• Paul is instrumental in telling the world about Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and message
• He travels far and wide: Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, Rome, Jerusalem, and maybe even Spain and Britain 
• He writes letters too many of those he spoke to-these epistles are a part of the New Testament 
• If not for the efforts of Paul, it is likely that Jesus remains an obscure preacher, instead of the central figure of the world's largest region 
• Caligula-good start 
• In addition to being Germanicus' son, he was Tiberius' adopted grandson and great nephew-putting him net in line for emperor
• He started off well: granting bonuses to those in the military, declaring treason trials a thing in the past, and made government spending a matter of public record 
• All in all, the first seven months of Caligula's reign were "completely blissful" (according to the historian Philo)
• Bad finish for Caligula 
• He began to fight with the Senate
• He claimed to be a god, and had statues displayed in many places-including the Jewish temple in Jerusalem 
• Other examples of cruelty and insanity: he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it, indulged in too much spending and sex, and even tried to make his horse a consul and a priest
• Assassinated by his own aides, A.D. 41 (age 28)
• Claudius 
• Ostracized y his family because of his disabilities (limp, slight deafness, possible speech impediment-thought to be cerebral palsy or polio), he was the last adult male in his family when Caligula was killed
• He rose to the occasion: he conquered Britain; he built roads, canals, and, aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
• Meanwhile-religious troubles
• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic 
• Romans had many gods, plus at times emperor was viewed as a god
• A.D. 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)
• The western wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• Half a million Jews died in the rebellion 
• persecution of Christians 
• Romans were harsh towards those who would not worship the emperor
• Especially Christians, who were viewed as followers of a new unstart religion (cult)
• Often used for “entertainment” purposes in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions, etc.)
• Despite the oppression, Christians grew quickly-by A.D. 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman Empire were Christians