E. History and Geography

The amount of accurate information of this nature imbedded in the written accounts suggest that the New Testament is not to be understood as some “mythical tale” but as very real historical record rooted in space and time. In the many places where these things can be checked by independent sources the New Testament has proved to be reliable. This gives further credibility to the written record of the life of Jesus and the early church. If the authors of the New Testament were accurate in their record of the people, places, and cultural practices of which they wrote, we have good reason to trust in the record they give regarding the life of Jesus and the early church.

We will begin with a brief summary of the birth, life, and death of Jesus based on the various portions of scripture applicable to each. The amount of detail incorporated in these accounts will become quite evident.

THE LIFE OF JESUS

1. Jesus Birth: The events surrounding the birth of Jesus are described in the New Testament in reference to some important well known historical figures. For example, the birth of John the Baptist occurred during the reign of Herod, king of Judea. Jesus birth took place during the reign of Caesar Augustus, and Jesus return from Egypt took place during the reign of Archelaus who had taken the place of his father Herod. (Luke 1:5-7; Luke 2:1-7; Matthew 2:19-23)

2. Jesus Ministry: A survey of the scriptures regarding the beginning of the ministry of Jesus reveals the following details. John the Baptist began a ministry of preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene. This all took place in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas. This ministry took place in the wilderness of Judea in the region of the Jordan river attracting people from Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. Jesus, who at the time was around 30 years old, came down from Nazareth to be baptized by John and begin His own ministry. The Gospels, as they continue to chronicle the ministry of Jesus, are filled with references to specific times and places, people and events which give real credibility to the historical nature of these written accounts. (Luke 3:1-3; Luke 3:21-23; Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:1-11)

3. Jesus Death: While Jesus was visiting in Jerusalem and teaching in the temple the chief priests and scribes took advantage of an offer by Judas to betray Jesus and had Him arrested one evening while He was up in the mount of olives. Jesus was brought to the house of the high priest and the next morning brought before a council of elders. When the council asked Jesus if He was the son of God Jesus answered yes which resulted in a charge of blasphemy. The Jews, being prohibited by law from carrying out capital punishment, brought Jesus to Pontius Pilate the governor of Judea to have Him condemned and executed. When Pilate heard that Jesus was from Galilee he sent Him to Herod because this was Herod’s jurisdiction. Herod mistreated Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate, who, while proclaiming Jesus innocence at the insistence of the people assembled, condemned Him to death and had Him crucified. Once again, all of the details regarding the historical figures, the geography and cultural practices of the time give weight to the credibility of these written accounts. We refer the reader to the following chapters in these Gospel accounts: Luke chapters 22 – 23; Matthew chapters 26 – 27; Mark chapters 14 – 15; John chapters 18 – 19; Acts 4:27)

THE BOOK OF ACTS

In the book of Acts we find many historical and cultural details interwoven throughout the entire narrative that lend to its authenticity. We begin by looking at what is considered the birth of the Christian church, the day of Pentecost.

1. The Day of Pentecost: The Jewish people had three annual feasts of great importance, one of which was the Feast of Firstfruits also known as the Feast of Weeks because it followed a specified period of seven weeks. On the day after the seven weeks, the fiftieth day, an offering was to be brought to the Lord. This day was known as the day of Pentecost in Jesus time because the Greek translation of the Hebrew “50 days” found in the Old Testament. (Leviticus 23:15-22)

It was on this day that the Apostle Peter gave his first important sermon to all gathered including the Jews of the “Diaspora” (dispersion) gathered in Jerusalem. Those gathered were, “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs” (Acts 2:1-13)

2. Herod Agrippa I: In the twelfth chapter of Acts we read that James the brother of John was put to death by Herod Agrippa I, and Peter was arrested too, most likely with the intent that he be killed as well. Herod Agrippa was a grandson of Herod the Great and had ties to the imperial court of Rome. Because of his Jewish heritage and strong bonds to Rome he played an important role as a ruler of the Jewish people in the Roman empire. (Acts 12:1-11)

3. The Apostle Paul’s Three Missionary Journeys: Starting at chapter thirteen in the book of Acts we find the first of three “missionary journeys” which the apostle made through the Mediterranean region of the Roman Empire. Each of these trips is narrated in detail by Luke believed to be one of Paul’s companions for part of his travels. Many of the ruins of the places to which Paul traveled, such as Corinth and Ephesus just to name a couple, can be visited today! Along with the extensive geographical information found in these accounts of Paul’s travels there is also much in the way of cultural practices and historical people that give further support to the credibility of the New Testament.

4. The Riot at Ephesus: In the nineteenth chapter of Acts the account of the riot at Ephesus is given. The Apostle Paul had been preaching and teaching in that area for over two years and many were turning away from idol worship. Ephesus was a center of worship of the goddess Artemis and the local economy relied on the visitors who came to worship at the temple and purchase idols / shrines of the goddess. One of the silversmith organized the tradesman and instigated a riotous mob which made its way to the city theatre (the ruins of which can be visited today). The unique combination of contemporary geography, culture and religion displayed in this account is one of the many examples of the way we see the ancient world of the day embedded in the biblical narratives. (Acts 19:23-41)