Luke chapters 1 and 2 are about the remnant of God’s people in a dark time in Judea’s history. An elderly priestly couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were among the few who held onto faith in the Lord God and the coming Messiah.
Oppressive and mighty Rome took control of the partially Hellenized territories, Judea and Galilee in 63 A.D. No battles were needed because the Jewish infighting in Jerusalem was so great that the religious and political leaders went to Rome and ask for their “help”. The Roman Senate appointed Herod, an immoral and cruel Gentile (an Idumean whose ancestors were Edomites) king over Judea in 40 B.C. After some battles against the Parthians his rule was firmly established by 37 B.C.
Herod was friends of Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) who was given a mandate by the people to rule as dictator for life in 45 B.C. Herod was friends first with Mark Anthony and then with Octavian (27 B.C.-14 A.D.) when Octavian defeated Mark Anthony in 31 B.C. Octavian changed his name to Caesar Augustus (He was grand-nephew of Julius Caesar.) and was declared Rome’s first emperor in 27 B.C.
Like most rulers of the day Herod was ruthless; murdering his wife, his three sons, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle and many others – not to mention the babies in Bethlehem. In order to build many buildings and fortresses he imposed a high Roman tax, leaving many in poverty.
