2000 YEARS AGO...
You might say Jesus Christ was born in year one, but actually that would not be true. For in history, besides the gospels which were written much later, there are no historical records of the birth or existence of Jesus Christ, there is no clear date or record of his birth or death.
I believe that Jesus Christ was the most important event in those years and since, yet, when compared to the other events that were happening at the time, our perspective can change. The following account may strengthen a belief in Christ, while at the same time lessening the trust we may have had in our fellow man.
Why do we associate year one with Jesus Christ?
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The year was created by Dionysius Exiguus in 525 A.D., he lived in Rome and wrote guides on church administration, and mathematical works. He worked for Rome and his name denotes the God Dionysius. The term Anno Domini (A.D.) signifies year and Domini which in Latin was the title given to the deified emperors of the Roman Empire. For the Emperor is the Lord of his people, he has dominion, and dominates them. Religion is the political means of popular dominion and it is now, 200 years after Constantine... Christian. This dating system is not fully accepted until the 1400's. Spain and Portugal continued to date by the Era of the Caesars or Spanish Era, which began counting from 38 BC, well into the Middle Ages. In 1422, Portugal became the last Catholic country to adopt the Anno Domini system.
Regardless if the epoch starts in 38 B.C or year one, at that moment in history there are three very important events that most of us have forgotten or never knew.
1. A child is born between a Roman God and an Egyptian Goddess.
2. There is a world war and its final battles are in Israel against the Jews.
3. Three divine rulers of the two great empires die violently.
Roman God Julius Caesar is murdered, Cleopatra the Goddess and Queen of Egypt commits suicide, and their 17 year old son, a Pharaoh, is presumed killed.
This young boy was the eldest son of Cleopatra VII, and Julius Caesar. He was declared by Julius Caesar to be the next emperor of Rome. As a child, he ruled jointly with his mother Cleopatra VII from September 2, 44 BC to August, 30 BC. He was allegedly killed by Octavian, who would become the Roman emperor following the murder of Julius Caesar.
This child's birth would be the cause of these extraordinary events...
The assassination of his own father Julius Caesar in 44BC.
The marriage of Mark Anthony with Cleopatra VII , Pharaoh God Queen.
A Roman civil war that would become a World War stretching from Greece, through the old Persian empire, Egypt, and ending in Israel.
The suicide of his own mother, goddess of the Egyptians, and a Macedonian Queen
Finally 100 or so years after his birth the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the Jewish dispersal from the promised land.
These very important events would have never occurred were it not for the birth of this child. What happened to this child?
As told by the Romans that won this world war, this child was killed. Yet, there are accounts that the child was taken to India as his mother Cleopatra had ordered.
The murder and suicides of these individuals, whom would have been seen as Gods to the people of this era, would certainly have affected things.
Somewhere from the supposed death of this child in 30 BC to the final battles for Israel in 135 AD, we will see the Jewish temple destroyed, Israelites sold into slavery and dispersed throughout the Roman empire. Somewhere in this period of time is the life of Jesus Christ and his Apostles.
For the peoples of Israel these times must have been of biblical proportions. All major world religions would have seen this as a great message of some sort. The most secretive cults of the Roman Rulers, the Egyptian Priests, Zoroastrian Magi of Persia, Druids, the Cynics, Phythagorans, Stoics and so on...these events would certainly affect all religions of the empire.
The Egyptians... had lost their God Pharaoh... and the Jewish people had lost their promised land.
Certainly we should mention this history when we discuss Jesus Christ, but strangely we overlook it. These historical events when placed in context of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ make for a story that fits history unlike the story we are commonly told. To properly tell this story we must start with creation.