It’s striking to compare the radical departure in Jesus Christ’s message from the kingdom of domination, intimidation and brutality Caesar Augustus had been championing.

His father died when Augustus was four. His prospects were bleak: Rome was dangerous, engulfed by civil war between power-hungry factions. One of these was led by his great-uncle, Julius Caesar.

A superb general and politician, Julius Caesar (c ... Without a son of his own, he needed an heir. Caesar quickly adopted his great nephew, Augustus. He also moved fast to strengthen the northern ...