King James Version · Under Rome
Matthew 17
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And after six days taketh , , and his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as . And, behold, there appeared unto them and talking with him. Then answered , and said unto , , it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for , and one for . While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when heard it, they fell on their , and were sore afraid. And came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, only. And as they came down from the mountain, charged them, saying, Tell the to no man, until be again from . And his asked him, saying, Why then say the that must first come? And answered and said unto them, truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also suffer of them. Then understood that he spake unto them of . And when they were come to , there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, , have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the , and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy , and they could not cure him. Then answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came to apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have as a grain of mustard , ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by and . And while they abode in , said unto them, shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be again. And they were exceeding sorry. And when they were come to , they that received tribute money came to , and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, ? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 26 saith unto him, Of strangers. saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his , thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. 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.