Posted in Maccabees on Mar 21st, 2009 No Comments »
After subduing Carthage, the Romans turned their attention towards the east. They defeated King Antiochus III of the Seleucid kingdom, and warned his son, Antiochus IV, not to conquer Egypt. This humilation may have led to the decision of Antiochus IV to force the Jews to live as Gentiles. While the Maccabees fought against the Greeks, the Roman world enjoyed long periods of peace, even while Roman power extended even further to the east.
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Posted in Maccabees on Mar 14th, 2009 No Comments »
After the Romans threw off Etruscan domination, they expanded from the city of Rome. In a long series of tough wars, extending for a couple hundred years, the Romans conquered the entire Italian peninsula. Then they took on Carthage in three memorable wars, and controlled the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. Some people, however, believed that the extended empire caused the inhabitants of Rome to grow soft and weak, unlike the previous generations, who grew tough through desperate struggles.
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Posted in Maccabees on Mar 5th, 2009 No Comments »
The Romans had come to Judea. How did these people make such a powerful empire? In this episode, we take a quick look at the strengths of the Romans- their strong sense of family and their ability to adapt, to adopt new ways of thinking (as they incorporated the Greek religion) and to change their own government (as they allowed the plebeians more input).
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