The role of the rising Sirius in ancient apocalyptic tradition concerning the terrorist background of the ‘Neronian Fire’on 19 July AD 64

[Extract] After Jesus’ death on the cross, his followers wisely avoided confessing themselves openly. This would have criminalzsed them. Instead of calling themselves Christiani, followers of an anointed king (Christ), they simply called their organization ‘The Way’.1 This revealed little to outsiders. On the other hand, the title conveyed a clear message to all those familiar with Jewish tradition: those who joined the Jesus movement saw themselves on their way to a goal that had not yet been attained, that of the God-state expected in the near future. In this new Israel, the resurrected Jesus was to occupy the post of a Davidic king. In the Gospels, however, Jesus carries not only the features of David, but also of other figures of Jewish salvation history, whose work was a necessary prerequisite for the emergence of a sovereign kingdom. These were firstly Moses, who had led the twelve tribes of Israel out of Egypt and thus redeemed them from foreign rule, and secondly his successor Joshua, under whom the Israelites crossed the River Jordan and conquered the Promised Land.2

Christopher Matthew is the translator and editor of this chapter.