Despite claiming fatigue, many of us are gripped by political events, whether Brexit battles or Presidential elections.
As the years go by we realise that what the media may have claimed as a political earthquake often turns out to be fairly forgettable. Yet any credible history of the times in which we live would have to pay some attention to the political climate.
A striking feature of the Gospels is their awareness and accuracy in describing the political context of Judea at the time of Christ.
A Roman province
In 63 BC Rome established the province of Syria. The territory was later divided, and one region became the Roman province of Judea – a name reflecting the presence of the Jewish people of the tribe of Judah. This was soon followed by the Herodian dynasty of rulers who often appear in the background of the New Testament.
Following the death of the first Roman governor, the Roman Senate designated his son Herod as the ‘King of the Jews’ and he took control of Judea. Herod embarked on major building projects across the province, including the substantial rebuilding of the Temple. John’s Gospel includes an accurate reference to when this project had begun, 46 years earlier (John 2:20).
After Herod’s death his kingdom was divided into regions and shared among his sons. Philip ruled the Golan, Herod Antipas ruled the Galilee, while the remaining half of the kingdom, was given to Archelaus, including Judea. Archelaus was so unpopular with the people that he was removed from office in AD 6 and Judea came under direct Roman control.
Roman control
According to Josephus a census was carried out under Quirinius in AD 6 (possibly the one referred to by Luke in Acts 5:37). The earlier census at the time of the birth of Christ is referred to as the ‘first’ one, indicating that Luke knew more would follow (Luke 2:2). Though Josephus tells us that Quirinius was governor in AD 6, he probably already had a military role in the region.
At the time of Christ’s birth the emperor is Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1) who reigned from 27 BC to AD 14. During the ministry of Jesus, the emperor was Tiberius. Luke correctly identifies him along with the regional rulers (Luke 3:1).
In the trial of Jesus, the Jewish high priest Caiaphas only had religious jurisdiction. He appealed to Pilate because as Roman prefect he had the power to enforce capital punishment. However, Pilate’s authority was over the province of Judea, so he sent Jesus to Herod who had authority over the Galilee where Jesus was from. The convoluted trial of Jesus reflects the political realities of the time.
Details like these in the Gospels all confirm their credibility as historical sources. If we can trust their account of the political backdrop at the time of Christ we have good reason to take seriously what they tell us about Christ Himself.
