Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

COLONY

Territories administered as subordinate political units within larger governmental entities, such as empires. A colony may have some autonomy, but in many aspects it is subjugated to the empire or other ruling entity. In the ancient world, empires expanded by conquering nations and cities and turning them into colonies, with the purpose of extracting labor and wealth from them to fund the imperial bureaucracy.

When the Babylonian Empire conquered the nation of Judah (597 b.c.e.), it colonized Jerusalem and the surrounding area. This was not just a military conquest; the Babylonian Empire intentionally left behind in the Jerusalem area a sufficient number of peasants and other people to farm the ground, to pay taxes and tribute, and to provide forced labor for imperial projects. During the time of the Exile (597-539), there were Jewish communities not only in Babylon but also in the Jerusalem area.

In 539 Persia defeated the Babylonian Empire and took control of Jerusalem, which the Persian Empire called the colony of Yehud. Persia administered this colony through appointing or supporting leaders such as Sheshbazzar the governor, Joshua the high priest, Zerubbabel the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and Nehemiah the governor.

During the Greek and Roman periods, Judah and the Jerusalem region formed a colony or similar governmental unit within the ruling empires of the day. Rulers and administrators were known by a variety of terms, including kings, tetrarchs, and governors. Luke and Acts show an awareness of these political structures, naming several of the rulers with their titles, including King Herod of Judea (Luke 1:5), Quirinius the governor of Syria (2:2), Pontius Pilate the governor of Judea (3:1), Herod the tetrarch of Galilee (Luke 3:1, 19; 9:7-9; Acts 12:1-6, 20-23; 13:1), Gallio the proconsul of Achaia (18:12-17), Felix the governor (23:2424:27), Festus the governor (24:2726:32), and King Agrippa (25:1326:32). Similar figures appear throughout the rest of the NT as well as in ancient Greek and Latin literature. Although it is not possible to determine the precise interrelationship of these various governmental officials, it is clear that early Christianity arose in an empire with a complex bureaucratic administration enforced through a number of smaller colonies.

Jon L. Berquist







Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)

Info Language Arrow Return to Top
Prayer Tents is a Christian mission organization that serves Christians around the world and their local bodies to make disciples ("evangelize") more effectively in their communities. Prayer Tents provides resources to enable Christians to form discipleship-focused small groups and make their gatherings known so that other "interested" people may participate and experience Christ in their midst. Our Vision is to make disciples in all nations through the local churches so that anyone seeking God can come to know Him through relationships with other Christians near them.

© Prayer Tents 2024.
Prayer Tents Facebook icon Prayer Tents Twitter icon Prayer Tents Youtube icon Prayer Tents Linkedin icon