During the time of Jesus, several major Roman rulers played significant roles in the governance of the Roman Empire and the regions surrounding Judea. The most notable include:
1. **Augustus 奧古斯都 (27 BC – AD 14):**
- Augustus, known as Octavian before he became emperor, was the first Roman Emperor and the reigning emperor at the time of Jesus's birth.
- His reign marked the beginning of the Roman Empire after the end of the Roman Republic.
- He established a period of relative peace known as the Pax Romana, which allowed for the spread of Christianity after Jesus's death.
> [!bible]+ [Luke 2:1-4 - NIV](https://bolls.life/NIV/42/2/)
> The Birth of Jesus<br/>
> 1. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
> 2. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
> 3. And everyone went to his own town to register.
> 4. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
2. **Tiberius (AD 14 – AD 37):**
- Tiberius was the stepson of Augustus and his successor as emperor.
- Most of Jesus's ministry and his crucifixion occurred during the reign of Tiberius.
- Tiberius was known for his reclusive and sometimes paranoid rule, but he continued many of Augustus’s policies, maintaining the stability of the empire.
3. **Pontius Pilate (AD 26 – AD 36):**
- While not an emperor, Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea during the time of Jesus's ministry.
- Pilate is a well-known figure in the Christian narrative as the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his crucifixion.
- His rule was marked by tensions between the Roman authorities and the Jewish population.
4. **Herod the Great (37 BC – 4 BC):**
- Herod was the king of Judea under Roman rule and was known for his extensive building projects, including the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
- He was ruling at the time of Jesus's birth and is infamous for the biblical account of the Massacre of the Innocents, an attempt to kill Jesus as a child by ordering the death of all young male children in Bethlehem.
- Herod's kingdom was divided among his sons after his death.
5. **Herod Antipas (4 BC – AD 39):**
- One of the sons of Herod the Great, he became the tetrarch (ruler of a quarter) of Galilee and Perea.
- Jesus's ministry occurred primarily in the territories governed by Herod Antipas.
- He is known for the execution of John the Baptist and his role in the trial of Jesus, to whom Pilate sent Jesus at one point.
These rulers played various roles in the governance of the region and had differing impacts on the historical and religious landscape of the time. Their reigns coincided with the life of Jesus and the early development of Christianity.
```markdown
Augustus (27 BC - AD 14)
|
|--> Tiberius (AD 14 - AD 37)
|
|--> Jesus's Ministry & Crucifixion
|
|--> Pontius Pilate (AD 26 - AD 36) - Governor of Judea
|
|--> Ordered Crucifixion of Jesus
Herod the Great (37 BC - 4 BC)
|
|--> Massacre of the Innocents at Jesus's Birth
|
|---> Herod Antipas (4 BC - AD 39)
|
|--> Ruler during Jesus's Ministry
|
|--> Execution of John the Baptist
|
|--> Involved in Jesus's Trial
```
| Feature | Herod Antipas | Archelaus |
|------------------------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| **Rule** | Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea | Ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea |
| **Reign** | 4 BC – AD 39 | 4 BC – AD 6 |
| **Relation to Jesus** | Ruled during Jesus's ministry | Not directly related to Jesus's ministry|
| **Notable Events** | - Execution of John the Baptist | - Harsh and tyrannical rule |
| | - Involvement in Jesus's trial | - Deposed by Romans due to complaints |
| **Public Perception** | Known for political shrewdness | Regarded as ineffective and cruel |
| **End of Rule** | Exiled by the Romans to Gaul | Deposed and exiled to Vienne in Gaul |
| **Historical Impact** | Remembered for his role in the New Testament | Known for his misrule that led to his deposition|