King James Version · Under Rome
Acts 9
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And , yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against of , went unto the , And of him letters to to the , that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto . And as he journeyed, he came near : and suddenly there shined round about him a from : And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, , , why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, ? And said, I am whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, , what wilt thou have me to do? And said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into . And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. And there was a certain at , named ; and to him said in a , . And he said, Behold, I am here, . And said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of for one called , of : for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a a man named coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then answered, , I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy at : And here he hath from the to bind all that call on thy name. But said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen unto me, to bear my name before the , and kings, and the : For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. And went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother , , even , that appeared unto thee in as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was . And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was certain days with which were at . And straightway he preached Christ in the , that he is the Son of . But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in , and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the ? But increased the more in strength, and confounded the which dwelt at , proving that this is very Christ. And after that many days were fulfilled, the to kill him: But their laying await was known of . And they watched the day and night to kill him. Then took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket. And when was come to , he assayed to join himself to : but they were all afraid of him, and not that he was . But took him, and brought him to , and declared unto them how he had seen in , and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at in the name of . And he was with them coming in and going out at . And he spake boldly in the name of , and disputed against the : but they went about to him. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cesarea, and sent him forth to . Then had the churches rest throughout all and and , and were edified; and walking in the , and in the comfort of the Ghost, were multiplied. And it came to pass, as passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to which dwelt at . And there he found a certain man named Eneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And said unto him, Eneas, maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at and Saron saw him, and turned to . Now there was at a certain named , which by is called : this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and : whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as was nigh to , and had heard that was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which made, while she was with them. But put them all forth, and kneeled down, and ; and turning him to the body said, , arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw , she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called and , presented her alive. And it was known throughout all ; and many in . And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in with one a tanner.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
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.