What influence did Julius Caesar have on biblical history?

Answer

Julius Caesar is not mentioned in the Bible, and he did not live during the times recorded in the Bible as he died in 44 BC. However, Julius Caesar did initiate the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, which was governed by a powerful emperor or dictator. The subsequent Caesars played a significant role in the persecution of the early church. A brief overview of Roman history and Julius Caesar’s career will be beneficial:

For centuries, Rome functioned as a republic, governed by the Senate composed of representatives of the upper class. During that era, cities (not countries) often held the most authority, and Rome had conquered a large part of the known world. (It would be akin to Washington, D.C., being an autonomous city that gradually amassed enough economic and military strength to conquer the entire American continent.) The people residing within the Roman Empire were conquered individuals under the rule of a foreign authority, specifically the city of Rome. One of Rome’s strengths lay in its formidable legions and the generals who led them.

Julius Caesar was an ambitious general with numerous triumphs to his credit. He was also a politician aiming to translate his popularity into tangible power. At that time, two other generals/politicians, Pompey and Crassus, held similar positions. Following Crassus’s death, Pompey sided with the Senate, which instructed Julius to retire and come back to Rome alone. Recognizing the vulnerability this would pose, Julius returned to Rome with his 13th Legion, sparking a civil war. After the dust settled, Julius Caesar firmly controlled Rome. Though he was not officially named Emperor then, subsequent historians regard him as the first Roman Emperor, and the family name Caesar evolved into the title of the Emperor, symbolizing one who emulated Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar met his demise on March 15, 44 BC, when he was assassinated by a groupA group of senators led by Brutus and Cassius (two individuals familiar to students of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar) sparked a new round of civil war. Julius’s friend Mark Antony and his grand-nephew Octavius defeated the forces loyal to Brutus and Cassius at Philippi. Antony had aimed to seize power, but Julius had adopted and designated Octavius as his successor since he had no living legitimate children according to Roman law. Octavius’s forces triumphed over Antony’s forces (along with his ally, Cleopatra) at Actium, establishing Octavius as the sole military authority. Nevertheless, Octavius still needed to garner political and popular support, which he pursued vigorously. Octavius gradually acquired more power throughout his life. In 27 BC, he was bestowed with the title Augustus, and despite numerous legal, political, and constitutional constraints on his authority, he effectively functioned as a dictator. The subsequent Caesars after Augustus increasingly exhibited despotic tendencies. Some of them, including Augustus Caesar, are referenced in the New Testament.

It is Julius Caesar’s immediate heir who is cited in the well-known nativity account: “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world” «And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. », (Luke 2:1).

Augustus was succeeded by his adopted stepson Tiberius, who is mentioned in Luke 3:1. John the Baptist commenced his ministry in the thirteenth year of Tiberius’s reign.

Following Tiberius was Caligula, who is not referenced in the New Testament. Caligula was the great-nephew of Augustus on his father’s side and the nephew of Tiberius on his mother’s side.

Claudius Caesar succeeded Caligula, being the uncle of Tiberius. Claudius is mentioned in Acts 18:2. Priscilla and Aquila departed from Italy because Emperor Claudius had expelled all Jews from Rome.

The final Emperor who could claim any kinship to Julius Caesar was Nero, who is not mentioned by name in the New Testament but was the Emperor in power when Paul made his appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:10-11). From extrabiblical sources, we know of Nero’s intense persecution of Christians.

Even though Julius Caesar is not mentioned in Scripture, and even though he did not live during any of the times covered by the biblical narrative, his ambition set in motion the events that changed the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. The entire New Testament is influenced by the historical and cultural background of the Roman Empire, starting with Julius Caesar and his successors. The New Testament church took a stand against the cult surrounding the Roman Emperor, who was often considered to be a deity or quasi-deity. The central Christian confession “Jesus is Lord” is a rejection of the central creed of the Roman Empire, “Caesar is Lord.” Although Augustus bore the title “son of the deified one” (a reference to Julius), it was during the reign of Augustus that the true Son of God was actually born on earth. Tiberius, as Emperor, was the head of the Roman religion, but the Word of God bypassed him and came to a humble prophet named John, preaching in the wilderness. Finally, it was the Roman Emperors with aspirations of deity who were often the fiercest persecutors of Christians in the early church. It was the ambition of Julius Caesar that paved the way for one man (the Caesar) to rule the Roman Empire with an iron fist and to interpret Christian fidelity to Jesus as Lord as treasonous.

Julius Caesar was a trendsetter and a model for many Caesars who followed, and the impact he had on the Roman world greatly affected the church and the spread of the gospel.