World English Bible · Under Rome
Luke 3
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Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of , being governor of , and being tetrarch of , and his brother tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and , the word of came to , the son of , in . He came into all the region around , preaching the of for remission of . As in the book of the words of the , "The voice of one crying in , 'Make ready of . Make his straight. Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. will see .'" He said therefore to the who went out to be by him, "You of vipers, who warned you to flee from the to come? Therefore produce fruits worthy of , and don't begin to say among yourselves, 'We have for ;' for I tell you that is able to raise up children to from these stones! Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the ." The asked him, "What then must we do?" He answered them, "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise." also came to be , and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than that which is appointed to you." Soldiers also asked him, saying, "What about us? What must we do?" He said to them, "Extort from no one by , neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages." As the people were in , and all men reasoned in their concerning , whether perhaps he was , answered them all, "I indeed you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose I am not worthy to loosen. He will you in and . His fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his , and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the with unquenchable ." Then with many other exhortations he preached to the people, but , being reproved by him for , his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which had done, added this also to them all, that he shut up in prison. Now when all the people were , also had been and was praying. was opened, and descended in a bodily form like a on him; and a voice came out of , saying "You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased." himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of , the son of Heli, 24the son of Matthat, the son of , the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of , 25the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26the son of Maath, the son of , the son of Semein, the son of , the son of Judah, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of , the son of , the son of Neri, 28the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of , 29the son of Jose, the son of , the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of , 30the son of , the son of Judah, the son of , the son of Jonan, the son of , the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattatha, the son of , , the son of , the son of Obed, the son of , the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of , the son of Hezron, the son of , the son of Judah, the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of Shelah, the son of , the son of Arphaxad, the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of Mahalaleel, the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of , the son of .
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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.