The Roman Empire was a very diverse place, and one of the efforts of the empire to create unity and promote the imperial administration was to establish the worship of the emperor as a deity. This became something of a state religion, and many official public rituals, celebrations, and even daily administrative tasks involved some … Read more
From the time that Caesar Augustus took control and turned Rome into an Empire, until about 200 years later, Rome enjoyed a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity. This became know as the Pax Romana – the Roman Peace. There was of course fighting on the borders, in Gaul, Germania, Britain, and in the … Read more
Remember how, a few episodes ago, we left Julius Caesar on the floor of the Senate, in a pool of blood? Well, that’s NOT how we left Jesus at the end of the last episode. It’s a very distinctive claim by his followers – that he did die, but that he rose from the dead. … Read more
There’s really no debate that Jesus was one of the most important people in all of history, but there are two ways to look at that. On the one hand, his life, death, and resurrection definitely started one of the world’s largest and most influential religions. Even those who do not claim to be Jesus’ … Read more
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came from the heavens: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am … Read more
So last episode we left Julius Caesar lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Some in the Senate were very happy about this, but generally speaking, most of Rome liked Caesar, and were not happy about it. The Senators who assassinated him had a clear picture of what they didn’t want: a … Read more
OK, here’s an interesting historical tidbit – no one is quite sure where the name Caesar comes from. Despite Caesar being one of the most famous names of all time, no one knows exactly where it originated. Hold that thought. We’re about to look at one of the most interesting, most famous people in … Read more
OK, at the end of the last episode, I mentioned Julius Caesar, because I was planning on brining him on to the stage in this episode, but as I was researching all the stuff that leads up to Julius Caesar, I realized that I was going to have WAY too much to cover. I really … Read more
Quick administrative note here, before we get started. I have realized that my episode numbering system has gotten off a bit. My numbers haven’t been matching the number assigned by the podcast apps. So last episode, which I called episode 15, was numbered 16 by the apps. So in this episode, I’ve corrected that, and … Read more
In this episode we’re looking at the early days of the Roman Republic, before it all fell apart. When Rome got rid of her last king, one aftereffect was that Rome had a long-lasting hatred of tyrants, and so the government they set up was designed to prevent any one man from taking power. … Read more