>>240601
>What Similar Traits did Caesar and Christ posses?
Caesar was born almost exactly 100 years before Christ. In the Julian calendar, which is what the Orthodox use, Jesus was born on January 7. What happened on January 7 historically? Caesar's supporters were driven from Rome. An ultimatum was issued to protect the Senate and strip Caesar of any worldly power and protection. Caesar was ordered to disband his army, leading to him crossing the Rubicon, declaring himself dictator for life, and eventually dying on the Ides of March. What is the Ides of March? The feast day of Saint Longinus and a day used to worship Jupiter and identify him as a supreme being through the sacrifice of the sheep.
Caesar reformed the ovatio, the minor triumph, in which the triumphant would enter Rome on a foot to enter on a horse and he did his first on an unbroken one. What did Jesus enter Jerusalem on? In Mark and Luke, he's said to have entered on an unbroken horse. In John and Matthew, this is interpreted as an ass, to align with the Old Testament. What was the name of the man who waited for Caesar outside of Rome? "Legatvs Asinivs Pollio". What could Legatvs be corrupted to? "Ligatvs" or "tied". What can "Asinivs Pollio" be corrupted to "Asinvs Pvllvs" "ass colt".
What did Caesar say when he entered Rome? "I am not a king; I am Caesar." What did the Sanhedrin say to Pilate during the Passion in response to Pilate's question as to whether they wanted their king to be crucified? "We have no king but Caesar." Despite everything so far, even orders from Tiberius not to kill, the Jews proclaiming that they have no king but Caesar threw him over the edge, as it proved their loyalty. Dramatically, you could view this as a tragedy as Pilate was pressed by the Jews to order the death of Christ/Caesar, who the Jews had been and would be told repeatedly was their salvation and whom was appealing to them until they were told to accept non-Jews.
As previously mentioned, Caesar conquered other peoples and reformed the otherwise chauvinistic republic to allow for their citizenship and acceptance as Romans or as equal to Romans in everything but governance, ridding the distinction of Roman and non-Roman as long as they were within the borders of the empire and laying the foundations for provincial autonomy, including of the Jews. This mirrors Christ's teachings of doing unto others as you would yourself and his declaration that there is no longer Jew or Gentile and that everyone is or may become a Jew as long as they follow him and that they should give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.
>and why would the Jews be behind both of their deaths?
Like I said, Caesar kept the Jews from being persecuted. Despite the Jewish national character of perpetual victimization, what else would cause them to support his killing? Antipater. Antipater was not Jewish. His sons were not Jewish. The entire Herodian dynasty was not Jewish. The Jews hated Antipater. Caesar had given them their freedom, but he had done so by giving them someone who was not a Jew.
Who did Antipater side with initially in the Civil War? Pompey, who desecrated the Second Temple. Who did Antipater side with after the death of Caesar? Cassius, despite Mark Anthony being Caesar's appointed heir and priest and Caesar considering Antipater an extremely close friend. Not only this, but despite how Antipater he was hated both by the Jews and by Malichus (who he had tasked to fulfill the orders of Pompey in Judea), Antipater prevented Malichus from being executed or punished repeatedly, yet Malichus did nothing but give him scorn in return, betraying him much as Antipater had betrayed the legacy of Caesar.
What did Antipater's sons do and where were they appointed? Herod would be appointed to Galilee while Phasael would be appointed to Jerusalem. Herod rid Galilee of "robbers," something which the Sanhedrin complained about furiously, an event that seems very similar to Jesus with his belt in the temple. Where did Jesus first assemble his ministry? Galilee. What did Herod become after his father's death? King of the Jews. Who were Phasael and Herod loyal to? Mark Antony. What is Herod considered to be, even if only to mock him? Half-Jewish and Half-Roman. What is another potential name for the Herodians? The Essens. The Massacre of the Innocents by Herod didn't even happen unless it was so localized that it was not worthy of note. It's possible that the creation of this massacre was meant to decry the Essens, who were loyal to Herod, by comparing them to the Egyptians, which the creation of this massacre was obviously meant to do to Herod, who had been trying to posit himself as messiah. To add to this, Paul may have been an Essen/Herodian, or even a member of Herod's dynasty.
As for Jesus, it's stated in the New Testament, but, as I said previously, Jesus wanted to give the Jews a spiritual means of freedom from persecution by which they could fulfill their goal of converting all Gentiles. Him being the Son of God, literal or otherwise, would mean that God had finally stepped in after a period of continued strife and decay and told the Jews that they were wrong as predicted at the end of the Old Testament. At every turn, he refused to lead a revolution against the Romans, and the revolution that was attempted in his name was minor and failed miserably but ended up with him on the cross.
>and what resources would come of use in studying this topic further?
Josephus and Philo are good places to start.