Roman historian and senator Tacitus (56 AD - 117 AD) documents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ under Tiberius (42 BC - 37 AD) and the persecution of Christians under Nero (37 AD - 68 AD) in his Annals

Such indeed were the precautions of human wisdom. The next thing was to seek means of propitiating the gods, and recourse was had to the Sibylline books, by the direction of which prayers were offered to Vulcanus, Ceres, and Proserpina. Juno, too, was entreated by the matrons, first, in the Capitol, then on the nearest part of the coast, whence water was procured to sprinkle the fane and image of the goddess. And there were sacred banquets and nightly vigils celebrated by married women. But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor, and the propitiations of the gods, did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed.

Source: Tacitus, Annals, Book 15, 44.

Ancient scholars as diverse as Josephus (37 A.D. – 100 A.D.) and Jerome (347 A.D. – 420 A.D.) agree that the book of Daniel was written contemporaneously with the events that it describes in Babylon 2,600 years ago

The earliest interpreters of Daniel to whom we have access are the writers of the New Testament (cf. specifically Matt. 24:15) and Josephus (AD 37 – post. 100). Josephus regards Daniel as ‘one of the greatest prophets’ who ‘was not only wont to prophesy future things, as did the other prophets, but he also fixed the time at which these would come to pass.’ In his summary of Daniel 11-12, Josephus comments, ‘And these misfortunes our nation did in fact come to experience under Antiochus Epiphanes, just as Daniel many years before saw and wrote that they would happen.’ Countering the viewpoint of the Epicureans, who denied that any wise being directed human affairs, Josephus argued that if they were right ‘we should not have seen all these things happen in accordance with his prophecy’. There is no evidence at this period of any doubt about the historicity of the sixth-century Daniel, nor of the genuineness of his prophecy.

… Jerome (c. 345 – c. 419), however, is the best known (early Christian commentator on Daniel). His commentary was intended to refute an attack on the historicity of Daniel by the Neoplatonist Porphyry (232 – c. 305), who, as we know from Jerome, considered the prophetic passages in Daniel to be the narration of an unknown author during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. This conclusion he reached from the premise that the author could not have known the future. If it had not been for the careful quotations by Jerome the work of Porphyry would not have survived, and it is ironical that at the present time it is the position of Porphyry and not that of the Christian apologist which dominates most works of scholarship. In the early centuries of the Christian era Christians accepted without question the authenticity of Daniel and his prophecy.

Josephus, writing his account of the destruction of Jerusalem, made allusion to a double application of Daniel 9:27. Having pointed out that Daniel wrote of the nation’s sufferings under Antiochus Epiphanes, he went on: ‘In the very same manner Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate by them.’ His interpretation of the fall of Jerusalem as the ending of the seventy sevens of Daniel became standard Jewish teaching, and passed into Christian exegesis. Only at the end of the second century did Christian scholars begin to compute the seventy sevens so as to make them terminate in the coming of Christ. There were many variations in detail; three and a half sevens was often vaguely related to the period of the Antichrist. The influence of Jerome’s translation of ‘an anointed one, a prince’ (9:25), ‘ad Christum ducem’, continues in the margin of JB (Jerusalem Bible), ‘or Prince Messiah’. This messianic interpretation is still popular and is represented by the commentaries of Pusey, C.H.H. Wright and E.J. Young. It is adopted in a modified form in this commentary.

Source: Joyce G. Baldwin, Daniel: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentary Series). Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1978, pages 70, 71, 194-195.

Jesus Christ to his disciples:

“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” (Mt 24:15)

Jesus Christ citing Daniel 7:13 to the High Priest who asked Him to testify to the Sanhedrin whether He was the Messiah, the Son of God:

“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mt 26:64)

Happy New Year! Time to take off the old and put on the new.

Happy New Year, everybody!  It’s time to take off the old and to put on the new.

Two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul compared this to:

·         Putting off the old self and putting on the new self (Eph 4, Col 3).

·         Putting to death the earthly nature (Col 3).

·         Walking by the spirit and not gratifying the desires of the flesh (Gal 5).

·         Christians crucifying their old selves as Jesus Christ was crucified to be counted dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom 6).

·         Putting aside the deeds of darkness and putting on the armor of light (Rom 13).

The Apostle Paul puts it to the Christians in the church at Corinth in Greece as follows:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:

The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor 5:17)

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus in modern day Turkey gives additional instructions:

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

“In your anger do not sin”:

Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Eph 4:22-32)

When the Apostle Paul writes a letter to the church at Colossae in modern day Turkey, he instructs the Christians as follows:

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:

sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these:

anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Col 3:5-10)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Col 3:12-14)

In his epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul instructs the Christians in Galatia in Turkey to walk by the spirit and to not gratify the desires of the flesh:

The acts of the flesh are obvious:

sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

idolatry and witchcraft;

hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy;

drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Against such things there is no law. (Gal 5:19-23)

When writing to the church at Rome, the Apostle Paul says:

For we know that our old self was crucified with (Christ Jesus) so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. (Rom 6:6-7)

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Rom 6.11)

The night is nearly over;

the day is almost here.

So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,

not in carousing and drunkenness,

not in sexual immorality and debauchery,

not in dissension and jealousy.

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. (Rom 13.12-14)

 

It’s important to note that if you don’t feel the same way that the Apostle Paul feels, the Apostle Paul did not always feel this way either.  Prior to being called by God to faith in Jesus Christ, Paul was violently opposed to Christianity.  He approved of the killing of the Christian preacher Stephen by stoning (Acts 7:58, 8:1), he breathed out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples, and he got letters from the authorities to take to Damascus in modern day Syria so that he could take any Christians he found there as prisoners to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2).

Happy New Year: Take off the old, and put on the new.