"Good News" of Caesar Augusts? Exploring the Imperial Cult - the Good News (pt. 4)

In today's lesson, we will delve into the Roman Imperial Cult and the officially sanctioned worship of Caesar Augustus.

As the message of the Kingdom of God, centered around Jesus as Lord, spreads throughout the Roman Empire, it encounters a direct clash with the Roman establishment, where Caesar is regarded as the supreme authority.

Both Jesus and the writers of the New Testament possess a keen awareness of the imperial propaganda machinery. They skillfully employ the terminology associated with the imperial cult to directly challenge the assertions made by Caesar.

Come and join us on a journey to ancient Priene, where we will investigate an inscription dating back to 9 BC. This inscription portrays Augustus as the "savior" and "god," while also depicting his birth as the "good news for the world."
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Tower of Babel: https://youtu.be/8B8JjGFEvgs

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Class Handout: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/faith-lessons/good-news-of-caesar-augustus#/

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Apple Podcasts:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mh4v8e7FDwOoPhQd7bz7Y

References:
Priene Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_Inscription_of_Priene#:~:text=The%20Priene%20Calendar%20Inscription%20(IK,the%20edict%20from%209%20BC.

Craig Evans (2000) - Mark's Incipit and the Priene Calendar Inscription: From Jewish Gospel to Greco-Roman Gospel. https://web.archive.org/web/20170829065710/http://craigaevans.com/Priene%20art.pdf

JD Crossan and JL Reed - In Search of Paul: How Jesus' Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom https://www.amazon.com/Search-Paul-Apostle-Opposed-Kingdom/dp/0060514574/ref=sr_1_2?hvadid=616863302838&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9013186&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9698310806900404646&hvtargid=kwd-777937745&hydadcr=24658_13611734&keywords=in+search+of+paul&qid=1691592463&sr=8-2

N.T. Wright - How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels https://www.amazon.com/How-God-Became-King-Getting/dp/0281061467/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1687643128&sr=8-1

Ethelbert Stauffer - Christ and the Caesars - https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Caesars-Ethelbert-Stauffer/dp/1556358180/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3BY4ZQQVBOR33&keywords=christ+and+the+caesars+stauffer&qid=1692565351&sprefix=christ+and+the+ca%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-1

Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels - https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Jesus-Gospels-IVP-Bible/dp/0830824561/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20A1I5S7RIMCB&keywords=dictionary+of+jesus+and+the+gospels&qid=1687643188&sprefix=dictionary+of+jesus%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

Dictionary of Paul and His Letters -
https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Paul-His-Letters-Contemporary/dp/0830817859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5PWS1X5XO943&keywords=dictionary+of+paul+and+his+letters+2nd+edition&qid=1687643216&sprefix=dictionary+of+paul%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840