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Gaius Octavian was born in Rome in 63 BC. When his great-uncle Julius Caesar was assassinated for subverting the Roman Republic, young Octavian became his heir at just 18 years old. Although Julius is considered a great general and the man who facilitated Rome’s transition from republic to empire, it was the young Octavian who really oversaw the transition.
Octavian initially teamed up with Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus to defeat his great-uncle’s assassins and split the republic into three. Octavian then conquered his former allies and took sole control of the republic in about 31 BC. Octavian, who deified his great-uncle and renamed him Augustus, overthrew the greatest republic of the ancient world and reborn it as an empire. Brilliant and ruthless, Octavian’s approach both created stability and laid the foundation for the kingdom’s growth – creating an unprecedented 200-year period of peace and strength known as the Pax Romana. The unified empire lasted for more than 400 years, and its eastern successor empire lasted for more than 1,000 years before finally collapsing in 1453 AD.
Octavian was probably the most successful political leader in history. He is perhaps the richest and most powerful man in our world. His legacy permeates everything from the modern political structure of Europe to our calendar, and August is named after him. Nonetheless, the most famous historical passages about Octavian treat him as little more than a footnote. That passage reads:
At that time, Caesar Augustus issued a decree requiring a census of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census conducted during Quirinius’s tenure as governor of Syria.) Everyone went to their own town to be registered. So Joseph also went up to Judea from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem, the city of David, for he was a descendant of David’s family. He went there to register with Mary, who promised to marry him and have a child on the way. (Luke 2:1-5)
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The baby was born to an abandoned teenager and her carpenter husband. He came into the world in a dingy stable in an unimportant province, without fanfare or notice. Because of a prophecy, he will eventually be hunted by the king of the region, thousands of people will be slaughtered in his pursuit, and he will live as a refugee in a foreign land. When he returned, he grew up in obscurity and stayed in his father’s blue-collar profession for more than a decade. While the smallest details of Octavian’s life were recorded, most of the infant’s life was not recorded except for the last three years of his ministry.
Two of the greatest figures in history lived at the same time. They followed very different paths.
At the age of 30, the Bethlehem-born boy began preaching to the poor and disenfranchised in small towns and forgotten places. He began interacting with prostitutes, foreigners, workers, and patients. He would bring healing and hope to those rejected by the world, and ultimately inspire the jealousy and hatred of the religious and political elites of his time. He was betrayed by one of his 12 closest friends and then crucified under Octavian’s successor Tiberius. He died penniless, homeless, and a criminal, and the powerful emperor he ruled knew nothing of it.
Jesus came into the world in a dingy stable in an unimportant province, without fanfare or attention. (Fred de Noyer via Getty Images)
After his death, it was the poor and abandoned who kept his memory alive, even during the reign of the imperial oligarchy. Followers of the Murdered were persecuted but mostly ignored until their numbers became large enough that emperors like Nero attempted to exterminate them. But in their persecution they thrived, for the poor and injured always outnumbered the rich and powerful.
This situation lasted for 300 years until the Roman Emperor Constantine declared tolerance for Christianity in 313 AD. The man was once called the heir to Rome. This is a complete subversion of traditional power ethics. Nietzsche declared this a “slave morality”—ridiculing it as valuing the weak over the strong. For 2,000 years, nearly every dictator has sought to expropriate, corrupt, or destroy this faith.
Although Julius is considered a great general and the man who facilitated Rome’s transition from republic to empire, it was the young Octavian who really oversaw the transition. (iStock)
But today, two thousand years after Augustus forced the impoverished family on the journey to Bethlehem, billions of people around the world are singing not for Octavian but for the frail little boy the world cannot forget:
“Come, Jesus, whom you have long awaited
Born to set your people free;
Free us from fear and sin,
Let us find rest in you.
Israel’s strength and comfort,
You are the hope of the whole earth;
the earnest wishes of the people of all countries,
Every yearning heart is filled with joy.
Born for your people,
Born as a child, became a king,
Born to rule us forever,
Now your merciful kingdom has come.
Augustus is still remembered. Scholars study him. Students read about him in history. One of my own favorite biographies is Adrian Goldsworthy’s excellent Augustus: Rome’s First Emperor. His empire, political legacy, and military innovations shaped the world. If not for the babies born during his reign, he might have been the most famous man of his time. But God and history had other plans. Augustus is now one of the supporting characters in the greatest story ever told – the dates of his birth and death are tied to that night in the manger. In the popular imagination, Octavian’s name is forever associated with that of a greater king.
I believe the timing is intentional. As God sent history’s greatest statesmen into the world, he also raised up his adversaries. One praises the strong, the other praises the gentle. One is to rule by force, the other is to rule by faith. One seeks power, another sacrifices. One preaches loyalty, the other preaches love.
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We now have two billion people who believe that babies are God’s creation, which is a message of hope and healing to all of us who are broken. Jesus ensures that Almighty God is not careless, hurtful, or malicious like the gods of ancient Greece and Rome, but rather, He cares infinitely for every human heart.
The Nativity, 1892. (Photo by Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images)
But even for those who don’t believe in the divinity of Jewish children, there’s a message worth remembering. The important things in the world are often not what we think they are. True influence is not the violent use of power over others. It was not produced by armies, decrees, conquests, or palace coffers. It is not determined by the tastes or loyalties of the rich and powerful. It is born of love. It comes from obedience and sacrifice.
Octavian is now studying on a university campus. Jesus is worshiped in every corner of the world. At this moment in December, presidents, prime ministers, shopkeepers and slaves gather to pray to and sing the praises of God’s physical creation, whose rule is not based on political power but on love. When Jesus was executed, he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” When pressed for a way to live his life, he said, “I give you a new commandment: Love one another.” His The message, if implemented, would bring hope and peace to the world.
Even for those who do not believe in the divinity of the Jewish child Jesus, there is a message worth remembering. The important things in the world are often not what we think they are. True influence is not the violent use of power over others.
Today, although there are many good people, there are also people who will do whatever it takes to gain power. They may not be as talented or successful as Octavian, but they will loudly pursue wealth, fame, and adoration. Many of them will harm or kill others to get there. Some will enslave others. Some of them will be “successful” for a while. They will become dictators, presidents, CEOs or celebrities. They will strive to be worshiped. But like Augustus, they and the morality they espoused will eventually be lost to history. In their place will be the stories of those who sought compassion rather than power, liberation rather than domination.
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This is the message of Christmas. For believers, this is a time of prayerful reflection on a special moment in history when the Almighty God of the Universe humbled Himself to restore our relationship with Him. It is an inspiring historical narrative for all, even those who have not yet formed this belief. Two of the greatest figures in history lived at the same time. They followed very different paths. And contemporary observers would be unable to discern which of the two was truly great.
Merry Christmas to everyone. May this message of salvation be a light to the world, bringing hope to the despairing and encouragement to every heart.
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