This project is an analysis of the Gospel text in the context of a Rome-focused history of the early church. As elements are encountered in the text, a note is created here and appended to as needed. In the Reader’s Notes are the verse-by-verse translations, discussions, and contextualization. The anticipated result is a more fluid work that would encompass at least the first three Gospels in a comparative work. (Read more…)
FRAMEWORK WIKI
People
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Jesus Physician
This appears to be a person different from the Anointed Jesus and the Rebel Jesus, someone who can literally heal any disease but is intensely private about his ability. He is recognized by his insistence that someone else should take credit and no one should talk about him. And his wishes are ignored because he…
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Jesus Rebel
This Jesus believed strongly in the old Hebrew ideas of Messiahship, that the Judeans should be self-ruled, and that Romans should take a hike. He gathers to him fishermen, rebellious government officials, and political schemers who are all working to thwart Rome. He’s not very smart. He tries to assert authority by reference to Hebrew…
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Jesus Anointed
The first Jesus encountered in the Book of Mark, he is an agent of Rome and everything good. Anointed by Caesar and declared Son of Caesar, and thus the Son of God, Jesus Anointed preaches peace with Rome, and the importance of living like a Roman and holding Roman values. When he preaches, he converts…
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Caesar
This is a name, and a role, and a title, and a god. For Imperial Romans, Caesar was a timeless being who simply changed human form on occasion, but was always Caesar. He was the Genius of Empire: it’s will and its conscience.
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Mars
The God of War Romans named after the God of War were named “Marcus”, or anglisized as “Mark”.
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John the Baptist
John the Baptist appears in two stories in Mark. In one story, he is baptizing all of Judaea when Jesus appears and he baptizes him. In another story, he is beheaded by Herod Antipas. John the Baptizer appears in a section of Josephus’ Wars of the Jews, where the misfortune of Herod Antipas was explained…
Places
Things
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Sin
The word implies an error, or a misdemeanor infraction of law, but also implies evil, poor faith, or bad intent.
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Faith
This word can mean ‘confidence’, ‘assurance’, or a recognition of authority.
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Satan
adversary
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Angels
‘messenger’ or ‘agent’, often used to describe ministers of the chief authority
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Wild Beasts
Jewish separatists specifically, but also in general anyone opposed to Roman hegemeny
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Spirit
‘Breath’, as in the air inhaled or expelled from the nostrils. Metaphorically, it implies life or living.
Modern readers of the Gospels must rely on additional information to make sense of the stories told. These stories depend on the audience knowing things about Roman culture and history, and about the state of Roman politics at the time of the stories. Without this external context, a great many misleading meanings can be generated from the Biblical text.
Historical Framework
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Framework: Introduction
This is a summary of everything I understand about the creation and development of the thing we call “Christianity”, from its very start to the seventh century or so, and written as concisely as possible. Due to the nature of the topic, there are quite a few connections I’ve had to make on my own…
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Framework: Imperial Cult
The transition to empire and the establishment of the Imperial Cult.
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Framework: Flavian cult
The development of the Flavian cult and the degredation of empire.
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Framework: Trinitarianism
The restoration of the Flavian cult and how it became the Roman Catholic church.
Christianity was created to celebrate the traditions and cultures of Rome. Everything about it is characteristically Roman. The traditions, the rituals, and the mythology all stem from Roman traditions, Roman rituals, Roman culture.
Readings
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The Book of Mark
Links to all of the notes associated with each verse are accessed here. For reference, the NIV text is used here to show the verses. You can reference the Greek and Latin translations from the notes pages. My progress through the book is indicated by the number of Chapters shown: the canonical Mark has sixteen… [read more…]
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Baptism
At the very beginning of the Gospel of Mark, in the fourth verse we are introduced to John the Baptist. We are told he demanded that everyone be baptized, and that he was the baptizer, and he baptized the Judean people in the Jordan River. This scene has been captured in poetry and song, paintings…
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Gamala – Capital of Rebellion
Around 6 CE, the Galilieans had their own tea-party moment when a local Roman governor ordered a census, and a fellow from Gamla named Judas began an organized resistance to Roman rule, convincing folks to not let the Romans count them by setting aflame any farms or houses of those who did. This Judas of…
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The Story of Mark
Scholars generally agree that the Gospel according to Mark was the first one of the four Gospels written, and that Luke and Matthew were written subsequently with knowledge of the book of Mark, but also with a secondary source – known as ‘Q’. Much of what appears in Luke and Matthew seems to have been…
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Framework: Trinitarianism
The restoration of the Flavian cult and how it became the Roman Catholic church.
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Framework: Flavian cult
The development of the Flavian cult and the degredation of empire.
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Framework: Imperial Cult
The transition to empire and the establishment of the Imperial Cult.
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Framework: Introduction
This is a summary of everything I understand about the creation and development of the thing we call “Christianity”, from its very start to the seventh century or so, and written as concisely as possible. Due to the nature of the topic, there are quite a few connections I’ve had to make on my own…
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Reframing the Gospels
This project is an analysis of the Gospel text in the context of a Rome-focused history of the early church. As elements are encountered in the text, a note is created here and appended to as needed. In the Reader’s Notes are the verse-by-verse translations, discussions, and contextualization. The anticipated result is a more fluid…