indianasmith

Sorry I haven't been too active on this forum lately, but I did just post up a video on my YouTube channel featuring my modest collection of Roman artifacts. Feel free to check it out! (And I apologize for the obvious gaffe; I said 31 AD for 31 BC there at the end!)

Roman murals are so vibrant and beautiful after 2000 years, imagine what they looked like when they were in use!

Glad to see Dr. Hawass still in business! I hope this dig pans out!

Well, no point bickering. The fact is, no one alive today knows the truth of the matter.

Given Pilate's tenuous standing in Judea - there had been two near riots occasioned by his insensitivity towards local customs and traditions - it does make sense that he would want his version of events to reach Rome first. Essentially, your quote boils down to "one scholar postulates that Justin only assumed such a report existed." In the end, it's a quotation of an assumption presuming an assumption! But, unless the original report surfaces at some point - highly unlikely after 2000 years! - we can never know for sure.

This is a great thread! First of all, pure shameless plug - I spent a year researching and writing THE REDEMPTION OF PONTIUS PILATE, a novel about Pilate's career, the trial of Jesus, and its aftermath both locally and in Pilate's life. Also, I should note that Justin Martyr, in his FIRST APOLOGY written to the Emperor Antoninus Pius, after recounting the history of the crucifixion, commented "that these things did happen, you can ascertain for yourself by consulting the Acts of Pontius Pilate." At one time there was a report filed to Rome about the events of that tumultuous Passover weekend. A shame it's lost to history! (I did write a novel about that, too, actually!!! ;-) )

Welcome aboard! I am a schoolteacher, pastor, and novelist. I have two historical novels about ancient Rome in print and am working on a third one. This is a great place to ask questions and learn. LOTS of knowledge on this forum!

One of my greatest goals in life is to travel to Rome before I die, and the catacombs are one of the places I want to see!

It is worth noting that most scholars (with the exception of the "Jesus mythicists," whom even atheist Bart Ehrman dismisses as "pseudo-scholars") agree that all 27 books of the New Testament were completed by the end of the First Century, and that their common theme is that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Son of God. While later variations of Christianity disputed the nature of that divinity - hence the Gnostic Gospels, most of them composed between 150 and 400 AD, and the debates between the Arians and more traditional bishops at Nicaea - the idea that the divinity of Jesus was something that gradually developed within the church is really not historically accurate. The early Christians may have been wrong in regarding Jesus as divine, but all available evidence indicates that was indeed their belief.

Hello! I am Lewis Smith, historian, teacher, and author from North Texas. Two of my historical novels are set in the First Century Roman Empire - THE REDEMPTION OF PONTIUS PILATE and THEOPHILUS: A TALE OF ANCIENT ROME.

I am a big fan of Julius Caesar as a general and statesman, but I will concede that Alexander MAY have been a better general - at least in his own time. But, I think if you took Caesar and three of his most veteran legions and gave Alexander a force twice as large, Caesar might still have emerged victorious. The Romans raised war to a science as few other cultures in the history of the world have ever done.

I can see some loose parallels; although the account of Paul, being written by an eyewitness, is more likely to be an actual historical events.

It is true that the Church, especially the medieval church, has much blood on its hands. It is also true that right now, in the 21st century, Christianity is easily the most persecuted religion on earth. In North Korea, simply owning a Bible will get you shot. In many Muslim countries, converting from Islam to Christianity carries a death penalty. Whenever a specific group is systematically persecuted, it is worthwhile to take note of their plight and raise awareness.

Very worthwhile cause! The plight of Christians in the Muslim world, as well as in North Korea and China, gets swept under the rug far too often.

The Etruscans entombed their dead without cremation, as did some of the older Roman families. For example, Sulla was buried outside the walls of Rome. But men like him were very much the exception.

This is a very cool discovery! Someday I want to visit all of Caesar's haunts - from Rome itself to this landing site to the fields at Pharsalus and Alesium, where his greatest victories were won. Just to stand where the great man stood and fought and lived and died would be a crowning experience for me!

The last century BC - the age of the titans, Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Caesar and the whole crew - how can you not just love that time period? And then the first century AD, with its colorful range of Emperors - the cool and cerebral Augustus, grumpy old Tiberius, wicked Caligula, poor stuttering Claudius, the utterly corruptible Nero, and then the three Flavians: crusty old Vespasian, sincere and rather sweet Titus, and the psychopathic Domitian - they are a fascinating crew all the way around. And, of course, that is the era when the Christian faith was born, there under the umbrella of Rome. The Empire paved the roads the Gospel would travel down, and made it possible for the teachings of Jesus to travel faster and further than they would have been able to at any previous moment in history. I can't learn enough about this remarkable era!

My book THEOPHILUS: A TALE OF ANCIENT ROME has been out for eight months now. So far, I have ten Amazon reviews. I would love to have some feedback from my fellow Roman history aficionados! If you are so inclined, find THEOPHILUS on Amazon, download or purchase a copy, and let me know what you think!

Caesarea was my FAVORITE stop on my tour of Israel last year. So many well-preserved mosaics and structures, especially the restored amphitheater and hippodrome. Definitely worth one's time!

I would so love to see this when it is re-opened!

Artistic interpretations to the contrary, it seems most likely that Jesus simply would have carried the crossbeam to Golgotha rather than the whole cross. I doubt a man who had been used as savagely as he had up to that point would have been capable of lifting/dragging the upright AND the crossbeam. I do think it likely that the Romans re-used the crosses as often as they could, given the relative paucity of lumber (although my trip to Israel showed me that the land is much more "green" than the traditional movie depictions!).

I will admit that my view of Marius was largely shaped by Colleen McCullough's depiction of him in FIRST MAN IN ROME and THE GRASS CROWN, however, I think as a writer she definitely used all the available primary sources. Marius was no doubt a mover and a shaker, and Caesar built on the foundation that Marius laid. That being said, Marius in his last consulship was not the same man he had been before, and his bloody reign of terror during those frantic two weeks were very much out of character with his previous leadership. I think that Caesar did his best to avoid the reputation for executions and purges that clouded the reputations of both Marius and Sulla.

The consensus seems to be that Caesar was not only the greatest general Rome ever produced, but also one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, writers of the Latin language who ever lived. Cicero praised Caesar's works to the skies, and he didn't even like Caesar! Even in English translation, THE GALLIC WARS is crisp, neatly organized, and has a great flow. I wish my Latin were sufficient to allow me to read it in the original language!

You have made this a fascinating place to lurk and visit. It's been a while since I posted, but I had to come back and wish you a fond farewell. HAIL CAESAR!

The Temple of Jupiter Ops seemed to have a particularly difficult time in the last days of the Republic and the first century of the Empire, being burned and rebuilt three times in just over a century!