europe,#and#twice—#A.D.#472#and#1631—Vesuvian#ash#fell#on#Constan-nople#(modernNday#Istanbul),#over#750#miles#to#the#northeast.#


Mt.#Vesuvius#from#the#air.#


Photography#by#Ross#Ellio@#

But#never#had#there#been#an#erup-on#like#that#of#A.D.#79.#On#the#morning#of#24#August#a#massive#explosion#occurred,#blas-ng#a#column#of#ash#and#pumice#50,000#–#100,000#feet#into#the#atmosphere#at#a#rate#of#1.5#million#tons#per#second.##Recent#studies#suggest#that#the#energy#suppor-ng#the#column#came#from#steam#superheated#by#magma.##The#cloud#collapsed#as#expanding#gasses#lost#the#ability#to#support#their#solid#contents,#crea-ng#a#pyroclas-c#surge,#a#huge#turbulent#mass#of#fluid#rock#and#gas#traveling#at#near#supersonic#speed,#releasing#over#100,000#-mes#the#thermal#energy#of#the#atomic#bombing#at#Hiroshima.##Six#such#surges#occurred#over#two#days,#dropping#ash#and#debris#at#temperatures#reaching#600#°F#and#reaching#a#depth#up#to#75#feet,#burying#both#Pompeii#and#neighboring#Herculaneum.##16,000#people#died#instantly#in#the#surges#and#thousands#more#from#poisonous#gasses,#falling#debris#and#collapsed#buildings.##Nothing#like#it#had#ever#been#seen.###


Pompeii,#with#Mt.#Vesuvius#in#the#background.#



An#entombed,#ashNcovered#body#at#Pompeii.#



Pliny#the#Younger#gives#us#the#only#eyewitness#account#of#the#Vesuvius#erup-on#in#his#two#le@ers#to#the#historian,#Tacitus.##Here’s#a#sample,#wri@en#by#Pliny#at#Misenum,#about#20#miles#across#the#Bay#of#Naples#from#Vesuvius:#

Though&it&was&now&morning,&the&light&was&exceedingly&

faint&and&doubbul;&the&buildings&all&around&us&

tocered&.&.&.&we&therefore&resolved&to&quit&the&town.&&A&

panicHstricken&crowd&followed&us&.&.&..&&Being&at&a&

convenient&distance&from&the&houses,&we&stood&sKll,&in&

the&midst&of&a&most&dangerous&and&dreadful&scene.&&The&

chariots,&which&we&had&ordered&to&be&drawn&out,&were&

so&agitated&backwards&and&forwards,&though&upon&the&

most&level&ground,&that&we&could&not&keep&them&steady,&

even&by&supporKng&them&with&large&stones.&The&sea&

seemed&to&roll&back&upon&itself,&and&to&be&driven&from&

its&banks&by&the&convulsive&moKon&of&the&earth;&it&is&

certain&at&least&the&shore&was&considerably&enlarged,&

and&several&sea&animals&were&leV&upon&it.!&#


On&the&other&side&[of#the#bay],&a&black&and&dreadful&cloud,&broken&with&rapid&zigzag&flashes,&behind&it&

variously&shaped&masses&of&flame;&these&were&like&

sheetHlightning,&but&much&larger&.&.&..&&Soon&

aVerwards,&the&cloud&began&to&descend,&and&cover&

the&sea&.&.&.&a&dense&dark&mist&seemed&to&be&following&

us,&spreading&itself&over&the&country&like&a&cloud&.&.&..&&

We&had&scarcely&sat&down&when&night&came&upon&us,&

not&such&as&we&have&when&the&sky&is&cloudy,&or&when&

there&is&no&moon,&but&that&of&a&room&when&it&is&shut&

up,&and&all&the&lights&put&out.&&You&might&hear&the&

shrieks&of&women,&the&screams&of&children,&and&the&

shouts&of&men&.&.&.&some&wishing&to&die,&from&the&very&

fear&of&dying;&some&liVing&their&hands&to&the&gods;&

but&the&greater&part&convinced&that&there&were&now&

no&gods&at&all,&and&that&the&final&endless&night&of&

which&we&have&heard&had&come&upon&the&world.#

(Pliny#the#Younger,#“Le@er#66,”#to#Cornelius#Tacitus)#


This#is#the#world#in#which#Luke#lived,#the#soil#from#which#Luke’s#gospel#and#Acts#emerged.###

It#is#the#same#world#that#formed#the#background#of#Ma@hew#and#Mark’s#gospels,#but#Luke’s#high#Christology—certainly,#the#result#of#St.#Paul’s#influence—brings#another#perspec-ve#en-rely.#


Rather#than#the#fear#and#urgency#that#is#visceral#in#Mark,#Luke’s#gospel#projects#a#calm#assurance#that#God’s#plan#will#unfold#as#he#determined#before#the#beginning#of#-me,#with#the#Lord#Jesus#Christ#in#full#control,#from#his#Galilean#ministry,#to#his#journey#to#Jerusalem,#and#to#his#death,#burial,#resurrec-on#and#ascension.#

Indeed,#to#his#imminent#return#in#glory.###


1.   How#did#Luke,#a#gen-le#physician#in#Troas,#learn#of#the#Gospel?#

2.   Luke#was#St.#Paul’s#physician,#traveling#companion#and#biographer#for#eighteen#years.##Can#you#think#of#another#pair#in#literature#with#a#similar#rela-onship?#

3.   How#does#Luke’s#view#of#Jesus#differ#from#that#of#Ma@hew#and#Mark?#

4.   What#are#some#examples#of#the#tumultuous#-mes#in#which#Luke#lived?#

5.   How#does#the#idea#of#history#differ#today#from#the#way#the#ancients#viewed#history?#


Copyright#©#2015#by#William#C.#Creasy#

# All# rights# reserved.# No# part# of# this# course—audio,# video,#photography,# maps,# -melines# or# other# media—may# be#reproduced#or#transmi@ed#in#any#form#by#any#means,#electronic#or# mechanical,# including# photocopying,# recording# or# by# any#informa-on# storage# or# retrieval# devices# without# permission# in#wri-ng#or#a#licensing#agreement#from#the#copyright#holder.#


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