The Rise of Christianity

In the first century CE, the Roman province of Judea was a tinderbox. Rome had absorbed the region in 63 BCE, and the occupation sat badly with the local population. The Jews of Palestine were not like other conquered peoples. They worshipped one God, refused to participate in the imperial cult, and carried within their scriptures a persistent, dangerous idea: that God would send a deliverer, a Messiah, to liberate them from foreign rule and restore the kingdom of Israel.

His movement gained a following in Galilee and eventually brought him to Jerusalem, where he came into conflict with both the Jewish Temple authorities and the Roman administration. Around 30-33 CE, the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate ordered his execution by crucifixion, the standard Roman punishment for political criminals. The charge, as recorded on the placard above his cross, was "King of the Jews" — a political crime, not a religious one. Rome killed him as a potential insurrectionist.

That should have been the end. Crucified messianic claimants did not inspire enduring movements. Their followers scattered and their names were forgotten. What happened next defied every historical precedent.