John Dominic Crossan | Roman Imperial Theology

"I have always thought of the historical Jesus as a homeland Jew within Judaism within the Roman Empire. I have always thought of the historical Paul as a diaspora Jew within Judaism within the Roman Empire. For me, then, within Judaism within the Roman Empire has always been the absolutely necessary matrix rather than the annoyingly unnecessary background for any discussion of earliest Christianity. You can see that three-layer matrix, for example, in the sub-titles to the first and last books above. For the historical Jesus, The Life of a Mediterranean Peasant, emphasizes Rome, Judaism, and Jew.
The Apostle Paul Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom, emphasizes Jew, Rome, and Judaism. Whether you start or end with the Roman Empire, the Roman Empire is always there."

John Dominic Crossan

Incarnation was not invented by Christianity. Caesar and Alexander before him were Sons of God. The Jesus as God theology was a revolution not by a man as a Son of God but what TYPE of man could be a son of God. It was also a counter narrative to what type of man could be a Messiah for the Jews.

Alexander and Jesus both had later claims that their Fathers were God. Alexander and Jesus also died around the same age, one as an Imperial King in Babylon and the other as a usurper against the Roman empire in Jerusalem. Alexander and his army also brought crucifixion into the Middle East which would later be used by the Romans to crucify Jesus.

A son of God who was not a conquering King. A messiah who was not a man of power but a man of suffering and tragedy. This was the counter narrative of Christianity to the incarnation theology in the ancient world.

"Why did we call Jesus 'lord'? In the Roman world, Caesar was lord, so if you call Jesus lord, Caesar ain't, and it becomes high treason. What was the alternative vision for the world that Jesus and Paul had, and why did it get them killed?"
In MATTHEW AND EMPIRE, New Testament professor Warren Carter examines the political claims and visions of social organization found in the Gospel of Matthew, which he describes as "a theological challenge to Rome's imperial propaganda." Biblical studies professor Neil Elliott interprets Paul's Letter to the Romans "in the shadow of empire" in a book entitled THE ARROGANCE OF NATIONS, and he makes a case for "the counter-imperial aspects" of Paul's rhetoric. In THE POWER OF THE WORD: SCRIPTURE AND THE RHETORIC OF EMPIRE, to "deconstruct the language of imperial domination in which scriptural texts remain caught up."

Alexander the Great Son of Zeus - Amun. Salvation in this world through war and conquest. And Jesus Son of a Jewish God of a new covenant of peace and love. Salvation in another world through death and sacrifice. It was the perfect counter narrative to Imperial theology.

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