What did it mean to call someone “Son of God” in the Roman world—and why would anyone believe it about Jesus?
Before Christianity ever faced persecution, the Jewish people had already gained a remarkable status in the Roman Empire. They were allowed to observe the Sabbath, govern themselves according to their laws, and send offerings to the Jerusalem temple. These rights were not typical for most conquered peoples.
But Rome’s tolerance had limits. The story of how the Jewish people moved from protected status to persecution—how revolts turned into crosses—is crucial for understanding the world Jesus was born into.
And even more striking is this: before anyone called Jesus “Son of God,” those words already belonged to another man—Caesar Augustus.
Julius Caesar and Jewish Privilege
Julius Caesar’s relationship with the Jews was rooted in both politics and pragmatism. During the Roman civil war, the Jewish high priest Hyrcanus II supported Caesar against Pompey. In return, Caesar issued formal decrees protecting Jewish religious customs and governance:
“Gaius Julius Caesar… orders that [the Jews] be permitted to observe their own customs and laws and to gather together according to their ancestral customs.”
—Josephus, Antiquities 14.190–192 (Whiston)
“Gaius Caesar… has granted to Hyrcanus… and to the Jewish nation, exemption from tribute every seventh year… and that they may be governed according to their own laws.”
—Antiquities 14.213–216
These were not vague gestures—they were publicly posted and sent to provincial officials for enforcement.
By the first century, Jews made up 7–10% of the Roman Empire, with communities spread across nearly every major city. Their presence was especially concentrated along Rome’s eastern frontier, bordering the Parthian Empire, Rome’s greatest military rival. For Caesar, Jewish loyalty brought stability to a region where stability was hard to come by.
“Countless myriads of Jews are in every region… in Asia and Europe, in the islands and mainland, in the East and the West.”
—Philo, Embassy to Gaius §281, c. AD 41
“There is no city, no nation, no people among whom our custom… has not spread… they have penetrated every city.”
—Josephus, Against Apion 2.282, c. AD 95
When Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, the Jews stood out in their mourning.
“At Caesar’s funeral, the Jews alone mourned for him publicly and for many nights kept vigil at his tomb.”
—Appian, Civil Wars 2.148, c. AD 120
Rome Respected the Ancient
Rome didn’t simply tolerate the Jews because of politics. Their religion was ancient—and that mattered deeply in Roman culture. New religions were suspicious. Old ones were revered.
“Whatever their origin, their customs are at least ancient, and therefore entitled to respect.”
—Tacitus, Histories 5.5, c. AD 100
“All new kinds of religion are suspect… only ancient worships are worthy of divine status.”
—Pliny the Elder, Natural History 30.11, c. AD 77
This perspective explains why Jews were granted legal protection, while newer movements like Christianity eventually provoked suspicion and hostility. The age of a religion—its antiquity—was a Roman marker of legitimacy.
Augustus and the Gospel of the Empire
Jesus was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus (27 BC – AD 14), the adopted son of Julius Caesar. He didn’t just inherit Caesar’s power—he inherited Caesar’s divinity.
Augustus was declared Divi Filius—“Son of the Divine [Julius].” He was called savior, lord, and bringer of peace. These weren’t just political slogans—they were religious titles, printed on coins, etched in stone, and celebrated in public festivals.
“He added the title ‘Son of a God’ to his name.”
—Suetonius, Divus Augustus 94.1, c. AD 120
“After my death… the Senate decreed that my name should be included in the hymns of the Salii and be consecrated as a god.”
—Res Gestae Divi Augusti §35, written by Augustus, AD 14
“To the Divine Augustus Caesar, Son of the Divine Julius.”
—Temple Dedication, Pergamon (1st c. BC)
One famous inscription from Priene (9 BC) declared:
“Since Providence… has filled [Augustus] with virtue so that he might benefit mankind… sending him as a Savior (sōtēr)… The birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning for the world of the good tidings (euangelion) that have come through him.”
Even his titles were spiritual:
“To our lord, Augustus Caesar, savior of the inhabited world…”
—Provincial Dedication, Asia Minor
So when the Gospel of Mark opens with:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
—Mark 1:1
—it wasn’t just religious language. It was a counterclaim. A direct confrontation with imperial theology.
Herod the Great and the Mass Crucifixions
Jesus was about two years old when Herod the Great died. Though he expanded the Jerusalem temple and was a Roman ally, Herod was known for ruthless paranoia:
“His whole life was a continual scene of bloodshed… even his own sons were not spared.”
—Josephus, Antiquities 17.191–192
“He gave orders to kill a great number of the most illustrious men of the whole Jewish nation…”
—Antiquities 17.204
Among Herod’s victims was Hyrcanus II—the same high priest who had once supported Julius Caesar. His death signaled the end of a political era.
When Herod died in 4 BC, Judea erupted in revolt. The Roman governor Varus responded with overwhelming force:
“Varus… crucified about two thousand of those that had been the authors of the revolt.”
—Jewish War 2.5.2
This was the world into which Jesus was born: a land where crosses lined the roads, and loyalty to Rome was enforced by terror.
The Census and the Revolt of Judas the Galilean
By AD 6, Jesus was about 12 years old. Rome had removed Herod’s son Archelaus, annexed Judea, and placed it under direct rule. A census for taxation followed.
“Coponius… had the power of life and death put into his hands by Caesar…”
—Josephus, Antiquities 18.1.1
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered…”
—Luke 2:1
For most provinces, a census was normal. But in Judea, taxation felt like a theological betrayal—a declaration that Caesar, not God, was king.
A Galilean named Judas stirred rebellion:
“Judas… said that this taxation was nothing less than slavery… and exhorted the nation to assert their liberty.”
—Antiquities 18.4
“They say that God alone is their ruler and lord… and they do not value dying any more than living…”
—Jewish War 2.117–118
“This was the beginning of great disturbances.”
—Antiquities 18.27
Jesus grew up in Galilee, where this revolt happened. The trauma of crushed rebellion—arrests, crucifixions, suppression—was not distant history. It was personal memory for many families.
Rome Never Forgets
The revolt of Judas the Galilean may have been suppressed, but Rome remembered. Decades later, during the reign of Claudius, Judas’s sons were crucified:
“Two of his sons, James and Simon, were taken and crucified by order of Tiberius Alexander.”
—Antiquities 20.102
Even after Jesus’ own crucifixion, Rome continued to hunt down zealot bloodlines. The cross wasn’t just punishment. It was policy.
Other Revolts, Other Crosses
Judea wasn’t the only place that rebelled.
“The Gauls… declared they were being reduced to slavery under the guise of a census and taxation.”
—Tacitus, Annals 3.40, c. AD 100
“The Britons… outraged by abuses and tribute… rose in fury to throw off the Roman yoke.”
—Annals 14.31
But the difference in Judea was theological.
The Britons and Gauls wanted political freedom. The Jews wanted God’s reign restored. That made the conflict with Caesar something more than rebellion. It made it blasphemy versus worship.
The Gospel Against the Empire
Jesus was born during a Roman census, raised where a zealot revolt was crushed, and crucified by the same empire that lined Judean roads with crosses.
His death was not the first.
But his death redefined what the cross meant.
The gospel of Caesar said:
“The emperor is savior, son of god, and lord.”
The gospel of Jesus said:
“No. He is.”
Living the Bible 