World English Bible · Under Rome
Matthew 17
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After six days, took with him , , and his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. He was changed before them. shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as . Behold, and appeared to them talking with him. answered and said to , ", it is good for us to be here. If you want, let's make three tents here: one for you, one for , and one for ." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him." When heard it, they fell on their faces, and were very afraid. came and touched them and said, "Get up, and don't be afraid." Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, commanded them, saying, "Don't tell anyone what you saw, until has from ." His asked him, saying, "Then why do the say that must come first?" answered them, " indeed comes first, and will restore all things; but I tell you that has come already, and they didn't recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted to. Even so will also suffer by them." Then understood that he spoke to them of . When they came to , a man came to him, kneeling down to him and saying, ", have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the , and often into the water. So I brought him to your , and they could not cure him." answered, "Faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him here to me." rebuked the , and it went out of him, and the boy was cured from that hour. Then came to privately, and said, "Why weren't we able to cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have as a grain of mustard , you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21But this kind doesn't go out except by and ." While they were staying in , said to them, " is about to be up into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and the third day he will be up." They were exceedingly sorry. When they had come to , those who collected the didrachma coins came to , and said, "Doesn't your teacher pay the didrachma?" He said, "Yes." When he came into the house, anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, ? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?" 26 said to him, "From strangers." said to him, "Therefore the children are exempt. But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its , you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you."
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.