The Son of God The Gospels clearly take place in a world ruled by the Romans , but it seems less obvious that the region was also steeped in Hellenism . Israel had for hundreds of years been ruled by Hellenistic kings , so the influence of the Greek culture would have been clear to the readers .
Herod the Great , an Edomite raised as a Jew who expanded Jewish Temple of Jerusalem , was heavily influenced by the Greek culture , and he also built a temple for the Emperor in Caesarea Philippi .
If claiming that Jesus was the Messiah was made within Judaism , claiming that Jesus was the Son of God was at least partially directed at the Romans and the Greeks , as the Emperor Augustus became known as the son of god , “ son of the divine ( Julius Cesar ).
It seems no coincidence that this conversation between Jesus and his disciples took place in the region of Caesarea Philippi , as this was the place where Jesus called Peter the Rock .
Caesarea Philippi was an important Greco-Roman city primarily populated with Syrians and Greeks . Historically , it had been the centre of worshipping Baal , Greek god Pan and now Caesar Augustus .
The city of Caesarea and its idol worship had been built on a huge rock ; it would have provided an imposing backdrop to what Jesus said about Peter and the Church prevailing against the gates of hell .
JESUS WAS AND IS THE MESSIAH , THE SON OF GOD – THE LONG AWAITED DELIVERER . THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD .
From the beginning , Jesus came to challenge the established rule ; only he never did it violently like the false messiahs . Instead , he challenged it peacefully ; it was only the gates of hell he attacked violently . Our faith has never been a matter of private opinion . What Peter said challenged the universal beliefs of the known world .
Peter could not initially grasp what kind of Messiah was in front of him . But the Messiah was not going to conform to human opinion – not even of the Jewish nationalism .
Indeed , he was and is the Messiah , the Son of God – the long-awaited deliverer . But he is more than a man , an earthly political leader . He is the saviour of the world . That is why he came as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 – to fulfil another messianic prophecy that most Jews still prefer to ignore . ❖
Colin will continue his series next month with part 3 of Rediscovering Jesus by looking at his divinity .
The context is clear : the Greco-Roman system of idolatry exemplified so visibly in Caesarea Philippi would eventually be overcome by the Church .
Faith rooted in history It is clear that the Gospels are firmly rooted in history . In fact , you can ’ t fully understand them unless you know history . That clearly makes the Gospels historically authentic .
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