The First Century

After Paul, Silas, and Timothy departed Philippi they went to Thessalonica. Though they had some success there, they were driven out by some agitators and made their way to Beroea beyond the control of Thessalonian authorities. Paul later made his way to Athens, while Silas and Timothy returned to Thessalonica to check on the community there. 
SHOWNOTES:
Acts 17:1-34; 1 Thess 1:1-10
Financial aid from Philippi (Phil 4:15-16)
Exhortation to right conduct (1 Thess 2:12; 4:1-8)
That some of Jesus' followers would be present when he returned (Mark 13:30) 

After a minor disagreement with Barnabas, Paul decided to go with Silas to visit some of the communities he had evangelized earlier in southern Galatia. There they met a disciple named Timothy who joined them. They all went to Troas where they met a Gentile follower named Luke. Together they travelled to Europe, going to Philippi where they met Lydia. But in that city both Paul and Silas were beaten publicly and imprisoned by local authorities. Though this treatment violated their rights as Roman citizens, Paul and Silas used it to their advantage.    
SHOWNOTES:
Acts 15:40-16:40; 1 Thess 1:1; Gal 4:18; 2 Cor 1:19  
On Lois and Eunice (2 Tim 1:15)
Luke as physician (Col 4:14); Luke as a Syrian of Antioch (Extratextual Prologue to the Gospel of Luke from late second century manuscript. See K. Aland, Synopsis of the Four Gospels, p. 533). 
Missionary work in Philippi (Acts 16:17-40; 1 Thess 2:2; Phil 1:3-6)

Jews in Rome were disturbing the peace, arguing about a slave, or so the Roman officials thought. Based on this, Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome. In Britannia, the rebel leader Caratacus is captured. He, his family, and many of the defeated insurrectionists are brought to Rome in a display of power and might. After a moving speech, Caratacus is granted mercy by Claudius and perhaps even Agrippina, who is sitting on a throne near the princeps. 
 
SHOWNOTES:
Agrippina's speaking birds (Pliny the Elder, NH 10.59 (10.121–122)).
Jews making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus (Suet. Claud. 25.4). 
Oath to Caligula by legions is preserved. CIL II, 172, discovered in Lusitania (modern Portugal). It dates to 11 May 37 CE. https://www.judaism-and-rome.org/printpdf/oath-allegiance-caligula-gaius-lusitania-cil-ii-172
Caratacus (Tacitus Annals 12.36-38)

After the Jerusalem Council, Peter, Paul and some others go to Antioch in Syria. There they have a different understanding of what the council decisions meant. A disagreement occurs and the Antioch Church sends Symeon Niger to Jerusalem for clarity. Paul and Barnabas part ways.  
 
SHOWNOTES:
Gal 2:11-14; Acts 15:13-33
The reconstruction of Acts 15 in this episode and the last one are based in part on the scholarship of J. A. Fitmzyer in Acts of the Apostles (Yale Anchor Bible Commentary; 1998).

Paul decides to visit Jerusalem again, 14 years after his first visit, when he stayed for only 15 days. Gentiles were coming into the church. Some thought those Gentiles needed to become Jewish first, but Paul and others had a different idea. The matter needed to be addressed in Jerusalem by the apostles and elders, led by James, the brother of Jesus. 
SHOWNOTES
The family (siblings) of Jesus (Matt 13:55-56)
Cerinthus's beliefs (Irenaeus AH 1.26.1)
Saying of Jesus ‘It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master’ (Matt 10:25).
The rest of the episode is based on Gal 2:1-10 and Acts 15:1-12

With Messalina out the picture, Claudius says he never wants to marry again. But that sentiment does not last long before he weds his niece, Agrippina the Younger. She brings her son Lucius to the marriage and begins to secure his future and eliminate potential competition. 
 
SHOWNOTES:
Legends about Messalina and her proclivities (Pliny, NH. 10.83)
How Claudius chose his bride (Tacitus. Annals. 12.1-2)
Lucius Vitellius (Dio 59.27.2-4).
Junia Calvina as festivissima omnium puellarum, "the liveliest and most delightful of all young women." (Seneca, Apocol. 8.2). 
Physiognomist pronouncing the futures of Britannicus and Titus  (Suet, Titus, 2)  
Agrippina and Claudius (Tacitus, Annals, 12.3-8)
Agrippina and Lollia Pollina (Tac Ann. 12.22; Dio 60.32.4) 
Agrippina named 'Augusta' (Tacitus, Annals. 12.25-26)
Agrippina renaming her birthplace Colonia Agrippina (Pliny, NH, 31 (17); Tacitus, Annals. 12.27), modern day Cologne, Germany
 
 
 

While Claudius is out of the city, Messalina goes too far and marries her latest paramour, the consul-designate Gaius Silius. Claudius' secretary Narcissus devises a clever plan to make the princeps aware and then Narcissus leads events which end in Messalina's downfall and execution. Not even her mother, her children, or the most prominent Vestal Virgin can save her. 
SHOWNOTES:
This episode is drawn from Tacitus, Annals, 11.12-15, 26-38 and Suetonius, Claudius, 28-29.

While Messalina acquired power for herself and eliminated potential rivals, Claudius decided to celebrate the secular games, but on a revised schedule that would draw laughter from the crowds. During the games, Britannicus and Lucius Domitius (Agrippina's son who would become known as Nero) participated in an equestrian display that delighted the crowds but also drew Messalina's ire. 
In the East, Barnabas and Paul evangelized Galatia. In doing so they were mistaken for the incarnation of Zeus and Hermes. Later, the tides turned and though Paul was stoned and left for dead, he recovered. All of this made an impression on a young man named Timothy. Eventually Barnabas and Paul made their way back to Antioch in Syria, the community which had earlier sent them on mission. 
SHOWNOTES:
Aulus Plautius and Claudius (Suetonius, Claudius, 24.3)
Secular Games (Suetonius, Claudius, 21.4)
Britannicus and Lucius (Tacitus, Annals, 11.11-12; Suetonius, Nero, 6)
Paul and Barnabas in Galatia (Acts 14:1-28) 

Messalina envies the spectacular gardens of Lucullus which have come into the possession of Asiaticus who had served as consul twice, once most recently in 46. To acquire these gardens, she arranges for the accusation and execution of Asiaticus. But he is not the only one to suffer consequences. 
 
SHOWNOTES
This episode is based on Tacitus, Annals, 11.1-3
For more on the Gardens of Lucullus, see Cassius Dio 61.31; Plutarch, Life of Lucullus, 39.
An image of the gardens in ancient Rome, including the gardens of Lucullus.
 
 

The Romans increase their presence in Britannia with the founding of Londinium on the north side of a river. Claudius named Tiberius Alexander procurator of Judea, and he ensures potential problems are dealt with swiftly. This in turn leads to a slight shift in policy as the Sanhedrin attempts to manage the sect of the Nazorean. Paul and Barnabas are sent on mission from Antioch in Syria, and they are accompanied by John Mark for part of their journey. 
 
SHOWNOTES:
An illustration of early Londinium https://www.artstation.com/rocioespin
Tiberius Alexander (Josephus, Antiquities, 20.5.2)
Gamaliel and the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:34-39)
Church in Antioch (Acts 13:1-3)
Some of those persecuted by Paul had gone to Cyprus (Acts 11:19)
Barnabas from Cyprus (Acts 4:34-38)
Mission of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:14-55)