Hail Jesus – King of the Jews!!!!

By J.T. Tate
165-4 BC – Under the freedom fighter Judas Maccabeus, the Judean people successfully revolt against their Seleucid oppressors. The Temple is rededicated and the Hasmonean dynasty is established as rulers of Judea.
 
63 BC – General Pompey leads the armies of the Roman Republic into Judea, removing the Hasmoneans from power.
 
37 BC – Herod, son of Antipater, is named King of the Jews by the Roman Senate.
 
c. AD 25-30 – Jewish revolutionary leader Jesus Barabbas begins to consolidate the resistance movement against the Romans. He decides to send messengers to the Nabateans and Parthians about forming an alliance to fight the Romans and drive them from Judea. Barabbas promises to give tribute to Parthia and Nabatea, and also entices these kingdoms’ greed over Roman-occupied land. Rumors that Parthians were part of the ancient lost tribes (as well as the small Jewish remnant still in Babylon) induce a dream in the Parthian king which tells him that God has called on him to liberate the Jewish nation from the hands of the Romans. Barabbas hears word of this and begins his recruitment in earnest, and becoming more and more bold in striking at the Romans. He attempts to meet with the popular prophet Jesus of Nazareth, but is unable to get ahold of the Galilean.
 
During the Passover of AD 30, both of the Jesuses are arrested; Barabbas on charge of insurrection, the Nazarean on charges of blasphemy. Governor Pilate publicly offers to release one of the prisoners, but before an answer is heard a loud disturbance is heard outside the city walls. Barabbas then shouts out “Long live Judea!” and the people unsheathe their arms and begin to attack. Before the Romans can meet the Jews some Jews had opened the gates and allowed a large Parthian-Nabatean contingent into Jerusalem. By the end of the day, Governor Pilate and Tetrarch Herod Antipas are killed, the Jewish prisoners are freed, much of the Sanhedrin is arrested for collaboration, and the remaining priest and Barabbas proclaim the independence of Judea. Barabbas is able to speak to Jesus of Nazareth, and offers Him the crown of Judea if He will take it. Jesus says that “my kingdom is not of this world” and refuses him. In a rage, Barabbas ratifies the blasphemy sentence and orders Jesus to be the last man crucified in Jerusalem. (Three days later, however, rumors begin to circulate that the Nazarean, regarded as the Messiah by his followers, has risen from the dead)
 
Over the next two decades the Parthian and Nabatean forces are able to make modest gains against the Romans. Most of Syria falls to Parthia, and the Nabateans enter into Egypt. In Judea, Jesus Barabbas is proclaimed “King Joshua I” of the new Kingdom of Judea. The new Judean state becomes a client kingdom of Parthia and for the most part is occupied by that empire, though not in the force that the Romans had done.
 
The followers of the other Jesus begin preaching His message, that despite the liberation from Rome that the Jewish people still need freedom for their souls. The Judean government officially pronounces the new sect heretical and begin persecuting them. Shaul of Tarsus (OTL's Paul), a subordinate of Barabbas, carries out these orders until he claims a vision of the risen Messiah in Parthian Syria and begins to preach the message of Christ. He begins to go into the Parthian empire and preach to the non-Jewish residents about Christ as well. Barnabas, another Jewish convert from Cyprus, begins spreading the gospel throughout the Roman territories.
 
The Romans begin to make countermoves at the Jews and their allies, and area able to break through in the late 60s and get all the way to Jerusalem, where they take the city in a surprise attack and destroy the Temple. (Christians see this as a fulfilment of a prophecy of Christ). The aging King Yeshua dies shortly after escaping but is succeeded by his son Simon. King Simon rallies from his base at Masada and with fresh Parthian reinforcements is able to retake the rest of Judea. The Roman government decides that this is a sign of the gods not to get involved in that dreaded area anymore, so they keep their borders at Egypt and the eastern edge of Anatolia.

Long-term consequences

 
Political: Judah is able to build itself up under the watchful eye of the Parthians, and by the end of the first century is able to have a decent military of its own. The Barabban dynasty is able to hold the throne for a hundred years, but is replaced by the Kochbaninan dynasty of King Simeon III. A strong Judea becomes a sort of go-between in the eventual trade between Parthia, Nabatea, and Rome, and is able to prosper due to this.
 
Parthia persecutes Christianity for a time, then relaxes on it. With stronger evangelism in Parthia, they are converted by the end of the third century under King Artabanus VI. Parthia eventually absorbs much of Nabatea, with Judea taking Idumea, the Sinai, and southwestern Syria. The lack of war with Rome prevents the Persians from being able to conquer the entire empire, though Persia is able to lead the eastern half off into an independent Zoroastrian empire.
 
Rome, no longer looking toward the East to conquer, begins moving into Germany again in the early second century. By the end of the century, much of central and Eastern Europe is under Roman control. Rome is better able to assimilate these Germanic tribes, thus preventing them from being as much of a threat to the Empire. When the Huns invade, they are defeated without too much difficulty, though the empire shows signs of wearing down, and eventually falls during the Viking and Magyar invasions.
 
Religious: The Jews are more unwelcome in the Roman territories than in OTL and are slowly but surely expelled, with most of the Jews out of the empire by the end of the century. Judaism builds its third temple after the Romans destroyed their last one in a final attempt to retake the land. Judaism remains the state religion of the kingdom, with Christianity remaining an underground second.
 
Christianity develops two distinct strains earlier in this ATL. Greco-Roman or Barnaban Christianity (Centered on Smyrna) takes in more of the ideas and attitudes of the Greeks, while Parthian or Shaulan Christianity appears more like Zoroastrianism. While the basic beliefs of the two strains are the same, the expressions of those beliefs differ greatly. More of Christianity is, therefore, as a whole far more Eastern in character (like the churches in Armenia and Assyria) than it is in OTL.
 
The Romans, believing Christianity to be another Jewish sect, vigorously persecute the sect earlier than in OTL, but with the peace with Parthia relaxes their persecution. Much of the eastern part of the Empire is converted, while Christianity remains a minority religion in the West. The Parthians persecute the more powerful Christian faith but end up becoming Christian itself in the late third century. Parthian Christianity is able to make inroads into Persia and India and is strongly pushed south into Arab areas, converting the Arabs to Parthian Christianity by the end of the fifth century. Patriarchates arise in Rome, Smyrna, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Ctesiphon, and later Mecca. Ctesiphon becomes a main see of the Church, but not nearly so dominant as Rome of OTL.
 
Notable Early Church Councils:
The New Testament

Gospels:

Acts:

Shaul’s Letters

Barnabas’ Letters

Apollos’ Letters

General Letters

Prophecy