World English Bible · Under Rome
Mark 16
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When the was past, , and the mother of , and bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the when the sun had . They were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the for us?" for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back. Entering into the , they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. He said to them, "Don't be amazed. You seek , the Nazarene, who has been . He has ! He is not here. See the place where they laid him! But go, tell his and , 'He goes before you into . There you will see him, as he said to you.'" They went out, and fled from the , for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid. Now when he had early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to , from whom he had cast out seven . She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they disbelieved. After these things he was in another form to two of them as they walked, on their way into the country. They went away and told it to the rest. They didn't them, either. Afterward he was to the eleven themselves as they sat ; and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of , because they didn't those who had seen him after he had . He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the to the whole creation. He who believes and is will be ; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who : in my name they will ; they will speak with new ; they will take up ; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then , after he had spoken to them, was received up into and sat down at of . They went out and preached everywhere, working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed. .
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.