A Sad Ironic Echo In The History Of The Middle East

As conservative right-wing "Christian" politicians and leaders in the West call for increased military action and bombing in the Middle East to exact peace, I am struck by the sad irony of this echoing of history. 

In the beginning of the First Century, Rome was the world superpower occupying the Middle East enforcing peace through violent military force for the political and economic stability necessary for exploitation. The oppression of these lands then, like today, was legitimised to the people through religion.  In the day of Rome it was done through the Imperial Cult, a state religion focusing on their ruler, Caesar.  Julius Caesar was formally deified as "the divine Julius".  His adopted son, Augustus, became known as, “son of the divine Julius”, or, “son of the god”. Much was made of the “Pax Romana”, the Roman Peace, a period of relative peace throughout the lands occupied by Rome imposed through brutal military force.  In territories like the Middle East, this was accomplished through military bases or garrisons and through the employment of client kings like King Herod in Palestine and similar to the use of puppet dictators by Western powers in modern history like the Shah of Iran, Iyad Allawi, Husni Mubarak, and Tunisia’s ruling elite.  Caesar was hailed as the, “Prince of Peace”, and propaganda monuments were set up in the occupied territories announcing the “gospel”, or good news of his military victories.

In response to this dominant and pervasive doctrine of god sanctioned power through military might, a rag tag group in occupied Palestine offered a subversive view that was the antithesis of their Roman oppressors.  Their leader, a rural backwoods Rabbi of no standing, delivered a message of peace through love and non-violence.  He taught that God blessed the meek, not the powerful, and that we should love our enemies and do good to those who want to harm us.  He stated that those who want to be leaders should be the servants of all rather than the oppressors.  His followers subverted the Roman doctrine of the divine right of power through violence by expropriating the Roman symbols and language.  Their leader, Jesus, was the true, “Son of God”, and, “Prince of Peace”.  They called the books they wrote about their leader and his teachings by the Greek word, “euaggelion”, from which we get the word, “Gospel”, which was the same word used by Roman propaganda in the area proclaiming the good news of Caesar’s military victories.

The sad irony is that many modern adherents to the religion that descended from this movement now play the role of Rome and Caesar rather than that of Jesus and his followers.  Jesus’ subversive message of peace through love and generosity rather than violence seems to have been totally lost on them.  They have become the oppressors instead, using military power and violence to exploit others.  To top the irony off, they often try to justify it in the name of a man who taught the exact opposite.