Tiberius Caesar. 
Pontius Pilate. 
Herod Antipas. 
Phillip the Tetrarch. 
Annas.
Caiaphas.

These are the names of the first century; names that define a time and place. They are examples of the power of names and what they represent.

Tiberius Caesar had been emperor for fifteen years. Tiberius Caesar was the second Roman emperor after his stepfather Augustus Caesar. Tiberius Caesar was known as one of Rome’s greatest generals, conquering the north as far as Germania, securing what would become the Roman northern frontier. He was not all that happy to be the emperor, but he knew how to use power very well.

Pontius Pilate was the fifteenth governor of Judea and was one of the longest-serving governors. That means he must have known how to keep Rome happy. The role of governor was officially a milita…