World English Bible · Under Rome
John 20
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Now on the first day of the week, went early, while it was still dark, to the , and saw that the stone had been taken away from the . Therefore she ran and came to and to the other whom loved, and said to them, "They have taken away out of the , and we don't know where they have laid him!" Therefore and the other went out, and they went toward the . They both ran together. The other outran and came to the first. Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he didn't enter in. Then came, following him, and entered into the . He saw the linen cloths lying, and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. So then the other who came first to the also entered in, and he saw and . For as yet they didn't know the , that he must rise from . So went away again to their own homes. But was standing outside at the weeping. So as she wept, she stooped and looked into the , and she saw two in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of had lain. They asked her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my , and I don't know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw standing, and didn't know that it was . said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." said to her, "." She turned and said to him, "Rabboni!" which is to say, "Teacher!" said to her, "Don't hold me, for I haven't yet ascended to ; but go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to and your , to my and your .'" came and told that she had seen , and that he had said these things to her. When therefore it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where were assembled, for fear of the , came and stood in the middle and said to them, "Peace be to you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. therefore were glad when they saw . therefore said to them again, "Peace be to you. As has sent me, even so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive ! If you forgive anyone's , they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone's , they have been retained." But , one of the twelve, called Didymus, wasn't with them when came. The other therefore said to him, "We have seen !" But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not ." After eight days, again his were inside and was with them. came, the doors being locked, and stood in the middle, and said, "Peace be to you." Then he said to , "Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don't be unbelieving, but believing." answered him, "My and my !" said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have . are those who have not seen and have ." Therefore did many other signs in the of his , which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may that is , the Son of , and that believing you may have life in his name.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. 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.