- Began Pax Romana- a period of peace and prosperity
- Built roads, aqueducts (brought water to the cities)
- Set up civil service to take care of the roads, the grain supply, and the postal service
- Augustus died at age 76 in 14 AD and passed the power to Tiberius
- Emperor when Jesus was born
Jesus and Paul
- Jesus was a Roman citizen and a practicing Jew
- At age 30 he began his ministry by preaching to the poor in the empire
- Statements like "My kingdom is not of this world" made the Romans/ Jews nervous and they planned an execution
- The governor of the Roman province of Judea Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion
- The 4 canonical gospels explain his life
- Jews think that Jesus did not fulfill all of the things it takes to be a Messiah
- Paul is instrumental in telling the world about Jesus's life, death, resurrection, and message
- He wrote many letter to people and they are part of the New Testament
- Without Paul it is likely that Jesus would not be as famous as he is today and he wouldn't be the figure of the largest religion in the world
- Jesus is the 3rd most influential person in history
Tiberius
- Augustus's stepson and adopted son
- He was a great general but he was a dark, somber, reclusive emperor
- He referred to the senate as "men fit to be slaves"
- Germanicus started out as Tiberius's ally but when he looked like h would succeed Tiberius he got paranoid and had Germanicus killed
- He started off well, he gave bonuses to poor soldiers, declared treason trials a thing of the past, and made the government spending a matter of public record
- Assassinated by his own aides in 41 AD at the age of 28
- Slept with other mens wives, too much sex & spending, tried to make his horse a priest
Claudius
- Ostracized by his family because he had disabilities (limp, slight deafness, speech impediment, and probably had polio or cerebral palsy)
- He conquered Britain; built roads, canals, and aqueducts and he renovated Circus Maximus and rebuilt it
- Had an awful marriage to Messalina who was unfaithful to him and Claudius had one of the people in the senate killed for messing around with his wife
Religious Troubles
- Christianity and Judaism were monotheistic which set them aside from other religions
- Romans had many gods and the emperor was viewed as a god
- 66 AD the Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel but Roman troops put hem down and burned their temple
- The Western Wall today is still the holiest of all Jewish shrines
- Half a million Jews died in the rebellion
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