History of Easter: Historical Climate
HISTORICAL CLIMATE OF EASTER
As Passion Week begins this weekend, what was the historical climate of Easter Week almost 2,000 years ago surrounding the last week of the life of Jesus of Nazareth?
All men die; Jesus was a man destined to die, not merely in the conventional sense but in a distinct and peculiar manner.
Jesus entered Jerusalem amidst a tumultuous environment characterized by religious, political, military, social, and economic upheaval.
At that time, events in ancient Israel were rarely linked to the broader context that governed the province: the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, Jesus’ career culminated in a “tale of two cities” – Jerusalem and Rome. The political and military might of Rome affected the culture and legal system in Jerusalem. In this series on Easter, we’ll discuss:
The Events of Easter
- Palm Sunday: what was the political and cultural climate of the city when Jesus entered?
- The Trial: what occurred during the trials, and what Roman and Jewish laws were involved?
- The Crucifixion: what took place on Good Friday?
- The Resurrection: what do we know about it from the sources?
Easter Backstory
Our story begins during the last week of March A.D. 33, when the relationship between the Jews and Rome was already 100 years old. In 63 B.C., a dispute arose between two factions of the High Priestly family. One of these factions appealed to Rome for assistance.
While in the midst of reorganizing the eastern part of the Roman Empire, General Pompey arrived in Israel from Damascus and settled the dispute by making Judea a Roman client kingdom. Herod the Great was appointed king over the territory (remember him from the Christmas story?) as a client king to Rome.
The kingdom was divided into four tetrarchies after Herod died in 4 B.C. His sons:
- Herod Antipas (we’ll meet him later) was given Galilee and Perea in the north.
- Archelaus received Judah, Idumea, and Samaria, which he ruled so poorly that he was banished and replaced by a succession of Roman governors or prefects.
Judea was neither one of the more important nor more illustrious provinces. Therefore, it was not ruled over by a member of the nobler “senatorial” class of Romans. Instead, a member of the equestrian class (equus=horse, Latin for “knight” or “official”), the middle class that constituted a significant part of the Roman administrative bureaucracy and military. The sixth of these governors was Pontius Pilate.
Messianic Anticipation
For centuries, the Jewish people had long anticipated the arrival of a Messiah, the anointed one of God, who would ascend to the throne of King David and liberate them from their oppressors. This expectation permeated the entirety of the Hebrew Bible, with numerous themes interwoven within its narrative for this Messiah:
- God’s vice-regent on earth
- An eternal ruler
- Son of God
- A deliverer from political oppression
- A suffering servant who would deliver the people from their sins
…but how would he appear?
Pseudepigrapha References
Between the Old and New Testaments, circa 400 B.C. to A.D. 65, a large body of non-Biblical literature emerged, called apocryphal and apocalyptic literature, that repeated and embellished the concept of the Messiah.
Much of this was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other pseudepigraphical literature written during the intertestamental period. Pseudepigrapha are falsely attributed documents that claim authorship by Adam and Eve, Abraham, Enoch, Elijah, Job, Solomon, etc., to imbue their writings with authority. These writings depicted the Messiah as:
- Son of King David
- Son of Man
- A battling warrior
- God’s agent for cleansing Israel
- Provider of nourishment, healer
- Holy One
- Raiser of the dead
Historical Meaning of “Messiah”
The Greek word for the Hebrew “Messiah” is christos, or “anointed one,” from which we get the word “Christ.” This means that Christ was not Jesus’ last name but rather a title, Jesus the Christ.
Before the Romans, the Jewish people had suffered under several occupying oppressors, most recently the Greek successors to Alexander the Great‘s generals, and before that, the Medo-Persians, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians. After almost a hundred years under the Romans, the expectation for the Messiah had reached nearly a fever pitch.
This was the condition when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com
Podcast version:
Thanks for the nice clear explanation.
That older photo of the Old City is an unusual and wonderful perspective.
Thanks Dina.
This was my first view of Jerusalem, as I drove up the road in the foreground to approach the Western Wall.
-Bill
that for the artcle more grrace,sir what is the meaning of easter?
Thanks for the question. I define that in my first article in the series History of Easter.
Good reading. Thanks for posting the historical aspect of the time. After reading this I want to do more research on Jewish culture and Roman culture too.