Paper 121 Overview: The Times of Michael's Bestowal

Jesus was born during a time that offered the best conditions for his arrival on earth. The Greek language and culture had spread widely, and Roman rule created peace and good roads for travel. This made it easier for Jesus's teachings to spread throughout the world.

The Jewish people were spread across many nations but maintained their religious beliefs. They had synagogues in many places that later became centers where Christianity could spread. Their belief in one God and their expectation of a Messiah helped prepare the way for Jesus's message.

This paper begins with a statement from a midwayer who was once connected to the Apostle Andrew. The midwayer explains that he is allowed to record the story of Jesus's life as observed by his order of beings. Andrew refused to make copies of his written account because Jesus avoided leaving written records.

Jesus was born during a time of spiritual growth on Urantia, not during a time of spiritual decline. The world at that time offered the best conditions for the Creator Son's visit that had ever existed before or since. The Greek culture and language had spread widely, and the Jews were well-suited to spread a new religion.

These favorable conditions are shown by Paul's work. He was a Hebrew by religion who taught about a Jewish Messiah in the Greek language, while being a Roman citizen. European civilization at this time was unified by the Roman political system, the Greek language and culture, and Jewish religious teachings.

The Jews were part of the older Semitic race and were very influential during the first century after Christ. They were located in a strategically important area where many major roads connected different parts of the ancient world. This position helped them become a meeting place for three continents.

The Greek language and culture, Roman roads, and Jewish synagogues scattered across the Roman world created perfect conditions for spreading Jesus's teachings. Each Jewish synagogue welcomed non-Jewish believers called "God-fearers," and Paul made most of his early Christian converts from this group. The centralized temple worship in Jerusalem helped maintain their belief in one God and supported the spreading of this concept to the world.

Although the Roman state wasn't perfect, its widespread peace and prosperity created good conditions for Michael's bestowal. In the first century after Christ, Mediterranean society had five clear social groups: the ruling aristocracy, wealthy business owners and merchants, a small middle class that formed the backbone of the early Christian church, free workers with limited social standing, and slaves who made up half the population.

Slavery was common after Roman conquests, but masters had complete control over their slaves. Many superior slaves could earn wages and eventually buy their freedom. Some freed slaves reached high positions in society, which is why the early Christian church accepted this modified form of slavery. Most people were content with their social position, and Christianity was not meant to solve economic problems.

The non-Jewish people were morally somewhat lower than the Jews, but they were capable of developing good moral character when taught about it. The gentile world at this time was influenced by four main philosophies that came from Greek thought. These shaped how people thought about life and religion.

The four philosophies were: Epicureanism, which focused on finding happiness; Stoicism, which taught that a controlling Reason guided nature and that virtue was its own reward; Cynicism, which taught that people could save themselves through simplicity and virtue; and Skepticism, which claimed that knowledge was impossible and certainty couldn't be achieved. These philosophies were somewhat religious and often uplifting, but they were usually meant for the educated and strong, not for everyone.

In earlier times, religion was mostly about tribes or nations, not individuals. The religions in the western world during Jesus's time included several different types of beliefs and practices. These prepared people to be more open to Christianity when it arrived.

The western religions included: traditional Greek and Roman myths, emperor worship that later caused problems for Jews and Christians, astrology from Babylon, and mystery religions that promised personal salvation. The mystery religions marked the end of national beliefs and led to more personal forms of worship. While these mysteries failed to fully satisfy people's spiritual hunger, they helped prepare the way for Jesus's teachings about the bread and water of life.

By the end of the first century before Christ, religious thinking in Jerusalem had been greatly influenced by Greek culture and philosophy. The western viewpoint of Jewish thought had become more common than the eastern view. Three languages were used in Palestine at that time: common people spoke Aramaic, religious leaders used Hebrew, and educated people spoke Greek.

The Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures greatly influenced the development of Judaism. This helped Paul's Christian teachings spread westward instead of eastward. Hellenized Jews were influenced by Greek philosophy, especially Plato's ideas and Stoic teachings about self-control. Philo of Alexandria worked to combine Greek philosophy with Hebrew theology into a more consistent system, which later influenced Paul's development of Christianity.

By Jesus's time, the Jews had developed firm ideas about their history and destiny. They had built strong barriers between themselves and non-Jews, looking down on other cultures. They worshipped the exact words of the law and were proud of their heritage. Their ideas about the promised Messiah were fixed and unchangeable.

Jesus's teachings about tolerance and kindness went against the Jews' long-standing attitudes toward other peoples. The Jewish leaders kept the people under strict control through religious rules and traditions. These restrictions made it impossible for the Jews to fulfill their divine purpose as messengers of religious freedom. Instead, different people carried forward this teaching, which combined Greek philosophy, Roman law, Hebrew morality, and Jesus's gospel of spiritual freedom.

The author of this paper has used both existing records about Jesus's life and special access to spiritual sources, including the Apostle Andrew's lost record. The paper also discusses how the four Gospels of the New Testament came to be written and what makes each one unique.

Mark wrote the earliest and simplest record of Jesus's life, presenting him as a minister among men. Matthew's Gospel was written for Jewish Christians and shows Jesus as fulfilling prophecies. Luke, a gentile doctor converted by Paul, wrote his Gospel to show Jesus as "the friend of sinners." John's Gospel was written last and covers much of Jesus's work in Judea that wasn't included in the other records. These writers presented honest pictures of Jesus, although they were influenced by Paul's religious teachings.