Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Map of Galilee and northern Palestine
- Introduction
- 1 Galilee's early encounter with Hellenism
- 2 The Roman army in Palestine
- 3 The introduction of Greco-Roman architecture
- 4 The transformation of the landscape in the second and third centuries CE
- 5 The use of Greek in Jesus' Galilee
- 6 The coinage of Galilee
- 7 Greco-Roman art and the shifting limits of acceptability
- 8 Conclusion
- Appendix: Galilean names in the first century CE
- Select bibliography
- Index of passages
- Selective index of places
- Index of people and topics
2 - The Roman army in Palestine
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Map of Galilee and northern Palestine
- Introduction
- 1 Galilee's early encounter with Hellenism
- 2 The Roman army in Palestine
- 3 The introduction of Greco-Roman architecture
- 4 The transformation of the landscape in the second and third centuries CE
- 5 The use of Greek in Jesus' Galilee
- 6 The coinage of Galilee
- 7 Greco-Roman art and the shifting limits of acceptability
- 8 Conclusion
- Appendix: Galilean names in the first century CE
- Select bibliography
- Index of passages
- Selective index of places
- Index of people and topics
Summary
The arrival in Palestine of the Roman general Pompey in 63 BCE marks the beginning of a new chapter in the region's history. The following decades and centuries would bring drastic changes: the end of the Hasmonean dynasty; proxy rule of Palestine by the Romans through the Herodian client kings; the piecemeal annexation of the area and, with it, the implementation of direct Roman rule through prefects and procurators; the establishment of a Roman military presence; the destruction of the Jewish temple; and the slow emergence of rabbinic Judaism. The Romans brought with them the mixture of Roman culture and Hellenistic culture characteristic of their eastern empire. To a large degree, then, Romanization included Hellenization.
Understanding the chronological development of Rome's administrative and military presence in the region is crucial for understanding the spread of Greco-Roman culture there. In this chapter, I provide an overview of Rome's military activity in Palestine, paying special attention to variations between regions and over time. I will argue that because Galilee did not receive a long-term garrison until c. 120 CE, contact with Roman soldiers in Galilee would have been uncommon in Jesus' lifetime, the story of his famous exchange with a centurion at Capernaum notwithstanding. As future chapters will demonstrate, a strong correlation exists between the arrival of Roman soldiers and the emergence of certain forms of Greco-Roman culture.
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- Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee of Jesus , pp. 43 - 70Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005