Before Jerusalem Fell
by Kenneth L. Gentry by Kenneth L. Gentry
270 BEFORE JERUSALEM FELL Now, one of these ambassadors from the people of Alexandria was Apion, who uttered many blasphemies against the Jews; and, among other things that he said, he charged them with neglecting the honours that belonged to Caesar; for that while all who were subject to the Roman empire built altars and temples to Caius, and in other regards universally received him as they received the gods, these Jews alone thought it a dishonourable thing for them to erect statues in honour of him, as well as to swear by his name. 45 His notorious plan to have his image erected in the Temple at Jerusalem and the providential prevention of it is well-known, thanks to Josephus.% Claudius Suetonius and Tacitus both record the up and down position of Claudius as a god: he was voted a god upon his death only to have his enrollment among the gods annulled by Nero but later restored by Vespasian.47 Even during his life a temple was erected to him at Colchester.48 Clearly then, the emperor cult had a prominent role in the political and social life of the Roman empire from at least the times of Augustus – well before Domitian, and even before Nero.49 In fact, “the student of the struggle of contending religions in the early Roman Empire cannot neglect the history of the State cult, even if he feels disposed to slight it as no true example of religion. The seer of Patmos did not so misapprehend its force.”5° Even late date advocates note that “the blasphemous title of dizw.s, assumed by the emperors since Octavian (Augustus = seh-dm) as a semi-sacred title, implied superhuman claims that shocked the pious feelings of Jews and Christians alike. So did t9sog and 6EOti vi6g that, as the inscriptions prove, were freely applied to the emperors, from Augustus 45, Antiquities 18:8:1. See also Eusebius, Ecdaia.sttil Hirtoty 2:5-6. 46. Antiquities 18:82. 47. Suetonius, Claudius 45; Ntm 9; 33; Tacitus, Annals 12:69. 48. Workman, Persecution, p. 40. 49. Helpful in pointing out the existence of emperor worship and the role of emperors in various cults during the reigns of Caligula, Claudius, and Nero is E. Mary Smallwood, cd., Documents Illu.stratmg ttu Priru-i>ates of Gaius Claaduis amd Nero (Cambridge: University Press, 1967), entries #124-163, pp. 48-53. 50. B. W. Henderson, 77u Stu@ ofbnan Hirtog+ 2nd ed. (London: Duckworth, 1921), p. 102.
T7w Role of Emperor Worship 271 onwards .“51 Let us turn now to a consideration of the matter from the perspective of Nero’s reign in particular. The Evidence of the Emperor Cult in Nero’s Reign Nero was surely the most evil Roman emperor of the first century A. D., excelling both Caligula and Domitian in notoriety. He was also jealously vain in his proud appreciation of his own artistic talents. 52 Surely his character would compel him to take advantage of the emperor cult to feed his debased nature and vain pretensions. Although there are some who doubt his use of the emperor cult,53 there is significant evidence of not only Nero’s endorsement of it, but even intimations that it may have been a factor (one of several) behind both the persecution of Christians in Rome in A.D. 64 and the overthrow of Israel in the Jewish War. Nero was particularly infatuated with Apollo; he even claimed “the title ‘Son of Apollos,’ and appeared ostentatiously in this role.”5 4 Seneca, one of young Nero’s tutors and a powerfiul influence in the era of Nero’s reign designated the Quinqzumnium Neronti,55 convinced Nero that he was destined to become the very revelation of Augustus and of Apollo.56 Speaking as Apollo, Seneca praised Nero: He is like me in much, in form and appearance, in his poetry and singing and playing. And as the red of morning drives away dark night, as neither haze nor mist endure before the sun’s rays, as everything becomes bright when my chariot appears, so it is when Nero ascends the throne. His golden locks, his fair countenance, shine like the sun as it breaks through the clouds. Strife, injustice and envy collapse before him. He restores to the world the golden age. 57 51. Moffatt, Rswlation, p. 429. 52. Miriam T. Griffin, Nero: The End of a DyaQSU (New Haven: Yale, 1984), chaps. 9 and 10. 53. E.g., ibid., pp. 215ff. 54. Bo Reicke, Th New Testati Era: % World of the Bible >om 500 B.C. to A.D. 100, trans. David E. Green (Philadelphia Fortress, 1968), p. 206. 55. The Emperor Trajan even noted that this era was one superior to any other governmental era. For an able and enlightening discussion of Seneea’s influence on Nero and the nature of these five auspicious years, see Henderson, Ltfe and Prim”pate, chap. 3. 56. Seneca, On ClenuT 1:1 :6; Apocolocyntoti (Pumpkintjicatwn) 415-35. 57. Ethelbert Stauffer, Christ and th Cmsars: Historical Sketctws, 3rd ed., trans. K. and R. Gregor Smith (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1955), p. 52.
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270 BEFORE JERUSALEM FELL<br />
Now, one of these ambassadors from the people of Alexandria was<br />
Apion, who uttered many blasphemies against the Jews; and, among<br />
other things that he said, he charged them with neglecting the honours<br />
that belonged to Caesar; for that while all who were subject to the<br />
Roman empire built altars and temples to Caius, and in other regards<br />
universally received him as they received the gods, these Jews alone<br />
thought it a dishonourable thing for them to erect statues in honour<br />
of him, as well as to swear by his name. 45<br />
His notorious plan to have his image erected in the Temple at<br />
<strong>Jerusalem</strong> and the providential prevention of it is well-known, thanks<br />
to Josephus.%<br />
Claudius<br />
Suetonius and Tacitus both record the up and down position of<br />
Claudius as a god: he was voted a god upon his death only to have<br />
his enrollment among the gods annulled by Nero but later restored<br />
by Vespasian.47 Even during his life a temple was erected to him at<br />
Colchester.48<br />
Clearly then, the emperor cult had a prominent role in the<br />
political and social life of the Roman empire from at least the times<br />
of Augustus – well before Domitian, and even before Nero.49 In fact,<br />
“the student of the struggle of contending religions in the early<br />
Roman Empire cannot neglect the history of the State cult, even if<br />
he feels disposed to slight it as no true example of religion. The seer<br />
of Patmos did not so misapprehend its force.”5° Even late date<br />
advocates note that “the blasphemous title of dizw.s, assumed by the<br />
emperors since Octavian (Augustus = seh-dm) as a semi-sacred title,<br />
implied superhuman claims that shocked the pious feelings of Jews<br />
and Christians alike. So did t9sog and 6EOti vi6g that, as the inscriptions<br />
prove, were freely applied to the emperors, from Augustus<br />
45, Antiquities 18:8:1. See also Eusebius, Ecdaia.sttil Hirtoty 2:5-6.<br />
46. Antiquities 18:82.<br />
47. Suetonius, Claudius 45; Ntm 9; 33; Tacitus, Annals 12:69.<br />
48. Workman, Persecution, p. 40.<br />
49. Helpful in pointing out the existence of emperor worship and the role of emperors<br />
in various cults during the reigns of Caligula, Claudius, and Nero is E. Mary Smallwood,<br />
cd., Documents Illu.stratmg ttu Priru-i>ates of Gaius Claaduis amd Nero (Cambridge: University<br />
Press, 1967), entries #124-163, pp. 48-53.<br />
50. B. W. Henderson, 77u Stu@ ofbnan Hirtog+ 2nd ed. (London: Duckworth, 1921),<br />
p. 102.