Trump supporters didn't like his Happy Hanukkah tweet

[Igel]

13. Hand-washing.

Regardless of the historicity of the gospels themselves, they get some things fairly accurate.

There was a lot of tension in the 20s and 30s CE in the area. Riots and such had happened. The Romans tried to respect local customs and traditions in order to keep the peace in a restive province, and even that wasn't enough. When they got tired of being nice, there were Jewish wars that ultimately led to the "paganization" of Jerusalem and in the final war the mess at Masada.

Local rulers appointed by Rome had as one of their mandated tasks keeping the peace. The death of a minor rebel, or a perceived rebel, was a small matter to another riot in which Roman soldiers were killed and unrest boiled over.

If a sheriff is surrounded by armed men who want to lynch a prisoner, it's a commendable thing to pull together the deputies that results in a shoot-out in which people die, even the sheriff. But it's hard to fault a sheriff who, facing dead deputies and a recall from the governor for the dead bodies involved, is weak and gives in. Esp. when such an act would result in praise from the governor and most of the population.

As for the people who resent Trump's post, I'd point out John 10:22-24 (KJV, for the Anglican purists among the American evangelicals): "And it was at Jerusalem the feast of dedication, and it was winter. Jesus walked in the temple at Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly."

Or, since we don't say "feast of dedication" in English, perhaps it should be updated to "And it was at Jerusalem Hanukkah, and it was winter." Of course, it's a nationalist holiday, one commemorating the independence of the natio, so the question was fraught with political implications and aspirations. Which is what Herod or any Rome-appointed prefect would have been concerned with whether in winter or in spring around the passover, because putting down nationalist aspirations was the name of his particular job.