CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
December 6, 2009
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373
www.blakehart.com/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
PRAYER AND PETITIONS:
God’s
will for our congregation Our
nation, leaders and military
Various
relatives, friends and co-workers The
spread of the good news
CAESARS AND KINGS
“In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be
taken of the entire Roman world” (Luke 2:1).
Over
the last several decades, there has been much debate on the use of religious
symbols and ideas in the public square.
This time of year seems to enhance that debate. What is interesting and what we often just
pass over is that there were two political events surrounding the birth of
Jesus. Recent scholarship is taking a
serious look at the political elements involved in scripture, and in the New
Testament in particular. Let’s take a
look at them but first some background information.
After
years of disobeying God, and though warned by a variety of prophets, Israel was
carried off into captivity; the northern kingdom by Assyria c. 721 B.C. and the
southern kingdom of Judah by Babylon c. 600 B.C. At that time they lost their king and their
Temple. This became known as the
Diaspora. A remnant returned in 536 B.C.
and the Temple was rebuilt around 520 B.C.
Nehemiah rebuilt the walls about seventy years later. This was done under Persian rule. One thing that was not restored was a king. For the next four hundred years, first Greece
under Alexander the Great and then the Ptolemies and Seleucids [depending on
who had the most power at the time], and then Rome in 63 B.C., ruled Israel.
Israel
had armies at various times but usually not a standing army like Rome. An important event happened between 168-165
B.C. when the Temple was desecrated and the Jews revolted. Out of that came the holiday called Hanukkah. Yet through this entire time there was no
king. Then under the Romans, Herod the
Great became king of Israel though he was an Idumaean or Edomite in the Old
Testament (1). In his last years he was
extremely paranoid but he was a shrewd politician who ended up on the winning
side. During the Roman civil war of 31
B.C., he found a way of staying out of it while Octavian, who became Caesar
Augustus, defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra in Egypt. Herod picked a fight with the Nabateans to
the southwest of Israel.
After
this civil war, a period of peace began in the Roman Empire, and it was
Augustus who brought peace through military power (2). This didn’t mean there were not problems but
there were few outside attacks for about two hundred years. There were internal rebellions that were
crushed either by Rome or their client kings, such as Herod. The Roman road system lead to the ability to
move legions around the Empire at rapid speed.
Rome maintained a legion in Egypt and one in the area of Israel. The next closest legions were in the
Balkans.
With
this information, Augustus issued a decree to take a census. Historians tell us that he had three censuses
during his long reign, this being the second one. Why would he do this? It took a lot to maintain Rome and its power,
both in money and manpower, as well as living a life of luxury. This could be the basis of a tax base,
gaining information about a workforce, and preparations for more building
projects and conquests. How would he
accomplish this census? He could send
out people to do the job or, more likely, he used his client kings to do the
job. It has been suggested that it could
have taken ten years to complete a census.
Interestingly, Augustus is most remembered for this census and his unwitting
involvement in the birth of the Jewish Messiah (3).
Herod
already had tax collectors in place.
There were several reasons for this.
One, Herod was a builder. He
added on to the Temple and built a fortress in Jerusalem, a port at Caesarea,
and Masada, at least three temples which appeared to be dedicated to Augustus -
possibly influenced by Caesar worship from other parts of the Empire - among
other building projects, needed money to pay for his lifestyle and pay off
various leading Romans. Herod, in his
paranoia, also needed a small standing army for his protection and for the
enforcement of his will, a secret police force working as spies. The Jews were a restless people, expecting
the Messiah to come soon, and that when he came he would drive out Rome and
restore the throne in Jerusalem. Some
had already made such claims and led groups into the wilderness to fight but
were put down either by Herod or the Romans or a combination of both.
One
of the requirements of this Roman census was that people would have to return
to their hometowns, which of course meant an expense for the traveler in time
and money. That would also mean more tax
revenue because of these expenses. It
appears that the tax collectors would be well suited to do both the counting of
people and the collecting of money. One
can see that neither of these would be particularly endearing to the people of
Israel and we can better understand the hatred of tax collectors by all. The religious leaders would also be affected
by this because they would see their income reduced or increased with a rise in
the collection of taxes, depending politically on who they were aligned
with.. The tax collectors, Herod and
Rome would all benefit.
When
we read of Joseph and Mary leaving Nazareth for Bethlehem, I think that they
were going to make a one way trip and settle in Bethlehem with family (4). It is also God’s way to get people where they
needed to be to fulfill scripture, Micah 5:2 in particular. This leads to the second political event in
the birth story.
Sometime
after the birth of Jesus, strangers from the east called Magi show up in
Jerusalem looking for the newborn king of the Jews (5). This disturbed everyone in Jerusalem
including Herod (see Matthew 2:1-18).
Herod did not have a new born baby and for him that meant a rival. Herod was paranoid by this time but he had
already had a least two wives killed along with several sons. A couple of sons were living in exile in Rome
fearful of their father. Augustus stated
that he would rather be Herod’s pig than his son. Herod questioned the Magi as to the time
frame of all of this. The religious
leaders were called in to find out where the Messiah would be born and they
quoted Micah 5:2; Bethlehem was the place.
The Magi go to Bethlehem, find Jesus, worship and present their
gifts. Those gifts would be beneficial
to Joseph and Mary as they fled to Egypt.
Both Joseph and the Magi were warned in dreams about the danger Herod
presented.
When
Herod realized that the Magi would not return, he sent his troops to Bethlehem
to kill all babies two years old and younger.
A quote from Jeremiah 31 - in a chapter about the new covenant - ends
with the lament of those who lost children.
Most think that Bethlehem was a very small town and at most, about
twenty children died. Herod’s motivation
was to maintain power. Given his state,
one has to wonder if he thought he would live forever. After his death, the Romans split his small
kingdom into four parts probably to prevent another Herod from ruling.
There
is another aspect to this second political idea. It is found in the following statement: “Get
up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who
were trying to take the child’s life are dead” (Matthew 2:20). Who were the “those” who were trying to kill
the child? We know that Herod was one
and evidence suggests that he died in 4 B.C.
Would his sons also want to seek out the Messiah, or the Romans? Who died?
There is another idea (6). It was
the religious leaders who wanted Jesus dead as well. If we think about it, they were interested in
their own position of power and control.
The Sadducees were more political and involved with Herod and the
Romans. The Pharisees were opponents. Nevertheless, a newborn king was a threat to
their position. Their revealing of Micah
5:2 might have been more a willingness to eliminate a potential problem than
just giving out facts. There is no
indication of this in the text but the religious leaders certainly understood
the paranoid state of Herod. They
probably had a good idea what Herod would do to a rival.
Who
died besides Herod? Could Herod have
killed some of the religious leaders or others who might have conspired with
him in the deaths of the children of Bethlehem?
These and more questions are raised by this but it is something to think
about.
These
are two political events surrounding the birth of Jesus. The Bible was not written, or lived, in a
cultural void, though some attempt to read it that way. Understanding this background is helpful in
understanding the Bible (7). Our cultural
backgrounds also effects our understanding of scripture. And yes, our political perspective effects
our reading as well. One scholar wrote a
book on the birth of Christ, looking at the economic and political situation in
Israel and the Empire, then attempted to apply it to the United States and its
role in South America. Maybe there is an
application but there is no doubt that his political views effect his reading
of scripture (8). The same can be said
for all of us. The difficulty is
recognizing that and attempting to take that into account when we study
scripture.
We
do not live in a cultural void; there is no such thing. We are affected by what we read, where we
grew up, our political views, our educational experience, our economic situation,
our history, both personal and national, and our religious background. I read a book called 1968. The author was from New York City and I was
from New Jersey. Twenty miles separated
us but it might has well been a million.
His experience and mind were totally opposite even though we lived a
hour apart.
Reporters
say that they can be neutral in reporting the news. That is just not possible because they have
cultural influences that effects their interpretation of events. We have stated that we can all see the Bible
alike. That sounds like an admirable
goal but if we do not take culture into account, we will develop a cultural
that just might conflict with scripture.
An illustration has been used that if a people on an island found a
Bible and read it, that they would come to the same conclusions that we have
made. What this fails to see is that
they will read the Bible through their understanding based on their cultural
experiences. They might draw far
different conclusions on a number of teachings.
Remember, Paul said that there needs to be someone preaching the good
news, which means explaining it. Even
then, we find that while many use the same Bible, we disagree on many
points. Culture has influenced that.
Politics
cannot be separated from other parts of culture, especially religious. Too many fail to understand the influence of
Islam on the Middle East culture. The
idea of the separation of church and state is just not possible, as if one can
divorce one’s religious views from his life.
Many try but it just does not work.
Cultural
experiences influence how people read scripture (9). We in the western world tend to read the
Christmas story highlighting the manger scene, shepherds and wise men with the
angels praising God. We picture this as
a peaceful story about the coming Savior and see it as a time for family
thinking of it as a happy time. The
recent song, Mary, Did You Know? which has become somewhat popular
brings a little challenge to our current view as scripture teaches us that Mary
pondered things in her heart.
Others
read it through their culture eyes. The
slave of the 1800s emphasized the idea that freedom was coming, or that a knew
Moses would lead them to the promised land of freedom. Such songs as Go Tell It On The Mountain,
Children Go Where I Send Thee, and Rise Up Shepherd look to freedom
especially when Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt and read the story with the
oppressed in mind, a people as slaves.
Likewise, those under dictatorships will see the harshness of Herod and
the Romans and read the story in that way.
There songs might be emphasizing these areas.
The
census and the killing of babies appear to us as minor events in the story of
the Bible. Yet it was with the blessing
of Roman power that the Jews killed Jesus.
It was the declaration of the risen Savior that Jesus is Lord that
threatened Caesar later in the century.
No, Matthew and Luke introduce us to a conflict between politics and
religion that would eventually lead to an Empire policy of persecution. Even today, that same conflict is seen at
this time of year when people disagree on the symbols and music of the
season.
Think
about this.
George
B. Mearns
(1)
Herod The Great, www.followtherabbi.com
(2)
Richard A. Horsley, The Liberation of Christmas, Continuum, 1993.
(3)
J. Ellsworth Kalas, Christmas From The Backside, Abington, 2003, p. 47.
(4)
More on this in the 12/20/09 bulletin.
(5)
More on this in the 12/20/09 bulletin.
(6)
Raymond E. Brown, A Coming Christ in Advent, Liturgical Press, 1988, p.
32. and An Adult Christ of Christmas, Liturgical Press, 1978, p. 10-14.
(7)
There are other factors that affect our understanding. What role did famine play in the collection
of taxes, that is, did taxes go up and down depending on the economy? What hostility was created by the
census? R. Brown reports that a later
census caused a minor rebellion in Israel (ibid.). Many other questions could be asked.
(8)
Horsley, op. cit.
(9)
Horsley, ibid.