While discussing Jesus within his setting, we cannot deny how the life of Jesus is narrated as a counter against the imperialism of Rome. Much could be said about how Jesus confronts the politics of the Roman Empire and how he is in conflict with Caesar’s imperialism. Let’s have a brief understanding of how the Gospels portray Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, as against Caesar and Roman imperialism.
1. A census went wrong: Luke narrates that the birth of Jesus took place when Caesar Augustus issued a decree to conduct a census throughout his Empire (Luke 2:1). Romans, like any other empires, kept the records of the exact number of citizens in the Empire so that accurate taxation could take place. The census was also meant to know the number of citizens who showed allegiance to the Empire not only in sense of existence but also in the sense of obedience and acceptance. Most of the times when the censuses were taken place, Jews often responded violently against the Roman Empire. It is not only because of their political vision but also because of the imperialist oppression and taxation that brought them very low. And every time there were such protests, the powerful once silenced them by employing violent means.
The decree of the census affected the poor and lowly family of Jesus as well. Mary and Joseph went down to their hometown, Bethlehem. This was the time Jesus was born. Speaking generally, while Caesar was piloting a census to realize how many citizens are on his side, a new baby is born in a very poor family. But, this is the baby who would denounce the imperialism of Rome. This would be the person who would launch a new kingdom that would conflict with the Roman Empire.
2. Two gospels in conflict: Rome had already developed its own good news. The good news of the Roman Empire was that Augustus has established peace and order in the world and thus became a saviour of the world by putting an end to the long period of conflicts. The day Augustus was born was celebrated as the beginning of the good news and it marked the New Year.
Right in this world, there is another good news (gospel) that is echoing from the remote places of the Jewish nation. A herald, the king himself, walking through the cities and villages and announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of God which was the long-awaited hope. The birth of Jesus is narrated as good news because it was the birth of a king for whom they have been waiting for long centuries. The good news of Jesus Christ is that God is the king and He reigns the world in and through Jesus. Finally, this good news – a counter-narrative of Rome’s gospel – reaches the very city of Rome and a follower of Jesus proclaims it boldly without anybody’s fear.
3. The double climax of history: While a major part of the world celebrated the climax of history with the birth of the Roman Empire because of which the New Age has begun. The world is not going the same as it was till now. But no sooner than the birth of the Roman Empire, a Jewish peasant, far away in the Jewish homeland, begins to announce that the history of the world has reached its climax. The new age has begun and this is the Kingdom of God. With the emergence of new world order, the existing world order brought by Rome is proven to be disorder and void.
4. Son of God in the city of the son of god: The Synoptic Gospels narrate an incident where Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” And Peter declares that he is the Messiah, the Son of God. The place is identified as Caesarea-Philippi. Caesarea-Philippi was a Greco-Roman city located in the north beyond the region of Galilee. It was a place where a temple for Augustus was built by Herod the Great in honour of Caesar. Later, the city was rebuilt and named after Caesar by Herod Philip who did this in honour of Emperor Tiberius. Therefore, the city was a centre of imperial religion and was in allegiance to Caesar. It was a place where Caesar is divinized as the son of god.
Now, Jesus comes to this city and asks his disciples about their understanding of Jesus’ identity. Suddenly there is a declaration: “You are the Messiah, the Son of God.” It would be a radical criticism of the Caesarean imperialism who is already ruling over the empire. It was an attestation: “Look, the true Son of God – the Godlike king – is here. Caesar is simply a parody of this truth.” This claim strips the status of Caesar not only as a divine being but also of the status that he is the true ruler who brought peace and order. Such criticism of imperial ideology does not stop here. The very beginning of Mark’s Gospel opens with the words: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” and ends with Jesus being enthroned over the whole world, sitting on the right hand of God (meaning, ruling as Lord God).
5. Pax Romana versus Shalom: Augustus is celebrated as the emperor who brought peace and order. This period of peace lasted nearly two centuries. It was a time when there were almost very few conflicts between the nationalities and powers and peace was maintained in the world, especially in the Mediterranean world. Taxation and military control was a means of establishing a stable hegemony over the states that are in control of the empire. However, most of the times this Pax Romana is maintained by violent and oppressive means. It was protected by silencing all the protests that arose against the government. Any outcry against the empire was crushed down immediately before it threatened the peace. The protestors and revolutionaries were punished and murdered in brutal ways. Thus, Pax Romana is brought and maintained by violence, injustice and oppression.
Jesus, in contrast to the Pax Romana, was bringing Shalom to society. The Hebrew word shalom is rendered as peace. But this peace is not merely a kind of inner peace and a state of calmness. This peace includes restoration, justice, order, stability, truthfulness, forgiveness, reconciliation and joy. To say in one word, Shalom is the completeness and the wholeness of society. Here in the Gospel accounts, we have Jesus who is travelling throughout his homeland, offering shalom to the people. People are forgiven. The followers of Jesus are celebrating reconciliation and restoration into society through healing. The community is being ordered in a new way. This peace is not of this world which means it was not a peace that is like Pax Romana. The outcries are not silenced down but Jesus pays attention to the people who are forced by society to keep silent. He breaks the boundaries set by traditions and brings people back into their fellowship with society. This peace is the result of justice non-violence and liberation.
6. Another Lord and Saviour: The emperors of Rome are venerated as lord, god and saviour. To accept Caesar as lord and god and saviour is a way of showing one’s allegiance with the Empire. But there begins a revolution. The followers of a Jew who was executed by Romans claim that he is the Lord and Saviour. They boldly proclaim that he has risen from the dead and is now Lord of the whole world. When the followers of Jesus claimed that Jesus is their Lord and Saviour, it was a direct denial that Caesar is their lord and saviour. This put them in danger of being tortured. However, the New Testament unequivocally asserts that Jesus is the Lord, God and the Saviour.
The above are just some of the glimpses to show how the Gospels narrate the life of Jesus in contrast to the claims and imperialism of Rome and its Caesars.
Source: Unmuting the Bible: Recovering the Depopularized Vision of God by Naveen Alapati
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