Roman citizens had certain rights that non Romans didn’t have such as being beaten as punishment for disturbing the peace. The Apostle Paul was being annoying to the Romans by preaching Christianity and giving them hope of freedom from oppression. But because he was a Roman citizen, it was not lawful for him to be beaten, though I think he was beaten anyway.
Our modern culture has adapted from the Romans use of the census to calculate population, citizenship, and use of resources. The documentation of a Roman’s citizenship was acquired at the census. A slave could be counted a citizen simply by the owner declaring him or her. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to participate in the census. For the well off, the census was a moment of public
Our modern culture has adapted from the Romans use of the census to calculate population, citizenship, and use of resources. The documentation of a Roman’s citizenship was acquired at the census. A slave could be counted a citizen simply by the owner declaring him or her. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to participate in the census. For the well off, the census was a moment of public