1. What do you consider the primary characteristics of the leaders of the Roman Republic and of the first Emperors?

It is really difficult to categorize such a large group of people. Leaders such as Sulla, Julius Caesar, and Augustus Caesar plotted their steps carefully to the top position in the world. These were disciplined soldiers. Others like Tiberius, Titus, Nero, and Caligula, were groomed from youth to become Caesar. This indulgent upbringing and expectation of empire, caused them to be more pleasure seeking. Some like Claudius had the empire thrust upon them. Others were competent soldiers who were adopted into emperor. Nearly all started out well-intentioned but the longer in power, the more megomaniacal they became. From Augustus on, emperors took on the trappings of a god. Some took their deity more seriously than others. In a sense they did become little gods. The power they received revealed them as either profligate or noble members of the pantheon (in the Greek sense). All were cruel by modern standards, but many were honest and hardworking. All saw Rome as the center of the world. Unlike Eastern potentates, Roman emperors respected their laws. In order to get their own way, they built fictions to circumvent their own laws. They all saw value in local rule, giving local people some control over their own destiny.

2. What made the Roman Empire attractive to people around the world both at the time of the Roman Empire and in the centuries since?

With the Roman Empire, Europe reached a pinnacle of size and organization that has not been achieved since. The European Union is an attempt to recapture old Rome. Rome reached an architectural talent that was not passed until the Renaissance. Rome reached a military might that was not matched until Napoleon's time. I read that the hold of Rome did not diminish until World War I, when the Czar (Caesar) in Russia was murdered, the Kaiser (Caesar) in Germany abdicated, and the empire of Austria-Hungary was overturned. It is amazing to me that up until very recently, the Western World was backward looking. I can't imagine it. My generation is so forward looking. Our grandfathers looked back to a golden age represented in Rome and Greece. As recently as 1900, a university education consisted mostly of mastering Greek and Latin. The modern disciplines are a recent innovation. Even I studied Latin in High School. Do public schools still teach Julius Caesar in Latin? "Vene, Vini, Vici".

3. Identify what you consider the primary moral problems that characterized the Roman Empire?

I believe that some personal moral problems were apparent to the Romans themselves. Noble Romans would recognize as lapses sexual orgies, killing of their own households, and selling of office to the highest bidder. Other moral problems were probably invisible to them. These would include things that were part of the fabric of daily life like slavery, infanticide, and bondage of woman in marriage. Christianity broke down many of these walls and won many converts because of it. In Galatians 3, Paul says "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." How liberating this message must have been to 1st century Romans!

4. From what you know of the Jewish people of the Old Testaments, what do you think would be the primary objections to having Rome rule over you?

I would list three major primary objections. The first objection would be against graven images in Jerusalem and especially in the Temple. Graven images would include the imperial staff with the eagle atop. Coins with the emperor's visage would also cause problems. The second objection would be in accepting the Emperor as a god. By NT times, Judaism was no longer syncretistic. Most other nations retained their own gods, and just added Roman gods and the Emperor to their system of worship. Israel would not do that. The third objection would be in oath taking. Swearing allegiance to Rome also meant allegiance to their Gods an the emperor as god. To hold office, you had to swear, therefore few Jews held official Roman office. Question. How was Paul a good Roman citizen without swearing allegiance to Rome and its gods?

5. What characteristics of the Roman Empire made it the best environment in which to promote a world-wide "religion" such as Christianity?

First of all, Rome controlled most of the western world, reaching its height at the times of Hadrian. This almost perfectly coincides to the times of rapid Christian growth. Second, there were just two languages that mattered: Greek for commerce and for the eastern empire; Latin for government and for the western empire. (In 200 BC, this would not be true and in 500 AD this would not be true) Next the "Pax Romana" from Augustus to Attila meant that wars and bandits were at a low ebb. People could travel and do business without excessive threat. Paul traveled extensively by road and boat. The increase in commerce and mixing of cultures meant that ideas could flow freely. Rome wanted living cities that could pay taxes, not plundered and burnt cities that could not build Roman power. Commerce was encouraged. Aqueducts were built for agriculture and for growing cities. Rome built an extensive infrastructure of roads and shipping lanes. All this encouraged travel and the dissemination of ideas. There was intellectual curiosity among the Greeks and Romans. There were pockets of Jews and Jewish synagogues throughout the empire. These were readymade bases for evangelism. There was also a tolerance for "Mystery Religions" in the empire.