1.3.6.
Ruler cult: At the same time a monarchist movement existed under the ruler Antipas, linked to the Jewish tradition

of kings and the messiah, taking the Roman Emperor Augustus’ ruling style as its model (imitatio Augusti). This showed parallels to the emperor’s cult in Rome and Asia Minor; Christianity’s roots are to be found here.

1.3.7.
Jesus: The alleged rise of Jesus from craftsman and itinerant preacher to the Messiah of the Jews and perhaps of the whole world is a modern rags-to-riches myth. The itinerant preacher get-up described in the Gospels is simply the disguise taken by the Son of God and of David during his incognito travels.

Historically, Jesus was a sophisticated member of the upper class and Antipas’s governor in Galilee; he was the driving force behind the monarchist movement, aiming to establish a monarchy in Galilee on the Roman model. He saw Antipas as the ideal ruler, at least as long as Antipas accepted his service.