King James Version · Under Rome
Matthew 18
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At the same time came unto , saying, Who is the greatest in of ? And called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into of . Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in of . And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into . And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell . Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in their do always behold the of which is in . 11For is come to that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your which is in , that one of these little ones should . Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the of two or three every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto : but if he neglect to hear , let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a . Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in : and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in . Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of which is in . For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Then came to him, and said, , how oft shall my brother against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is of likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand . But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and him, saying, , have with me, and I will pay thee all. Then of that servant was , and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred : and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their all that was done. Then his , after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had on thy fellowservant, even as I had on thee? And his was wroth, and him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my do also unto you, if ye from your forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
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.