World English Bible · Under Rome
Matthew 15
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Then and came to from , saying, "Why do your disobey the tradition of the ? For they don't wash their hands when they eat bread." He answered them, "Why do you also disobey the of because of your tradition? For commanded, ' your and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of or mother, let him be put to .' But you say, 'Whoever may tell his or his mother, "Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to ," he shall not his or mother.' You have made the of void because of your tradition. You ! Well did of you, saying, 'These people draw near to me with their , and me with their ; but their is far from me. And they me in , teaching as doctrine rules made by men.'" He summoned , and said to them, "Hear, and understand. That which enters into the doesn't defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the , this defiles the man." Then came and said to him, "Do you know that the were offended when they heard this saying?" But he answered, "Every plant which my didn't plant will be uprooted. Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit." answered him, "Explain the to us." So said, "Do you also still not understand? Don't you understand that whatever goes into the passes into the belly and then out of the body? But the things which proceed out of the come out of , and they defile the man. For out of come evil , murders, adulteries, sexual , thefts, false , and blasphemies. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn't defile the man." went out from there and withdrew into the region of and . Behold, a woman came out from those borders and cried, saying, "Have mercy on me, , you ! My daughter is severely by a !" But he answered her not a word. His came and begged him, saying, "; for she cries after us." But he answered, "I wasn't sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the ." But she came and him, saying, ", help me." But he answered, "It is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she said, "Yes, , but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then answered her, "Woman, great is your ! Be it done to you even as you ." And her daughter was healed from that hour. departed from there and came near to ; and he went up on the mountain and sat there. came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them, so that wondered when they saw the mute speaking, the injured healed, the lame walking, and the blind seeing—and they glorified the of Israel. summoned his and said, "I have on , because they have continued with me now three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away , or they might faint on ." said to him, "Where could we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?" said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven, and small fish." He commanded to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to , and to the . They all ate and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. 38Those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children. Then he sent away the , got into the boat, and came into the borders 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.