World English Bible · Under Rome
Matthew 3
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In those days, came, preaching in of , saying, ", for of is at hand!" For this is he who was spoken of by the , saying, "The voice of one crying in , make of ready! Make his straight!" Now himself wore clothing made of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. His food was and wild honey. Then people from , all of , and all the region around went out to him. They were by him in , confessing their . But when he saw many of the and coming for his , he said to them, "You of vipers, who warned you to flee from the to come? Therefore produce fruit worthy of ! Don't think to yourselves, 'We have for ,' for I tell you that is able to raise up children to from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the . "I indeed you in water for , but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose I am not worthy to carry. He will you in . His is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his . He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the he will burn up with unquenchable ." Then came from to to , to be by him. But would have hindered him, saying, "I need to be by you, and you come to me?" But , answering, said to him, "Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all ." Then he allowed him. , when he was , went up directly from the water: and behold, were opened to him. He saw of descending as a , and coming on him. Behold, a voice out of said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
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.