Podcasts about emperor caligula

Following the bloody assassination of the twenty-eight year old Emperor Caligula, Rome found herself without a leader. Who then should fill the enormous power vacuum left by the death of an emperor? Should Rome return to a Republic? Then, one overlooked candidate - a scion of the hallowed family of Augustus long lurking in the wings of imperial power - unexpectedly rose to the fore: Claudius, Caligula's uncle. Famed as a drooling idiot all his life, Claudius' apparent shortcomings had kept him safe from the ruthless ambitions of his family and enemies. But his life of anonymity would now be brought to an abrupt end, with a shocking coup led by the Praetorian Guard. The Praetorians, one of the most potent forces in Rome, feared the loss of the emperor's patronage, and so pulled him out from the curtain behind which he had been hiding, carried him to their camp, and declared him emperor. The reign that ensued - described in gory, glistening, salacious detail by the Roman historian Suetonius - would see Claudius dismantle his mask of imbecility to reveal himself clever and studious, but easily duped by his advisors, freemen, and wives alike. It would see him claim the conquest of Britain, increase the strength of the Roman army, fall foul of the senate, play cuckold in one of the most famous sexual scandals of all time, and marry his niece. All the while, the shadows of Nero's rise to supreme power were lengthening… Join Tom and Dominic for the mighty conclusion of their journey through the lives of Rome's first Caesars, as described in rich, technicolour by Suetonius, climaxing with the epic reign of Rome's most unexpected emperor: Claudius. Pre-order Tom Holland's new translation of 'The Lives of the Caesars' here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/279727/the-lives-of-the-caesars-by-suetonius/9780241186893 _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Editor: Jack Meek Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emperor Caligula was perhaps the most notorious of Roman Emperors, making Diocletian look reasonable by comparison. Sources: https://www.returntotradition.org Contact Me: Email: return2catholictradition@gmail.com Support My Work: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AnthonyStine SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.net/return-to-tradition Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AnthonyStine Physical Mail: Anthony Stine PO Box 3048 Shawnee, OK 74802 Follow me on the following social media: https://www.facebook.com/ReturnToCatholicTradition/ https://twitter.com/pontificatormax +JMJ+ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anthony-stine/support

In this week's episode, The Cups discuss an infamous Roman emperor, Caligula. The name we know him as actually means "Little Boots." Listen now to learn what we think about and what the lore says about his affiliation with the assassins, templars, and/or the Isu. Now introducing Assassin's Creed Lorecast merch for everyone! Check it out at our shop! Want to chime in on the conversation? You can become a patron at the Master Assassin tier or higher and join us ON THE SHOW! https://www.patreon.com/aclorecast We've launched merch! Become a patron at the Assassin tier or higher to get these exclusive rewards! Check out our website! cupspodcasting.com If you enjoyed our podcast, give us a rating and review on Apple and/or Spotify! We'll even read your review out on the show! Join our The Cups Podcasts discord server where we dive deeep into all video game discussions. https://discord.gg/fxR2WVDNhP Come hang out on the Robots Radio discord server to join the fun! https://discord.gg/AW5Wc4kgZb If you love our merch, check out the artist behind the designs! https://libanezink.wixsite.com/libanezart If you love our music, check out the musician behind our theme! Pipeman Studios You can also find us on Twitter at @aclorecast, and you can dm us or email us at assassinscreedlorecast@gmail.com. Music by Pipeman Studios Website designed by H-I-T Media Solutions Merch designed by Lauren Ibañez Ink Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the height of the Roman Empire, Germanicus Julius Caesar was unanimously regarded as one of the greatest warriors the Empire had ever produced. With this in mind, it is somewhat unfortunate that Caligula, through his reputation as Rome's mad Emperor, eclipsed his father's popularity. Germanicus' three daughters were just as scandalous as their brother. To find out more about Germanicus, you can read about him in these posts: ⁠Germanicus and Agrippina: An Imperial Love Story⁠ ⁠A Story of Castor, the Refreshingly Quiet and Surprisingly Competent Politician of Ancient Rome⁠ (Not exactly about Germanicus, but he does feature heavily in it) Key Quotes: "Germanicus Julius Caesar was unanimously regarded as one of the greatest fighters the Empire had ever produced. He was the Roman version of Alexander the Great, who died at the same age." "Germanicus' three daughters were just as scandalous as their brother. But can we blame them? Despite their parental privileges, Germanicus' children grew up in an atmosphere of distrust and terror." "Caligula violated convention by designating the place of honor completely for Drusilla. It's also likely that the rumors of incest involving Drusilla and Caligula were intended to damage Caligula's leadership after his death." "When Caligula became Emperor, his first step was to restore and, if possible, elevate his family's reputation even further. He bestowed significant honors to his three sisters, as well as notable privileges such as Vestal Virgin rights." "Seeing them, Agrippina cried, 'Strike here, for this bore Nero!' before succumbing to their blows. Agrippina was cremated that night and buried in an exposed and unenclosed grave without honor." Step into the scandalous lives of Germanicus' three daughters and their notorious brother, Emperor Caligula. Unveil the secrets of ambition, betrayal, and survival that shaped the Roman Empire's most infamous family. Join us for a deep dive into the rise and fall of Agrippina, Drusilla, and Livilla in our latest podcast episode. Listen now! For more historical insights, visit ⁠martinifisher.com⁠ and check out Martini's book "⁠Time Maps: Matriarchy and the Goddess Culture⁠".

The reign of the Emperor Caligula has been presented as a cavalcade of bizarre and violent behavior. From declaring war on the ocean to building a five kilometer floating bridge so he could ride his horse over the sea, many of the most infamous stories about the emperor emphasize his mania. However, many of the most upsetting tales about Caligula are likely not true. One of the only eye-witness accounts of the emperor in action present him as arrogant, but hardly insane. If the worst stories about Caligula are fabrications, then why was he so hated? Tune-in and find out how shame trophies, Alexander the Great's breast plate, and vulgar displays of power all play a role in the story.

THE MARK OF THE BEAST "And that no man might buy or sell, unless that he had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty and six. (666)? Revelation! 666 is not the number of the beast (it's a devilish 616) A newly discovered fragment of the oldest surviving copy of the New Testament indicates that, as far as the Antichrist goes, theologians, scholars, heavy metal groups, and television evangelists have got the wrong number. Instead of 666, it's actually the far less ominous 616. The new fragment from the Book of Revelation, written in ancient Greek and dating from the late third century, is part of a hoard of previously unintelligible manuscripts discovered in historic dumps outside Oxyrhynchus in Egypt. Now a team of expert classicists, using new photographic techniques, are finally deciphering the original writing. Professor David Parker, Professor of New Testament Textual Criticism and Paleography at the University of Birmingham, thinks that 616, although less memorable than 666, is the original. He said: "This is an example of gematria, where numbers are based on the numerical values of letters in people's names. Early Christians would use numbers to hide the identity of people who they were attacking: 616 refers to the Emperor Caligula." The Book of Revelation is traditionally considered to be written by John, a disciple of Jesus; it identifies 666 as the mark of the Antichrist. In America, the fundamentalist Christian right often use the number in sermons about the coming Apocalypse.

Your the producers of the show , support on https://www.patreon.com/Firecrotch Original Whiggaz Live w/ Cliff Focus & Uncle Dust every Wednesday at 9:40PM EST . https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyqy9ykfINO3VHD4TVbbHqw All Uncle Dust's links https://linktr.ee/uncledustcomedy Valeria Messalina (Latin: [waˈlɛria mɛssaːˈliːna]; c. 17/20–48) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation for promiscuity, she allegedly conspired against her husband and was executed on the discovery of the plot. Her notorious reputation probably resulted from political bias, but works of art and literature have perpetuated it into modern times.

This week on Royally Screwed, we're continuing the story of Gaius Germanicus Caesar, aka Emperor Caligula. Did he put his horse in the Senate? Did he attack the sea? Or is there more to those stories that reveal a much more complicated figure?Subscribe for more episodes as they come.Twitter: @Denim_CreekInstagram: denimcreekproMusic:Intro/Outro: “Life O' the Lavish” - Jules Gaia, “Zone Out” - Daniel Fridell, “Archipelago Exploration” - Christian Andersen, “Action rock_full” - Radio_Parma, “Homegrown Style” - Macy's VoiceCopyright 2023, Denim Creek Productions

See all recordings at https://www.rabbinics.org/daf-yomi-bridge.

January 24, 41 CE. The notorious Roman emperor Caligula is assassinated at the hands of his own bodyguards.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The mad Emperor Caligula rules over Rome. People are murdered, robbed, and hanged on a whim. Caligula's horse is the leader of the government. Rome's future is held hostage, reality itself is up for grabs and there are ears everywhere. And Caligula is dressing up as the goddess of Love and singing about it. Melbourne-based Greek actress Ioanna Gagani holds one of the roles in Nobel-Prize-awarded writer and philosopher Albert Camus' play.  - Ο «Καλιγούλας» θεωρείται από πολλούς ώς το κορυφαίο έργου του βραβευμένου με Νόμπελ γάλλου λογοτέχνη Αλμπέρ Καμύ. Το έργο ετοίμασε και ανεβάζει μια θεατρική ομάδα της Μελβούρνης στην οποία συμμετέχει η ομογενής ηθοποιός Ιωάννα Γαγάνη. 

Episode 162 – Paul’s Places – Part 3: When in Rome 2 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: Greet my relatives+ Andronicus and Junia, who were in jail with me ... Greet Narcissus and the others in his family, who have faith in the Lord… Greet Rufus, that special servant of the Lord, and greet his mother, who has been like a mother to me. Romans, chapter 16, verses 7, 11, and 13, Contemporary English Version ******** VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re very happy to join with you today as we continue forward with our new series on Anchored by Truth. We’ve entitled this series “Paul’s Places.” By “Paul” we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote at least 13 of the books out of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, of course, started out life named “Saul.” But after an encounter on the road to Damascus with the risen Christ he became the foremost apostle to the gentiles. God used Paul to write almost half of the New Testament including the book we’re focusing on today – the epistle to the Romans. To help us learn more about “Paul’s Places” we have RD Fierro back in the studio. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, in our last episode we started focusing on the book of Romans but we had so much to say we didn’t get finished. Why don’t you give us a brief summary of what we learned and where we’re heading? RD: Well, I’d like to start by also greeting our listeners. The people who regularly listen to Anchored by Truth know that we are focused on demonstrating the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of scripture. And sometimes that means we undertake subjects you won’t hear on other Christian radio shows or podcasts. This is not a criticism in any way but we want our listeners to understand that we do recognize that we frequently ask them to more deeply probe the scripture and the story behind them more deeply. And we ask them to think carefully about not only the Bible but also the logic that emerges from the point of view that denies the Bible. VK: Like the fact that if someone denies the truth of scripture they would be hard pressed to explain the large volume of fulfilled prophecy that scripture contains. The only good explanation for the hundreds of prophecies that we can demonstrate that have been fulfilled is that those prophecies were given to human writers by a God who, in the words of Isaiah, chapter 46, verse 10, says “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens.” Denying the authenticity produces an incoherent worldview that cannot explain well documented historical events. RD: Right. But in order for us to demonstrate in our shows we must ask listeners not to just read the Bible but also come to know something about ancient history including the places and cultures that existed thousands of years ago. VK: And that’s the big reason we wanted to undertake this study series on “Paul’s Places.” Paul’s Places is all about the epistles, or letters, that the Apostle Paul wrote to various churches. And in our Bibles the titles assigned to those epistles, which we also call books, are geographic names like Romans, Corinthians, Philippians, etc. RD: Right again. One of the reasons we can have complete confidence in the accuracy, the truth, of the Bible is because you can locate those cities on a map. We know where Rome, Corinth, and Philippi were located during the first century AD and we know things about their history that allow us to get greater insight into why a particular epistle, or letter, was sent to that group. VK: For instance, we know that at that time Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome, Rome as a city and an empire was pretty much at the peak of its power. So Paul wrote the most complete description of the doctrines and principles of the Christian faith to a church located in the most important city in the empire. And, as we mentioned last time, the Roman Empire was where God began the distribution of the gospel. Later, including today, the gospel would spread far beyond the boundaries of the old Roman Empire but God chose to begin the gospel’s spread within the Roman Empire. So, at the time Paul wrote Romans we can be very sure he knew he was writing an important letter to the church located in the most important city of his time. This makes sense. Paul knew his letters would circulate beyond his initial recipient or audience. And he knew people from all over the empire would travel to and through Rome. So, it was simply good common sense for him to ensure that the letter, he wrote to the church in Rome was a thorough discussion of the foundations of the Christian faith. Wow. I guess I sort of answered my own question about summarizing what we discussed last time. RD: Pretty much. VK: But that still leaves where do we go from here? You said you wanted to also do today’s episode of Anchored by Truth to the book of Romans. RD: Yes, I do. Today I want to focus on a part of the book of Romans that I suspect most people just skip right over – the greetings and salutations. VK: Really? With all of the deep doctrine that the book of Romans contains you want to go right to the last chapter where there is essentially just a laundry list of names that Paul sends greetings to. Why is that? RD: Because the greetings and salutations help illustrate our basic point for doing this series. Paul’s letters, even the seemingly mundane details, like a list of people he sends greetings to, illustrate the coherence of scripture. And buried in amongst one of the most extensive list of greetings in all of Paul’s letters there are some very interesting names. VK: Such as? RD: Such as the name we heard about in our opening scripture that is found in Romans 16:13. Paul told the recipients of his letter to the church in Rome to “Greet Rufus, that special servant of the Lord, and greet his mother, who has been like a mother to me.” VK: Well, obviously Rufus and his mother were pretty special to Paul, but why is his inclusion in the list of greetings so significant? RD: To understand that we have to flip over to the Gospel of Mark, specifically Mark, chapter 15, verse 21. VK: In the contemporary English Version that verse reads “Simon from Cyrene happened to be coming in from a farm, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross. Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.” Hmmm. Interesting. So, the gospel writer Mark mentions the same name as Paul does in his closing to the book of Romans. Why is that? RD: For a variety of reasons. Tradition says Mark wrote his gospel while he was living in Rome or at least that his gospel was written to the Roman church. If so, it would make good sense that he would include this seemingly incidental note in his gospel. Rufus would have been well known within the church in Rome. So, the fact that his father was the one who actually was pressed into service to carry Jesus’ cross would have been of great interest to that church. And while we can’t be sure of exactly when it is obvious that at some point Paul had spent some time with Rufus and Rufus’ mother. And while we can’t be exactly sure when that might have happened, one possibility is in the city of Antioch in Syria. We learn that from Acts 13:1. VK: In the Contemporary English Version that verse says, “The church at Antioch had several prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon, also called Niger, Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen, who was Herod's close friend, and Saul.” Saul, of course, is the Apostle Paul before Luke, who wrote Acts, began to refer to him as Saul. We covered that in our last episode. But how does this verse give us any insight into the relationship between Paul and Rufus and Rufus’ mother? RD: Well, the first thing that we have to know is that “Simon” is just another form of the name “Simeon.” The second thing is that we know from Acts 11:20 that one of the first recorded outreaches of the gospel beyond the Jews was to people who were called “Grecians” in Antioch. And we know that outreach was done by men from Cyprus and Cyrene. So, notice we now know of two men from Cyrene who are mentioned by name. Lucius in Acts 13:1 and Simon from Mark 15:21. Cyrene is on the northern coast of Africa in what is modern day Libya. Also remember that Cyrene was mentioned in the list of places which had people attending that first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection. VK: So, what you are saying is that the Simon of Cyrene who was compelled to carry Jesus’ cross may have been one of people who made that outreach in Antioch. Cyrene is on the North African coast of the Mediterranean. Simon had come up to Jerusalem for the Passover feast because that was one of the 3 mandatory feasts for faithful Jews. Simon, like very many of the strangers who came to the Jerusalem for the feast, probably had trouble finding a room in the city. So, he probably had to go to one of the outlying villages to stay while he was at the feast. He may have been going to the city from his lodging when he encounters the procession leaving the city heading to place where Jesus was going to die. Staying outside the city he probably knew nothing about Jesus’ trial that morning. RD: Right. Simon of Cyrene (not Simon Peter who was one the disciples) had no idea he was going to encounter the crucifixion procession as it is passing out of the gate. The centurion leading the procession grabs Simon at random to help the fainting Christ to carry the heavy Cross. Simon probably thought Jesus was a common criminal, and would resent what he was being compelled to do it. But I like to think that when he got close to Jesus he was touched by the soul-conquering power of Christ. As such, Simon of Cyrene was quite likely an eyewitness to the crucifixion. But it is also possible that he was also an eyewitness to the resurrection. Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:6. VK: 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 6 says, “After this, [Jesus] appeared to more than five hundred other followers. Most of them are still alive, but some have died.” So, you are thinking that it possible that Simon of Cyrene might have been among that group of 500? RD: Yes. The Bible does not tell us exactly when that group of 500 saw the risen Christ, but many scholars think that it might have been at the time of ascension – when Jesus went back to heaven. That is described in Acts, chapter 1. That chapter tells us that many of the future apostles were there but since the ascension happened right outside Jerusalem it’s quite possible many more members of the church were there. It would make sense that Simon of Cyrene, having carried the cross, would have remained around Jerusalem through at least the end of the Passover feast. Well, by that time Jesus had risen. One commentator, Alexander MacLaren has said, “It is possible that this may be our Simon, and that he who was the last to join the band of disciples during the Master’s life and learned courage at the Cross was among the first to apprehend the world-wide destination of the Gospel, and to bear it beyond the narrow bounds of his nation.” VK: So, you are following MacLaren’s line of thinking with respect to Simon of Cyrene. Simon of Cyrene was at Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover feast but he winds up encountering Jesus in a very unique way. Having encountered the living Christ he stays in Jerusalem where, just a few days later, he might have encountered the risen Christ. He may even have been among the group that saw Jesus ascend and then stayed in Jerusalem for a little while longer and been one of the Cyrenians [sigh-ren-ee-ans] mentioned at Pentecost. Well, certainly that would have been a transformative experience – so transformative Simon of Cyrene might have been in the group that began carrying the gospel outside Judea to places like Antioch in Syria. RD: Yes. And we know from Acts, chapter 11 that Paul spent over a year in Antioch. That would have been plenty of time for him to come to know Simon and his family which would have included Rufus and Rufus’ mother. We also know that Paul returned to Antioch several times even after he began his series of missionary journeys so he would have had the opportunity to renew his connection with the family. So, if sometime during Paul’s long missionary career he found out that Rufus and his mother had moved to Rome it would make perfect sense that Paul would have send very warm greetings when he finally wrote to the Roman church. VK: Well, how long was it between the time Paul might have first encountered Simon and Rufus in Antioch and Paul wrote the letter to the Romans? RD: Probably more than a decade. VK: So, Rufus and his mother would not have been just friends of Paul’s but old friends? I see what you mean that the information in the greeting and salutations isn’t something that we can just gloss over. There’s a whole story buried underneath those 15 or 20 words. RD: Exactly. And let’s remind everyone of the really big point. Contrary to some uniformed critics, the Bible is not filled with “myths and fairy tales.” The Bible does contain reports of supernatural events but it reports those events in the same way it reports mundane or secular matters. But the entirety of the story that the Bible reports, when examined carefully, is coherent and consistent with what we know from extra-Biblical sources about people, places, and culture. VK: As we said last time, it’s a very simple principle. If we have a friend who we know to be honest and truthful and then one day that friend tells us they saw something extraordinary our first impulse should be to trust their report. We can trust their report because we have a track record and history with that person that tells us that person consistently tells the truth. Naturally, the opposite might be true. If we know somebody who consistently lies then we might have reason to doubt them, even if occasionally they tell us something that is true. RD: Right. Character matters. And when the Bible’s character is tested in ways we can verify it always stands up to the test. VK: So, are there any other items you want to point out from the greetings and salutations in Romans? RD: Sure. Let’s take a look at 3 of the other names: Andronicus, Junia, and Apelles. Andronicus and Junia were, like Paul, Jews. Apelles is a common Greek name. This helps illustrate the point we made last time that in the book of Romans Paul spent a lot of time discussing the relationship between the Jews and Gentiles with respect to redemptive history and the emerging 1st century church. Also, the name Aristobulus [air-is-tahb-u-lus] is interesting. VK: The name Aristobulus is the same name as one of Herod the Great’s grandsons who was known to be a friend of the Roman Emperor Claudius. Claudius reigned from 41 AD to 54 AD. The book of Romans was likely written in 57 AD, but no earlier than 55 AD. So, the inclusion of Aristobulus is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, we know that that name was in use during that period of history and was known in the city of Rome. But, second, Paul says to “Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.” So, that greeting is not necessarily to Aristobulus [air-is-tahb-u-lus] himself but either to members of his family or servants of the family. This means that by the time Paul wrote Romans the gospel had been heard at even the upper levels of Roman society. RD: Right. And among the list of names Paul includes in his salutations and greetings are names of people who were, in all likelihood, servants or slaves. The names Urbanus and Stachys were common slave names. Urbanus was a Roman name. Stachys was a Greek name. And in the greeting Paul calls Stachys “my beloved.” This demonstrates that Paul was indifferent to the social or economic status of people he associated with or ministered to. Paul brought the gospel to all levels of his society – whether high or low, rich or poor, slave or free. VK: And one person on the greetings list in Romans who may have been from a high level is Narcissus. There was a person named Narcissus who was an aide to the Emperor Claudius who was forced to commit suicide by Agrippina [eh-grip-peen-a]. Agrippina was the younger sister of Emperor Caligula, the niece and fourth wife of Emperor Claudius and the mother of emperor Nero. She forced Narcissus to kill himself after Nero became the emperor probably because he would have been a rival when it came to giving Nero advice. Yikes. As we’ve said, there are stories buried in this seemingly simple list of names. RD: Yes. But all this reinforces the primary reason we are doing this “Paul’s Places” series. The Apostle Paul wrote his epistle, our Bible book, Romans in or around 57 AD. By that time he had been on the “missionary road” for over a decade – likely up to 15 years. He had travelled widely through the Roman Empire and he knew who was influential within the empire. VK: He also knew how the people within the Roman world thought about things and of course, he knew the essential elements of the emerging Christian faith as well or better than anyone. What you’re saying is that when he sat down and wrote his letters, the epistles that would become the books of our Bible he did so carefully and thoughtfully. And that’s just Paul operating as a human being. He was also under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So, when he penned these letters he was teaching and encouraging throughout the letter even in the parts we might tend to skip over like the salutations and greetings. But what we see in those salutations and greetings reinforces what we know about the churches in the cities to which he was writing – their world, the things they were dealing with generally and specifically, and what they needed to mature in their faith. RD: Very well said. In Romans Paul was writing to a church composed of Jews and Gentiles, Greeks and Romans, well-educated leaders and ordinary servants, and people he knew well and some he had never met. So, in the main body of the letter he addressed issues of doctrine and principle that the people of that church (and all subsequent churches) needed to hear. And because Rome was the hub of the Roman Empire he knew whatever he sent to them would travel far and wide. So, he was thorough in what he wrote and comprehensive in areas that were or might be confusing. The character of the church made it sensible for him to do that and the city in which the church was located made it essential that he do that. VK: And when it came to deciding who to greet specifically and how to greet them he was equally careful. He pointed out a couple of people who had been Christians longer than he had, he gave special credit to Rufus whose family may very well have played a unique role in church history, and he recognized people from all up and down the social status ladder. And he greeted women as well as men which would have been somewhat out-of-the-ordinary in that world. All of that points to the authenticity of the letter and therefore increases our confidence in the letter’s accuracy and trustworthiness. RD: Yes. Paul took more time in the book of Romans to discuss the interaction between Jews, gentiles, the church, and the history of salvation than in any other book he wrote but his concern for doctrine did not overcome his concern for the people. Paul wanted his readers to be as passionate about the gospel as he was but he knew that passion for faith had to be tied to genuine love among believers. VK: This harkens back to the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verse 35 where Jesus said, By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” That’s from the New International Version. The New Living Translation says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Paul proved he was a genuine disciple by expressing love for the people he was writing to. First, he did so by writing them truth even when he knew those truths would be hard on some of the readers. Second, he did so by forming friendships and remembering people by name. RD: In its day the Roman church was unique. As the earliest manifestation of an emerging church in the center of the world’s most powerful empire of the time its influence eclipsed that of what most of its members probably thought. But think about this. There were names of Roman slaves that have been commemorated for all eternity because of their participation in that church. The names of those slaves are, in many ways, truly exalted beyond the names of most of the world’s kings, emperors, generals, presidents, and corporate bigwigs. VK: The New Living Translation of James, chapter 4, verse 10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” In a very real way in composing those greetings and salutations that is what Paul did. RD: Right. The letter to the church in Rome was a real letter written by a real man to real people – people just like us. Like all of the parts of the Bible, Paul’s letters are perfectly consistent with what we know about the larger context in which they were written. But not only are they consistent with the people, places, and facts of history they are consistent with God’s eternal proclamations. Part of the evidence of the truth of the book of Romans is the un-designed consistency that it shares with other books in New Testament. That consistency makes Romans coherent even at a granular level that few people ever both to look. VK: This sounds like a great time for a prayer. Today, let’s listen to a prayer that we may all be faithful stewards of the resources that have been entrusted to us. Faithful stewardship is evidence of our own faithfulness to the cause of Christ. ---- PRAYER TO BE A FAITHFUL STEWARD VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!” (Opening Bible Quote from the Contemporary English Version) Romans, chapter 16, verses 7, 11, and 13, Contemporary English Version Mark 15:21 Commentaries: They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross. (biblehub.com) Romans 1 Barnes' Notes (biblehub.com)

(01:15) Part I: Law of the Day - "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." (Lev. 19:18) (11:05) Part II: Today I look at some historical examples of lesser magistrates. First, I discuss Jehoiada from 2 Kings 11 and his resistance to Athaliah the usurper. Second, I consider the Roman Governor Publius Petronius and his resistance to Emperor Caligula. Both men had no guarantee of success, yet they stood firm in the face of tyranny and certain death, not out of a sense of rebellion, but in order to do the right thing. As always, if you have any civic/government related questions, feel free to email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com, and I will be happy to address them on the program. Thank you and God bless! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or go to www.ericluppold.com Please support me on Patreon!

(01:15) Part I: Law of the Day - "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." (Lev. 19:18) (11:05) Part II: Today I look at some historical examples of lesser magistrates. First, I discuss Jehoiada from 2 Kings 11 and his resistance to Athaliah the usurper. Second, I consider the Roman Governor Publius Petronius and his resistance to Emperor Caligula. Both men had no guarantee of success, yet they stood firm in the face of tyranny and certain death, not out of a sense of rebellion, but in order to do the right thing. As always, if you have any civic/government related questions, feel free to email me at thegbgpodcast@gmail.com, and I will be happy to address them on the program. Thank you and God bless! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or go to www.ericluppold.com Please support me on Patreon!

On the 30 January 1649, a large crowd gathers beneath a hastily erected scaffold at the Palace of Whitehall, at the stroke of 2pm a nameless masked man delivered a single blow to sever the head of Charles II. 700 hundred years after Alfred the Great sought to establish the Kingdom of England, the English monarchy was no more. A commoner and puritan named Oliver Cromwell was now the country's de facto dictator. But as Cromwell's parliamentarians celebrated an end to the violent civil war, the King's 19-year-old son was determined to avenge his slaying and to restore the monarchy. A decade later, the young pretender would assume his father's throne. In this episode, I examine the life of King Charles II, from his earliest days, through his exile, his triumphant return, and the remainder of his troubled reign. This is an original production brought to you by Daniel Mainwaring's Fascinating People, Fascinating Places Podcast. For more information visit the website www.DanielMainwaring.com Additional material provided by Dorsey Jackson - https://youtu.be/DxFyjYpKUVE of Dorsey Jackson Global at Compound City Covert art is a bust of Emperor Caligula, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek made by Louis Le Grand in March 2007 Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en). Audio effects and music Pixabay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/support

On 1 April 527 AD, an extraordinary event unfolded in the ancient city of Constantinople -- known to the modern world as Instanbul. A 37 year old woman -- a former actress and prostitute dressed in the imperial regalia of Rome -- was crowned as empress of Byzantium -- the Eastern branch and largest remnant of the Roman Empire. But unlike many women who've been awarded such titles, Theodora wasn't just a consort or wife of the Emperor. She was at her husband's behest and equal partner in the imperial household. She was also the most legitimately powerful woman to dominate Roman or Byzantine history. In this episode, I seek to discover the story behind the empress. Her early life, her struggles and to separate the fact from the fiction. This is an original production brought to you by Daniel Mainwaring's Fascinating People, Fascinating Places Podcast. For more information visit the website www.DanielMainwaring.com Additional material provided by Dorsey Jackson - https://youtu.be/DxFyjYpKUVE of Dorsey Jackson Global at Compound City Covert art is a bust of Emperor Caligula, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek made by Louis Le Grand in March 2007 Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en). Audio effects and music Pixabay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/support

Roman Emperor Caligula raised an army and marched across Gaul with every intention of invading Great Britain. Having set sail, he neared the famous white cliffs of Dover before returning course and disembarking in France. Upon his return, two soldiers: Gaius and Lucius, are surprised to find themselves tasked with something other than battle. This is an original production brought to you by Daniel Mainwaring's Fascinating People, Fascinating Places Podcast. For more information visit the website www.DanielMainwaring.com Cover art is a bust of Emperor Caligula, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek made by Louis Le Grand in March 2007 Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en). Music used is Bach – Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 by Carl Weinrich | Music promoted on https://www.chosic.com/ Creative Commons --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/support

The depraved and sadistic Roman emperor was one of the most reviled figures of antiquity. Allegations of incest, murder, and more bizarrely the promotion of his beloved horse to consul still linger in popular culture today. But was he really the deranged tyrant we learned about in history class or was there another side to him? In this episode, I will explore the truth of the man behind the legend. This is an original production brought to you by Daniel Mainwaring's Fascinating People, Fascinating Places Podcast. For more information visit the website www.DanielMainwaring.com Additional material provided by Dorsey Jackson - https://youtu.be/DxFyjYpKUVE of Dorsey Jackson Global at Compound City Covert art is a bust of Emperor Caligula, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek made by Louis Le Grand in March 2007 Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en). Audio effects and music Pixabay --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/daniel-mainwaring5/support

Hey besties! We have a fun one for y'all today. Kat covers the absolutely badass women of the Dahomey Warriors, the basis for most of our ideas about ancient Amazonians. Kaleigh covers the absurd rule of the Emperor Caligula. We want to hear from you! Twitter: @TINAHLpodcast Email: thisisnotahistorylecture@gmail.comPlease, please, please review us where you can! - Remember, each review saves one flamingo from being sacrificed

This week, Anna and Amber are playing catch-up after attending the SAA conference, recovering from vaccine shots, and life in general. We'll be taking the rest of April off for a short break. In the meantime, please enjoy a cleaned-up version of a Dirt After Dark episode where Anna treats Amber to the story of the Roman emperor Caligula's absurd pleasure boats on a tiny, tiny lake. Links Nemi Ships: How Caligula's Floating Pleasure Palaces Were Found and Lost Again (Discover) Divers to scour lake for Emperor Caligula's 2,000-year-old pleasure ship (Washington Post) A missing mosaic from Caligula's ship served as a coffee table in NYC home for 45 years (The Vintage News) Contact Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com Affiliates Wildnote TeePublic Timeular

This week, Anna and Amber are playing catch-up after attending the SAA conference, recovering from vaccine shots, and life in general. We'll be taking the rest of April off for a short break. In the meantime, please enjoy a cleaned-up version of a Dirt After Dark episode where Anna treats Amber to the story of the Roman emperor Caligula's absurd pleasure boats on a tiny, tiny lake. Links Nemi Ships: How Caligula's Floating Pleasure Palaces Were Found and Lost Again (Discover) Divers to scour lake for Emperor Caligula's 2,000-year-old pleasure ship (Washington Post) A missing mosaic from Caligula's ship served as a coffee table in NYC home for 45 years (The Vintage News) Contact Email the Dirt Podcast: thedirtpodcast@gmail.com Affiliates Wildnote TeePublic Timeular

This episode is the fourth part of a larger series in which I am joined by Roman Empire expert Brett Davidoff, as we discuss some of the parallels of ancient Rome to the United States and other historical instances of democratic decay. In this episode we discuss the tyrannical rule of the Emperor Caligula.

The persona has become a byword for excess and depravity but Caligula wasn't even his real name.

The persona has become a byword for excess and depravity but Caligula wasn't even his real name.

Great NT Profiles Part 15Homework Tips Checklist for ParentsPONTIUS PILATERelated Scriptures:• Luke 13:1-5; Matthew 27:1-28; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:42; Acts 3:13-15; 4:27-31; 13:28-33; 1 Timothy 6:13-16• Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor (prefect) of the Roman province of Judea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 CE. It is believed he hailed from the Samnium region of central Italy.• Pilate appears in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus and the• Jewish philosopher Philo.• In the New Testament, he is at best opportunistic, culturally insensitive, and often cruel.Governorship• Jesus was crucified during Pilate’s governorship, which lasted from 26 to 36 C.E.• Pilate was appointed by Tiberius himself known for anti-Jewish sentiments.• Pilate was known for his lack of respect for the Jewish population and cruelty (Luke 13:1-5)Clash with the Jewish Population• Pilate is known to have treated Jewish customs with contempt.• Almost immediately upon his arrival in Palestine in A.D. 26, he was at odds with the Jews.• There are three major clashes.Clash 1• His first act of provocation was the introduction into Jerusalem of Roman standards with embossed figures of the emperor.• Previous prefects had been careful not to offend Jewish religious views by not allowing any sign of emperor worship when the troops entered Jerusalem.• This act aroused great indignation and as a result the Jews sent a delegation to Caesarea who pled for five days for the removal of the standards.Clash 2• Pilate seized funds from the national treasury known as the Corbonas in order to construct an aqueduct.• Later when Pilate visited Jerusalem, the Jews met him with anger.• He orders his soldiers to mingle among the crowd dressed as civilians with hidden clubs.• On a prearranged signal, they drew their clubs and began to beat the protestors, killing many.Clash 3• In AD 36 a Samaritan false prophet promised his followers that he would show them the sacred vessels, which, according to tradition, Moses had buried on Mount Gerazim.• Many believed him and gathered with arms at the foot of the mountain. Pilate blocked the projected route with heavily armed infantry.• Some of the followers were killed in battle, others imprisoned, and others executed.Dismissal• The Samaritans complained to Vitellius, prefect of Syria, who shortly afterwards sent Marcellus to take temporary charge of Judea, ordering Pilate to report to Tiberius.The Gospel PortraitAll four Gospels portray him as a vacillating judge.The Trial of Jesus• The Jewish leaders brought Jesus to Pilate early on Friday morning of the passion week (Matt. 27:1-2, 11-14; Mark 15:1-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-38).Barabbas• All four Gospels show an interest in the release of Barabbas.Only in Matthew• Only in Matthew does Pilate wash his hands to symbolize his innocence (27:24)• Only in Matthew do “all the people” cry, “His blood be on our heads and on the heads of our children” (27:25)Only in Luke• Only in Luke does Pilate declare Jesus “innocent”. Luke emphasizes it three times.• Pilate (23:4)• Herod Antipas (23:11)• Roman centurion (23:47)Only in John• John’s account shows Pilate desperate to release Jesus. (John 18:31).• Pilate finally gave in to the pressure of the Jewish leaders when they threatened him with the accusation of not being a friend of Caesar (John 19:12).Questions of History• Pilate seems to disappear from history after his rule.• According to Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus, Pilate was removed from office and sent back to Rome.• According to some traditions he was executed by Emperor Caligula or committed suicide, with his body thrown into the Tiber River.• The early church father Tertullian claimed he became a follower of Jesus and tried to convert the emperor to Christianity.

Never look at a solar eclipse. Unless you're wearing badass solar eclipse glasses and taking cool photos. Night Sky Pix sent us an article about photographing the upcoming solar eclipse, and it's so in depth we'll need to get it back from the Challenger Deep. So, if you live in the right places, get your camera and your solar filters and get snapping.SimRefinery is the least well known Sim game of all time. That's because Maxis never actually finished it and it's been sitting in a box for decades. But now it's been temporarily released on Archive.org and around 20 000 people have downloaded it. SimRefinery was a training simulation commissioned by Chevron and designed to help introduce refinery workers and company staff learn about the operations of their facilities.DJ is cautiously excited about Promised Neverland, an Amazon live action remake of the anime with the same name. A knock off version of the Eloi from The Time Machine find out what they're being kept for and try to escape. Don't get your hopes up though, what are the chances someone will actually make a good live action anime adaptation?This week, Professor tries to drive across America in Overland and DJ takes a time machine to a medieval battle royale.Upcoming annual Solar eclipse and how to take photos of it- https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2020-june-21- https://nightskypix.com/how-to-photograph-a-solar-eclipse/Unreleased SimRefinery prototype from the shadows of history-https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/06/a-lost-maxis-sim-game-has-been-discovered-by-an-ars-reader-uploaded-for-all/- https://obscuritory.com/sim/when-simcity-got-serious/Promised Neverland now a live action series on Amazon-https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/promised-neverland-live-action-series-in-development-at-amazon-1234629626/Games PlayedProfessor– Overland – https://store.steampowered.com/app/355680/Overland/Rating: 3.5/5DJ– Shadow Arena – https://store.steampowered.com/app/1226470/Shadow_Arena/Rating: 3/5Other topics discussedSimpsons Solar Eclipse!! from the episode Gone Maggie Gone (Marge takes a peek at the solar eclipse, which blinds her)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sE0haQuvp0Pinhole Camera (A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens but with a tiny aperture (the so-called pinhole) – effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side.Light from a scene passes through the aperture and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box, which is known as the camera obscura effect.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_cameraCamera Obscura (Camera obscura (plural camerae obscurae or camera obscuras, from Latin camera obscūra, “dark chamber”), also referred to as pinhole image, is the natural optical phenomenon that occurs when an image of a scene at the other side of a screen (or, for instance, a wall) is projected through a small hole in that screen as a reversed and inverted image (left to right and upside down) on a surface opposite to the opening.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscuraDisposable Camera (A disposable or single-use camera is a simple box camera meant to be used once. Most use fixed-focus lenses. Some are equipped with an integrated flash unit, and there are even waterproof versions for underwater photography.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable_camera4–5 July 2020 Penumbral Lunar Eclipse (The Moon may turn slightly darker than a usual Full Moon for those in much of North and South America, and Africa during the maximum phase of this penumbral lunar eclipse.)- https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2020-july-5SimRefinery (SimRefinery was a computer management simulation game designed to simulate Chevron's Richmond refinery operation. It was developed by the Maxis Business Simulations division of Maxis in 1993.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimRefineryInternet Archive (The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge." It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, movies/videos, moving images, and millions of books. In addition to its archiving function, the Archive is an activist organization, advocating a free and open Internet.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_ArchiveOpenTTD (OpenTTD is a business simulation game in which players try to earn money via transporting passengers and freight by road, rail, water and air. It is an open-source remake and expansion of the 1994 Chris Sawyer video game Transport Tycoon Deluxe.- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenTTD- https://www.openttd.org/Days of Thunder (Days of Thunder is a 1990NASCAR racing simulation video game loosely based on the 1990 movie Days of Thunder. Oberth's version was recovered from floppy discs in 2020 after his death by the Video Game History Foundation and its source code was made available in June 2020 with permission of Oberth's estate.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_Thunder_(1990_video_game)- https://gamehistory.org/days-of-thunder-nes-unreleased/A Super Mario 64 decompilation- https://github.com/n64decomp/sm64Maxis (Maxis is an American video game developer and a division of Electronic Arts (EA). The studio was founded in 1987 by Will Wright and Jeff Braun, and acquired by EA in 1997. Maxis is best known for its simulation games, including The Sims, Spore and SimCity.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MaxisSpore (Spore is a 2008 life simulation real-time strategy God game developed by Maxis, published by Electronic Arts and designed by Will Wright, and was released for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spore_(2008_video_game)The Office (American TV Series) (The Office is an American mockumentary sitcom television series that depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It is an adaptation of the 2001-2003 BBC series of the same name, being adapted for American television by Greg Daniels, a veteran writer for Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office_(American_TV_series)Red Dwarf (American version) (a pilot episode for an American version (known as Red Dwarf USA) was produced through Universal Studios with the intention of broadcasting on NBC in 1992.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dwarf#U.S._versionThe I.T. Crowd (American version) (An American version of The IT Crowd was almost aired by NBC in 2007–08. It starred Richard Ayoade reprising his role as Moss, with Joel McHale as Roy, Jessica St. Clair as Jen and Rocky Carroll as Denholm. A third attempt at an NBC remake was confirmed in January 2018.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_IT_Crowd#American_versionsNetflix’s live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop will tone down Faye’s revealing costume from the anime.-https://screenrant.com/live-action-cowboy-bebop-show-faye-costume-changes/A Quiet Place (A Quiet Place is a 2018 American post-apocalypticscience fiction horror film co-written, directed by and starring John Krasinski. Written by Bryan Woods, Scott Beck and Krasinski, the plot revolves around a father (Krasinski) and a mother (Emily Blunt) who struggle to survive and raise their children in apost-apocalyptic world inhabited by blind extraterrestrial creatures with an acute sense of hearing.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Quiet_Place_(film)Arachnids (Starship Troopers monster) (The Arachnids (more commonly known as Bugs, and Archies) are a hostile alien species that have conquered many planets across space.)- https://starshiptroopers.fandom.com/wiki/ArachnidNicholas Cage (Nicolas Kim Coppola, known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and filmmaker. To avoid the appearance of nepotism as Coppola's nephew, he changed his name early in his career to Nicolas Cage, inspired in part by the Marvel Comics superhero Luke Cage.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_CageLuna Park Sydney (Luna Park Sydney is a heritage-listed amusement park located at 1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point, North Sydney Council, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. The amusement park is owned by the Luna Park Reserve Trust, an agency of the Government of New South Wales, and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 March 2010.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_Park_SydneyLuna Park Ghost Train and the legend of the Devil-Horned Man-https://cdn.mamamia.com.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/19135844/luna-park-feature.jpg- https://www.mamamia.com.au/luna-park-ghost-train/XR SEQ Podcast (TNC Podcast)- https://thatsnotcanon.com/xrseqpodcastShout Outs9 June 1909 – Alice Huyler Ramsey, 22-year-old housewife from Hackensack, New Jersey, becomes the 1st woman to drive across the US, in a Maxwell 30, drives 3,800 miles from Manhattan to San Francisco in 59 days - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Huyler_Ramsey#Transcontinental_driveOn June 9, 1909, Alice Huyler Ramsey 22-year-old housewife and mother began a 3,800-mile journey from Hell Gate in Manhattan, New York, to San Francisco, California, in a green, four-cylinder, 30-horsepower Maxwell DA. On her 59-day trek she was accompanied by two older sisters-in-law and 19 year-old friend Hermine Jahns, none of whom could drive a car. They arrived amid great fanfare on August 7, although about three weeks later than originally planned. The group of women used maps from the American Automobile Association to make the journey. Only 152 of the 3,600 miles (244 of the 5,767 kilometers) that the group traveled were paved. Over the course of the drive, Ramsey changed 11 tires, cleaned the spark plugs, repaired a broken brake pedal and had to sleep in the car when it was stuck in mud. The women mostly navigated by using telephone poles, following the poles with more wires in hopes that they would lead to a town. Along the way, they crossed the trail of a manhunt for a killer in Nebraska, Ramsey received a case of bedbugs from a Wyoming hotel, and in Nevada they were surrounded by a Native American hunting party with bows and arrows drawn. Ramsey was named the "Woman Motorist of the Century" by AAA in 1960.9 June 2020 – Kathy Sullivan first American woman to walk in space has become the first woman to reach the deepest known spot in the ocean - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/science/challenger-deep-kathy-sullivan-astronaut.htmlOn Sunday, Kathy Sullivan, 68, an astronaut and oceanographer, emerged from her 35,810-foot dive to the Challenger Deep, according to EYOS Expeditions, a company coordinating the logistics of the mission. This also makes Dr. Sullivan the first person to both walk in space and to descend to the deepest point in the ocean. The Challenger Deep is the lowest of the many seabed recesses that crisscross the globe. Dr. Sullivan and Victor L. Vescovo, an explorer funding the mission, spent about an hour and a half at their destination, nearly seven miles down in a muddy depression in the Mariana Trench, which is about 200 miles southwest of Guam. “As a hybrid oceanographer and astronaut this was an extraordinary day, a once in a lifetime day, seeing the moonscape of the Challenger Deep and then comparing notes with my colleagues on the ISS about our remarkable reusable inner-space outer-spacecraft,” Dr. Sullivan said in a statement released by EYOS Expeditions on Monday.11 June 2020 – Mel Winkler passes away at 78 - https://deadline.com/2020/06/mel-winkler-dead-obituary-oswald-new-batman-adventures-actor-doc-hollywood-1202956911/Mel Winkler, a character actor with numerous TV, film and stage credits as well as being a recognizable voice behind characters on the animated series. Winkler appeared in such films as Doc Hollywood and Devil in a Blue Dress . After a 1969 stint on daytime’s The Doctors, he appeared steadily in episodic TV roles from the 1970s through the early 2000s, including such series as The Cosby Show, The Young Riders, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Star Trek: Voyager, Touched by an Angel, NYPD Blue and The Shield. As a voice actor, he was best known as the voice of the guardian mask Aku Aku in the Crash Bandicoot series, Lucius Fox in The New Batman Adventures and Johnny Snowman in the TV seriesOswald. He passed away in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles, California.11 June 2020 – Queen Elizabeth dials in to first official video call to chat to UK’s carers - https://metro.co.uk/2020/06/11/queen-dials-first-official-video-call-chat-uks-carers-12837809/The Queen has become the latest person to get into the lockdown trend of group video chats, after she made her first official public-facing conference call. Sat comfortably from the Oak Room in Windsor Castle, the 94-year-old monarch dialled in to chat to four carers about the difficulties they have faced during the coronavirus pandemic. The monarch – dressed in a floral dress and pearls – was also joined by her daughter Princess Anne, in the call on June 4 to mark Carers Week. In a video shared by the Royal Family’s Twitter account, the Queen praises the carers and chief executive of the Carers Trust, Gareth Howells, for their ‘extraordinary’ efforts. She can be heard saying: ‘I’m very impressed by what you have achieved already. I’m very glad to have been able to join you today.’ It was a first for the Queen’s long reign and she was the last to join the call and first to leave – a formal etiquette of royal engagements that Buckingham Palace decided to preserve. One carer on the call said it was ‘surreal’ to be sitting in her bedroom while talking to two Royals on a video call.Remembrances9 June 68 AD – Nero - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeroNero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus was Roman emperor from 54 to 68, the last ruler of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius and became Claudius' heir and successor. Like Claudius, Nero became emperor with the consent of the Praetorian Guard. Nero's mother, Agrippina the Younger, dominated Nero's early life and decisions until he cast her off and had her killed five years into his reign. Nero's rule is usually associated with tyranny and extravagance. Most Roman sources, such as Suetonius and Cassius Dio, offer overwhelmingly negative assessments of his personality and reign; Tacitus claims that the Roman people thought him compulsive and corrupt. Suetonius tells that many Romans believed that the Great Fire of Rome was instigated by Nero to clear the way for his planned palatial complex, the Domus Aurea. According to Tacitus he was said to have seized Christians as scapegoats for the fire and burned them alive, seemingly motivated not by public justice but by personal cruelty. There is evidence of his popularity among the Roman commoners, especially in the eastern provinces of the Empire, where a popular legend arose that Nero had not died and would return. At least three leaders of short-lived, failed rebellions presented themselves as "Nero reborn" to enlist popular support. He died from suicide outside Rome at the age of 30 with his final words “Too late! This is fidelity!”9 June 1959 – Adolf Windaus - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_WindausAdolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, German chemist who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1928 for his work on sterols and their relation to vitamins. He was the doctoral advisor of Adolf Butenandt who also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1939. Throughout his life, Windaus won many awards including the Goethe Medal, the Pasteur Medal, and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. In addition to his many accomplishments and discoveries in science, Windaus was also one of the very few German chemists who did not work with the Nazis and openly opposed their regime. As the head of the chemical institute at the University of Göttingen, Windaus personally defended one of his Jewish graduate students from dismissal. Windaus believed that while every man had a moral code, his science was motivated by curiosity, and was not driven by politics, ethics, and applications of his discoveries. This viewpoint caused Windaus to decline to research poison gas during World War I. He was involved in the discovery of the transformation of cholesterol through several steps to vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol). He gave his patents to Merck and Bayer and they brought out the medical Vigantol in 1927. He died at the age of 82 in Göttingen,West Germany.9 June 1990 – George Beadle - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_BeadleGeorge Wells Beadle, American geneticist. In 1958 he shared one-half of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Edward Tatum for their discovery of the role of genes in regulating biochemical events within cells. Beadle and Tatum's key experiments involved exposing the bread mold Neurospora crassa to x-rays, causing mutations. In a series of experiments, they showed that these mutations caused changes in specific enzymes involved in metabolic pathways. These experiments led them to propose a direct link between genes and enzymatic reactions, known as the One gene-one enzyme hypothesis. The one gene–one enzyme hypothesis is the idea that genes act through the production of enzymes, with each gene responsible for producing a single enzyme that in turn affects a single step in a metabolic pathway. He died from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 85 in Pomona, California.Famous Birthdays9 June 1640 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I,_Holy_Roman_EmperorLeopold I (full name: Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Felician), Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain, Leopold became heir apparent in 1654 by the death of his elder brother Ferdinand IV. Elected in 1658, Leopold ruled the Holy Roman Empire until his death in 1705, becoming the longest-ruling Habsburg emperor (at 46 years and 9 months). Leopold's reign is known for conflicts with the Ottoman Empire in the east and rivalry with Louis XIV, a contemporary and first cousin, in the west. After more than a decade of warfare, Leopold emerged victorious from the Great Turkish War thanks to the military talents of Prince Eugene of Savoy. By the Treaty of Karlowitz, Leopold recovered almost all of the Kingdom of Hungary, which had fallen under Turkish power in the years after the 1526 Battle of Mohács. Leopold fought three wars against France: the Franco-Dutch War, the Nine Years' War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. In this last, Leopold sought to give his younger son the entire Spanish inheritance, disregarding the will of the late Charles II. Leopold started a war that soon engulfed much of Europe. When peace returned, Austria could not be said to have emerged as triumphant as it had from the war against the Turks. He was born in Vienna.9 June 1843 – Bertha von Suttner - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_von_SuttnerBertha Felicitas Sophie Freifrau von Suttner also known as Baroness Bertha von Suttner née Countess Kinsky.Austrian-Bohemian pacifist and novelist. In 1905, she became the second female Nobel laureate (after Marie Curie in 1903), the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and the first Austrian laureate. In 1889 Suttner became a leading figure in the peace movement with the publication of her pacifist novel, Die Waffen nieder! (Lay Down Your Arms!), which made her one of the leading figures of the Austrian peace movement. The book was published in 37 editions and translated into 12 languages. In 1897 she presented Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria with a list of signatures urging the establishment of an International Court of Justice and took part in the First Hague Convention in 1899 with the help of Theodor Herzl, who paid for her trip as a correspondent of the Zionist newspaper, Die Welt. Suttner's pacifism was influenced by the writings of Immanuel Kant, Henry Thomas Buckle, Herbert Spencer, Charles Darwin and Leo Tolstoy (Tolstoy praised Die Waffen nieder!) conceiving peace as a natural state impaired by the human aberrances of war and militarism. As a result, she argued that a right to peace could be demanded under international law and was necessary in the context of an evolutionary Darwinist conception of history. Suttner was a respected journalist, with one historian describing her as "a most perceptive and adept political commentator". She was born in Prague,Kingdom of Bohemia.9 June 1961 – Michael J. Fox - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._FoxMichael Andrew Fox, known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American, actor, comedian, author, film producer and activist with a film and television career spanning from the 1970s. He starred in the Back to the Future trilogy in which he portrayed Marty McFly. Other notable roles have included his portrayal of Alex P. Keaton on the American sitcom Family Ties and Mike Flaherty on the ABC sitcom Spin City . He has won five Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991 at age 29, and disclosed his condition to the public in 1998. He semi-retired from acting in 2000 as the symptoms of the disease worsened. He has since become an advocate for research toward finding a cure, and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Since 1999, Fox has mainly worked as a voice-over actor in films such as Stuart Little and Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire. On the CBS TV show The Good Wife, he earned Emmy nominations for three consecutive years for his recurring role as crafty attorney Louis Canning. He has also taken recurring guest roles and cameo appearances in Boston Legal, Scrubs,Curb Your Enthusiasm, Rescue Me, and Designated Survivor. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010, and was also inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000. He was born in Edmonton,Alberta.Events of Interest9 June 53 AD – The Roman emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia. - https://www.mintageworld.com/media/detail/12089-claudia-octavia-and-nero-got-married-/In 53 AD, Octavia was married to her adopted brother Nero after she was legally transferred to another clan. Apparently her stepmother Agrippina had planned this marriage even before her own marriage to Claudius. Nevertheless, Nero succeeded his adoptive father as Emperor, making Octavia Empress. It appears their marriage was loveless and also childless.9 June 68AD – Nero commits suicide, after quoting Homer's Iliad, thus ending the Julio-Claudian dynasty and starting the civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors - https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/nero#section_3Nero failed to respond decisively to a revolt in Gaul, prompting further unrest in Africa and in Spain, where the governor Galba declared himself legate of the Senate and Roman People. Soon the Praetorian Guard declared allegiance to Galba, and the Senate followed suit, declaring Nero an enemy of the people. Nero attempted to flee, but upon learning that his arrest and execution were imminent, he took his own life. Fifty years later, the historian Suetonius reported Nero’s final lament: “What an artist dies in me!” The civil war during the year of the Four Emperors was described by ancient historians as a troubling period. According to Tacitus, this instability was rooted in the fact that emperors could no longer rely on the perceived legitimacy of the imperial bloodline, as Nero and those before him could. Galba began his short reign with the execution of many of Nero's allies. One such notable enemy included Nymphidius Sabinus, who claimed to be the son of Emperor Caligula. The social, military and political upheavals of the period had Empire-wide repercussions, which included the outbreak of the Revolt of the Batavi.9 June 1959 – The USS George Washington is launched. It is the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_George_Washington_(SSBN-598)#Construction_and_launchingThe USS George Washington was launched on 9 June 1959 sponsored by Mrs. Ollie Mae Anderson (née Rawlins), wife of US Treasury Secretary Robert B. Anderson, and commissioned on 30 December 1959 as SSBN-598 with Commander James B. Osborn in command of the Blue crew and Commander John L. From, Jr. in command of the Gold crew. The George Washington was originally scheduled to become the USS Scorpion, but during her construction she was lengthened by the insertion of a 130-foot missile section and finished as a fleet ballistic-missile submarine. The George Washington was commissioned into service in December 1959 and the United States instantly gained the most powerful deterrent force imaginable - a stealth platform with enormous nuclear firepower. Arguably, it can be considered the submarine that has most influenced world events in the 20th Century. In the early 1980s the George Washington had her missile removed and was reclassified as an attack submarine before finally being decommissioned several years later.9 June 1979 – The Ghost Train fire at Luna Park Sydney, Australia, kills seven. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Sydney_Ghost_Train_fireOn the night of 9 June 1979, a fire broke out inside the ride at approximately 10:15 pm. Due to a combination of low water pressure, under-staffing within the park, and inadequate coverage of the Ghost Train by the park's fire hose system, the fire was able to completely consume the ride.It took an hour to bring the fire under control, but it was extinguished before any significant damage could be done to the adjacent River Caves and Big Dipper. The fire killed six children and one adult, and destroyed the amusement park's ghost train. Inadequate fire-fighting measures and low staffing caused the fire to completely destroy the ride, which was first constructed in 1931, and had been transported from Glenelg, South Australia to Milsons Point, New South Wales during 1934 and 1935. Originally the fire was blamed on electrical faults, but arson by unknown figures has also been claimed. The exact cause of the fire could not be determined by a coronial inquiry. The coroner also ruled that, while the actions of Luna Park's management and staff before and during the fire (in particular their choosing not to follow advice on the installation of a sprinkler system in the ride) breached their duty of care, charges of criminal negligence should not be laid. The case was reopened in 1987: no new findings were made, although the police investigation and coronial inquiry were criticised. The fire forced the closure of Luna Park until 1982, when it reopened under a new name and new owners.IntroArtist – Goblins from MarsSong Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)Song Link -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJFollow us onFacebook- Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/- Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/440485136816406/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes -https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094RSS -http://www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com/topshelfnerdspodcast?format=rssInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/Email - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.comSupport via Podhero- https://podhero.com/podcast/449127/nerds-amalgamatedRate & Review us on Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/nerds-amalgamated-623195

When Salvador Dali set out to paint a depiction of the infamous Roman Emperor Caligula in 1971, he chose to depict the thing nearest and dearest to the emperor's heart: his favorite racehorse, Incitatus. The painting “Le Cheval de Caligula” shows the pampered pony in all his royal glory. It is wearing a bejeweled crown and clothed in purple blankets and a collar of precious stones. While the gaudy clothing of the horse is historically correct, the Spanish surrealist artist managed perhaps for the only time to understate the strangeness of his subject matter.Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (Caligula) was born in 12 A.D. and reigned from 37-41. He was the first emperor with no memory of the pre-Augustan era, that is, before emperors were deified—and had no compunction about being worshipped as a god. As the object of a cultus, the boy emperor believed in his own semi-divine status and saw no reason not to follow whatever strange desire entered his mind, such as treating his horse better than royalty. The Roman historian Suetonius writes that he gave the horse eighteen servants, a marble stable, an ivory manger, and rich red robes. He demanded that it be fed oats mixed with flex of gold and wine delivered in fine goblets. Dignitaries bowed and tolerated Incitatus as a guest of honor at banquets. Caligula repeatedly mocked the system of imperial decorum in Roman upper crust society in incidents such as these. His actions led to his violent death at the hands of political rivals.

For the first and last time in history a world leader goes 100% bazonks! On this episode, hosts John Hodgman and Elliott Kalan recap episode eight of I, Claudius, “Zeus, by Jove!” Newly dubbed Emperor Caligula has begun his peculiar reign while the Claud Squad loses another member. PLUS, we welcome very special friend to the show and I, Podius theme song crooner Paul F. Tompkins to talk about his favorite episode of the season.Watch along at home and make sure to follow John and Elliott on Twitter for all of their hot takes that couldn’t make it to air.Do you have a an awkward memory of watching I, Claudius as a kid? Share it with us on Reddit!

Timeline Tapes is the show that brings you iconic documentaries, in podcast form. Naturally, the documentaries are made for TV so our host Nate Fisher will be filling in any blanks to make sure you don't miss a thing.This episode of Tony Robinson's Romans looks into the life of the infamously mad and 'evil' Emperor Caligula. We'll be exploring his rise to power, the many attempts on his life and his most famous decision to make his horse a member of the senate. Historians Anthony Barrett and Andrew Wallace-Hadrill join Tony to explore the mind of Caligula.Tony Robinson's Romans is a four part series examining the lives of some of Rome's most notorious leaders. With the help of the leading experts on Roman history and culture, Tony is able to dig deep into the character of these leaders, and even portray them in a different light than we may be used to.The documentary series Tony Robinson's Romans was licensed by Spire to Little Dot Studios.You can find more from us on:https://www.youtube.com/timelinechannelhttps://www.facebook.com/timelineWHhttps://www.instagram.com/timelineWHIf you would like to get in touch with the show, email us at timeline@littledostudios.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the 24th January 41 CE, Caligula became the first Roman Emperor to be ...

Do historical “villains” like Benedict Arnold, Vidkun Quisling, and Emperor Caligula deserve their terrible reputations, or are they victims of biased accounts? In this rebroadcast of a live event in the History Unplugged Facebook Page, Scott gets into what makes somebody a true bad guy in the past (unsurprisingly, Hitler makes this list), somebody best described as misunderstood, and somebody who deserves a rehabilitation.

Was he the craziest ruler in the ancient world or the best satirist in Rome? Maybe he was both. We continue our look at the Julio-Claudian dynasty, witnessing the strange goings on in the court of Emperor Caligula, whose behavior scandalized the Roman nobility and led to claims that he was mad.To find out more about the people and music featured in today’s episode, visit the Assassinations Podcast website. While there, you can also check out our Bookstore, where we recommend some great episode-related books and reading material, and shop our Merch Store to nab a log tee or tote bag.Make sure to check out our sister show, Fab Figmentals! Fab Figmentals is hosted by our very own Lindsey Morse, and it explores the realm of curious creatures, magical monsters, and beautiful beasts.And get $20 off your first box of Winc wine by using code "assassinations" at winc.com.If you’d like to support the show, we have a Patreon page. We offer a variety of different support levels with lots of fun perks, including bonus episodes, a monthly livestream, stickers, merch store credit, and more! Find us at patreon.com/AssassinationsPodcast You can also interact with us on Twitter. You’ll find us @AssassinsPod.Assassinations Podcast was created by Niall Cooper, who also researches and writes the show. Lindsey Morse is our editor and producer. Our theme music was created by Graeme Ronald. If you’d like to hear more from Graeme, check out his band Remember Remember. You’ll find them on iTunes.

After slaying Emperor Caligula, Cassius Chaera ordered the Praetorian Guard to kill every living member of Caligula’s family line and liberate Rome from the corrupt royal bloodline. But an oversight would threw Rome into more chaos than anyone could have imagined. Parcasters - What is it like being inside of an erupting stratovolcano? Only one way to find out! Listen to this week's episode of SURVIVAL on the 1993 eruption of the Galeras Volcano in Colombia. Available now at parcast.com/survival

Four years of darkness fell onto the great ancient civilization of Rome between 37 AD and 41 AD when Caligula ascended to the title of emperor. This short episode discusses the life in Rome and what Caligula did during his reign. This episode showcases Caligula's descent into madness which was ultimately his own undoing. Wander into the life of a mad Roman Emperor.

After crashing their plane in February 1963, they remained trapped for five weeks in the Yukon forest. The pilot, Ralph Flores, ventured out to find help, while Helen Klaben stayed behind at the crash site, left alone to face her greatest fear: the dark.  Parcasters - No one does drama like the Romans. Follow the unbelievable story of Emperor Caligula's downfall on this week's episode of Assassinations! Available now at parcast.com/assassinations

The son of a famed Roman general, Caligula, was beloved by the Roman military from his infancy. But the young emperor's cruelty and reckless behavior pushed the head of his military guard, renowned war hero Cassius Chaera, to topple the ruler he'd helped create. Sponsors! Upstart - Hurry to Upstart.com/NATIONS to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate is. Checking your rate only takes 2 minutes—and won’t affect your credit!

Rome's third Emperor Caligula was arguably its craziest. It turns out being sex obsessed, violent, rich and all powerful isn't a great combination for the leader of the world's most powerful empire. From declaring war on the ocean to declaring himself a living god... He really had a lot of crazy antics.Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/DoGoOnPod Submit a topic idea directly to the hat: dogoonpod.com/Submit-a-Topic Details about the Koh Samui International Podcast Festival in Thailand in June: dogoonpod.com/eventsTwitter: @DoGoOnPodInstagram: @DoGoOnPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoOnPod/Email us: dogoonpod@gmail.comBook tickets to Matt's stand up show (at the Sydney Comedy Festival) with the early bird discount code: dogoon via mattstewartcomedy.com/gigs Check out our other podcasts:Book Cheat: https://omny.fm/shows/bookcheatPrime Mates: https://omny.fm/shows/prime-mates Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader ThomasSources/Further Reading: See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The son of a popular Roman general, Caligula could have been one of Rome’s most amazing leaders. Instead, he became the first Roman emperor to be assassinated. Join Jack & Lauren as we dive into the life of Caligula, whose personal and fiscal excesses still haunt his reputation today.

We had a vote and these were the issues YOU wanted us to solve: marriage guidance counselling for vampires; anti-birdite protests in Somerset; the Emperor Caligula on holiday at Centre Parks; classically trained actresses VS chimps; sword size and how it affected medieval knights. We live to serve.

Although the Goddess was banished from the earth over the past few thousand years by Patriarchal religions, yet Her energy could not be completely blocked. In Roman Catholicism the veneration of the Goddess found a channel through the Virgin Mary who was honoured as the mother of Jesus, God incarnate on earth. The cult of the Virgin has its roots in a spiritual tradition much older than Christianity. The cult of the Goddess Isis was formally introduced into the Roman Empire by the Emperor Caligula who constructed a temple to Her in Rome. Her veneration quickly spread throughout the Empire, during the formative years of Christianity, to become the largest cult in the Roman world. This transmission arose out of a visit to the Sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal in January 2019 during the time of the blood moon and eclipse. Her energy was not to be found amongst the huge edifices and churches built there in Her honour. Rather, it was found on a nearby hilltop where an angel appeared in 1917 to three shepherd children paving the way for a miracle there witnessed by many thousands of people. In this transmission we connect with the energy of the Goddess through the channel of Mary, Mother of Jesus. We call upon three energies to heal a problem or situation. The first energy is that of peace (white) where we surrender all judgement and expectation around the problem. The second energy is that of love (pink) where we send love to all parties involved in this issue. The third energy we invoke is that of transformation or miracle consciousness (aquamarine blue) where we change the molecular structure of the problem or situation allowing for a new reality to arise.

We like to think that we’re so advanced. That things have changed so radically since the ancient days of tyrants and barbarism. But have they? Here’s a photo of Jamal Khashoggi's son, whose father was brutally executed mere days before, being forced to shake the hand of the alleged mastermind of his father’s murder: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. There's a television camera in the background, and each man probably has an iPhone in his pocket, but it's a scene reminiscent of story told by Seneca straight of the reign of Emperor Caligula; one in which Caligula kills a man's son and forces the man to have dinner with him).Marcus Aurelius is often criticized for some of his depressing observations about the brutality of human nature and its excesses. He seems to take almost a perverse pleasure in pointing out how evil and pathetic man has been. He reminds himself that in the age of Vespasian (a forgotten emperor) people were killing and lying and stealing just as readily as they were smiling, raising children, and writing books. The age of Trajan, which came a half century later, was the same. “Survey the record of other eras,” Marcus points out, “and see how many others gave their all and soon died and decomposed into the elements that formed them.”Today, thousands of years later, things are inarguably better...and yet they are still in many ways inarguably the same. Injustices happen. Tyrants exist. Bad luck befalls us, evil lurks in the shadows. We are tested. We are challenged. We wish it could be otherwise, but that’s just not the way it is or will ever be. So what do we do with this knowledge? First, we return to first principles, to humility. We are not all that different or superior to the ancestors we so casually judge. Man’s nature is deeply ingrained and, despite our best efforts, very difficult to change.Second, we prepare ourselves for the very worst. The security and progress that surrounds us is an illusion. A couple days without food or water, or a couple years of rising unemployment, and you’ll see how uncivilized civil society can get. To think that we are past any of this merely because times are currently prosperous is profoundly misguided. And finally, we cultivate dignity, self-respect, and endurance as the most important traits in our lives. Whether we are called to shake hands with a killer or live through the reign of a divisive, petty, and unqualified leader, all we can do is struggle onwards, doing the best we can, with what is in our power to control.

Remember that sketch called "The Little Talk?"  Well, here's another of its ilk . . . only more twisted.  It's about Emperor Caligula, and is hopefully educational, but definitely offensive. It's a free history lesson, as only a sicko like Rish Outfield can bring you. If you'd like to download this episode, Right-Click HERE.Note: The other episode like this one I couldn't name was "Sea Monkey Do."  Actually much closer than "The Little Talk."If you'd like to support me on Patreon (I've got another incentive story waiting), click HERE.Logo by Gino "The Land Dolphin" Moretto

Rome’s Emperor Caligula is dethroned by his own guard. The new Emperor Claudius marches his army into Britannia. He is successful and new provinces are added to the Roman Empire. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Few mixtures are as toxic as absolute power and insanity that comes from megalomania or severe mental illness. When nothing stands between a leader's delusional whims and seeing them carried them out, all sorts of bizarre outcomes are possible. Whether it is Ottoman Sultan Ibrahim I practicing archery on palace servants and sending out his advisers to find the heaviest woman in the empire for his wife or Turkmenistan President Turkmenbashi renaming the days of the week after himself and constructing an 80-foot golden statue that revolves to face the sun, crazed leaders have plagued society for millenia. In this episode we look at mentally unbalanced rulers who made the lives of their subjects miserable. Some suffered from genetic disorders that led to schizophrenia, such as French King Charles VI, who thought he was made of glass. Others believed themselves to be God’s greatest prophet and wrote religious writings that they guaranteed to the reader would get them into heaven, even if these “prophets” were barely literate. Whatever their background, these rulers show that dynastic politics made sure that a rightful heir always got on the throne – despite that heir's mental condition – and that power can destroy a mind worse than any mental illness. 

Agrippina the Younger was one of the most notorious and influential of the Roman empresses in the 1st century AD. She was the sister of the Emperor Caligula, a wife of the Emperor Claudius and mother of the Emperor Nero. Through careful political manoeuvres, she acquired a dominant position for herself in Rome. In 39 AD she was exiled for allegedly participating in a plot against Caligula and later it was widely thought that she killed Claudius with poison. When Nero came to the throne, he was only 16 so Agrippina took on the role of regent until he began to exert his authority. After relations between Agrippina and Nero soured, he had her murdered. With: Catharine Edwards Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Alice König Lecturer in Latin and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews Matthew Nicholls Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Reading Producer: Victoria Brignell.

Agrippina the Younger was one of the most notorious and influential of the Roman empresses in the 1st century AD. She was the sister of the Emperor Caligula, a wife of the Emperor Claudius and mother of the Emperor Nero. Through careful political manoeuvres, she acquired a dominant position for herself in Rome. In 39 AD she was exiled for allegedly participating in a plot against Caligula and later it was widely thought that she killed Claudius with poison. When Nero came to the throne, he was only 16 so Agrippina took on the role of regent until he began to exert his authority. After relations between Agrippina and Nero soured, he had her murdered. With: Catharine Edwards Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Alice König Lecturer in Latin and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews Matthew Nicholls Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Reading Producer: Victoria Brignell.

Its hard to believe, but we are on Week 11 of this series on apologetics. Apologetics means defending your faith. We have spent two weeks on the Nature of Truth; three weeks on the Existence of God; two weeks on the Problem of Evil; one week on Science; one week on the Credibility of the New Testament; a week on the Deity of Christ; and this week on the Resurrection. If you missed any of those weeks, remember we have a tape ministry that is available. All you do is you go out to the patio. On the counter there is a form. You just fill it out and leave it on the table. There is a little box for a freewill donation if you want to make one of those. Chip Jacobs will make sure its there for you the next week-a tape or a CD. Of course, theyre always available online. Then you should have received a Faith News. Did you receive that, a little slip of paper? If you are not on faith news or youve changed your email, this is an update we send out a couple times a month to let you know whats going on at Faith. Maybe its to move your clocks ahead, or maybe its some event thats transpiring like the Good Friday service this past Friday. Thats our way of communicating-one of the ways we do, so just fill this out and drop it in the offering box on the way out this morning. Would you turn with me please to the Gospel of Luke 23 (page 1046 of pew Bibles)? Since were going to be eating today quite a bit, lets work some of that off; lets stand up. You are going to play the part of the angels this morning since you all look like a bunch of angels to me. Im buttering you up, so youll like the sermon, see? Were going to read together 24:1-12, and you will read the part of the angels. We are talking about the Resurrection since it is Easter. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, Why do you look for living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee. The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again Then they remembered His words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the Apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. Please be seated. We talked in our series several times about a naturalist point of view. In the naturalists point of view, the universe is a closed system. There is nothing that comes in and nothing that goes out. Everything that we see is all there is. There is no spiritual; there is only the physical. Life as we know it came as a result of random chance and evolution, survival of the fittest; so you and I, when we die, thats the end of our existence. We return to the dust from which we came, and everyone that has gone before us, our loved ones, they exist only in our memories. Those who will go after us when they pass away, that is the end of them as well. Thats a naturalists point of view. Thats difficult, so you have to find some sort of meaning in your existence because this is all that there is. Ultimately, if we are the product of random chance, there is no real meaning to our lives. We are accidents. We know that there has to be something more than just this natural stuff that we look at. We know there is something more to us than the face that we look at in the mirror. The Bible teaches that there is a spiritual reality to this life as well, so we have to make a decision about Christianity. Is Christianity just wishful thinking? Is it just a superstitious relic of the past that we try to hold on to or is there sufficient evidence to believe that Christ is who He said He was and that He did in fact rise from the dead? One thing we must keep in mind as we ponder this question is these events at this point in time in history; Jesus of Nazareth walked this earth; He walked the streets of Palestine; that we read about kings and governors; we read about places that we can go to and visit today. The Bible tells in detail, so these things are not described in mythical manner. These are events that happened in history. Twenty-five thousand surviving manuscripts of the New Testament testify to the accuracy of this account. Now here is some common ground. Those who lived at the time Christ was crucified all had agreement on several major things, truths. Number one, that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under Pontius Pilate by Rome. Thats historical fact thats agreed upon, number one. Number two, He was buried in a tomb after He died. Number three, somehow the tomb became empty. The enemies of Christ-the Jewish leadership, the Romans, the Christians-all agree on those three facts. Thats very important for us to understand. There was no debate that Christ had died on the cross, that He was buried and that the tomb was empty. The debate is how did the tomb come to be empty? Thats the debate. That's what all the bru-haha is about. Im going to read to you quickly an account from Josephus. Im going to read this entire book this morning-no (congregation laughing). Im just going to read a quote. Josephus is very important because much of the history that we have about what happened in Palestine and about what happened in the history of the Jewish nation comes from Josephus. He was an historian extraordinaire. He was born in 37 A.D., just four years after Christ was crucified. He began life as a Jew, and then he fought the Romans in 66. He was captured, survived the war and eventually became a Roman citizen. He was commissioned by the Vespasian to write histories; so for the next two, almost three, decades, he recorded the histories of the Jews. There is an excerpt I want you to read. I think its important to understand this: Josephus is not a Christian. In fact, when he lived in Jerusalem, he was a Pharisee. Hes recording about Christ, but he himself is not a Christian. Heres what he says in Chapter 3:3, Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call Him a man; for He was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He dew over to Him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of principal men amongst us, had condemned Him to the cross, those that loved Him at the first did not forsake him; for He appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine Prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning Him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from Him, are not extinct at this day. So he calls us a tribe. Josephus there verifies that He died under Pilate on the cross, was buried, and that the account was that He was alive again-that was the rumor that was circulating; so what are the theories? Lets take a look quickly at some of the theories that are out there. The first one is really far-fetched. Since everyone in Biblical times was in agreement that Christ died on the cross, this theory didnt come into play until centuries later. Its whats called the swoon theory, and that is that Jesus didnt really die on the cross. Somehow He survived the cross and later in the coolness of the tomb revived. So heres what were supposed to believe in the swoon theory. First of all, the Romans had every interest in killing Jesus because that was their job. Just as if somebody is commissioned to carry out capital punishment, you better believe that theyre going to make sure whether its through the gas chamber, the electric chair or a chemical injection, their job is to make sure that prisoner is dead. The Romans job was to make sure that their prisoner was dead. Thats why they thrust the spear into His side, and out flew the blood and the plasma, indicating that He had already died. I guarantee you the enemies of Christ were going to make sure Jesus was dead. They wanted to rid their region of this scourge, this man who had taken so many of their flock; this man who had contradicted their teachings. He had been under their skin; He had been a thorn in their sides, and they were so tired of Him, so sick of Him. He had embarrassed them; He had outthought them. He had acted in a blasphemous way as a heretic claiming to be the Son of God. They wanted Him dead, and I guarantee you they were going to make sure that He didnt come down from that cross alive. Lets say for the sake of the swoon theorists that their theory is correct-that Christ survived. Heres what I am led to believe then: Christ is going to take 39 lashes with a cat of nine tails; and glass, bone, metal are going to come against His back, rip His flesh. Many people did not survive that part of the torture, but then lets say He does, and He goes to the cross. Hes going to be crucified on the cross. Hes going to hang on the cross for hours. Most people would die quickly from affixation because they couldnt breathe. Somehow, He survives that. He is then stuck in the side with a spear, and somehow He survives that too. He is then wrapped up like a mummy by Joseph and Nicodemus, wrapped up with linen; and then this sticky, gooey substance with perfumes and spices is wrapped around that so He is like sealed in this cocoon. He survives that. He is then put in a tomb and sealed without air for three days, without food, without water, and without medical attention. He revives Himself, undoes the bandages, moves a one-ton stone and presents Himself alive to His Disciples as the conqueror of death. To me, that takes more faith to believe than Him being raised from the dead and Hes Lord. There is another theory. The theory is that the women went to the wrong tomb. You know men thought of that one; lets blame it on the ladies to go to the wrong tomb. First of all, thats hard to do because its the only tomb with guards around it. Secondly, in Luke 23:55 (page 1047), it says, The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how His body was laid in it. So they followed them. They saw where the tomb was. They went home and rested on the Sabbath and came back the next morning. There was no mistaking where the tomb was. Besides that, the tomb belongs to Joseph of Arimathea. He is rich, and he is a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the elite. That was the top of the food chain. These guys-there were 71 of them. They were like our Congress and our Supreme Court combined into one. Do you think it would make the news today if one of the Supreme Court justices gave their cemetery plot to a convicted criminal who was executed by the state? Would that make the news? If they said, You know, I really love this criminal. I think this criminal has been unjustly sentenced to execution, and to show my love, Im going to give them my family burial plot. Would that make CNN? Yeah. This was no secret tomb. This was a prominent tomb in a garden, so everyone knew where the tomb of Jesus was. It was no secret place. That theory does not hold a lot of water. The third theory is that the Jews took the body of Jesus-the enemies of Christ took the body of Jesus. Well, listen friends, thats the last thing they wanted to do. They wanted to end this rumor once and for all. In the Book of Matthew 27:62 (page 989 of pew Bibles), it says, The next day after Christ had died… The Jews are going to just make sure Hes dead, number one; but number two, were going to make sure that we never have to hear anything more about this Jesus and that this movement comes to an end. …the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. Sir, they said, we remember that while He was still alive that deceiver said, After three days I will rise again. So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His Disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that He has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first. The first deception is that He was the Son of God. The second deception, that He is risen from the dead, is much worse. Then Pilate agrees. Take a guard, Pilate answered. Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how. Thats their job. Theyre guards; theyre professionals. So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. So the Roman guards post, and the seal of Rome is put over the tomb. That is something you dont want to break. That is something you dont want to tamper with because you do so at the risk of your very life. The Jews made every effort they could to prevent this rumor from happening. Its the last thing that they wanted. Theres a fourth theory, and this is probably the most prominent: that is the Disciples stole the body. The followers of Christ came into the tomb and stole the body of Jesus. Matthew 28:11, after Christ has risen from the dead, the soldiers now fearing for their very lives leave their post and go and report what had happened. Verse 11, While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. These guys are panicking. Theyre like white as ghosts. Theyre like, There was an angel, a stone and an earthquake, and they rolled back the stone. Theyre just trying to cover their tracks as best as they can. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, You are to say, His Disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep. If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Well, lets talk about that. Lets begin to pick apart that argument because this one has the most teeth, and its the most believed or the most prevalent argument-the alternate alternative to the fact that He rose from the dead. So, its a conspiracy. These guys fabricated this story about Christ being risen from the dead when they knew in fact He was not because they are the ones who started it. They perpetrated this lie that they stole the body. Number one-lets begin to look at some of these things. What happens to a group, especially a group thats dependent upon a very charismatic individual-that individual when he dies, what usually happens to that group? It disbands, doesnt it? It goes away. Well, were going to find that this particular following is going to increase in its influence; increase in its power; increase in its numbers after its very charismatic leader is executed. Its an unheard of thing to happen. The second reason: Are we to believe that these men were going to be transformed by a lie? Are these men who have been cowards, who have been hiding in secret, are going to be so transformed by this hoax, theyre going to go out in the streets and preach the Gospel to thousands of people while risking their very lives. The Sanhedrin-the most powerful group of men-was going to call them and say, Were going to imprison you. Were going to beat you. Were going to torture you. Were going to even kill you if you continue to talk about the Resurrection. Knowing its a lie, they say, Beat us! Imprison us! Kill us if you have to! We cannot stop talking about what we have seen and heard. Do you know how hard it is to keep a conspiracy or a cover-up? You dont have to go back very far in history. Think of the Watergate cover-up. It didnt last very long. Those men started to crack under pressure, and everyone gives the other one up as soon as they start talking about jail. Yeah, Ill talk. Ill talk. These men went to their deaths refusing to change their story. You know people will die for something they think is true thats not. Terrorists blow themselves up because they think its an instant ticket to paradise. How many people will die for something they know is a lie? These men would have known the truth. Yet, one after another… Peter will be crucified upside down. Paul will lay his head on a chopping block. None of them will change their story, and their stories are all the same. He was crucified. Hes alive, and weve seen Him. Kill us if you have to. We must obey God more than men. Lies are things that make us ashamed. Lies make us hang our heads. Lies arent things that make us bolder, stronger and more courageous; but they will be punished and die for it. Lets go ahead and look to the next point I want to make. These are cowards for a time being until the Holy Spirit comes on them. Theyre going to break a Roman seal. It would take some nerve for you if while youre in Washington D.C., you see something that says Top Secret, Property of the United States Government, and you go ahead and violate that. For these men to risk their lives for this lie is quite extraordinary. What is the reason to do that? Think about this. When Jesus was alive and He was doing these great miracles and teaching, it was still difficult for people to believe He was the Messiah. Why? Because He was not acting as a Messiah should act. He was not defeating the Roman Government. He was not gathering up a following or an army to rebel. He was not doing that at all. Hes reaching out to people like lepers and Samaritans. He was healing the sick; He was preaching love, forgiveness and grace. Thats not how a Messiah is supposed to be. It was really a tough sell when Jesus Himself was proclaiming who He was and doing wonderful miracles. Now, youre going to try to market a dead Messiah to the people? Now youre going to try to tell them this Man who was a criminal, was crucified on the cross and died this humiliating death is really, truly the Son of God? You need to come up with a different marketing strategy because that one is not going to work! It was one thing when Jesus was alive to believe He was the Messiah, and they struggled with that. Now that Hes dead and considering the manner in which He died, youre going to now convince these people that He is the divine Son of God? That's not going to work unless that plan really is from God, unless it is the truth. Lets play along with their story here. Lets imagine for a moment that theyre going to overpower the guards. Theyre going to steal it [with them there] because thats the alternative. Either the guards are sleeping or the guards are awake. Lets say the guards are awake. Can you imagine this group of unarmed men overpowering Roman guards with their spears, their swords and their knives? These are non-violent Disciples of Christ, and were expected to believe theyre going to overpower Roman soldiers? Highly unlikely. What about the fact that theyre sleeping? Would you fall asleep if your life depended on it? If this was your job and if you fell asleep, it meant you died, would you fall asleep? I dont think you would. Now you might sleep, but youd trade off, right? Youd take a session and youd sleep, then Ill sleep and so forth; but if your life depends on it, youre not going to fall asleep. In the Book of Acts 12, Herod Agrippa has Peter in prison. He has already killed James, the brother of John; and the Jews liked it. He wants to be popular, and he likes the response; so he decides hes going to kill Peter too. He imprisons Peter, and Peter is in jail and the church is praying. An angel comes and releases Peter from his bonds, and Peter walks out free. When the soldiers wake up in the morning, they find that Peter is no longer in the prison. They know their lives are at stake. We find the story in Acts 12:18 (page 1091), In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. That was the punishment. Earlier in the Book of Acts in that chapter, we know that there are 16 of those guards from the Greek-16 men are killed at Herods hands. Herod can do anything he wants. He is the close friend of Emperor Caligula-childhood friends. So he has carblanche-do whatever you want. Hes like a little mini-dictator there. King Herod has those men killed. Why? Because they usurped their responsibility, and they let the prisoner go free. These men are not going to fall asleep. Lets say they did. Lets play along. You know, how hard would it be to move a one-ton plus stone in the middle of the night and not wake up the guards? Think about the ridiculousness of their story. My wife goes to bed early. Shes an early riser; Im a night owl, so invariably when I go to bed, shes sleeping. Shes also a light sleeper, so I try not to wake her up; but we have a board that when I step on it, it squeaks all the time. Ill come in the room and be really quiet and creak. Then shell start to stir. Ill go to the restroom real quick, and Ill try to shut the door. Shell wake up. Im trying to be as quiet as I possibly can. Its just me walking in the bedroom to go to bed, not saying a word and trying to tiptoe. Am I really supposed to believe that the Apostles are going to come, find the guards sleeping and theyre going to ever so quietly move a one-ton stone? You try that. Get a one-ton stone and try to quietly move it. Its so easy. Those one-ton stones just roll so smoothly and quietly. Come on! Lets be real! You know what the best explanation is? Its not that the ladies went to the wrong tomb. Its not that Jesus didnt really die from the sufferings and torture. Its not that the Jews took Him. Its not that the Disciples took Him. The explanation that makes by far the most sense-the only one thats rational-is that He rose from the dead, that He was who He said He was. With that promise, we have the hope of the Resurrection because if Christ did in fact rise from the dead, then the world and human beings are more than just physical; we are also spiritual. There is a part of us that will survive death. Paul talks about this in the Book of 1 Corinthians. He talks about the fact that the Resurrection of Jesus was not just the resuscitation of a corpse. Jesus resurrected body was different. He was still Jesus; He was still recognizable as Jesus, but He had changed. His body was now a body that could inhabit eternity. Paul writes and says that you and I one day will have a body like Jesus. Verse 12 of 1 Corinthians 15 (page 1139), Paul says, But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then now even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. Thats it; its done. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. A new and improved you. My computer went on the fritz, and I depend a lot on my computer. It started to make a funny movement. It started to fade in and out; it took longer to boot up every time, and it would go off quickly. Over the period of days, it would boot up and go off real fast, and then it wouldnt even boot up at all. I said, My computer is sick. Then I finally said, My computer is dead. I took it to Apple to see the computer doctor. He took it in the back room. He came out after a few minutes, and he said, Your computer is dead. You need a new logic board. He said, Thats pretty expensive. Youre better off just getting a brand new laptop. My concern was this: I said, Listen, I understand that, but I just feel so bad. I started venting. I started pouring out my heart to this guy. I was like, I had my files on there. I had all the sites that I liked bookmarked. I had sermons on there. I had papers that Ive written on there. I had everything the way I wanted it, emails and everything. Im just sick about it. He said, Oh, we got all of those. We got all of those. He says, No problem. In this new computer, this desktop is going to look the same. All your bookmarks will still be there. All your scans will be there. All your files will be there; all your papers will be there. All your emails will be there. Itll just be a better computer. I was like, Slick. I took it home, I had sharper graphics. I had faster speed; I had a newer version, but I had the same old stuff that made it feel like it was my computer. No analogy is perfect, but the Bible says were going to get a new body, A new and improved you. A body that can inhabit eternity, but it will still be you. Jesus was still Jesus. You will still be you-your personality; your memories; the things that make you will still be you, but you will have a body like Christ that can inhabit eternity and live in the presence of God; a body without sin; a body that will not know pain or death. Its because of Christ; because of His obedience; His suffering; and His Resurrection. Were going to sing about that right now as we prepare to close out our service, Our God is Mighty to Save. (Here is a link to the lyrics: http://www.keepandshare.com/htm/music_lyrics/christian/mighty_to_save.php). Im going to ask if our team would come forward and lead us. Im going to ask if you would stand and prepare to sing to the Lord. As soon as were done, Ill come back and dismiss us in prayer and give a couple of announcements before we go home. Lord, were so thankful for Your Truth. It was no debate that the tomb was empty. The debate was why it was empty. When we lay out the facts, the only one that makes sense is that He is risen, that He is Lord. Because we have put our hope and trust in You, we have hope beyond the grave. The firstfruits have come, and we will live with You for all eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the name of the risen Savior, we pray. All Gods people said, Amen.

Its hard to believe, but we are on Week 11 of this series on apologetics. Apologetics means defending your faith. We have spent two weeks on the Nature of Truth; three weeks on the Existence of God; two weeks on the Problem of Evil; one week on Science; one week on the Credibility of the New Testament; a week on the Deity of Christ; and this week on the Resurrection. If you missed any of those weeks, remember we have a tape ministry that is available. All you do is you go out to the patio. On the counter there is a form. You just fill it out and leave it on the table. There is a little box for a freewill donation if you want to make one of those. Chip Jacobs will make sure its there for you the next week-a tape or a CD. Of course, theyre always available online. Then you should have received a Faith News. Did you receive that, a little slip of paper? If you are not on faith news or youve changed your email, this is an update we send out a couple times a month to let you know whats going on at Faith. Maybe its to move your clocks ahead, or maybe its some event thats transpiring like the Good Friday service this past Friday. Thats our way of communicating-one of the ways we do, so just fill this out and drop it in the offering box on the way out this morning. Would you turn with me please to the Gospel of Luke 23 (page 1046 of pew Bibles)? Since were going to be eating today quite a bit, lets work some of that off; lets stand up. You are going to play the part of the angels this morning since you all look like a bunch of angels to me. Im buttering you up, so youll like the sermon, see? Were going to read together 24:1-12, and you will read the part of the angels. We are talking about the Resurrection since it is Easter. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, Why do you look for living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee. The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again Then they remembered His words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the Apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. Please be seated. We talked in our series several times about a naturalist point of view. In the naturalists point of view, the universe is a closed system. There is nothing that comes in and nothing that goes out. Everything that we see is all there is. There is no spiritual; there is only the physical. Life as we know it came as a result of random chance and evolution, survival of the fittest; so you and I, when we die, thats the end of our existence. We return to the dust from which we came, and everyone that has gone before us, our loved ones, they exist only in our memories. Those who will go after us when they pass away, that is the end of them as well. Thats a naturalists point of view. Thats difficult, so you have to find some sort of meaning in your existence because this is all that there is. Ultimately, if we are the product of random chance, there is no real meaning to our lives. We are accidents. We know that there has to be something more than just this natural stuff that we look at. We know there is something more to us than the face that we look at in the mirror. The Bible teaches that there is a spiritual reality to this life as well, so we have to make a decision about Christianity. Is Christianity just wishful thinking? Is it just a superstitious relic of the past that we try to hold on to or is there sufficient evidence to believe that Christ is who He said He was and that He did in fact rise from the dead? One thing we must keep in mind as we ponder this question is these events at this point in time in history; Jesus of Nazareth walked this earth; He walked the streets of Palestine; that we read about kings and governors; we read about places that we can go to and visit today. The Bible tells in detail, so these things are not described in mythical manner. These are events that happened in history. Twenty-five thousand surviving manuscripts of the New Testament testify to the accuracy of this account. Now here is some common ground. Those who lived at the time Christ was crucified all had agreement on several major things, truths. Number one, that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under Pontius Pilate by Rome. Thats historical fact thats agreed upon, number one. Number two, He was buried in a tomb after He died. Number three, somehow the tomb became empty. The enemies of Christ-the Jewish leadership, the Romans, the Christians-all agree on those three facts. Thats very important for us to understand. There was no debate that Christ had died on the cross, that He was buried and that the tomb was empty. The debate is how did the tomb come to be empty? Thats the debate. That's what all the bru-haha is about. Im going to read to you quickly an account from Josephus. Im going to read this entire book this morning-no (congregation laughing). Im just going to read a quote. Josephus is very important because much of the history that we have about what happened in Palestine and about what happened in the history of the Jewish nation comes from Josephus. He was an historian extraordinaire. He was born in 37 A.D., just four years after Christ was crucified. He began life as a Jew, and then he fought the Romans in 66. He was captured, survived the war and eventually became a Roman citizen. He was commissioned by the Vespasian to write histories; so for the next two, almost three, decades, he recorded the histories of the Jews. There is an excerpt I want you to read. I think its important to understand this: Josephus is not a Christian. In fact, when he lived in Jerusalem, he was a Pharisee. Hes recording about Christ, but he himself is not a Christian. Heres what he says in Chapter 3:3, Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call Him a man; for He was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He dew over to Him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of principal men amongst us, had condemned Him to the cross, those that loved Him at the first did not forsake him; for He appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine Prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning Him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from Him, are not extinct at this day. So he calls us a tribe. Josephus there verifies that He died under Pilate on the cross, was buried, and that the account was that He was alive again-that was the rumor that was circulating; so what are the theories? Lets take a look quickly at some of the theories that are out there. The first one is really far-fetched. Since everyone in Biblical times was in agreement that Christ died on the cross, this theory didnt come into play until centuries later. Its whats called the swoon theory, and that is that Jesus didnt really die on the cross. Somehow He survived the cross and later in the coolness of the tomb revived. So heres what were supposed to believe in the swoon theory. First of all, the Romans had every interest in killing Jesus because that was their job. Just as if somebody is commissioned to carry out capital punishment, you better believe that theyre going to make sure whether its through the gas chamber, the electric chair or a chemical injection, their job is to make sure that prisoner is dead. The Romans job was to make sure that their prisoner was dead. Thats why they thrust the spear into His side, and out flew the blood and the plasma, indicating that He had already died. I guarantee you the enemies of Christ were going to make sure Jesus was dead. They wanted to rid their region of this scourge, this man who had taken so many of their flock; this man who had contradicted their teachings. He had been under their skin; He had been a thorn in their sides, and they were so tired of Him, so sick of Him. He had embarrassed them; He had outthought them. He had acted in a blasphemous way as a heretic claiming to be the Son of God. They wanted Him dead, and I guarantee you they were going to make sure that He didnt come down from that cross alive. Lets say for the sake of the swoon theorists that their theory is correct-that Christ survived. Heres what I am led to believe then: Christ is going to take 39 lashes with a cat of nine tails; and glass, bone, metal are going to come against His back, rip His flesh. Many people did not survive that part of the torture, but then lets say He does, and He goes to the cross. Hes going to be crucified on the cross. Hes going to hang on the cross for hours. Most people would die quickly from affixation because they couldnt breathe. Somehow, He survives that. He is then stuck in the side with a spear, and somehow He survives that too. He is then wrapped up like a mummy by Joseph and Nicodemus, wrapped up with linen; and then this sticky, gooey substance with perfumes and spices is wrapped around that so He is like sealed in this cocoon. He survives that. He is then put in a tomb and sealed without air for three days, without food, without water, and without medical attention. He revives Himself, undoes the bandages, moves a one-ton stone and presents Himself alive to His Disciples as the conqueror of death. To me, that takes more faith to believe than Him being raised from the dead and Hes Lord. There is another theory. The theory is that the women went to the wrong tomb. You know men thought of that one; lets blame it on the ladies to go to the wrong tomb. First of all, thats hard to do because its the only tomb with guards around it. Secondly, in Luke 23:55 (page 1047), it says, The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how His body was laid in it. So they followed them. They saw where the tomb was. They went home and rested on the Sabbath and came back the next morning. There was no mistaking where the tomb was. Besides that, the tomb belongs to Joseph of Arimathea. He is rich, and he is a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the elite. That was the top of the food chain. These guys-there were 71 of them. They were like our Congress and our Supreme Court combined into one. Do you think it would make the news today if one of the Supreme Court justices gave their cemetery plot to a convicted criminal who was executed by the state? Would that make the news? If they said, You know, I really love this criminal. I think this criminal has been unjustly sentenced to execution, and to show my love, Im going to give them my family burial plot. Would that make CNN? Yeah. This was no secret tomb. This was a prominent tomb in a garden, so everyone knew where the tomb of Jesus was. It was no secret place. That theory does not hold a lot of water. The third theory is that the Jews took the body of Jesus-the enemies of Christ took the body of Jesus. Well, listen friends, thats the last thing they wanted to do. They wanted to end this rumor once and for all. In the Book of Matthew 27:62 (page 989 of pew Bibles), it says, The next day after Christ had died… The Jews are going to just make sure Hes dead, number one; but number two, were going to make sure that we never have to hear anything more about this Jesus and that this movement comes to an end. …the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. Sir, they said, we remember that while He was still alive that deceiver said, After three days I will rise again. So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His Disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that He has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first. The first deception is that He was the Son of God. The second deception, that He is risen from the dead, is much worse. Then Pilate agrees. Take a guard, Pilate answered. Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how. Thats their job. Theyre guards; theyre professionals. So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. So the Roman guards post, and the seal of Rome is put over the tomb. That is something you dont want to break. That is something you dont want to tamper with because you do so at the risk of your very life. The Jews made every effort they could to prevent this rumor from happening. Its the last thing that they wanted. Theres a fourth theory, and this is probably the most prominent: that is the Disciples stole the body. The followers of Christ came into the tomb and stole the body of Jesus. Matthew 28:11, after Christ has risen from the dead, the soldiers now fearing for their very lives leave their post and go and report what had happened. Verse 11, While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. These guys are panicking. Theyre like white as ghosts. Theyre like, There was an angel, a stone and an earthquake, and they rolled back the stone. Theyre just trying to cover their tracks as best as they can. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, You are to say, His Disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep. If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble. So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Well, lets talk about that. Lets begin to pick apart that argument because this one has the most teeth, and its the most believed or the most prevalent argument-the alternate alternative to the fact that He rose from the dead. So, its a conspiracy. These guys fabricated this story about Christ being risen from the dead when they knew in fact He was not because they are the ones who started it. They perpetrated this lie that they stole the body. Number one-lets begin to look at some of these things. What happens to a group, especially a group thats dependent upon a very charismatic individual-that individual when he dies, what usually happens to that group? It disbands, doesnt it? It goes away. Well, were going to find that this particular following is going to increase in its influence; increase in its power; increase in its numbers after its very charismatic leader is executed. Its an unheard of thing to happen. The second reason: Are we to believe that these men were going to be transformed by a lie? Are these men who have been cowards, who have been hiding in secret, are going to be so transformed by this hoax, theyre going to go out in the streets and preach the Gospel to thousands of people while risking their very lives. The Sanhedrin-the most powerful group of men-was going to call them and say, Were going to imprison you. Were going to beat you. Were going to torture you. Were going to even kill you if you continue to talk about the Resurrection. Knowing its a lie, they say, Beat us! Imprison us! Kill us if you have to! We cannot stop talking about what we have seen and heard. Do you know how hard it is to keep a conspiracy or a cover-up? You dont have to go back very far in history. Think of the Watergate cover-up. It didnt last very long. Those men started to crack under pressure, and everyone gives the other one up as soon as they start talking about jail. Yeah, Ill talk. Ill talk. These men went to their deaths refusing to change their story. You know people will die for something they think is true thats not. Terrorists blow themselves up because they think its an instant ticket to paradise. How many people will die for something they know is a lie? These men would have known the truth. Yet, one after another… Peter will be crucified upside down. Paul will lay his head on a chopping block. None of them will change their story, and their stories are all the same. He was crucified. Hes alive, and weve seen Him. Kill us if you have to. We must obey God more than men. Lies are things that make us ashamed. Lies make us hang our heads. Lies arent things that make us bolder, stronger and more courageous; but they will be punished and die for it. Lets go ahead and look to the next point I want to make. These are cowards for a time being until the Holy Spirit comes on them. Theyre going to break a Roman seal. It would take some nerve for you if while youre in Washington D.C., you see something that says Top Secret, Property of the United States Government, and you go ahead and violate that. For these men to risk their lives for this lie is quite extraordinary. What is the reason to do that? Think about this. When Jesus was alive and He was doing these great miracles and teaching, it was still difficult for people to believe He was the Messiah. Why? Because He was not acting as a Messiah should act. He was not defeating the Roman Government. He was not gathering up a following or an army to rebel. He was not doing that at all. Hes reaching out to people like lepers and Samaritans. He was healing the sick; He was preaching love, forgiveness and grace. Thats not how a Messiah is supposed to be. It was really a tough sell when Jesus Himself was proclaiming who He was and doing wonderful miracles. Now, youre going to try to market a dead Messiah to the people? Now youre going to try to tell them this Man who was a criminal, was crucified on the cross and died this humiliating death is really, truly the Son of God? You need to come up with a different marketing strategy because that one is not going to work! It was one thing when Jesus was alive to believe He was the Messiah, and they struggled with that. Now that Hes dead and considering the manner in which He died, youre going to now convince these people that He is the divine Son of God? That's not going to work unless that plan really is from God, unless it is the truth. Lets play along with their story here. Lets imagine for a moment that theyre going to overpower the guards. Theyre going to steal it [with them there] because thats the alternative. Either the guards are sleeping or the guards are awake. Lets say the guards are awake. Can you imagine this group of unarmed men overpowering Roman guards with their spears, their swords and their knives? These are non-violent Disciples of Christ, and were expected to believe theyre going to overpower Roman soldiers? Highly unlikely. What about the fact that theyre sleeping? Would you fall asleep if your life depended on it? If this was your job and if you fell asleep, it meant you died, would you fall asleep? I dont think you would. Now you might sleep, but youd trade off, right? Youd take a session and youd sleep, then Ill sleep and so forth; but if your life depends on it, youre not going to fall asleep. In the Book of Acts 12, Herod Agrippa has Peter in prison. He has already killed James, the brother of John; and the Jews liked it. He wants to be popular, and he likes the response; so he decides hes going to kill Peter too. He imprisons Peter, and Peter is in jail and the church is praying. An angel comes and releases Peter from his bonds, and Peter walks out free. When the soldiers wake up in the morning, they find that Peter is no longer in the prison. They know their lives are at stake. We find the story in Acts 12:18 (page 1091), In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. That was the punishment. Earlier in the Book of Acts in that chapter, we know that there are 16 of those guards from the Greek-16 men are killed at Herods hands. Herod can do anything he wants. He is the close friend of Emperor Caligula-childhood friends. So he has carblanche-do whatever you want. Hes like a little mini-dictator there. King Herod has those men killed. Why? Because they usurped their responsibility, and they let the prisoner go free. These men are not going to fall asleep. Lets say they did. Lets play along. You know, how hard would it be to move a one-ton plus stone in the middle of the night and not wake up the guards? Think about the ridiculousness of their story. My wife goes to bed early. Shes an early riser; Im a night owl, so invariably when I go to bed, shes sleeping. Shes also a light sleeper, so I try not to wake her up; but we have a board that when I step on it, it squeaks all the time. Ill come in the room and be really quiet and creak. Then shell start to stir. Ill go to the restroom real quick, and Ill try to shut the door. Shell wake up. Im trying to be as quiet as I possibly can. Its just me walking in the bedroom to go to bed, not saying a word and trying to tiptoe. Am I really supposed to believe that the Apostles are going to come, find the guards sleeping and theyre going to ever so quietly move a one-ton stone? You try that. Get a one-ton stone and try to quietly move it. Its so easy. Those one-ton stones just roll so smoothly and quietly. Come on! Lets be real! You know what the best explanation is? Its not that the ladies went to the wrong tomb. Its not that Jesus didnt really die from the sufferings and torture. Its not that the Jews took Him. Its not that the Disciples took Him. The explanation that makes by far the most sense-the only one thats rational-is that He rose from the dead, that He was who He said He was. With that promise, we have the hope of the Resurrection because if Christ did in fact rise from the dead, then the world and human beings are more than just physical; we are also spiritual. There is a part of us that will survive death. Paul talks about this in the Book of 1 Corinthians. He talks about the fact that the Resurrection of Jesus was not just the resuscitation of a corpse. Jesus resurrected body was different. He was still Jesus; He was still recognizable as Jesus, but He had changed. His body was now a body that could inhabit eternity. Paul writes and says that you and I one day will have a body like Jesus. Verse 12 of 1 Corinthians 15 (page 1139), Paul says, But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then now even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead. But He did not raise Him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. Thats it; its done. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. A new and improved you. My computer went on the fritz, and I depend a lot on my computer. It started to make a funny movement. It started to fade in and out; it took longer to boot up every time, and it would go off quickly. Over the period of days, it would boot up and go off real fast, and then it wouldnt even boot up at all. I said, My computer is sick. Then I finally said, My computer is dead. I took it to Apple to see the computer doctor. He took it in the back room. He came out after a few minutes, and he said, Your computer is dead. You need a new logic board. He said, Thats pretty expensive. Youre better off just getting a brand new laptop. My concern was this: I said, Listen, I understand that, but I just feel so bad. I started venting. I started pouring out my heart to this guy. I was like, I had my files on there. I had all the sites that I liked bookmarked. I had sermons on there. I had papers that Ive written on there. I had everything the way I wanted it, emails and everything. Im just sick about it. He said, Oh, we got all of those. We got all of those. He says, No problem. In this new computer, this desktop is going to look the same. All your bookmarks will still be there. All your scans will be there. All your files will be there; all your papers will be there. All your emails will be there. Itll just be a better computer. I was like, Slick. I took it home, I had sharper graphics. I had faster speed; I had a newer version, but I had the same old stuff that made it feel like it was my computer. No analogy is perfect, but the Bible says were going to get a new body, A new and improved you. A body that can inhabit eternity, but it will still be you. Jesus was still Jesus. You will still be you-your personality; your memories; the things that make you will still be you, but you will have a body like Christ that can inhabit eternity and live in the presence of God; a body without sin; a body that will not know pain or death. Its because of Christ; because of His obedience; His suffering; and His Resurrection. Were going to sing about that right now as we prepare to close out our service, Our God is Mighty to Save. (Here is a link to the lyrics: http://www.keepandshare.com/htm/music_lyrics/christian/mighty_to_save.php). Im going to ask if our team would come forward and lead us. Im going to ask if you would stand and prepare to sing to the Lord. As soon as were done, Ill come back and dismiss us in prayer and give a couple of announcements before we go home. Lord, were so thankful for Your Truth. It was no debate that the tomb was empty. The debate was why it was empty. When we lay out the facts, the only one that makes sense is that He is risen, that He is Lord. Because we have put our hope and trust in You, we have hope beyond the grave. The firstfruits have come, and we will live with You for all eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the name of the risen Savior, we pray. All Gods people said, Amen.

Welcome BACK to Communion Sanctorum: History of the Christian Church.We ended our summary & overview narrative of Church History after 150 episodes; took a few months break, and are back to it again with more episodes which aim to fill in the massive gaps we left before.This time, we'll do series that go into detail on specific moments, movements, people, places, and other topics.The title of this episode is The First Centuries – Part 1.Ask almost anyone with at least a vague awareness of the early years of the Christianity, and they will likely tell you it was a time of intense persecution. Ask how many believers were put to death and the number will range from tens of thousands to a few million.From stories, movies, and paintings of the era, many have the mental image of a mass of defenseless Christians dressed in white, huddled on an arena floor, surrounded by hungry lions. The stands are packed with spectators shouting for blood. But that image, common as it may be, is rather misleading. Did it happen? Undoubtedly. But it wasn't the ubiquitous scene many assume. Before the dawn of the 3rd C, official imperial attempts to eradicate Christianity were largely unorganized and lukewarm. Roman emperors were rarely the terror to the Faith popular literature has made them. I say rarely, because there were some notable exceptions prior to the 3rd C. After that, things changed dramatically. Some emperors delighted in tormenting Jesus' followers. Ending Christianity in the most brutal manner seems to have been a major focus for some of them.Why did Rome persecute Christians? And why is it the popular concept of this time that it was an Era of Martyrs?It's best to get at this by backing up a bit to consider Rome's attitude toward religion. And how are we to do that pray-tell? For attitudes toward religion vary from person to person, and time to time. Among the ancients; Roman, Greek, Jew, Parthian, or whatever, there were those who were devout, the profane, and a whole spread of shades of piety from one end of the religious spectrum to the other. What we're considering here is the basic Roman civic approach to religion.It might surprise the modern student to learn that political leaders of Rome served a religious function that was part & parcel of their political task. Their civic duties included cultic rituals. Roman religion was heavily invested in public ceremonies and sacrifices. Personally held religious beliefs weren't as important as most modern religions regard them. What was important, pre-eminently so, was the possession of pietas. Pietas was religious duty. It meant honoring the sacred Roman traditions in the accepted way. The English word piety is derived from Pietas. But piety wasn't an option for any Roman who desired to climb the political ranks. It was an absolute essential and something to be demonstrated publicly.Pietas was THE distinguishing virtue of Rome's founding hero, Aeneas, who's given the epithet of “pius” by Virgil in the Aeneid. Cicero elevated pietas to the place Christians would later assign Agape. It was the duty a good Roman was to show to the gods and his fellow man. And by doing so, ensured the safety and prosperity of the State.Romans of the 2nd C BC to the 4th AD saw themselves as owing a debt of gratitude to their ancestors who embodied the virtues they treasured. It seems our time isn't the only one that looks to a past Golden Age of yesteryear when “all the women were strong and the men were good-looking.” Romans assigned themselves a custodial roll in preserving the traditions of their ancestors. And not just theirs. They expanded that custody over the traditions of those they conquered. So though they despised the Jewish religion for its seeming irreligious monotheism and refusal to cast Yahweh's form – because it was an ancient belief, it came under their protection, as did several other Eastern faiths that were too divergent from that of the Greeks and Romans to allow for inclusion in the Roman pantheon.Christianity was different. It was originally regarded by Rome as a Jewish reform movement; something Jewish leaders would have to deal with within their esoteric and opaque system.What worried Rome was the rapidity by which the new faith grew. That, and it defied some of Rome's most cherished ideas about how religion ought to be conducted. Rome was all about the PUBLIC display of ritual. Religion was a community thing. Christians, on the other hand, were secretive. They conducted their services in private and were reluctant to talk publicly about what they did behind closed doors. That reluctance owed to the wild & salacious rumors spread by critics. Calumny began early for Christians. In some places, Jewish opponents, jealous at the success of Christian evangelism, twisted aspects of the Christian message into accusations and whispered them in the ears of officials. Things like, Christians practiced cannibalism, because of the Lord's Table. It was said they were incestuous, because they held what were called “Love Feasts” where they referred to each other as “brother and sister.” And most damning, was the pagan perception that Christians were in reality practical-atheists. That charge is incomprehensible to modern believers contending with the likes of Dawkins & Harris and their New Atheist compatriots. But in the early centuries, Christians were regarded by their pagan neighbors as atheists precisely because they believed in only ONE God, rather than a plethora.Though believers tried to dispel these damning mis-conceptions, they lived on. As has been said; A lie travels half-way round the world before truth has put its shoes on. So Christians sequestered themselves behind closed doors and met in secret to conduct their clandestine meetings.The popular Roman mentality toward religion was that it needed to be practiced in public as an expression of the community's devotion to the gods, who'd reward this public piety with divine favor. It was relatively easy for them to accept the faiths of those they conquered since they already believed in a multiplicity of deities. What matter that there were now a few more?That policy of tolerance for the religions of their conquests was sorely tried when it came to the Jews. Though many Romans despised the monotheism of Judaism, toleration was begrudgingly given simply on the basis of the antiquity of the Jewish faith. That toleration was strained to the breaking point under the reign of the mad Emperor Caligula who demanded to be worshipped as a god. Then after the First Jewish–Roman War of AD 66-73, the Jews were allowed to practice their religion only so long as they paid a new tax, the “fiscus Judaicus” ON TOP OF the exorbitant taxes that had sparked their revolt in the first place.There's debate among historians over whether the Roman government simply saw Christianity as a sect of Judaism prior to Emperor Nerva's modification of the fiscus Judaicus in 96. From then on, Jews had to pay while Christians didn't. SO that seems to suggest an official distinction was made between the 2 groups.A measure of the Roman disdain for Christianity came from the belief that it was bad for society. In the 3rd C, the Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry labelled Jesus' followers as impious & anti-social atheists. Their impiety was located, not in what we'd call traditional morality, but in their refusal to engage in the public religious rituals that were understood by the pagan world as a way to gain the favor of the gods.Once Christians were distinguished from Jews, the Faith was no longer grand-fathered into reluctant acceptance. No – it became “superstitio.”For Romans, superstition had a dangerous connotation; far more so that in today's parlance. It meant religious practices not just different form the norm; they were corrosive to society. Superstition was a set of beliefs that if embraced, dehumanized someone. If enough embraced them and were detached from their humanitas, society would unravel; an ancient spiritual zombie apocalypse. Roman squelching of such dangerous superstitions happened in 428 BC when an unnamed group was eradicated for having caused a damaging drought. In 186 BC, the Romans moved against initiates of the cult of Bacchus when they got unruly. And of course, there's the famous Roman campaign against the Druids.The intensity of Christian persecution depended upon how dangerous they were deemed to be by the local official responsible for conducting such oversight. To be frank, Christian beliefs didn't endeared them to many officials. Think about it. They . . .1) Worshipped a convicted criminal,2) Refused to swear by the emperor's genius,3) Railed against Roman depravity in their writings,4) And conducted their suspicious services in private.In his Apologeticus, addressed to the magistrates of Carthage in the Summer of 197 AD, the early church father Tertullian remarked, “We have the reputation of living aloof from crowds.”One of the more frequent word used to describe Christians in the NT is hagios, translated “saints.” Literally = holy ones. Bu the root of the word means to be different, set-apart.  If something is holy, it's different from other things. That difference lies in it's purpose. It's for God; dedicated exclusively to Him. So, a temple is holy because it's different from all other buildings; the Sabbath is holy because it's dedicated to God. Christians are saints, because they belong to God. Jesus' followers felt this distinction keenly; they embraced it, knowing it set them at odds with their pagan neighbors.It's human nature to regard those who are different with suspicion. So the more seriously early Christians took their faith the more hostility they faced. Simply by living in obedience to Jesus, Christians condemned paganism. Christians didn't run around wagging their fingers or tongues in condemnation of unbelievers. Nor did they advocate and promotes a self-righteous superiority. It just that the Christian ethic revealed the shabbiness of a pagan life.If that's all the Christians were guilty of though, persecution would not have broken out against them in such fury. What sparked it was their vehement rejection of the pagan gods. The ancient world had deities for everything. There was a goddess for sowing  & another for reaping. There was a god for clear skies and another for rain. Mountains had gods, as did trees & rivers & valleys. For Christians, most of who had at one time worshipped these deities, they were a fiction! And it would be one thing to go quietly about their business with that view, you know, keeping their religion to themselves. But pagans wouldn't let them. Because every meal began by pouring out a few drops of wine as an offering to the pagan gods. Feasts & parties were held in a temple after sacrifice. The invitation was to dine at the table of some god. It was an ancient version of Chuck E Cheese. But instead of ignoring the dated mechanical rodent, you had to worship it before being allowed to eat your pizza. Christians simply couldn't attend. When she or he turned down the invitation, they were reviled as rude & anti-social.There were other events and gatherings Christians avoided because they considered them inherently immoral. They weren't alone in that assessment. Many moral pagans objected to them as well. Gladiatorial contests are an example. In theaters across the empire, Romans made prisoners & slaves to fight to the death for amusement & entertainment of the crowd.Refusal to practice idolatry led to financial difficulties. What was a mason to do if as a believer he refused to work stones for a pagan temple or a tailor balked at making a robe for a heathen priest, or a baker refused to make a cake for a . . . never mind.Tertullian forbade Christians teaching school, because it meant using books with stories of the gods.As I share that little piece of history, let's be cognizant of the almost certain reality that Tertullian's position was in all likelihood not something all believers, and not necessarily even all leaders agreed with. Truth be told, his may have been a minority opinion. The problem is we just don't have much evidence of what the rest of the Church held regarding this. There was no tirade of tweets one February in the 3rd C over what occupations Christians could and couldn't fill. It wasn't a topic people blogged on. No Facebook pages were devoted to it. All we have is Tertullian's remark. Maybe his pastoral peers disagreed and sent him pointed emails about it. Forgive the anachronism; I take it you get my point.The larger point for us to glean is that during a time of widespread and aggressive paganism that REQUIRED Christians to go along to get along, many believers found themselves stepping away from public and civil life because in the contest with remaining faithful to Jesus, their conscience demanded it.Everywhere Christians turned their lives and faith were on display because the Gospel introduced a revolutionary new attitude toward life. This was exhibited most clearly in the realms of Sex, Slaves, and Children.The Church of the Modern Era has often endured scorn for its old-fashioned views on the sanctity of marriage & marital physical intimacy. That isn't a criticism early Christians faced, at least from most moral philosophers. On the contrary, ancient Roman moral pundits lamented the abysmal sexual immorality of their times. Raising the sanctity of marriage, along with attitudes toward marital fidelity, was one of the Emperor Augustus' pet projects. Christianity, infused as it was with a Biblical view of marriage and sex, regarded the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, withy marriage as a picture of the Church's union with Christ. Couples who lived out the Gospel in their homes exhibited a quality of life pagans longed for. But it marked them as radically different; and we all know how the mass reacts to that!Slavery was another matter altogether. It was here that Christianity was regarded as a dangerous force for it attributed dignity to all people regardless of status or state. It's reported that when Christians met for their distinctive services, masters and their slaves shed the distinctions that marked their lives just before and after the service. Greco-Roman culture might regard slaves as mere living tools, as Plato described them. But Christians esteemed slaves as of equal value with the free. In a society stratified by endless causes for division, the followers of Jesus bore a shocking disregard for those differences. But with the horrors of periodic slave uprisings still fresh in the collective memory, outsiders came to regard the Christian message as dangerously subversive to the social order.The attitude seemed to be à “Hey, look; it's great the Christians see all people as equal yet are able to maintain the traditional roles our legal system has imposed. But we now that at some point, if more people go in for this Christian thing, the salves will reach a critical mass and will rebel again. Last time they did, I lost 2 friends and I don't want to go through that again.”The sanctity of human life that framed the core of the Christian attitude towards slaves & slavery applied toward children, and in particular, to infants. Unlike their neighbor-pagans, Christians refused to leave their unwanted or physically distressed children in some out of the way place to be left to die of exposure, or to be carried off by traffickers who'd invest a little food now for the pay-off of selling or using them later. In fact, not only did Christian refrain from this barbaric practice, they often rescued such exposed infants and raised them as their own, which of course put an additional financial burden on already strained incomes.We'll halt here and pick it up at this point in the next episode. We'll begin by taking a look at the first systematic persecution under Nero in AD64.