Killing Jesus: A History

In 42 BCE, two years after Julius Caesar’s death, his nephew Octavian prepares for battle against the men who killed him. Octavian’s ally, the general and statesman Marc Antony, prepares to lead the army into battle, while Octavian takes charge of strategy. Since the death of his uncle in the Senate, Octavian has capitalized on Caesar’s popularity and the general outrage at the assassination to proclaim Caesar a god and himself as Divi Filius, Latin for Son of God. He declares his uncle’s murderers to be enemies of the state and successfully wages war against them.

The “shock waves” (57) of Caesar’s death and Octavian’s power grab are slow to reach Judea, but Joseph—Jesus’s father—feels them in his childhood. Julius Caesar, though he worshiped Roman gods, was respectful of the Jewish faith, understanding that maintaining peace in Judea during his occupation would provide a buffer between the volatile political powers of Syria and Egypt. But Caesar presided over a republic with at least nominal checks and balances. With his victory, Octavian replaces the republic with an empire, and Roman control over its provinces becomes crueler and more absolute.

Octavian and Marc Antony eventually square off for ultimate power, with Antony allying himself with Queen Cleopatra of Egypt.