Video from Kings and Things
Imagining Ancient Rome: 5 Incredibly Well Preserved Roman Buildings
"When you think of Roman Architecture, what comes in to your mind may well be images of overgrown, crumbling ruins. But despite being nearly 2000 years old, there are actually quite a few examples of Roman buildings remaining more or less unchanged to this day. In this video, I'll be showing off five of them!" from video introduction.
We have some concepts of ancient Rome from movies and history books and no all of those are accurate. What we see today in the ruins of the past is rags and tatters of what was before. But there are a few good examples of Roman architecture still standing and well preserved.
So why did Jesus come when he did in human history?
"The Scriptures tell us that Jesus came in the fullness of time, born of a woman, born under the law (Galatians 4:4). Several factors contributed to Christ’s coming being considered as the fullness of time. First, the timing of the arrival and death of the Christ fulfilled a very specific prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27. Second, the Roman influence in the area played a significant role. The Roman Empire brought about peace, an elaborate road system, and trade. Third, the Jewish synagogue network played an important role in the spread of Christianity. Lastly, Roman cruelty in crucifying criminals is vitally important. All of these factors were crucial in the ministry of Christ to redeem His people from the “curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13).
The Romans, due to their vast military, had control over a large territory. This vast kingdom brought about a need for many roads to connect the many territories together. During this time the phrase “All roads lead to Rome,” arose. Not only were there many roads for travel but there was also safety for travelers on the roads. This was due to the vast military presence of the Romans.
The conquest of the Romans led to the capture of many tribes, tongues, languages, and peoples. Bringing them to the empire as slaves and soldiers. As they were incorporated into the Roman empire, they learned the language of the empire: Greek.
When Christ came, died, and rose again according to the Scriptures, Rome was a place where this news of Jesus who came to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29) could easily be taken to the ends of the known world. People from different tribes, tongues, and languages would hear of the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed in the Greek language. This gospel could be safely and efficiently taken to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth through the Roman road system. Communication was easy due to the empire speaking a common language.
The fullness of time was truly remarkable when we think of how the news of Christ could be sent all over the world!" from the article: