| Abstract |
"Christianity spread into the Roman Empire. But it started with the words and works of Jesus of Nazareth in Galilee, which was a client state of the empire. Being a client state meant, of course, that Galilee was by no means unaffected by Rome. Herod Antipater the Tetrarch, known as Antipas, ruled at Rome's pleasure and paid tribute to Rome for the privilege. It is hard to imagine Jesus of Nazareth and his compatriots were not aware of this. Nevertheless, Antipas did rule in Galilee, and that had consequences. He was at least ostensibly an observant Jew. He went up to Jerusalem for the major festivals. He minted his own coins which adhered to the Jewish anti-iconic tradition featuring only floral decoration and were not offensive to Jewish sensibilities. He collected his own taxes, then paying his own tribute directly to Rome. He had his own army: contrary to the pictures beloved of Hollywood, Galilee was not at this period filled with Roman soldiers marching all over the place"-- Provided by publisher. |
