Part 1: Topic
Part 2: Primary Sources
Primary Source 2: The Gospel According to Thomas
Primary Source 3: The Gospel of John
Primary Source 1 Sentence 1: Romans will come and take away our place and nation. Gospel of john 11:49.
Primary Source 1 Sentence 2: Pilate went out to them and said what accusations have you brought against this man. The Gospel of John 18:30
Primary Source 1 Sentence 3: Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it, and the Jews said, this temple was built in fourty and six years, and will you raise it in three days. Gospel of John 2:21
Primary Source 2 Sentence 1: They showed Jesus a coin and said, the romans demand taxes from us, The Gospel According to Thomas, page 33
Primary Source 2 Sentence 2: Caesar men demand us to pay taxes. The Gospel According to Thomas, page 34
Primary Source 2 Sentence 3: we know that you will depart from us, who will be our leader. The Gospel According to Thomas, page 37
Part 3: Film
Film 4: The Gospel of john
Film Source 1 Sentence 1: the Gospel of John was written two generations after crucifying Jesus, at this time the Roman Empire controlled Jerusalem. Scene 1
Film Source 1 Sentence 2: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. Scene 2.
Film Source 1 Sentence 3: Jesus dies on the cross scene 3.
Part 4: Outline
Thesis: The relationship between the Romans and Christians was crucial in shaping the history of the world between 0 C.E. and 1500 C.E. because the birth, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus brought about new ways of life and teachings.
Based from the book A Little World History, Augustus ruled the Roman Empire from 31 BC to the year 14 AD. This means that he ruled during the period when Jesus was born. Page 92. Various changes occurred after the birth of Jesus. This is evidence that King Augustus was aware of the birth of the New King (Jesus) thus started to silently have a totalitarian form of government. Even if he didn’t formally called himself a dictator, his ways were. He wants his people to see him as the savior and controlled how they act so that they would become blind to the teachings of Jesus. He did this too, so that Jesus will not be free to preach the teachings of the Lord.
The Gospel of John, states that Romans will come and take away our place and nation if they let Jesus live. Gospel of John 11:49. In this specific Gospel, the people are assuming that Jesus is a Roman and accepts that indeed he is a powerful person. This is because He has already done several miraculous deeds and was afraid that if they let Him continue like this, people will start believing in him and they don’t want to be ruled by the Romans. The existence of this relationship is also evident in this Gospel where Pilate went out to them and said what accusations have you brought against this man. The Gospel of John 18:30. Even the people can’t pinpoint what Jesus is actually accused of. He hadn’t done anything that is against the law, but what the people are afraid of is His teachings because they are powerful tools and more and more people started to believe and follow Jesus even if He doesn’t have material things.
Teachings of Jesus indicate that he opted not to influence the people from defying the existing emperor. This is evident from the gospel of John where the Jews showed Jesus a coin and said, the Romans demand taxes from us, The Gospel According to Thomas, page 33. It is also supported from the Gospel of Thomas where it states that the Jesus stated, Caesar men demand us to pay taxes. The Gospel According to Thomas, page 34. Jesus was however aware that the Romans would crucify him as found in the Gospel according to Thomas. The disciples state we know that you will depart from us, who will be our leader. The Gospel According to Thomas, page 37. Jesus, silently through his teachings made the people realize the oppression they are experiencing from their emperor. However, his teachings has been strong making the emperor fearful that the people will rebel and not follow him anymore, thus, starting to make moves that will make the lives of the people harder and poorer.
Evidence in the film named Gospel of John also supports this. It shows that Jerusalem was controlled by Romans during this period in Scene one and in scene two and three there is evidence showing the life and teaching of Jesus. The film illustrates the life of Jesus and shows that his teachings greatly influenced history. He travelled far and wide and selected his disciples who would later spread the Gospel. He led a simple life that sets as an example to the people. Based from these, it shows that power and wealth are not that important when leading a righteous life. These changes are evident today with the existence of the Bible, teachings and the existence of various historical monuments that are preserved to date.
In conclusion it is evident that the relationship between the Romans and Christians during this period was influenced by the birth of Jesus. Romans started to have an interest in religion following Jesus. Jesus however did not influence people to defy the existing Roman Empire and this is evident from the tax issue raised. Even if Jesus had known what will happen to Him under the hands of the Romans He wasn’t deterred. He just continued spreading the teaching of the God either by leading a life of example of preaching. The birth of Jesus therefore is crucial in that it resulted into changes in history with the emergence of disciples who enabled the spread of the Gospel which is now evident with existing Christians across the word and also the existence of the Bible. This is an important occurrence in history that changed the world.
Bibliography:
Gombrich, Ernst. A little history of the world, 2003. Yale university press.
Gospel According to Thomas
Gospel of John
Film: The Gospel of john
