Romans in Palestine

Between the Testaments

• THE ROMANS IN PALESTINE.
• Rome, according to legend, was founded by Romulus and Remus in 753 BC.
• Rome gained control over the western Mediterranean in 146 BC, after three wars with the

Carthaginians. (These were known as the Punic Wars.)

• Roman rule soon extended over Macedonia, Corinth and all Achaia.
• "In 133 BC, Attalus, king of Pergamum, bequeathed his territory to the Romans. The Roman province of Asia was then organized" (Pfeiffer 104).
• By 64 BC, the Roman general Pompey, ended the Seleucid dominion in Syria. The territory was annexed as another Roman province.
• The Roman general Pompey intervened in the civil dispute between Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. He took the side of Hyrcanus who was appointed ethnarch of Judea.
• Judea became a part of the Roman province of Syria.
• Hyrcanus ruled Judea, Galilee, Idumea and Perea. He paid annual tribute to Rome.

Between the Testaments

• Antony was defeated at the battle of Actium in 31 BC. Herod informed Octavian that he would now serve him with the same loyalty he had shown Antony.
• Herod aSsisted Octavian in his invasion of Egypt. In return he received ' 'the cities of Jericho,

Gadara, and Samaria, with the territories of Gaza, Joppa and Strato's Tower, which later became Caesarea" (Tenney 50).

• With Herod's co-operation the Roman control of the East was finally completed.
• 'CAIthough Palestine remained nominally independent until his (Herod's) death, its real sovereignty lay in the hands of the Roman legate of Syria, and later in the command of the procurators. Throughout the period of the New Testament the shadow of Rome fell over the land, and under its oppression and protection Christianity was born and flourished" (Tenney 50-51).