9. BIBLE STORT - PART NINE

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5- Greece and Rome  9-READ-ALOUD-18m-17s

Western Civilization is thought to come from Greek and Latin origins, yet  there may be more Persian in us than we credit. Cyrus the Great rebuilt the Jewish Temple and kick started the Old Testament, the Apocalypse, the battle between  Good and Evil were Persian Zoroastrian concepts way before they were Christian.  Even the concept of the Germanic people as “The Aryan Race” stems from the pseudo-scientific linguistic and historical connection to Persia. This said, Europe may not have come from Eden as it is more rooted in the Greek and Persian civilizations and their traditions.

Macedonia was a land to the north of Greece and Villanova was a land to the north of Italy. Macedonia would evolve into the Greeks of Alexander the Great, and Villanova would become the Rome of Julius Caesar. 

The real power of Rome would be their Republic, built from the democratic or republican concepts inherited from the Greeks. Their soldier citizens could participate in their government, which is unlike the kingdoms they will defeat, whose armies are mostly composed of paid mercenaries, or slaves.

A sense of freedom is the best incentive for a soldier to fight for their nation state. It was a belief in freedom that formed Israel, the Roman republic, and now is integral to the power of the United States.   

From the time of Alexander the Great, till about the year 100 B.C. the world was divided between the Greeks in the East, the Romans in the Middle, and the Carthaginians to the West.  

The slaves in Egypt, just as all slaves, would be controlled through ignorance and propaganda. Each time a new Pharaoh came into power, the slaves would be told of the fantastic miracles performed, and great battles with non-existent people. This was the task of the Priests, they would provide public relations in support of the ruling class, regardless of who they may be. The Persian, Greek, and Egyptian upper classes all would enjoy the fruits of the labor of their slaves. 

Since knowledge is power, those who know rule over those that do not know.  Slaves will not revolt because the concept is inconceivable, within a properly operated slave culture, the only problems that can arise are ones  where one aristocratic family member decides to take power from another.   

After the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BC,  the new Egyptian Pharaohs would be Macedonians. Although we call them Greeks, Alexander was a Macedonian, his father had, for the most part, ended democracy, and did not hold any democratic values, in fact everyone of any authority considered democracy absurd. 

The generals who were left behind by Alexander the Great would rule a vast Greek Empire. The slaves of Egypt and Persia need to know only what they are told. The Israelites need to know only what the Pharisees will tell them. No one but those who rule would need to know the truth about anything.

In these times news does not travel well, no newspapers, very few could read for that matter, and what you will read are stories, and propaganda. In these times people were deep in that cave that Plato spoke of. Even if someone were to tell people the truth, they would reject it as heresy, and kill them.

This is the period within which the civilization in Villanova will be assimilated by the Romans, and Rome will begin to form. 

With regards to the story of the foundation of Rome, it is the legend of two brothers brought up as savages by a wolf, where one kills the other over jealousy, which is somewhat reminiscent of Cain and Abel. Interestingly these roots of nations based on the killing of your brother, establish or foretell a pattern for western civilization.    

Philistines, Phoenicians and Carthaginians

To understand the formation of Rome you must understand the "sea peoples" or Phoenicians. The "sea peoples" is a term used by the Egyptians for a people that have come from the sea to raid Egypt.

The Minoan civilization predates this period, and is sometimes considered Europe's first civilization. Some say this civilization is what is described by the legend of Atlantis, and what would later evolve into the Phoenicians.

The Phoenicians were a loose alliance of maritime cities that traded throughout the Mediterranean. They had made the Mediterranean sea their empire, and were in direct competition with early Rome.

The Phoenician port city of Tyre is located just north of Canaan, and flexed its control of Canaan prior to the Israelite move to the area. The Philistines are sea people; they traded in Canaan, their city-state was Tyre, and central to trading, to and from the many port cities of the  Mediterranean sea.

The Carthaginians are west of Egypt and controlled lands in north Africa and Spain. These people traded and ruled the coastal areas from well protected port cities throughout the Mediterranean sea.

For any people attempting to dominate the Italian peninsula the Carthaginians would be the principal competition.

The Punic Wars, also called the Carthaginian Wars (264–146 BCE), were a series of wars between the Roman Republic and Carthage for control over the Western Mediterranean. Rome will eventually destroy Carthage, as well as take the Mediterranean sea for their own.

The Israelites as well as the Egyptians were land warriors, the Phoenicians on the other hand were sea warriors. The Phoenician port city of Tyre dates back to 2700 BC. It is believed that these are the same people that founded Carthage. Carthage and Tyre must have also been associated to the Minoan island states of the Aegean Sea. This would make the Phoenicians a civilization in itself, "sea peoples,"  connected to the legend of the lost kingdom of Atlantis.           

In 332 BC Alexander the Great’s conquest of Egypt had its battles in Palestine, and particularly against Tyre, an extremely fortified port city with 150 foot walls. The Roman conquest and consolidation of the Italian peninsula was made possible by the Greek conquest of Tyre, as it would have been a key trading partner of Carthage. 

The Carthagenians had control of the western Mediterranean. Once Tyre is taken by Alexander, the Carthagenians will make all efforts to regain the Eastern trading alliances the Greeks have taken from them. Carthage and the Phoenician alliance in the Mediterranean will find itself in conflict with Greek, and then later Roman interests. 

At the time of Alexander the Great, the Romans were forming their Republic, battling for control of the city of Rome and eventually the Italian peninsula. They are an association of farmers and traders taking lands for defense and personal gain. Their Republic was composed of individuals who could rise according to their value. Early in Rome's career it took dominion of the Etruscans to the North, then began to attack their neighbors eventually taking full control of the  Italian Peninsula.

Rome will begin to gain possessions in Europe, Macedonia, Persia, defeat the Carthaginians, and finally subdue Egypt and Israel. By the end of the first century C. E. Rome will have taken control of most of the territories of the Greek world. Two new Roman religions will come to dominate this new empire, Mithraism and Christianity. 

This timeline leads us to the Rome of Julius Caesar and what will be known as the Roman Empire.

212 BC Syracuse or Sicily, once a Carthaginian stronghold, falls to Rome

197 BC Macedonia , the former home of Alexander the Great, became a Roman province.

190 BC The Greek Seleucid rulers of Persia were defeated by the Romans.

The Carthaginians almost ended Rome. Under Hannibal in about 200 BC they invaded Rome by taking troops and elephants from Spain and coming into Rome from the Alps.            

Finally in 146 BC the Romans sacked and completely destroyed the city of Carthage.

This unleashes the Romans onto the rest of the known world, and sets the stage for Christianity, and the future Roman Catholic Church.

By 100 BC, Rome has taken control of more and more of the territory throughout the Mediterranean region, setting the stage for the birth and life of Julius Caesar.

The very battle hardened armies of Rome are running out of lands to conquer, eventually they will have only themselves to fight for control of the known world.

Egypt is a land of slaves which can be easy to conquer, but to control Egypt is a separate issue, for its neighbor Israel, has a population of free people who believe God gave them their land, and they will fight to protect the Greek status quo.

Rome is becoming more powerful than the previous Greek empire, and its problems are now internal. To answer the question of,  “who will govern Rome?”, a family feud of global proportions will ensue.

As we approach year “one”,  two Gods Caesar and Cleopatra have either been killed, or committed suicide, Persia, and Egypt, and Judea are in the hands of Rome, and more particularly have become the personal property of Augustus Caesar, the grand nephew of Julius Caesar, who is also known as Octavian.

Julius Caesar

The world we know today, and the way we understand Christianity strangely pivots on the actions of one man, Julius Caesar.. 

Rome, having fought their way from Villanova 500 years prior and now with an army that stretches from Spain to Persia, will begin to fight among themselves for power.

In 50 BC Julius Caesar was heading to Rome to fight a civil war. His troops come from the north, and are a popular representative power base that will come to fight his rival Pompey who represents the established aristocracy that wish to stop the expansion of the republic.

Optimates, led by Pompey...   Were dedicated to keeping power in the hands of noble families and wished to limit the republic.

Populares, Led by Julius Caesar...  Are a Roman aristocracy that relies on citizen and popular support for political power, the spread of mild democracy, if you will.

As Caesar crosses the Rubicon and enters Rome, Pompey and his armies sail to Epirus. Epirus is where the oldest Hellenic oracle is, where Alexander the Great’s mother came from. A region that Aristotle considered to have been the most ancient part of Greece and where the Hellenes originated.

Stop and think about this for one moment. These men have gone to the most holy ground they know to fight the last battle of a long civil war. They are fighting in Greece, the land that gave them their Gods. This would be similar to us fighting a world war in Israel, certainly not inconceivable.   

In 48 BC at Epirus, Caesar defeated Pompey. Caesar is now appointed dictator, with Mark Antony as second in command.

Pompey and his remaining forces go to Egypt where there is an ongoing civil war between Cleopatra VII and her brother Ptolemy XIII. Pompey goes to Ptolemy XIII for protection, but is murdered by him instead.

Caesar comes to Egypt to deal with Pompey's remaining forces, and is disgusted by the murder of his rival Pompey. He sides with Cleopatra in a civil war against her brother Ptolemy XIII. Successful, he then installs Cleopatra as Queen, and has a child with her, born in 47 BC, only one year after his battle with Pompey.

Caesar has just defeated his rivals for control of Rome. He has won battles, but has not taken control of the economies that the wealthy families of his political rivals, the Optimates, control. He must pay his soldiers, and keep the economy going. Cleopatra is the wealthiest person in the world, she is the Nile river and the source of grain for his troops.  With Cleopatra, Caesar has built favored alliances with both Egypt, Israel and the Greek states of Persia, and developed a policy to unite in peace the known world. This is possibly the most remarkable moment in all of human history, a Roman new world order is envisioned.  

With this child and his alliances within the Greek order, Caesar can pay his troops and have greater control over the Greek world. With his new family, this child will become the next ruler of not only Rome but Egypt as well. This will cause the Roman senate to fear this dictator, and seed the end of their Republic.    

This family of Cleopatra and Caesar is now the law of two religions, the Roman and the Egyptian, and their child will inherit the known world as a God.   

February 15, 44 BC Mark Antony placed a crown on Caesar's head, Caesar was then assassinated on March 15 by a group of senators.

Cleopatra  -  At the time of the assassination of Julius Caesar,  had lived for two years in Rome, from the summer of 46 B.C., with their son Caesareon. They would leave immediately after the death of Caesar for Egypt. Back in Rome, Mark Antony, Caesar’s second in command, will try to restore order. Mark Antony will join forces with Octavian, the adopted son of Caesar, and to seal the bond he will marry Octavian's sister Octavia.

October of 41 BC Mark Antony meets with Cleopatra in Tarsus, this  infamous relation will eventually bear three children. Cleopatra will have four children, one with Julius Caesar and three more with Mark Antony.

Please note Mark Anthony and Cleopatra are in Tarsus, which is where the Apostle Paul is from, this is a central economic region of the Greek power base, a strong ally of Egypt, and of the Hellenized Jewish people.

September of 40 BC Mark Antony married Octavian's sister, left her pregnant and returned to Egypt to get support from Cleopatra in his battle with his brother-in-law, Octavian.

This World War is all about something very personal, a sorted family matter in which the richest people in the world, who consider themselves Godlike, conspire and kill each other to see who will end up with all the loot.  

Capturing Jerusalem in 37 BC, Mark Antony installs Herod as a puppet king of Judea.

In 34 BC, Caesarian, the son of Caesar and Cleopatra, then thirteen years of age, was formally made " King of Kings,” by Antony and Cleopatra.

A battle would ensue over these divisions within  Rome, in 31 BC, with Cleopatra backing Mark Antony. Mark Antony and Octavian would confront each other in Actium, on the east coast of Greece. The battle is here because these are the front lines between Rome, and what was once the Greek empire. Cleopatra who was in fact a Greek Macedonian Queen would be there in person along with Mark Antony. As the battle goes poorly for Antony and Cleopatra, they abandon the battle and sail to Egypt.

August 1, 30 BC, Octavian is in Egypt, and takes the city of Alexandria. Recognizing their defeat, First Mark Antony takes his life, and then Cleopatra commits suicide on August 12, 30 BC.

Some historians will say that she tried to send her son Caesareon to India via the Red Sea. Octavian would say he had killed him and as they say "there can not be two Caesars"   

Years earlier in 63 BC Julius Caesar had been declared "Pontifex Maximus", making him the administrator of Jus Divinum or divine law, for life. It is important to consider that Octavian in 31 BC, following his defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, as the adoptive son of Julius Caesar, assumed the title of Divi Filius (Son of God), and renamed himself to Augustus "first citizen"  Caesar. A family that will later be the personification of the divine right of Kings, becoming the title of Kaisers and Czars of our western culture. 

Augustus would mark the end of the Roman Republic, and the beginning of the dominance of Rome which will form the western culture we find in Europe and the United States today. 

Augustus is not the only individual that will claim Divi Filius or the "Son of a God" title. Jesus Christ becomes a direct challenger to Augustus, for he is also to be called son of God. This all while the actual son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra -  the missing Pharaoh and God, Caesarian, will be forgotten, or assume a new identity.     

The Roman Republic will end along with the hopes of the republic. The followers of Julius Caesar who had hoped to establish a union between east and west, have lost their battle. This point is argued in light of the fact that although Julius Caesar became a dictator, his troops, as well as most of the Senate, was loyal to him and expected representation in a new government.

This moment also marks the end of both the Hellenistic(Greek) Age and the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt.

The Pharaoh Gods and the priests of the Egyptians will end, the new order is now Roman, and its divine leader is Augustus Caesar.

These are the political and religious events that bring us Christianity, and knowing these events will give a greater appreciation of the coming Christ. If we would like to understand Christianity and today's Church, it would be wise to carefully look into these historical events first.