World English Bible · Under Rome
1 Thessalonians 1
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, Silvanus, and , to of the Thessalonians in and : to you and peace from and . We always give thanks to for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of and labor of love and of in our , before our and . We know, brothers loved by , that you are chosen, and that our came to you not in word only, but also in , and in and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of , having received the word in much affliction, with joy of , so that you became an example to all who in and in . For from you the word of has been declared, not only in and , but also in every place your toward has gone out, so that we need not to say anything. For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to from idols to a living and true , and to wait for his Son from , whom he : , who delivers us from the to come.
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The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.