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Savior

There is a history behind the use of  the word 'savior' in the Bible.

Alexander the Great and his army conquered Palestine in 332BC. With the collapse of the Greek Empire, the Seleucid Empire ruled Palestine from 312BC to 63BC, as the largest Hellenist state and it became the major hub of Hellenistic culture. There should be no doubt this occupation affected the cultures in the area. The Seleucid Empire dissolved in 63 BC. In between 312BC and 63BC there are several notable events.


From wikipedia:

'The Maccabean Revolt  was a Jewish rebellion, lasting from 167 to 160 BC, led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and the Hellenistic influence on Jewish life.'



From wikipedia:

'The Hasmonean dynasty was a ruling dynasty of Judea and surrounding regions during classical antiquity. Between 140BC and 116BC the dynasty ruled Judea semi-autonomously from the Seleucids. From 110 BC with the Seleucid Empire disintegrating, the dynasty became fully independent, expanded into the neighbouring regions . Some modern scholars refer to this period as an independent kingdom of Israel.'

In 63 BCE, the Hasmonean kingdom was invaded by the Roman Republic and set up as a Roman client state. For a while Roman civil wars temporarily relaxed Rome's grip on the Hasmonean kingdom, allowing a brief reassertion of autonomy backed by the Parthian Empire. This short independence was crushed by the Romans with the siege of Jerusalem in 37BC.

The Jews in Palestine had experienced a foreign empire occupation, then a successful rebellion to achieve an independent kingdom. This was an important precedent for subsequent generations.  At the time of Jesus Palestine was occupied by the Roman Empire.

Of course the Jews  did not like this situation with the Romans so everyone hoped for someone to save them, a savior.

The Bible has many references for Jesus to savior, king, kingdom, throne. His father Joseph had the lineage to David so there is a reference by Jesus to my father's business

Jesus had lineage back to David via his father Joseph so Jesus was born to be King of the Jews.

Luke 1:31+
'
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
'

From these passages from Luke Jesus would eventually get the throne of David for his kingdom in Judea.

Luke 2:4+
'
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
'
Luke 2:48+
'
And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
'

When Jesus was alive he was the king of the Jews.

'
After the death of Jesus it appears the Jews in Palestine were probably in turmoil with many still hoping to eject the Roman occupation.  This turmoil in Judea made it easier for the apostle Paul to preach to the Gentiles his interpretations of events  of the First Century setting the foundation for Christianity in Rome.


At Christmas time we often hear Luke 2:11+
'
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'

With passages like this, a transition began from a story of a savior for the Jewish kingdom traced to David to become a story of a non-Jewish kingdom of heaven on earth. Instead of being part of a bloody rebellion against the Romans there is 'peace and good will toward men.'

I suspect many people do not appreciate the history of the term 'jesus our savior.'

The above excerpts from the Bible were not edited; these are shown from the King James version on line.


The level of unrest in Palestine at the time of Jesus  should not be underestimated.

From Wikipedia, some details.

the Syrian Legion was ambushed and defeated by Jewish rebels at the Battle of Beth Horon in 66 with 6,000 Romans massacred. During 66, Judean Free Government was formed in Jerusalem.

The experienced general Vespasian was given the task, by Nero, of crushing the rebellion in Judaea province. Given four legions and assisted by forces of King Agrippa II, Vespasian invaded Galilee in 67. He laid seige to Jerusalem and later Masada between 73 and 74.

The defeat of the Jewish revolt altered the Jewish demographics, as many of the Jewish rebels were scattered or sold into slavery. Josephus (a Jewish historian for Rome) claims that 1,100,000 people were killed during the siege[s]. "97,000 were captured and enslaved and many others fled to areas around the Mediterranean."

The Jews rebelled a few more times,  with the Kitos War (115–117 CE) and the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 CE).

When aware of this turmoil and the particular years involved when was the New Testament written?


from here:


From the middle of the 1st century AD texts begin to be written which will later be gathered into a New Testament, representing the updated covenant revealed by Christ.

The earliest such texts are the letters (or Epistles) written between about 50 and 62 AD by St Paul to various early Christian communities.
 
Next in chronological sequence comes the Acts of the Apostles, a description of the missionary efforts of Peter and others in Jerusalem and of Paul on his journeys.

This account is believed to be the work of Luke, who probably writes it between about AD 75 and 90. He has accompanied Paul on some of his travels, including his last journey to Rome. Much of Acts, therefore, is first-hand contemporary evidence of the events described.

The first Christians, gathering for worship, repeat together their beliefs about the life, death and promises of Jesus Christ. These truths are what they have been told and taught; they are what they teach to new converts and to their own children. They are the joyful tidings of a better world which only Christians share. 'Good news' is what the word gospel means.
 As the years pass, it makes sense to write down the sayings of Jesus and the stories about him which many Christians (but not all) know so well by heart. This is done in several places and in differing versions.

The earliest version to survive in the Bible is Mark's Gospel. It was probably written between AD 75 and 85, and it was used - together with other sources - as the basis for the Gospels of both Matthew and Luke, each written a few years later. The Gospel of John is later again (perhaps around AD 100) and differs from the other three in concentrating on spiritual issues more than biography. It is not until well into the 2nd century that the four Gospels are given their names.
By the middle of the 2nd century it becomes evident that a great many different and often contradictory passages of holy scripture are circulating among the various Christian churches, each claiming to offer the truth. (There is even a Gospel according to Judas Iscariot.) Which of these shall be accepted as the official canon? This becomes a subject of urgent debate among church leaders.

This is the historical context when we have our children and grandchildren sing at Christmas:

Silent Night

Christ the Saviour
Christ the Saviour is born
Peace and hope have come

created - Jan. 2019
last change - 01/21/2019

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