When Alexander the Great set out to seize a huge empire and spread Greek culture in the fourth century B.C., the peoples who made up the population of Italy were relatively insignificant in the world. They we organized into a number of city states and agricultural communities. The most important of these city states was Rome, said to have b founded in the eighth century B.C., about the time when the Assyrian, were invading Israel. There were two significant things to notice about Rome in the running of its affairs; there was a strong emphasis on the duty of the citizen to be ready to serve his state as a soldier at any time and there was considerable participation in the affairs of the state by citizens who, from an early time, met in a civic assembly. The ruler who did not have the support of the citizens did not hold power for long. The way of life developed in Rome emphasized militarism, disciplined organization and the duties and rights of citizens. A republican form of government developed in which the rulers were elected by the citizens.

By the third century B.C. the Romans had extended control over Italy as a whole and through their military system, could call up about 800,000 men for military service from all over the country. Of these, about 70,000 could serve as cavalry (horse soldiers). To facilitate the easy movements of troops across the country, a system of roads was built. In later times, the Romans were to become the most famous road builders of all the ancient peoples.

roman horse soldiers 

Before the end of the third century B.C. the strength of Roman militarism had a severe testing during a long campaign of attempted conquest of Italy by the Carthaginians from North Africa. The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, who first invaded Italy in 218 B.C., was not finally defeated until 202 B.C. What this hard period of war proved to the Romans was that, with disciplined and experienced soldiers, they need not fear any other people. During the long wars with the Carthaginians, they also mastered the skills of sea warfare and became very efficient builders of large galleys which were moved by rowers and sails.

From the beginning of the second century B.C. onwards, the Romans took advantage of weak political situations in the lands around the Mediterranean Sea to extend their control over other peoples and to begin their empire building. The divided empire of Alexander the Great had declined in power and would eventually fall to the armies of Rome. By the end of the second century B.C. the Romans controlled Spain, southern Gaul, Greece, Asia Minor and Carthage on the North African coast. It was during the second century B.C. that Judas Maccabeus had asked for help from the Romans in his fight against the Syrians.

It was during the first century B.C. and the first century A.D. that the Romans succeeded in consolidating the largest empire that the world had ever known. Their conquests extended round the Mediterranean lands, east to Mesopotamia, north into Europe as far as the north-western coast, west to Spain, and along the northern coast of Africa.

Rome had continued to be governed not as a kingdom but as a republic, under elected consuls, but rivalries over leadership brought problems. Shakespeare's famous play about the elected consul, Julius Caesar, who was asked to be king and declined but actually had the powers of a dictator, dramatizes some of the rivalries of the last half of the first century B.C. Julius Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, who was later given the title 'Augustus', meaning 'exalted one', was a very skilful ruler who maintained the outward structure of a republic in which the Senate consisting of leading citizens, elected the consul for a given period. However, although elected consul, Augustus was a dictator in practice, particularly after he was asked by the Romans to become the High Priest of Rome, because he then combined in himself supreme political power and the highest religious authority. Augustus was the first of' Roman rulers to be mentioned in the New Testament (Luke 2:1). From Augustus onwards we refer to the Roman rulers as Emperors, meaning Commanders, as they had supreme military as well as political power. The Roman armies were the foundation of Roman power. When Augustus accepted the political powers of the consul, the religious authority of the High Priest of Rome, and the military command of the Roman armies, he became the most powerful ruler that the ancient world had known.

We need not concern ourselves with the history of the Roman empire after the first century A.D. but it is important to know that the Christian faith began when Roman power and influence was at its height. This offered opportunities for the spread of the new faith which did exist even a hundred years earlier. 'But when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son' (Galatians 4:4).

It was members of the family of Augustus who ruled the Roman Empire during the first spread of the Christian faith, to the time when Peter and Paul died. Augustus, who ruled from 31 B.C. to A.D. 14, was followed by Tiberius (A.D. 14-37), who was followed by Caligula (A. 37-41). Caligula became mad and was murdered by some of his army officers; his successor was his uncle, Claudius, (A.D. 41-54). Claudi was succeeded by the notorious Nero (A.D. 54--68).