Mens Bible Studies on the Sermon on the Mount: Sermon On the Mount | MATTHEW 7:15-29

Friday, July 18, 2008

Sermon On the Mount | MATTHEW 7:15-29 | CHOOSING LEADERS

I. Introduction:

Q Who has been the most influential person in your life?

Q What is it that was so influential. How did they influence you?

Note: We are influenced by others, by those around us and especially by those whose words we take seriously. All of us have had good

examples and bad examples in our lives.

Note: The Key thing is that we are free to choose "who will influence us". We can decide who will speak the truth about life and

about God. This is Jesus' last teaching before His famous closing about "house built upon the rock".

Jesus says we must pick our leaders and because He loves us He give us help in how to choose them.

II. The Warning: "Practice" or "Action" Is The Key Factor. Matthew 7:15-20.

A. The Basic Warning: Matthew 7:15.

>>>> Have someone read Matthew 7:15.

Q What is the warning? What characteristic do such false proclaimers of God's Word have?

An = They are not what they appear. Key = inwardly they are worse than they appear outwardly. They appear as lambs, as

gentle but inwardly want to destroy or use you.

Note: Jesus will not just warn us to beware of false leaders but show us practically how to discover them. So, He give us three words

of advice.

B. The Basic Criterion: First Word of Advice, Matthew 7:16.

>>>> Have someone read Matthew 7:16-18.

Q What does He mean: "You will know them by their fruits?"

An = The answer is in what follows in the rest of verse 16 and the next two verses.

>>>> Have someone re-read Matthew 7:16b-18.

Note: Jesus uses metaphors from the realm of nature: He uses agricultural examples to illustrate His points. You do not get grapes

from "Johnson grass". Therefore what a man does is what he is.

Q Gals, should you believe everything a young man tells you?

An = Many guys have a lot of "great lines". Experience shows you to believe little of what you hear. How a guy treats you is the key.

Q But in spiritual matters what fruit do we look for? Doctrine? Bible Quoting? What fruit is being referred to?

An = We are reading the Sermon on the Mount, and so what it teaches should be our guide to what should be in a person who tells us

about God. Let me illustrate:

>> Have someone read Matthew 6:1 If they are do good things, do they show off? If they do then beware!! Do they tell you how

good they are? Beware.

>> Have someone read Matthew 7:1-2 Are they constantly judgmental? Then beware. Are they always aware of others faults but

never their own? Beware.

>> Have someone read Matthew 5:28. Do they scope women down? Beware.

>> Have someone read Matthew 5:4. Ever notice that those who are often the most profound are those who are not free of

suffering?

Note: You see it would be good to really knows what Jesus says and wants so you can see if these qualities are in those who try and tell

you about God. You have to know what Jesus says if you are going to be able to check fruit. You can not look for good fruit if you do

not know what good fruit is!!!

>>>> Have someone read Matthew 7:19-20.

Note: Note that Jesus again repeats, so we will not forget, what is so important in determining good leadership. Check their fruit! Not

how they talk but what is in their lives!

Q What is Jesus saying in 7:19?

An = That there will be judgment of those who do not live the life. You see it does not matter what you think of me as your leader, but

what I really am. I will be judged, as all leaders will be in the end of time by what we truly are!

RQ Are we not often more caught with how leaders "image" than who they really are?

Note: There will be a judgment and that includes us leaders. Let us see how Bible study leaders, pastors, ministers, school

leaders, etc., will be judged.

B. Coming Judgment on Hypocrisy: Second Word of Advice, Matthew 7:21-23.

Note: Jesus is a good teacher. He uses in the next few verses a very affective teaching devise: an imagined "time-travel" into the

future. He will transport His audience to the end of time and let them see the final judgment. This is so we can make good judgments now, since we are

aware of what the "real or final" judgment will be based on.

>>>> Have someone read Matthew 7:21.

Q What does this verse mean? What does the phrase "Lord, Lord" mean?

An = In Israelite society of that time they were forbidden to speak divine Name for God: "Jehovah", "Yahweh" or "Yahve'" because they

did not want to "take the Lord's Name in vain". If they did not speak the Name, they were less likely to violate its sanctity. Whether that was the best

way to obey the third of the Ten Commandments is debatable, but what it did to their reading of the Old Testament is interesting and has bearing on our

understanding this verse.

Through out the Old Testament is the phrase in Hebrew: "adonnai, Yahweh". Simply translated: "Lord Yahweh", in our English

translations: Lord God. What it meant is: "Yahweh is Lord". The verse "to be" if often left out in Hebrew. So "Adonnai Yahweh" is a confession of

faith: "I confess that, Yahweh, He is Lord".

However, since the Jews would not say the word: "Yahweh" anymore, the phrase someone would hear in a Jewish synagogue service was:

"Adonnai, Adonnai" or "Lord, Lord", or in Greek: "Kurie, Kurie", or in the new coming Christian communities: "Jesus is Lord", or "I confess Jesus is my

Lord and Savior". "Lord, Lord" in the ancient communities was a confession of faith, of professed loyalty to God.

Q So what is Jesus saying in Matthew 7:21?

An = Just saying I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, or just confessing Jesus Christ as my Savior will not be enough. "Not

everyone who says to Me, I am Lord, will enter in the kingdom of heaven."

In other words, there will be folks who confess, even to God that they believe and will not be a part of God's kingdom. That applies us

to ministers as well. I can proclaim God, prayer to God all I want, but it will not be enough.

Q So what else is needed according in 7:21?

An = We have to actually do the will of God who is in heaven.

Q So what is verse 21 saying in a nut shell?

An = It does not matter what a prophet, a leader, a teacher confesses but also what he or she does! CHECK THE FRUIT!!

C. Not the Spectacular Gifts, But Faithful Obedience/Submission: Third Word of Advice, Matthew 7:22-23.

>>>> Have someone read Matthew 7:22-23.

Q What is this final warning about?

An = This seems confusing. Lets break the metaphor down.

Q What four things did these people do in God's Name?

An = Confess Him, prophesy in His Name, cast out demons, and do miracles in Jesus' Name. Those who do such things must certainly be

true teachers of the will of God!!!

Q Does Jesus agree?

An = Seemingly not! Note: In the early church the most powerful spiritual gift was the gift of prophesy (I Corinthians 14:1), being

able to speak forth the will of God by divine aid from God. Prophesy is a public gift and the greatest of them all. Notice that casting out demons and

doing miracles are also public displays of God's power working through an individual. Note: If God speaks through us, or does a miracles or casts out a

demon through us does not make us great men or great women of God. To be able to do these things is a gift from God. It is God who is great, not us who

pass along that gift.

The key is not is God using us but are we truly obedient to Him!

>>>> Re-read Matthew 7:23.

Q What does Jesus mean: "I never knew you?"

An = He did not know us personally. So even if we did the great spectacular works of God, but did not know Him we will be judged.

What does it mean to know Him? They key is in the last phrase, and sadly it could be better translated. The NIV says you are "evildoers" and that is OK

but the better translation is "depart from Me you who are lawless". In other words, if My Word does not have authority over your actions then you are not

"under the law", you are in rebellion. In other words, WE MUST HAVE FRUIT as described in the Sermon the Mount, not just successful

service!!

>>>> Have someone read Luke 6:46.

Q So how do we determine who should guide us and influence us?

An = Do such leaders actually listen to Jesus' teaching, do they have the fruit described in Matthew 5-7. It is not enough if we make a

Christian confession or even are used of God in a mighty way, but whether we actually obey the teachings on the Sermon on the Mount.

Q Is Jesus against miracles or confession of Faith?

An = Of course not! In chapters 8 and 9 of Matthew Jesus will do large amounts of miracles and exorcisms. He is just saying, there is

no short cut to obedience.

III. Conclusion the Sermon On the Mount: Matthew 7:24-29

>>>> Have someone read Matthew 7:24-27

Q How does one build their rock or their live on solid rock?

An = He who hears and acts upon the words in this sermon. It is not "being a Christian but actually obeying the words".

Q Does this metaphor refer to this life or the life to come?

Q Is there an option to obedience.

An = It is so sad to read "and great was its fall". It is not optional.

>>>> Have someone read in conclusion Matthew 27:28-29.

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Early Church Persecution

I pulled this great article from this Christian Author's Site:

INTRODUCTION

This article is an introductory look at the persecution of the early church. The Jewish social setting and subsequent persecution of the Christians by the Jews will be looked at first, followed by the Roman social setting and persecution of the Christians by the Romans.

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS BY JEWS - IN JERUSALEM

SOCIAL SETTING

Jewish Scholars point to the rejection of the Torah as the basis of the conflict between Christians and Jews, while many Christian scholars have pointed to the rejection of the Messiah as the basis of the conflict.1 A closer look at the complex social setting of Jerusalem during the first century will reveal a much more complex set of events.

Judaism of the first century was composed of eight very different groups of Jews. In the same way that it would be a gross misrepresentation to lump Mormons, Muslims and Atheists in the same category, so it would be likewise inaccurate to lump Jews of this time period into one category, simply based on their national or ethnic identity. Here is a brief overview of the various groups, focusing on the political aspects of their identity, since politics were at a fever pitch in this complex and struggling nation:

Sadducees: This was a group of wealthy Jews who controlled the Temple, which enabled them to continuously generate the financial resources to remain in power. While not completely embracing their Roman occupiers, they sided with the Romans to help themselves remain in power over the temple.

Am Ha- 'aretz: The people of the land. These were the segment of the common peasant population, which paid little attention to the observance of the Torah and seemed to shun the study of the Torah.2 This group would have included any Jews who proclaimed atheism and by and large held little political power.

Scribes: Literally translated as one who can write. These were the scholars of their day.

Essences: A sect which separated themselves from the cities, observing extreme purity and piety in the deserts, awaiting a sure eschaton to come in their generation, which would remove the foreign invaders from Judah and establish a new order.

Zealots and Sicarii: The Sicarii were the terrorists of their day. They would hide small knives under their garments and in the midst of busy crowds stab specific offenders. Politically they served to stir up sentiments of war against those they opposed.3

Hellenized Jews: An ever-growing population of Jews who were embracing the new order of Hellenism to the exclusion of Judaism. The reasons for this transformation were numerous, chief of which were financial and political gains that came with embracing and trading in Hellenized areas.

Pharisees: The people who were most focused on Torah worship and observing with rigid detail not only the laws of the Torah, but also the laws created to build a fence around the Torah. This group of people felt great pressure from multiple directions. They had the Sadducees controlling the temple, the Hellenized world enticing Jews to view Judaism as the old way, Hellenism as the wave of the future and the Roman government oppressing them. They were holding on to a belief that seemed to be fading away in this complex and changing world.

Going back to the initial arguments of why the Jews persecuted the Christians, Jewish scholars who point to the lack of Torah worship as the basis for the conflict discount the fact that many groups in this world were not observing the Torah, with little to no persecution being directed at them. Paul was said to have observed the Torah worship when in the company of Jews, but he still faced persecution.4 In addition, records found in the Dead Sea Scrolls speak of an anti-ritualistic sentiment within the Jewish population. Christian scholars who point to the rejection of the Messiah as the basis of the conflict fail to recognize than the Essences and other obscure sects used messiah language and some even claimed to be a messiah, yet there is no record of directed persecutions among those groups. To better understand what could have caused the persecution of the Christians within Jerusalem, the record of Christian activity in Acts must be observed.

In the first seven chapters of Acts, during the Apostles' witness to Jerusalem, the Apostles were found in the temple preaching. Those in attendance of such sermons would have been the Sadducees and Pharisees. The message of a new kingdom reserved only for those who professed Christ would have angered the Sadducees by threatening their power hold on the temple. As much as they would have desired freedom from foreign invaders their link with the Romans helped to keep them in power and thus the Christian message was an affront to their capital. Likewise, the same message would have been even more distasteful to the Pharisees. It would have struck the same already raw nerve of the invading Hellenism in that Christianity, like Hellenism, demoted the very symbols of their ethic solidarity of purity, food laws, Sabbath and circumcision. Judaism was once again being portrayed as obsolete by yet another new philosophy in the new, enlightened world.

It was not merely the message of the Christians that resulted in persecution, but the combination of the wrong message to the wrong people at the wrong time. Had the Christians been preaching their message to groups such as the Hellenized Jews or the Am Ha- 'aretz they would have probably been met with either acceptance or at worst disinterest. However, their choice of groups and venues ignited a powder keg that was already set to explode. Josephus observed this great hatred and unrest poised to strike back at the Hellenistic and Roman threats. In his autobiography he talks about his effort to defuse an impending revolt:

I perceived that innovations had already begun, and that there were a great many very much elevated in hopes of a revolt from the Romans. ... [I] Persuaded them to change their minds...and this I said with vehement exhortation, because I foresaw that the end of such a war would be most unfortunate to us. But I could not persuade them; for the madness of desperate men was quite too hard for me.5

Needless to say, "loving your enemies" was not met with the greatest enthusiasm.

So the motivation for the persecution of the Jews in Jerusalem changes, based on which group is being addressed. The Sadducees were fighting to maintain the established order, the Pharisees were fighting against the degeneration of the Torah worship and many others were poised to invoke a revolution against the Roman invaders. There was no one reason for the persecution, but rather a complex web of cause and effect relationships.

RESULTING PERSECUTION

In the eyes of the Roman government Christianity, which at this time had no official title, was seen as merely another religious segment within Judaism. With so many sects within the Jewish community, it is easy to see how Romans viewed Christians as merely one more peculiarity in a nation of peculiar people and religious beliefs. So the Jews had very little recourse in turning to the Romans to persecute Christians. This resulted in the trial and stoning of Stephen without help from the Roman authorities.6 While it was unusual for Jews to execute capital punishment under the Roman governance, it was not unheard of. In John's account of the trial before Pilot, Pilot tells the Jews to judge him themselves. They respond that it is not lawful for them to put anyone to death.7 However, in the context of them demanding Jesus be put to death, the comment by Pilot seems to suggest they were known for doing just such a thing, on occasion.

Before the stoning of Stephen, the Christians were living in Jerusalem, worshiping and praying in the temple daily. After the beginning of the Christian persecution in Jerusalem, they were forced out and subsequently began to travel to other cities, spreading the gospel to the Diaspora Jews first and the Gentiles second. It must also be noted here that the persecution of Christians by the Jews was not a unified effort. It was largely the Pharisees and the Sadducees who pressed for the persecutions.

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS BY JEWS - IN THE ROMAN WORLD

SOCIAL SETTING

Unlike the Jews of Jerusalem who viewed the Romans solely in terms of an enemy occupation, the Jews of the Diaspora had learned to co-exist with the Romans in a tense truce, having lived in many of the Roman cities for generations. The Roman Pagans had accepted the Jewish people as a reality and each group had their own butchers and did their own separate sacrifices for their meats to be sold in the marketplace. The Jews in the Roman Diaspora had also attained a measure of wealth and influence in the Roman world.8

RESULTING PERSECUTION

When Paul would arrive at a new city he would first go to the synagogue and preach to the Diaspora Jews. The Jews who rejected his message were often the ones who would go to the Roman authorities to incite them against Paul. This union of Roman and Jewish persecution of Christians is seen in Acts 14. In that story, the Jews go to the Roman authorities to seek Roman action, subsequently resulting in the punishment of stoning, which was the Jewish form of capital punishment.9

Jews who rejected the message of Paul, desired both to disassociate themselves and to prejudice authorities, portraying Christians as dangerous revolutionaries. It was a mass-conversion in Antioch when Christians first received a nickname differentiating themselves from their Jewish counterparts.10 This differentiation opened a new era of persecution from a Roman world that gave no such religious immunities to Christians, as it had for the Jews.

ROMAN PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

SOCIAL SETTING

It was not long before Christians became a recognizable and particularly detested segment of the Roman world. By 64 AD they were already so set that Nero was able to use them as a likely scapegoat in his Smokey the Bear campaign, which will be discussed in the next section.11

The problem with converted Christians is the way in which they broke from the social norms that were vastly important in the Roman world. From arranged marriages to well prepared dinner banquets for select guests, political positioning of families was key to survival in this world. However, when friends or political acquaintances converted to Christianity they would withdraw almost entirely from the political structure. They refused to partake in the festivals and games, rejecting the gods, which they felt kept their nation strong for so long. They rejected the divinity of the Emperor--a sin that the gods would not allow go unpunished for long. They even refused to partake in joyous sexual ritual prostitution and lively drinking bouts. In addition, some of the Christians refused the meat from the markets, because it was routine for the cuts to be part of the sacrificial system. And most personal, they refused invitations to dine with other long time friends and families. These kill-joys were shunning their former political alliances and beginning to make enemies out of one time allies and friends.12

The difficulty for Christians only compounded as the tensions leading to the persecutions grew. For Jewish Christians the temptation to fall back to their safe Jewish roots in which they were raised also held the lure of being able to once again claim Jewish religious legal immunity. Gentile Christians had no natural link to this religion with its' roots in Judaism and no political power to protect or aid them or their families. The fact that the Christian church was able to survive was nothing short of a miracle.13

RESULTING PERSECUTIONS

The ten persecutions of the Christians spanning from 64 AD to 313 AD was ascribed by the fourth century Christian church as the ten horns of the beast in Revelation and by the ten plagues seen in Egypt.15 The persecutions, each with varying motives and reasons, all share the same peculiar markings in that while the persecutions were historically verifiable, no recorded laws have survived that specify reasons for the persecutions. As the persecutions evolved from one generation to the next, the subsequent generation seemed to use the past persecutions as edict enough for continuing or reigniting them. For example, in response to Pliny on how to deal with and prosecute Christians, Emperor Trajan writes, "No general rule can be laid out in fixed terms." However, he does say unequivocally, "Certain accusations published anonymously should not be entertained on any charge. For they both set a very bad precedence and are alien to the spirit of our age." Pliny was content in sentencing Christians to death for simply being too stubborn in their holding to Christianity in the face of certain death.16

Stemming from the second persecution under Domitian, the charge of refusing to worship the Imperial Cult seemed to be the first and great charge against the Christians. Some have argued that atheism was the charge against Christians; however, atheism in and of itself was not a crime in the Roman Empire. If, though, Christianity was held to with such stubbornness that one refused to pay alms to the Imperial Cult, then the subject was in violation of law. However, the worship of the Imperial Cult was not an issue until the reign of Domitian who, unlike his predecessors, forced the people to address him as their "Lord and their God" during his lifetime, and not after--when Caesars ascended to the level of a god. Domitian even had coins made bearing his likeness that read "father of the gods."17

THE TEN PERSECUTIONS

1. Persecution under Nero 67 AD -- Nero burned a great portion of Rome in a fire that lasted nine days. When word got out that Nero started the fire an uproar forced him to find a scapegoat and so he blamed Christians. During this first great persecution of the Christians Nero started a trend that lasted throughout all ten of the persecutions in that he devised new and increasingly gruesome punishments, including sewing animal skins to Christians and releasing wild dogs to eat them alive. He also put shirts dipped in wax on some of the Christians and then lit them on fire, using them to illuminate his gardens for his invited guests. His acts were so heinous that even the Romans felt sorrow toward the Christians. Paul and Peter died in this first round of persecution.18

2. Persecution under Domitian 81 AD -- Known for cruelty, he killed his brother and many senators, some due to his hatred of them and others to simply confiscate their lands. He also ordered the death of the entire lineage of David. His persecution of Christians stemmed from their refusal to worship him as a god, something most emperors up to this point refused to accept. Among those killed during this persecution was Simeon, the Bishop of Jerusalem. He tried to boil John alive, but when he miraculously survived he was banished to Patmos. Timothy was beaten by a crowd of people on their way to celebrate a pagan feast. He was beaten so badly that he died from his wounds two days later. During the persecution, if any famine pestilence or earthquake happened, the blame was laid on the Christians.19

3. Persecution under Trajan 108 AD -- Much the same continued regarding Imperial Cult worship during Trajan's reign. Ignatius was the most famous of the martyrs of this persecution.20

4. Persecution under Marcus Aurelius Antonius 162 AD -- So brutal were the means by which these martyrs were persecuted that it is said the Pagan onlookers would shutter with horror at the sights and some became converts at, "A faith which inspired such fortitude." Polycarp and Justin Martyr were given crowns of martyrdom during this persecution.21

5. Persecution commencing with Severus 192 AD -- The age of Tertullian, who said that if the Christians removed themselves from Rome at this time, it would have suffered a great depopulation. In a reversal of the source of the persecutions a Christian healed Emperor Severus of a sickness, but the multitudes demanded the execution of Christians and the reapplication of the defunct Imperial Cult laws to apply to Christians. Many who suffered martyrdom under this persecution fell during games at the amphitheaters. Leonidus, father of Origen was beheaded during this persecution.22

6. Persecution under Maximus 235 AD -- In Cappadocia the president Seremianus did all he could to exterminate the Christians from that province. During this time Christians were martyred without trial and their bodies were cast into pits as many as 50 or 60 at a time.23

7. Persecution under Decius 249 AD -- There were two causes of this persecution. First, Decius hated his predecessor Philip, who was deemed a Christian and second he was jealous of the rampant growth of Christianity, causing the heathen temples to decrease in attendance. By this time many schisms in the Church body had formed and the persecution was met by a divided Church. Fabian, Bishop of Rome was entrusted by Philip to care for his treasure. When Decius seized it and found less than he expected he had Fabian decapitated--the first martyrdom of this persecution. Many soon followed with yet another new set of imaginative deaths to befall those refusing to renounce Christ. Of note, Origen, like his father before him, was sentenced to death. He was thrown in prison where his feet were pierced and his legs were stretched for several days. He was threatened by fire and tortured with long, slow pains such as these for days upon days. However, before any death could befall him, Emperor Decius died and his successor Gallus engaged in a war with the Goths, leaving the Christians with a respite. Origen, having been given a release, retired to his home and died of natural causes five years later. During the reign of Gallus a plague broke out in the empire. So Gallus ordered sacrifices be made by all in the empire. When Christians refused the magistrates had many of them put to death.24

8. Persecution under Valerian 257 AD -- This emperor likewise invented new and distasteful ways of persecuting Christians. Most interesting, however, was the turn of events that marked the end of this, one of the greatest persecutions of the church. Sapor, the King of Persia, captured Valerian and literally used him as a footstool when he mounted his horses. After subjecting him to be a slave in his kingdom for eight years the Persian king then had Valerian's eyes put out. Still seeking more gruesome ways to torment him, he had Valerian flayed alive and then rubbed with salt until he died.25

9. Persecution under Aurelian 274 AD -- The reign of Aurelian, though not this persecution, was short-lived as his own servants put him to death. However, the following emperors who replaced him (and subsequently were likewise met with quick ends) continued the persecution.26

10. Persecution under Diocletian 303 AD -- Commonly called the Era of martyrs. Christians were increasing and becoming wealthy. On February 23, 303 Diocletian set forth his work to extinguish Christianity in one day. Watching on from on high the churches were raided, razed to the ground, and the documents burned. Not satisfied with just this, he purposely burned a portion of the city so that he could blame the Christians and further his cause. Countless Christians were martyred in an endless number of ways. The entire city of Phrygia, known for all of its inhabitants being Christian, was burned to the ground with all the people of the city dying in the fire. The torture and martyrdom was so severe that several pagan governors accused the Imperial Court with impropriety. Because of this, some Christians escaped death, but not before having their ears cut off, right eyes poked out, noses slit, limbs dislocated with such severity that they were rendered useless, and finally branded with red-hot irons.27

One final item of note: The persecution of the Christians was not a continuing event in the Roman Empire. With some expected exceptions, the time in between these distinct persecutions was rather peaceful for the Church. With each new emperor however, they were met with new uncertainties.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the reasons for the various persecutions of the Christians were as varied and complex as the world in which the early church lived. It is a mistake to oversimplify the issue in an effort to categorize it. As has been documented, Christians suffered persecution from both Jews and Gentiles. The reasons for the persecutions varied with each group, as well as from within each group. There is much speculation as to the motives and reasons behind the persecutions. However, there are very few surviving documents, legal or otherwise, which express the grounds for such persecutions, other than the fact that they were simply, "Christians."

WORKS CITED

Fox, John. Fox' Book of Martyrs. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1962.

Hare, Douglas R. A. The Theme of Jewish persecution of the Christians in the Gospel According to St. Matthew. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967.

Josephus, Flavius. The Works of Flavius Josephus, Translated by William Whiston. Philadelphia, PA: Henry T. Coates & CO.

Roetzel, Calvin. The World That Shaped the New Testament. London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.

Whittaker, Molly. Jews & Christians: Graeco-Roman Views. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Workman, Herbert. Persecution in the Early Church. London: The Epworth Press, 1923.

APPENDIX

Christian and Pagan Primary Sources Speaking of the Persecution

This information is taken largely from Molly Whittaker's Jews and Christians: Graeco-Roman Views. See the Works Cited Page for more details. This is not intended as an exhaustive list.

New Testament:

Mark 15:39

Matthew 27:54

Luke 23:47

Acts 11:19-26

Acts 13:42-50

Acts 14:1-6

Acts 14:18-20

Acts 16:13-40

Acts 17:1-9

Acts 17:10-14

Acts 17:17-21

Acts 17:32-33

Acts 18:12-18

Acts 19:23ff

Acts 19:40

Acts 22:25-9

Acts 23:26-33

Acts 24:22-7

Romans 13:1-6

I Peter 4:12-16

Hebrews 10:32-4

Revelation 2:13ff

Early Christian Sources:

Ignatius Letter to Romans 5.1

Martydom of Polycarp 1-19

Justin martyr Apology 2.9-20

Acts of Justin

Letter of the Gallican Church

Octavius 8.3-5

Octavius 9.1-6

Octavius 10.1-4

Octavius 31.1-2

Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs

Origen Celsum 1.9

Origen Celsum 1.28

Origen Celsum 2.55

Origen Celsum 3.12

Origen Celsum 3.55

Origen Celsum 5.14

Origen Celsum 7.9

Origen Celsum 8.24

Origen Celsum 8.67-9

Origen Celsum 1.28

Galen Reference 6 (Pg. 15)

Epictetus 4.7.6

Lucian On the Death of Peregrinus 333-8; 341

Alexander the False Prophet 232.25; 244.38-245

Tertullian Apology 50

Pagan Sources:

Tacitus Ann. 13.32.3-5

Tacitus Ann. 15.44.2-8

Life of Nero 16

Pliny Letter 10.96.1-10

Pliny Letter 10.97

FOOTNOTES

1. Douglas R. A. Hare, The Theme of Jewish persecution of the Christians in the Gospel According to St. Matthew (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967), 2.

2. Calvin J. Roetzel, The World That Shaped the New Testament, (London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 59f.

3. Ibid, 57ff.

4. Hare, 6f.

5. Flavius Josephus, The Works of Flavius Josephus, trans. William Whiston (Philadelphia, PA: Henry T. Coates & CO.), 3.

6. Molly Whittaker, Jews & Christians: Graeco-Roman Views, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984), 133.

7. John 18:31

8. Whittaker, 133

9. Whittaker also notes similar incidents in 13:42-50, 17:1-9, 10-14, (Whittaker, 133).

10. Acts 11:19-26

11. Whittaker, 134.

12. Ibid, 133f.

13. Ibid, 133.

14. Revelations 17:3, 6.

15. Herbert B. Workman, Persecution in the Early Church, (London: The Epworth Press, 1923), 9.

16. Wittaker, 134.

17. Roetzel, 113f.

18. John Fox, Fox' Book of Martyrs, (New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1962), 5f.

19. Ibid, 6f.

20. Ibid, 7f.

21. Ibid, 8ff.

22. Ibid, 12f.

23. Ibid, 14.

24. Ibid, 14ff.

25. Ibid, 18ff.

26. Ibid, 22ff.

27. Ibid, 24ff.

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This Nashville SEO article is reprinted with permission.

Choosing a reputable SEO in Nashville, Tennessee can be daunting, considering that there is so little knowledge available on what to look for. Companies paying for advertisements in the Nashville Scene, Citysearch or the Tennessean are trying to attach their name to the credibility of those established organizations, but it does help you choose a top ranked or top rated SEO Firm. So we here at Nashville SEO Info are going to give you the four key scams to watch out for, when searching for an SEO Firm as good as ours:

SEO WANNA-BE’S

Search engine optimization is one of those unknown fields that has no established standards. Anyone can say they are an SEO or can do SEO work, but that does not mean they have the talent, time or tools to produce any results. There are also programs that claim to help search engine ranking. They do not work either. Period.

An easy way to spot an unknowledgeable SEO or a web designer who poses as an SEO is to ask them if they optimized your site when they designed it. They will answer, "Oh yeah, I optimized it."

That is equivalent to saying, "Oh yeah, I've been worked out." Working out and SEO are never one time events. They are always on-going projects.

SEO SUBMISSION SCAMS

A lot of companies will also call people and tell them that they will submit their sites to 2000 directories, which will build their search engine ranking. It is a form of link campaigning--albeit lopsided and one-dimensional. The problem with these "auto-submissions" is that the directories to which they are submitting have safe-guards in place to reject these kinds of mass submissions. Now, here is the scam: the company has technically done what they promised they would do, SUBMIT your site, even though 99% of those submissions will be rejected and thus be of no use to building a client’s search engine ranking.

SEO KEYWORD SCAMS

Another prevalent scam in the industry is for SEOs to try to gull you into letting them pick the phrases to dominate. For instance, say you are real estate agent and your website is: www.MollyLynnMorganRealEstate.com

A scam SEO will come to you and say, "We can get you a #1 ranking for ‘Molly Lynn Morgan Real Estate." They can probably do that for you. Unfortunately, none of your potential clients are going to Google and typing in that phrase.

More sophisticated SEOs will come to you and tell you, "I will try to get you the ranking 'Real Estate in Middle Tennessee.'" That sounds like a wonderful phrase to dominate, but their data has told them that no legitimate SEOs are going after that phrase; because, again, while it might sound good, very few people are actually typing that in. People are actually most often using either 'Nashville Real Estate' or 'Nashville Tennessee Real Estate.'

What a legitimate SEO will do (like we do here at Nashville SEO Info) is to show you the actual data. We will show you the exact numbers of how many people per month are searching for the product or services you offer and what exact keyphrases they are typing in. We won’t go after any of the silly phrases above. We will show you the data AND LET YOU CHOOSE!

BLACK HAT SEO

There are short cuts that can be used to quickly build a ranking. These shortcuts involve “spammy” techniques that are referred to as Black Hat SEO. One of these techniques includes overloading a website with keywords. This works temporarily, but once the Google algorithm figures out what the site is doing, they will banish the site to what is referred to as “Google hell.” This simply means that the site is marked to never be allowed to have a good ranking in the system.

SEOs will sometimes do this because it is the easier than doing the work the honest way. In the long run, the hard, honest way is more effective and far more safe, but it does take longer. A few years ago BMW of Germany hired an SEO firm. This SEO firm applied some black hat techniques and Google found out. BMW of Germany was banished to Google hell and the auto giant spent the next few years and millions of dollars wooing Google to allow them back in to the system. Google finally agreed, but unless you have millions of dollars and the power of a automotive giant, you have to be careful who you allow to do SEO work on your behalf.

We at Nashville SEO Info know where the line is and we stay miles away from it. This puts us in a position where we end up having to do more work to achieve our results, but it ensures that once we attain high rankings for our clients, they will never have to worry about Google one day deleting their site!

Mens Bible Studies on the Sermon on the Mount

Friday, July 18, 2008

Sermon On the Mount | MATTHEW 7:15-29 | CHOOSING LEADERS

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