How Was Jesus A Threat To The Roman Empire?

How was Jesus a threat to the Roman Empire?

What was Jesus’ relationship to the Roman Empire like? He had the ability to affect the igniting of a revolt. He was ″claiming″ to be the ruler of the Jews and urging them to revolt against the Roman government. That posed a threat to the state’s security.

What are the beliefs and practices of Christianity?

The Teachings of Jesus Love God with all your heart
love your neighbor as yourself
forgive those who have mistreated you
and so on.
Love your adversaries
Invoke the pardon of God for your sins
When Jesus was raised from the dead, he was granted the ability to forgive others.
It is necessary to repent of one’s misdeeds.
Don’t act in a hypocritical manner.

Who is the most important angel in Islam?

Jibra’il is the archangel who is responsible for delivering the Quran to Muhammad, verse by verse, in the form of a dream. Jibra’il is the angel who speaks with all of the prophets and also descends with the blessings of God at the night of Laylat al-Qadr (″The Night of Divine Destiny (Fate)″), which is also known as ″The Night of Divine Destiny (Fate)″ in other traditions.

Which Angel blows the trumpet?

angel Israfil

How many trumpets will be blown on the day of Judgement?

When seven trumpets are played, one by one, they herald the beginning of the catastrophic events foretold by John of Patmos (Revelation 1:9) in his vision (Revelation 1:9). (Revelation 1:1). In Revelation Chapters 8 to 11, seven angels sound the seven trumpets, and the events that follow are portrayed in great detail by the author.

Who is Lucifer’s sister?

Azrael

Who is Azrael from the Bible?

As an angel of God or as a source of divine assistance, Azrael is a biblical name in Hebrew….

Azrael
Associated religions	Islam, Judaism, Sikhism
Attributes	archangel; psychopomp; wings; cloak
Associations	Jibrail, Mīkhā’īl, and Isrāfīl (Islam)
Alternate spellings	ʿÁzarʾēl ʿAzrāʾīl orʿIzrāʾīl Ajrā-īl Ezrā’ël

Which Angel has a flaming sword?

Uriel

The Roman Empire: in the First Century. The Roman Empire. Jesus

Painting of Jesus and his disciples

Jesus’ brief life and violent death were sufficient to assure that his message of hope and everlasting life would spread throughout Judaea, into the Roman Empire, and ultimately over the entire globe.Judaea, located in one of the most remote regions of the Roman Empire, was a province rich in ancient customs and religious zeal.Years of Roman control had bred increasing hatred among the populace.Descendance into anarchy A family from the hamlet of Nazareth, near the Sea of Galilee, gave birth to Jesus, who was raised by them.As he grew older, Judaea was descending into complete and utter disorder.Its populace had become divided into antagonistic factions.

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to see preachers and prophets as they traveled the countryside.One of these sects accepted Jesus into their ranks when he was thirty years old, and Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River.After that, he started his own ministry, which was short-lived.

Along with many other preachers, he journeyed across Judaea, bringing his message to the homes and synagogues of some of his country’s most impoverished citizens.A new message has arrived.That there was a kingdom bigger than Rome, that God would provide, and that the weakest segments of society would find solace and hope in this message were all declared in this message.It was a radically different message, and it piqued the interest of his viewers.Despite the fact that his teaching was becoming increasingly popular, many people were outraged by the assertion made by his disciples that Jesus was the son of God.Furthermore, his views were revolutionary, and they posed a danger to thousands of years of social tradition if they were implemented.

Jerusalem is in a state of flux.
Jesus journeyed to the city of Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover, which took place in the year 33 AD.
There were thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, and the temple provided services for them such as currency exchange and the purchase of animals for sacrifice, among other things.

Jesus erupted with rage.He argued that such commercial activity polluted the sacred location.Following the account of St John, he destroyed the moneylenders’ booths and drove them all out of the temple complex.Are you a criminal or a martyr?This outburst infuriated religious authorities and constituted a serious danger to the fragile calm that had been enforced by Rome.Jesus was imprisoned on suspicion of treason and crucified, which was a standard method of punishment for accused criminals at the time.

According to the Romans, Jesus was a troublemaker who had gotten what was coming to him.
To the Christians, on the other hand, he was a martyr, and it was immediately apparent that the killing had exacerbated the instability of Judaea.
Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea and the man who ordered the crucifixion, was obliged to return to Rome in disgrace after ordering the execution of Jesus.
By murdering Jesus, the Romans had set the stage for the birth of a completely new religion that would soon spread throughout Rome and, eventually, the entire globe.
Where to go from here: Religion in the Ancient Roman Empire Christians in the first century Religion in the Ancient Roman Empire The Enemies and Rebels of St.
Paul – Josephus and Judea

Was Jesus a Threat to the Roman Empire?

Jesus In Jesus, God’s rescuing deed for humanity is manifested in his life, death, and resurrection, which are known as the events of the Messiah. More was a peasant from a minor village in a Roman province that was far away from the centers of governmental and religious authority. People seldom posed a real threat to Rome when they were in such conditions. It seems unlikely that a miracle-working Jewish prophet and teacher would have presented much of a conventional challenge to such unbridled power and violence. Neither Jesus himself nor his disciples ever took up arms, and he never encouraged them to do so either. However, the solution is not quite that straightforward. When it came to the possibility of uprisings, Rome did not take any chances. As soon as a person’s or a group’s acts were deemed even remotely seditious, any perceived danger was dealt with swiftly and decisively by state-sanctioned violence. It is estimated that thousands of individuals were crucified by Rome in the provinces, principally slaves and suspected revolutionaries. Rome also utilized military force on a regular basis in the provinces. Since Jesus died by crucifixion, we can conclude that he was assassinated by the Roman government (Jewish authorities did not practice crucifixion). Jesus’ acts and words included threats to the status quo despite the fact that he did not hold conventional forms of political authority. Jesus’ ability to gather a crowd is the most alarming of his threatening activities. According to the gospels, Jesus was followed by large crowds. When he arrived in Jerusalem during the final week of his life, he was greeted with great hoopla by the locals. The popularity of Jesus, along with the influx of probably hundreds of thousands of people to Jerusalem for Passover, has resulted in a flurry of activity. It is customary to celebrate Passover to remember the escape of the Hebrew people from Egypt, as related in the book of Exodus. It is observed with worship and a meal on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, which is the first month of the Jewish calendar year, which is the fourteenth day of the month. It’s that time of the month. More would have made the Roman authorities quite uncomfortable. The People Strength movement led by Corazon Aquino in the Philippines (1986) and the Egyptian revolution of 2011 serve as reminders of the power of primarily non-violent protest carried out by enormous masses of unarmed individuals at critical moments in history. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right to assemble precisely because assembling a crowd has historically been one of the first steps toward social transformation. It is a technique that tyrants are rightfully afraid of and actively aim to suppress. The indictment against Jesus on which he was killed also provides us with grounds to believe that he posed a threat to the Roman Empire. During the time of Jesus and the early church, the territory that we now know as Palestine and Israel was under Roman sovereignty, as was the surrounding area. During the first century, the Roman Empire was at the pinnacle of its dominance, making it the most powerful political and military force on the face of the globe. More. His crucifixion is described as ″king of the Jews″ in all four Gospels, and in each of them, Jesus speaks of God’s kingdom as he is dying. A recurring motif in Jesus’ teaching and parables is the kingdom of God (or the rule of God). According to Jesus, God’s dominion is both a current reality and a future reality that has not yet come to pass. Whenever Christians pray the Lord’s Prayer, they are pleading for the establishment of God’s kingdom. More. As he performs exorcisms and heals illness, he declares that the kingdom of God is ″at hand,″ and he claims that the kingdom of God is drawing closer to him. This raises the question of what type of kingdom Jesus imagined he was creating, and whether or not it posed a challenge to the prevailing political authority. The fact that Jesus was not a conventional revolutionary may lead us to believe that he was unconcerned by political reality. This view appears to be supported by the New Testament at several instances. Jesus’ parables frequently portray a kingdom that appears to be politically inert and non-threatening. What other kingdoms may the kingdom be compared to? It resembles a mustard seed in appearance (Mark 4:31). It belongs to youngsters and people who are similar to them (Mark 10:14). This does not appear to be a threat to a world-dominating entity such as the Roman Empire. ″My kingdom is not of this world,″ Jesus declares in the Gospel of John, during a conversation with the Roman ruler Pilate (John 18:36, NRSV). He is implying that his dominion did not come into being in this world, but rather came about as a result of divine intervention. With his reply to Pilate, Jesus is essentially making no judgment on whether or not his reign would pose a danger to countries that have their origins in this world. Nonetheless, the earlier version, ″My kingdom is not of this world″ (KJV), gives the impression that Jesus was more concerned with the spiritual realm than with the physical world in which we live. This separation between religion and politics, on the other hand, is a very recent development. The spiritual and social spheres, as well as religious and political dimensions of life, were deeply intertwined in the lives of the ancient people. The Hebrew prophets serve as an example of spiritual leaders whose words and acts were frequently regarded as potentially hazardous to political authority in their day. Greed and corruption are condemned wherever they are found by prophets: in the marketplace, in the royal courtroom, and in the temples. The Jerusalem temple, in contrast to the Tabernacle, was a permanent construction, albeit it served as a place of worship and religious activity, much as the Tabernacle had done. On one occasion, Jesus deemed such practice to be improper and, according to the accounts in all four Gospels, drove those involved from the temple. More. Both John the Baptist and Jesus continue the tradition of calling on individuals in positions of leadership to live honorable lives and work on favor of the common good in their respective communities. So both of them pose a threat to Rome and the rulers of Judea who are under the control of Rome’s clients. Finally, it appears that during his career, Jesus showed little concern for social traditions that served to maintain the status quo. However, while this alone may not have been sufficient to get him noticed by the Romans and punished, it is instructive for individuals who ask if following Jesus poses a threat to societal norms or political reality today. The fact that Jesus did not marry and so led a fairly unusual lifestyle for a Jewish adult at the time is documented in Mark 3:35, in which he redefined his ″family″ as those who obey the will of God.
The Bible records that when Jesus was informed that the Jewish client king Herod intended to murder him, he did not submit to the king’s authority or fear his wrath, but instead responded angrily (see Luke 13:32)
When Jesus was asked whether it was permissible for a Jew to pay taxes to Caesar, he responded in a way that both acknowledged Rome’s authority and announced clear limits to that authority: ″Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s″ (Mark 12:16)
″Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s″ (Mark 12:

Indeed, one of the most dangerous aspects of Jesus’ teachings may have been his unambiguous recognition of the limitations of human rulers and organizations. That clarity is one of the most hazardous things for his followers to replicate, whether they were following him then or today.

Healing the centurion’s servant – Wikipedia

Paolo Veronese’s painting of Jesus mending a Centurion’s servant, from the 16th century, is a classic example of Renaissance art.It is stated that Jesus of Nazareth performed a miracle by healing the servant of a centurion, and this miracle is recounted in both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke as one of his miracles (both part of the Christian biblical canon).Both the Gospels of John and Mark do not provide a detailed account of this event.The centurion of the Roman army, according to these traditions, approaches Jesus and requests for assistance since his servant is sick.However, the centurion is hesitant and argues that Jesus’ word of authority would be sufficient to perform a cure at his residence.The soldier’s great religious faith (despite the fact that he is not a Jew) impresses Jesus, who granted his request, resulting in the servant’s healing the very following day.

Sources

Scriptural sources

According to the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, the centurion’s tale is as follows: When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a centurion came up to him and asked him for assistance.″Lord,″ he explained, ″my servant is crippled and in excruciating pain in his residence.″ ″Do you want me to come and heal him?″ Jesus inquired of him.The centurion responded by saying, ″Please forgive me for inviting you into my home.I am unworthy of your presence.But all you have to do is speak the word.For I, too, am a man in charge, with soldiers reporting directly to me.

I command this one to ‘Go,’ and he does; and I tell that one to ‘Come,’ and he does as I instructed.I tell my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he follows my instructions.″ The disciples were astounded when they heard this and Jesus responded by saying to them, ″I am amazed.″ ″I can honestly say that I have not come across anybody in Israel who had such a strong sense of faith.I declare to you that many people will come from the east and the west, and they will take their places at the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, as I have said.

The people of the kingdom, on the other hand, will be sent outside, into the darkness, where they will wail and gnash their teeth.″ Then Jesus addressed the centurion, saying, ″Let’s go!Allow everything to unfold just as you anticipated.″ And his servant was restored to health at that same moment.Jesus arrived at Capernaum after he had completed speaking to the crowds in which he was speaking.There was a centurion’s servant who was sick and on the verge of dying, and his master placed a high value on his servant.As soon as the centurion learned of Jesus’ presence, he sent some Jewish elders to him, pleading with him to come and heal his servant.Then they came to Jesus and begged him passionately, saying, ″This guy deserves to have you do this because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.″ ″This man deserves to have you do this,″ they said.

As a result, Jesus accompanied them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion dispatched friends to deliver the following message to him: ″Do not bother yourself, Lord, for I do not deserve to have you as a guest at my home.
That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy of coming to you in the first place.

However, simply saying the word will cause my servant to be cured.For I, too, am a man in charge, with soldiers reporting directly to me.I command this one to ‘Go,’ and he does; and I tell that one to ‘Come,’ and he does as I instructed.I tell my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he follows my instructions.″ When Jesus heard this, he was taken aback and turned to face the throngs of people who had gathered around him, saying, ″I tell you, I have not found such strong faith even in Israel.″ The men who had been dispatched returned to the house and discovered that the servant was in good health.

Origins

The centurion’s narrative is not included in the Gospel of Mark, which is the first of the four gospels to be written.The information present in Matthew and Luke but not in Mark is thought to have come from a lost source known as ″Q,″ according to one hypothesis.If this is accurate, then this chapter would still be considered an outlier because Q is supposed to have been a collection of Jesus’ sayings (a list of lectures and quotes) with no further contextual material; nevertheless, the account of the centurion does provide background information.Q’s miraculous narrative would also be the only miracle story to have started in the country of Q.One option is that merely the conversation was in Q, and both Matthew and Luke filled in the blanks with information gleaned during a joint oral history session.The incident of Jesus curing the son of a royal official in Capernaum from a distance is recorded in John 4:46–54, which is found in the Gospel of John.

Some contemporary observers treat them as though they were the same event.However, in his examination of Matthew, R.T.

France gives linguistic considerations in opposition to the equivalence of pais and son and believes these two miracles to be distinct from one another.They are also considered two separate episodes by Merrill C.Tenney in his commentary on John and Orville Daniel in his Gospel harmonization, according to Tenney.

Use in the liturgy

The centurion’s words are incorporated into the Prayer of Humble Access, which may be found in many Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other Christian Eucharistic liturgies as well as other religious traditions. According to the Roman Process of the Catholic Church, his comments are also employed as a component of the Communion rite.

Interpretations

According to I. Howard Marshall, there were no Roman soldiers in Galilee prior to AD 44; as a result, the soldier was most likely a member of Herod Agrippa’s army, which were organized in the manner of the Romans at the time. Despite the fact that his country is not specified, he is certainly a gentile.

Meaning of ″servant″

Luke 7:2 and 7:10 refer to the person who is to be cured as o (doûlos), which is plainly translated as ″servant,″ while the centurion himself refers to him as pais (pais), which may imply a variety of things, including ″kid″ (e.g., Matt 2:16), ″son″ (John 4:51), and ″servant″ (Luke 7:2). (Luke 15:26, Acts 4:25).

Gnostic interpretation

As Irenaeus explains in his Against Heresies, some Gnostics understood the event to be a metaphor, with the centurion serving as a symbol of the demiurge rather than a historical figure.According to this version, the demiurge informs Jesus that he has done everything he can to preserve the servant (humanity), but that his rules have failed to heal mankind or provide it with an appropriate method of progressing spiritually.To this end, the demiurge commands Jesus to speak a word (spread gnosis) in order to provide real redemption for humanity.

Homosexual interpretation

An American Catholic priest, theologian, and author of ″What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality″ Daniel A.Helminiak believes that the term pais, which is used to refer to the servant, might have a sexual connotation in the Bible.Further, the authors Theodore W.Jennings Jr.and Tat-Siong Benny Liew, who are also authors of various Christian books, write that historical data from Rome about patron-client relationships as well as data from soldiers about same-sex relationships support the view that the centurion in Matthew’s account is the centurion’s ″boy-lover,″ and that the centurion, as a result, did not want Jesus to enter his house for fear that the boy would become Despite the fact that he does not rule out the possibility, the Roman military historian D.B.Saddington says that while the data put out by the two men supports ″none of these interpretations,″ he does not accept any of them.

References

Craig S. Keener is the author of this work (1999). A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 5:17–20). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, p. 264, ISBN 978-0-8028-3821-6
Craddock, Fred B. (2009). St. Luke’s, Westminster
France, R. T., ed., John Knox Press, p. 94, ISBN 978-0-664-23435-5.
France, R. T. (1985). This book contains an introduction and commentary on the Gospel of Matthew.
Tenney, Merrill C., ed., Wm. B. Eerdmans, pp. 154-155, ISBN 978-0-8028-0063-3.
(1995). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Series on the book of John. Zondervan, ISBN 978-0-310-50011-7
Daniel, Orville E., Zondervan, ISBN 978-0-310-50011-7
(1996). A Harmony of the Four Gospels: The New International Version (2nd ed.). New York: Doubleday & Company. Hatchett, Marion J. (1995). Commentary on the American Prayer Book. Baker Books. ISBN 978-0-8010-5642-0.
Hatchett, Marion J. (1995). p. 382. ISBN 978-0-06-063554-1.
Marshall, I. Howard. HarperCollins. p. 382. ISBN 978-0-06-063554-1 (1978). The Gospel of Luke is a collection of stories about a man named Luke who lived in the first century AD. ISBN 978-0-8028-3512-3.
Irenaeus, ″VIII. Against the Incarnation″, in Wm. B. Eerdmans’s ″Against the Incarnation″. the book Against Heresies (Volume 1, Book 1) by Daniel A. Helminiak (2012). The Sacred and the Profane: Gay Identity and Spiritual Development. 192–. ISBN 978-1-136-57075-9
Saddington, D. B., ed., Routledge, pp. 192–. ISBN 978-1-136-57075-9
(2006). ″The Centurion in Matthew 8:5–13: Consideration of the Proposal of Theodore W. Jennings, Jr., and Tat-Siong Benny Liew″ is a paper that examines the Centurion in Matthew 8:5–13. Journal of Biblical Literature, volume 125, number 1, pages 140–142. JSTOR 27638351 has the doi:10.2307/27638351.

Why Did Pontius Pilate Have Jesus Executed?

″What is truth?″ Pontius Pilate asks Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel of John, and Jesus responds with a question.It’s a question that may be raised regarding Pilate’s own personal background as well.As told in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, the Roman ruler of Judea appeared to be a shaky judge who originally exonerated Jesus before bowing to public pressure and executing him on the orders of the mob.Non-Biblical sources, on the other hand, present him as a barbaric commander who wilfully rejected the traditions of the Jewish people under his command.Which version of the truth was correct?WATCH: JESUS: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Vault

Pilate’s early life is a mystery.

Before his time as Roman governor of Judea, from 26 and 36 A.D., nothing is known about Pilate’s early life and career.It is believed that he was born into an equestrian family in Italy, however some tales indicate that he was actually born in Scotland, rather than Italy.From the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria emerges one of the earliest—and most damning—accounts of Pilate’s reign as governor.Around the year 50 A.D., he denounced the prefect for ″briberies, insults, robberies, outrages and wanton injuries, executions without trial, constantly repeated, endless and extremely severe brutality,″ among other things.The early Christian historian Stephen J.Patterson, who teaches early Christianity at Willamette University and is the author of several books including The Forgotten Creed: Christianity’s Original Struggle Against Bigotry, Slavery, and Sexism, says that Philo describes Pilate’s rule as ″corrupt and full of bribery.″ Although such behavior would not have been out of the norm in the case of a Roman emperor, Pilate appears to have done so with greater ruthlessness than usual.″ But, as Helen Bond, dean of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Divinity and author of Pontius Pilate in History and Interpretation, points out, it’s difficult to determine how historically accurate Philo’s tale truly was in the first place.

″Philo is a really dramatic writer,″ she observes, ″and one who has very apparent biases: persons who maintain Jewish rules are documented in highly favorable ways, whereas people who do not uphold Jewish laws are represented in quite bad ways.Given Pilate’s resistance to Jewish law, Philo depicts him as ″very severe″ in his description.READ MORE: The Bible Claims That Jesus Was a Real Person.

Is there any further evidence?

Pilate clashed with the Jewish population in Jerusalem.

As part of his account, Philo claims that Pilate allowed a pair of golden shields emblazoned with the name of the Roman Emperor Tiberius to be brought into King Herod’s former residence in Jerusalem, in defiance of Jewish tradition.Writing more than a half-century later, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus related a similar story, claiming that Pilate let troops bearing military standards with the likeness of the emperor into Jerusalem, despite Jewish law prohibiting the carrying of images in the holy city.A large number of people journeyed to the Judean city of Caesarea to express their displeasure, and they laid prostrate outside Pilate’s palace for five days until he finally yielded.Because Josephus was born in Jerusalem the year Pilate resigned, Bond believes he would have had ″pretty good information,″ according to the historian.This account has the ring of a rookie governor experimenting with his powers and entirely underestimating the depth of local opposition to graven images.However, Bond points out that the incident demonstrates his readiness to back down and to heed public opinion in the long run.

Josephus related another event, this one with a bloodier conclusion, in which Pilate used cash from the Temple treasury to construct an aqueduct to provide water to Jerusalem.When demonstrators gathered again, Pilate despatched plain-clothed soldiers to enter the mob.They were successful.

When he gave the signal, they withdrew clubs disguised in their clothing and beat many of the demonstrators to death with the clubs they had removed.More information may be found at Where is the Head of Saint John the Baptist?

The Gospels portray an indecisive Pilate.

Josephus also referred to Pilate’s well-known role in agreeing to Jesus’ death, which he had played previously.After being profoundly concerned about the danger that Jesus’ teachings posed to the Jewish people, the Sanhedrin, an elite council of priestly and lay elders imprisoned him during the Jewish holiday of Passover, according to the Gospels.They hauled Jesus before Pilate to be prosecuted for blasphemy, accusing him of claiming to be the King of the Jews, which they said was false.And they exerted pressure on Pilate, the only person who had the authority to sentence someone to death, to order his crucifixion.In contrast to Philo and Josephus’ portrayals of Pilate as a ruthless dictator, the four Gospels show him as a vacillating judge who is unable to make a decision.According to the Gospel of Mark, Pilate intervened on Jesus’ behalf before caving in to the demands of the mob.

Because he wrote the Gospel during the failed Jewish Revolt against Roman rule, which took place between 66 and 70 A.D., Patterson theorizes that Mark had an ulterior motive, given that the Christian sect was undergoing a bitter break with Judaism at the same time as it was seeking to attract Roman converts.MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: Discovering the Early Christian Church’s Conversion Tactics from Within ″Mark’s goal isn’t truly historical in nature,″ Patterson explains.″Its purpose is to throw a specific light on the Jewish War.

Mark blamed the Jewish rulers in Jerusalem for the city’s collapse since the high priests and officials had turned their backs on Jesus when he had arrived in the city.It is less about Pilate in Mark’s portrayal of the tale of Jesus’ trial than it is about transferring responsibility on the Jewish leaders.″ Following this, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Pilate washed his hands in front of the assembled throng before declaring, ″I am innocent of this man’s blood; take care of yourself.″ When the Jewish people heard this, they yelled out, ″His blood be on us and our children.″ For millennia, it would be used to punish the Jewish people, and it is still being utilized now.As Bond explains, ″Matthew claims that, while Romans were accountable for carrying out the action, the Jews were liable—a line of thought that, of course, has had fatal ramifications ever since.″ When Jesus was making problems during a gathering like Passover, when the city was packed to capacity, I don’t believe Pilate would have spent much time worrying about what to do with him.What happened next was totally up to the governor, and after hearing the evidence, he no probably concluded that removing Jesus from the picture was the wisest course of action.″ The offer by Pilate to commute the death sentence of a prisoner by popular vote, which according to the Gospel writers was an annual Passover practice, is yet another part of the New Testament tale that has not been proven historically accurate to the present day.According to the Gospels, the people preferred the criminal Barabbas than Jesus.The so-called custom of freeing a prisoner on Passover has been investigated by scholars, but so far, according to Patterson, ″they have not discovered anything in regard to this so-called ritual.″ READ MORE: New research demonstrates that early Christians did not always interpret the Bible literally.

Pilate disappears from history after his rule.

After employing disproportionate force to quell a possible Samaritan uprising, according to Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus, Pilate was dismissed from office and exiled to the city of Rome.Pilate vanished from the historical record as soon as he arrived in Rome.His execution by the Emperor Caligula or his suicide, with his body being thrown into the Tiber River, are two theories that have been floated around.

In fact, the early Christian author Tertullian said that Pilate had become a disciple of Jesus and had attempted to convert the emperor to Christian beliefs.Archaeologists in Caesarea uncovered concrete proof of Pilate’s presence in 1961, according to the Associated Press.A portion of a carved stone with Pilate’s name and title etched in Latin on it was discovered face down in an antique theater, where it had been used as a stair.According to the evidence available, the ″Pilate Stone″ was initially intended to be used as a dedication plaque for another construction.According to a November 2018 article in the Israel Exploration Journal, improved photography showed Pilate’s name engraved in Greek on a 2,000-year-old copper alloy ring found at Herodium, which was previously thought to be a Roman coin.

1. Invasions by Barbarian tribes

One of the most basic explanations for the fall of Western Rome is that it was caused by a series of military defeats suffered against foreign powers.Since the first century AD, Rome had been at odds with Germanic tribes, but by the 300s, ″barbarian″ groups such as the Goths had encroached beyond the Empire’s frontiers.Even though the Romans were victorious in the late fourth century Germanic rebellion, the Visigoth King Alaric successfully attacked the city of Rome in 410.

It would be several decades until ″the Eternal City″ was plundered once more, this time by the Vandals, and the Empire would be under continual threat for the following few decades.Finally, in 476, the Germanic chieftain Odoacer organized a revolt against the Emperor Romulus Augustulus, leading to his deposition as emperor.From that point on, no Roman emperor would ever rule from a position in Italy again, leading many historians to believe that 476 was the year the Western Empire was brought to its knees.

2. Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labor

During the same period that Rome was being attacked by the outside, the city was also collapsing from inside due to a terrible financial crisis.Constant wars and extravagance had drained imperial finances, and onerous taxation and inflation had stretched the gap between the affluent and the poor even more.Many members of the wealthier classes had even gone to the countryside, where they had established autonomous fiefdoms in the aim of evading the taxman’s attention.

During the same period, the empire was shattered by a severe manpower shortage.Rome’s economy was reliant on slaves to till its fields and work as artisans, and her military prowess had historically brought in a steady stream of conquered peoples to put to work in the city’s factories.Nevertheless, when Rome’s expansion came to an end at the turn of the second century, its supply of slaves and other war riches began to run out.During the fifth century, when the Vandals conquered North Africa and began interrupting the empire’s trade by patrolling the Mediterranean as pirates, the empire suffered yet another setback.Due to the collapse of the Empire’s economy, as well as a drop in its commercial and agricultural productivity, the Empire began to lose its grip over Europe.

3. The rise of the Eastern Empire

As a result of the Emperor Diocletian’s division of the Empire into two halves in the late third century—the Western Empire based in Milan and the Eastern Empire based in Byzantium, which would eventually become known as Constantinople—the future of Western Rome had been sealed to some extent.In the near term, the partition made the empire more manageable, but over time, the two sides became increasingly isolated from one another.East and West failed to cooperate effectively in the face of external challenges, and the two sides frequently squabbled over resources and military assistance.

As the difference expanded, the Eastern Empire, which was dominated by Greek speakers, increased in prosperity, while the Latin-speaking West fell into a state of economic disaster.Perhaps most significantly, the might of the Eastern Empire contributed to redirect Barbarian incursions to the Western hemisphere.Constantine and his successors worked hard to fortify and protect the capital of Constantinople, while Italy and the city of Rome, which for many in the East held mainly symbolic significance, were left exposed.Even though the Western governmental framework would eventually crumble in the fifth century, the Eastern Empire would survive in some form for another thousand years before being overrun by the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s.

4. Overexpansion and military overspending

The Roman Empire reached its zenith when it spanned from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Euphrates River in the Middle East, yet its magnificence may have also been the cause of its demise.With such a large region to administer, the empire was confronted with an administrative and logistical disaster.With their extensive road networks, the Romans were unable to communicate swiftly and effectively enough to efficiently administer their vast empire.

As Rome struggled to muster enough men and resources to defend its borders against local rebellions and foreign invasions, the Emperor Hadrian was obliged to construct his famed wall in Britain in the second century, merely to keep the enemy at bay.Technology growth stagnated as more and more finances were diverted to the maintenance of the empire’s military infrastructure, which resulted in the decay of the city’s civic infrastructure.

5. Government corruption and political instability

When it came to governing, Rome’s mere size was a hindrance, but inept and inconsistent leadership only helped to exacerbate the situation.Being Roman emperor had always been a perilous profession, but during the turbulent second and third centuries, it was almost as deadly as being a death sentence.The empire was thrown into disorder as a result of a civil war, and more than 20 individuals rose to the throne in the period of barely 75 years, generally following the assassination of their predecessor.

The Praetorian Guard, the emperor’s personal bodyguards, was capable of assassinating and installing new sovereigns at will, and they even auctioned off the position to the highest bidder on one occasion.The corruption and ineptitude of the Roman Senate, which failed to rein in the excesses of the emperors as a result of its own widespread corruption and incompetence, was likewise a victim of the political rot.As the situation deteriorated, civic pride began to erode, and many Roman people began to lose faith in their government.

6. The arrival of the Huns and the migration of the Barbarian tribes

The Barbarian invasion of Rome in the late fourth century was prompted in part by a wave of mass migration brought about by the Huns’ conquest of Europe in the previous century.While on a rampage through northern Europe, these Eurasian warriors were responsible for driving several Germanic tribes to the limits of the Roman Empire.When members of the Visigoth tribe crossed the Danube into Roman territory, the Romans did so only after much wrangling and abuse.

Ammianus Marcellinus writes that Roman officials even compelled the famished Goths to sell their children into slavery in exchange for dog meat, according to the historian.Through their cruel treatment of the Goths, the Romans created a potentially formidable adversary within their own boundaries.When the tyranny grew too severe to stomach, the Goths rose up in revolt and finally routed a Roman army and murdered the Eastern Emperor Valens during the Battle of Adrianople in A.D.378, thereby ending Roman rule in the Eastern Roman Empire.Romans were startled into negotiating a tenuous peace with barbarians, but the ceasefire collapsed in 410 when the Goth King Alaric pushed west and attacked the capital.

Germanic tribes such as the Vandals and the Saxons were able to invade and conquer Britain, Spain, and North Africa because the Western Empire had been weakened by the fall of the Roman Empire.

7. Christianity and the loss of traditional values

In many ways, the downfall of Rome coincided with the expansion of Christianity, and some historians have speculated that the advent of a new religion was a contributing factor to the empire’s fall.In 313, the Edict of Milan authorized Christianity, and it eventually became the official state religion in 380 as a result of the Council of Trent.These decrees brought an end to decades of persecution, but they may have had the unintended consequence of weakening the conventional Roman moral system.

Christianity superseded the polytheistic Roman religion, which regarded the emperor as having divine status, and it also turned the emphasis away from the grandeur of the empire and onto a single deity, as described in the book of Acts.Meanwhile, popes and other religious officials began to play a more active part in political events, significantly complicating the administration of the country.The most prominent proponent of this thesis was the 18th-century historian Edward Gibbon, although his point of view has since been severely disputed.While it is possible that the advent of Christianity played a little part in the suppression of Roman civic virtue, most academics now believe that its influence was insignificant when compared to military, economic, and administrative considerations.

8. Weakening of the Roman legions

Roman military might was the envy of the ancient world throughout most of the city-history.state’s However, throughout the period of decline, the composition of the once-mighty legions began to shift.Because emperors like Diocletian and Constantine were unable to attract enough men from the Roman populace, they turned to foreign mercenaries to help them maintain their armies.

The ranks of the legions gradually became overcrowded with Germanic Goths and other barbarians, to the point that the Romans began referring to soldiers as ″barbarus″ rather than ″soldier.″ In addition to being deadly fighters, these Germanic soldiers of fortune exhibited little or no devotion to the Roman Empire, and their power-hungry captains frequently turned against their Roman superiors.In truth, many of the barbarians who attacked the city of Rome and brought down the Western Empire had served in the Roman legions and had earned their military stripes as a result of their service.

How Jesus Died: Rare Evidence of Roman Crucifixion Found

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This cross was raised within the Roman Colosseum as a memorial to the suffering of early Christians in the city of Rome.It is the world’s largest cross.The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, according to the Christian Bible, took place in Jerusalem during the reign of the Roman Empire at the beginning of the Christian period.

(Photo courtesy of Jared I.Lenz Photography/Getty Images.) An ancient man’s body discovered in northern Italy 2,000 years ago reveals symptoms of having died after being nailed to a wooden cross, which was the mode of punishment described in the Christian Bible.It is just the second time that direct archaeological evidence of the practice has been discovered, despite the fact that crucifixion was a widespread method of lethal punishment for criminals and slaves in ancient Roman times.A fresh investigation of the man’s skeletal remains, which were discovered near Venice in 2007, reveals a lesion and an unhealed fracture on one of his heel bones, which implies that his feet were nailed to a cross at some point during his life.The researchers from the Italian universities of Ferrara and Florence claim that their findings are inconclusive because of the poor state of the bones and the absence of the other heel bone.

In addition, they have uncovered no indication that the body was nailed up by the wrists, which was a frequent form of Roman crucifixion documented in the Bible and believed to have been utilized in the killing of Jesus.

Ancient burial

In their study, which was published online on April 12 in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, the researchers stated that the skeletal remains were discovered at Gavello, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Venice, during archaeological excavations in preparation for the laying of a pipeline.Experts discovered that the body had been buried directly in the ground rather than in a tomb, and that it did not have any burial items, which was unusual for a Roman-era burial, according to the researchers.The bones were subjected to genetic and biological testing, and the results revealed that they belonged to a man of below-average height and slender shape who died between the ages of 30 and 34.

According to the researchers, the lack of burial goods and the dead man’s diminutive build showed that he may have been an underfed slave who was buried without the traditional Roman funeral procedures, which were regularly performed as part of the punishment for condemned captives at the time.According to the depressed and unhealed fracture in the heel bone, it appeared like a metal nail had been driven through it, either straight into a cross’s wood or into a wooden footrest that was linked to a cross and pushed through the inside and outside of the right foot.Lead study author Emanuela Gualdi, a medical anthropologist at Ferrara’s University of Ferrara, told Live Science in an email that the researchers discovered ″a specific lesion on the right calcaneus that ran through the whole bone.″

Brutal punishment

Gualdi and her colleagues stated in their study article that the Romans had learnt about crucifixion from the Carthaginians and had employed it as a form of capital punishment for over a thousand years, until Emperor Constantine abolished it in the fourth century A.D.According to the researchers, Roman crucifixions were intended to cause maximum pain for a prolonged period of time.Victims’ feet and wrists were typically nailed to a wooden cross, which would hold them upright while they suffered a slow and agonizing death, which could take several days, according to the researchers.

Because of this, the experts believe that it was often reserved for the execution of slaves in Roman culture.Bodies were generally left on the cross to decay or to be eaten by animals, although in other instances, they were taken and buried.There were no traces of the guy being nailed up by the wrists in the remains found at Gavello; instead, his arms may have been bound to the cross using rope, which was also done at the period, according to Gualdi.Crucifixions are frequently recounted in historical sources from ancient Roman periods, including the execution of 6,000 seized slaves by Roman soldiers during a revolt led by the gladiator Spartacus in the first century B.C., according to historians.

Rare evidence

The execution of Jesus of Nazareth, recounted in the Christian Bible as taking place in Jerusalem during Roman control at the beginning of the Christian period, is unquestionably the most famous crucifixion (between A.D.30 and 36).There has been no definite archaeological evidence of that incident discovered to date.

The biblical narratives of Jesus’ crucifixion, on the other hand, are central to Christian religion, and the cross has long been a symbol of Christian faith.Other than this discovery in 1968, while workers were excavating graves from the period of the Crucified Christ in Jerusalem, no other crucifixion victim has ever been discovered.Greek archaeologist Vassilios Tzaferis discovered a nail that was 7 inches long (18 centimeters) and had been driven into the heel bone of a male who had been discovered in one of the tombs during those digs.The nail was discovered in its original position within the bone, linked to a little piece of olive wood that had been a component of the wooden cross on which the guy had been hung to die, according to the findings.The experts who examined the recently discovered remains from Gavello stated that it was impossible to identify victims of Roman-era crucifixions because of the condition of the old bones and the difficulty in forming a scientific interpretation of the injuries sustained.

Gualdi said to Live Science that bones with these sorts of abnormalities were more prone to fracture, were more difficult to maintain, and were more difficult to identify.In addition, metal crucifixion nails were frequently retrieved from bodies after they had been killed.Even after more than a century, the irregular burial of human remains at Gavello continues to raise issues.

″We don’t know whether or not he was a prisoner, but the burial marginalization shows that he was definitely a somebody regarded dangerous or defamed in Roman society,″ Gualdi explained.The original story may be found on Live Science.Tom Metcalfe is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to Live Science who is located in London, England, who writes about science and technology.Tom’s primary areas of interest include science, astronomy, archaeology, the Earth, and the oceans, among other things.He has also written for a variety of publications, including the BBC, NBC News, National Geographic, Scientific American, Air & Space, and others.

What Jesus really thought of Rome

What did Jesus have to say about Rome?Was he anti-Caesar in any way?Was he on the fence?

Was he enthusiastic?Some people point to the famous episode in the gospel of Mark where Jesus is confronted about paying taxes to the Emperor as an example of how to handle these concerns.A coin is handed to him, and it has the picture of Tiberius on it.He asks, ‘Whose image is this?’ he adds.And the response from his audience is ‘Caesar’s’.

Jesus instructs his followers to ″give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar″ and ″give to God what belongs to God.″ According to John Dickson, this is a pointer to something that may be found throughout the New Testament.The fact that the emperor was in charge of the entire world did not bother the early Christians in any way.They believed that God demanded a higher level of devotion and called you to an ethos that was diametrically opposed to that of Rome.

Even if Christians were not anti-imperialists, Jesus informed them that they had a higher level of dedication to the empire than they did.Although you should be a loyal citizen of the empire, you should follow a different ethical code — one of humility and love.And this was not merely due to the fact that Christians belonged to a lower social stratum.The contention of German philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche is that Christians were a slave class who established a slave morality as a result of their slavery.Dickson, on the other hand, believes it is completely erroneous.

″Even if we ignore the fact that many of the early Christians were actually middle class, rather than peasant level, I believe that what motivates this easygoing attitude toward empire is the belief that political power was not the ultimate goal.″ That represents only a small fraction of the true power.″They trusted in the power of the spirit.″ When it came to the throne of Rome, Christians could be carefree because they were confident that spiritual power, rather than either violence or political authority, would be used to transform the world.″At the end of the day, they were correct,″ adds Dickson.

‘Slowly, but steadily, by their own suffering and persuasion, they revolutionized the Roman world long before there were any Roman emperors who confessed Christ, and long before there were any Christian armies,’ writes the author.This ethic is brilliantly shown in the Christmas accounts, which may be found in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, where you can read more.In it, Luke claims that Emperor Augustus has ordered a census of the whole Roman population.A tiny peasant family cannot obtain accommodation in Bethlehem, and as a result, their infant, Jesus (who would be the saviour of the world), must be placed in a manger, which is a feeding spot for animals, as described further in the story.“ Everything about this tale points to God doing something little, secretive, and lowly at precisely the same time that Augustus — the magnificent first emperor of Rome – is exercising his muscles.That which Christianity is attempting to communicate is captured in Luke’s gospel, and in especially the manger scene, which conveys the message that God’s work in the world will be done from below, with humility, and with service.

″It’s possible to trace a straight line from the manger to the cross,″ Dickson adds.The are attempting to communicate the same message.At the end of the day, it is lowliness that matters and is permanent.

″Power, politics, and all of that are secondary.″ It was the early Christians who popularized the concept of ‘humility’ as a virtue – ″tapeinos″ in Greek, ″humilitas″ in Latin – as a character trait.″We have come to take humility for granted.″ We like it when Roger Federer is humble, yet in ancient times, this was not the case at all.It was not included in the list of virtues.″It was really simply a way of being humiliated and crushed,″ Dickson explains.″However, it was because of this myth that upended power that the early Christians asserted that this was the location of the genuine story.The act of self-sacrifice.

That which is the most significant in this life is that which you offer of yourself to others.″ Rachael Kohn was interviewed by John Dickson as part of a Christmas Day Radio National Breakfast program on December 25th.
You may listen to the entire interview by clicking here.

Longinus – Wikipedia

SaintLonginus Bernini’s statue of Saint Longinus, which may be found in Saint Peter’s Basilica. Born in the first century in the town of Sandiale or Sandrales in Cappadocia Died in the first century and was excommunicated from the Anglican Communion Coptic Orthodox Church is a Christian denomination in Egypt. Church of the Eastern Orthodox Tradition Oriental Orthodoxy is a religious tradition that originated in China. The Roman Catholic Church is a religious organization that was founded in Rome in 1231. In the Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Basilica, there is a major shrine. Feast days include March 15 for the Roman Catholic Church (before to 1969), October 16 for the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches, October 22 for the Armenian Apostolic Church, and November 14 for the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Attributes	Military attire, lance

According to medieval and current Christian sources, Longinus () is the name given to the unidentified Roman soldier who stabbed the side of Jesus with a spear and who was afterwards described as a conversion to Christianity after he had become a Christian.His name initially appears in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, which is a work of fiction.The lance is referred to as the ″Holy Lance″ (lancea) in Christianity, and the tale of how it was used during the Crucifixion is told in the Gospel of John.

This deed is considered to have resulted in the creation of the final of Christ’s Five Holy Wounds.This individual, who is unknown in the Gospels, is further identified in some versions of the narrative as the centurion who was present at the Crucifixion and who declared that Jesus was the son of God, leading some to believe that he was the first Christian.As Longinus’ mythology evolved through time, it was asserted that he was a Christian convert after the Crucifixion, and he is now revered as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and numerous other Christian communions.

Origins of the story

The name Longinus is mentioned in the Acts of Pilate, which is an appendix to the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, rather than in the canonical Gospels, which indicates that this soldier was a Roman soldier.Longinus was not born a saint; he was born a pagan.The ″Letter of Herod to Pilate″ from the sixth or seventh century claims that Longinus suffered for having pierced Jesus’ side, and that he was sentenced to live in a cave where every night a lion came to maul him until dawn, after which his body would heal back to normal, a cycle that would repeat until the end of time.

This tradition has been traced back to the sixth or seventh century.However, as Sabine Baring-Gould pointed out: ″Later stories transformed him into a Christian convert.″ ″Prior to the patriarch Germanus’ coronation in 715, the Greeks were unaware of the existence of the name Longinus.The Apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus is credited with introducing the concept to the Western world.The Acts of this saint, as well as his martyrdom, are not supported by any reputable authority.″ The term is most likely derived from the Greek lonche (), which was the word used for the lance referenced in John 19:34 and was Latinized.First seen on an illumination of the Crucifixion beside the figure of a soldier holding a spear, written in horizontal Greek letters LOGINOS (O), in the Syriac gospel manuscript illuminated by a certain Rabulas in the year 586, in the Laurentian Library, Florence, it is thought to have been written contemporaneously with the figure of the soldier holding a spear.

However, neither the centurion nor his name ″Longinus″ were ever mentioned in any of the surviving accounts of the battle.The spear used is known as the Holy Lance, and more subsequently, particularly in esoteric circles, as ″Spear of Destiny.″ It was worshipped in Jerusalem by the sixth century.The spear, sometimes known as the ″Lance of Longinus,″ appears in the stories of the Holy Grail.

Prior to the eleventh century, there is no mention of blindness or other forms of vision impairment.Petrus Comestor was one of the first to include an issue with vision in the mythology, and his wording can be translated as ″blind,″ ″dim-sighted,″ or ″weak-sighted″ depending on the translation.According to the Golden Legend, he had seen heavenly signals before converting, and his vision issues may have been caused by disease or old age, rather than by conversion.When Longinus comes into contact with Jesus’s blood, his vision is restored.According to Christian tradition, Longinus was a blind Roman centurion who plunged the spear into Christ’s side during the crucifixion.

His eyes were cured as a result of some of Jesus’ blood falling on them.Longinus came to believe in Jesus as a result of this miracle.In 1304 at Mantua, the body of Longinus was recovered, along with the Holy Sponge, which had been stained with Christ’s blood, and it was revealed that Longinus had assisted in cleaning Christ’s body when it was taken down from the cross, thereby expanding Longinus’ role and giving it further significance.

In the late 13th century, the relic, corpules of alleged blood taken from the Holy Lance, was given new life by the Grail romances, the local tradition of eucharistic miracles, the chapel dedicated to Longinus, the Holy Blood in the Benedictine monastery church of Sant’Andrea, and the patronage of the Bonacolsi, who all worked together to resurrect a cult in Bologna.After being separated and subsequently distributed to several locations, including Prague and other cities, the body was transported to the Basilica of Sant’Agostino in Rome, according to legend.Official guides to the Basilica, on the other hand, do not make any mention of the presence of any tomb linked with Saint Longinus.The body of Longinus was also allegedly discovered in Sardinia, according to legend; Greek sources, on the other hand, claim that he died at Gabala, Cappadocia.

Present-day veneration

It is customary to revere Longinus as a martyr in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Armenian Apostolic Church, however he is not always considered so.According to the Roman Martyrology, his feast day is celebrated on October 16, and he is described as follows, without any hint of martyrdom: ″At Jerusalem, remembrance of Saint Longinus, who is revered as the soldier who opened the side of the crucified Lord with a spear.″ The 15th of March is the feast day of the Roman Rite prior to 1969.On the 16th of October, the Eastern Orthodox Church honours him.

His feast day is celebrated on the 22nd of October in the Armenian Apostolic Church across the world.The statue of Saint Longinus, which was sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is one of four that may be seen in the niches beneath the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Italy.Additionally, a spearpoint piece, which is believed to be from the Holy Lance, is preserved in the Basilica.The Moriones Festival, which takes place on the island of Marinduque, the Philippines, during Holy Week, is dedicated to Longinus and the folklore surrounding him.

Brazil

Folkloric role

Saint Longinus is known by the Portuguese name ″So Longuinho,″ and he is credited with the ability to locate misplaced items.It is the cry ″So Longuinho, So Longuinho,″ which summons the saint’s assistance: ″Seu três pulinhos, So Longuinho, se eu achar!″ that brings the saint’s assistance.If I come across So Longuinho, So Longuinho, I’ll hop three times!″ The relationship with missing things is explained by a story from the saint’s time in Rome, according to popular belief.

It is believed that he was of little size and, as a result, had an unobstructed view of the undersides of tables amid large gatherings of people.This enabled him to locate and return articles that had been dropped on the ground by the other attendants.Accounts differ on the promised offering of three hops, with some expressing sensitivity to the saint’s reputed hobbling and others stating an appeal to the Holy Trinity as the reason for the offering.

Brazilian spiritism

Brazilian slang for medium Chico Xavier authored Brasil, Coraço do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho, a psychographic work of authorship attrib