World English Bible · Under Rome
Mark 15
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Immediately in the morning the , with the , , and the whole council, held a consultation, bound , carried him away, and him up to . asked him, "Are you the King of the ?" He answered, "So you say." The accused him of many things. again asked him, "Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!" But made no further answer, so that marveled. Now at the feast he used to to them one prisoner, whomever they asked of him. There was one called Barabbas, bound with his fellow insurgents, men who in the insurrection had committed . 8, crying aloud, began to ask him to do as he always did for them. answered them, saying, "Do you want me to to you the King of the ?" For he perceived that for envy the had him up. But the stirred up , that he should Barabbas to them instead. again asked them, "What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the ?" 13They cried out again, " him!" said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they cried out exceedingly, " him!" , wishing to please , released Barabbas to them, and handed over , when he had flogged him, to be . The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. They clothed him with purple; and weaving a , they put it on him. They began to salute him, "Hail, King of the !" They struck his head with a reed and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him. When they had mocked him, they took the purple cloak off him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to him. They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, of Cyrene, of and , to go with them that he might bear his . They brought him to the place called , which is, being interpreted, "." They offered him mixed with myrrh to drink, but he didn't take it. Crucifying him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots on them, what each should take. It was the third hour when they him. The superscription of his accusation was written over him: "THE KING OF THE ." With him they two robbers, one hand, and one on his left. 28The was fulfilled which says, "He was counted with transgressors." Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads and saying, "Ha! You who destroy and build it in three days, 30 yourself, and come down from !" Likewise, also the mocking among themselves with the said, "He others. He can't himself. Let , the King of Israel, now come down from , that we may see and him." Those who were with him also insulted him. When the sixth hour had come, there was over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is, being interpreted, "My , my , why have you forsaken me?" Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, "Behold, he is calling ." One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Let him be. Let's see whether comes to take him down." cried out with a loud voice, and gave up . of was torn in two from the top to the bottom. When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of !" There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both and the mother of the less and of Joses, and ; who, when he was in , followed him and him; and many other women who came up with him to . When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the , of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who also himself was looking for Kingdom, came. He boldly went in to , and asked for ' body. was surprised to hear that he was already ; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been long. When he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to . He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth and laid him in a which had been cut out of a . He rolled a stone against the door of the . and the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid.
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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.