In biblical times, the concept of a "colony" as understood in the modern sense was not prevalent. However, the idea of a group of people settling in a foreign land, often under the authority of a distant power, can be seen in various biblical narratives and historical contexts.

Historical Context

The ancient world saw various empires, such as the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, exerting control over vast territories. These empires often established colonies or settlements in conquered lands to maintain control, spread their culture, and exploit resources. While the Bible does not explicitly use the term "colony," it does describe situations where foreign powers exert influence over Israel and other nations.

Biblical Examples

1. Egyptian Influence: The Israelites' sojourn in Egypt can be seen as an early example of a foreign power's influence over a group of people. Initially welcomed during Joseph's time, the Israelites eventually became oppressed under a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph (Exodus 1:8-14). This period of subjugation reflects the dynamics of a dominant power controlling a foreign population.

2. Babylonian Exile: The Babylonian captivity is a significant event where the people of Judah were taken into exile by the Babylonians. This period, described in books like 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Daniel, illustrates the forced relocation and settlement of a population under a foreign empire's control. Jeremiah 29:4-7 records a letter from the prophet Jeremiah to the exiles, urging them to "build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat their produce."

3. Roman Occupation: During the New Testament period, the Roman Empire exerted control over Judea and the surrounding regions. The presence of Roman officials, soldiers, and infrastructure indicates a form of colonial rule. The Gospels and Acts provide numerous accounts of interactions between the Jewish population and Roman authorities, such as the census under Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1) and the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate (John 18:28-40).

Cultural and Religious Impact

The presence of foreign powers and their colonies often led to cultural and religious exchanges, conflicts, and syncretism. The Israelites were repeatedly warned against adopting the practices of surrounding nations (Deuteronomy 12:29-31). Despite these warnings, periods of foreign domination often resulted in the introduction of new customs and beliefs, challenging the Israelites' faithfulness to Yahweh.

Theological Reflections

From a theological perspective, the experiences of living under foreign rule and in colonies can be seen as part of God's sovereign plan. The prophets often interpreted these events as divine judgment for Israel's unfaithfulness, while also offering hope for restoration and return. The Babylonian exile, for instance, is portrayed as both punishment and a period of purification, leading to a renewed commitment to God's covenant.

Conclusion

While the Bible does not explicitly discuss colonies in the modern sense, the narratives of foreign domination and settlement provide insight into the historical and theological dynamics of God's people living under the influence of powerful empires. These experiences shaped the identity and faith of the Israelites, serving as a backdrop for God's redemptive work throughout history.Colony

a designation of Philippi, in (Acts 16:12) After the battle of Actium, Augustus assigned to his veterans those parts of Italy which had espoused the cause of Antony, and transported many of the expelled inhabitants to Philippi, Dyrrhachium and other cities. In this way Philippi was made a Roman colony with the "Jus Italicum." At first the colonists were all Roman citizens, and entitled to vote at Rome.

The city of Philippi was a Roman colony (Acts 16:12), i.e., a military settlement of Roman soldiers and citizens, planted there to keep in subjection a newly-conquered district. A colony was Rome in miniature, under Roman municipal law, but governed by military officers (praetors and lictors), not by proconsuls. It had an independent internal government, the jus Italicum; i.e., the privileges of Italian citizens. 1. (n.) A company of people transplanted from their mother country to a remote province or country, and remaining subject to the jurisdiction of the parent state; as, the British colonies in America.

2. (n.) The district or country colonized; a settlement.

3. (n.) A company of persons from the same country sojourning in a foreign city or land; as, the American colony in Paris.

4. (n.) A number of animals or plants living or growing together, beyond their usual range.

COLONY

kol'-o-ni (kolonia, Greek transliteration of Latin colonia, from the root, col, "cultivate"): The word occurs but once (Acts 16:12) in reference to Philippi in Macedonia. Roman colonies were of three kinds and of three periods:

(1) Those of the early republic, in which the colonists, established in conquered towns to serve the state as guardians of the frontier, were exempt from ordinary military service. They were distinguished as

(a) c. civium Romanorum, wherein the colonists retained Roman citizenship, also called c. maritumae, because situated on the coast, and

(b) c. Latinae, situated inland among the allies (socii), wherein the colonists possessed the ius Latinum, entitling them to invoke the Roman law of property (commercium), but not that of the family (connubium), and received Roman citizenship only when elected to magistracies.

(2) The colonies of the Gracchan period, established in pursuance of the scheme of agrarian reforms, to provide land for the poorer citizens.

(3) After the time of Sulla colonies were founded in Italy by the Republic as a device for granting lands to retiring veterans, who of course retained citizenship. This privilege was appropriated by Caesar and the emperors, who employed it to establish military colonies, chiefly in the provinces, with various rights and internal organizations. To this class belonged Philippi. Partly organized after the great battle of 42 B.C., fought in the neighboring plain by Brutus and Cassius, the champions of the fated Republic, and Antonius and Octavian, it was fully established as a colony by Octavian (afterward styled Augustus) after the battle of Actium (31 B.C.), under the name Colonia Aug. Iul. Philippi or Philippensis. It received the ius Italicum, whereby provincial cities acquired the same status as Italian cities, which possessed municipal self-government and exemption from poll and land taxes.

See CITIZENSHIP; PHILIPPI; ROMAN.

William Arthur Heidel

2862. kolonia -- a colony (a city settlement of soldiers disbanded ...
... a colony (a city settlement of soldiers disbanded from the Roman army). Part of
Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: kolonia Phonetic Spelling: (kol-o-nee'-ah ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2862.htm - 6k

494. Antipatris -- Antipatris, a city between Joppa and Caesarea ...
... Transliteration: Antipatris Phonetic Spelling: (an-tip-at-rece') Short Definition:
Antipatris Definition: Antipatris, a town, where was a Roman colony, on the ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/494.htm - 6k

The Dutch Calvinist Colony on the Hudson and the Swedish Lutheran ...
... CHAPTER VII. THE DUTCH CALVINIST COLONY ON THE HUDSON AND THE SWEDISH LUTHERAN COLONY
ON THE DELAWARE"THEY BOTH FALL UNDER THE SHADOW OF GREAT BRITAIN. ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter vii the dutch calvinist.htm

Wesley's Labor Colony
... Chapter 4. Preaching Incidents; Wesley's Labor Colony; Dispute with Whitefield;
Curious Interruptions; The Mother of the Wesleys Wesley's Labor Colony. ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/wesleys labor colony.htm

Early History of American Lutheranism.
... this Lutheran pastor. However, the first Lutheran minister to serve a Lutheran
colony in America was Reorus Torkillus. He was born ...
/.../bente/american lutheranism/early history of american lutheranism.htm

The Restoration.
... contributory causes. (1) The first colony to return was under Zerubhabel
(536 BC) and consisted of about fifty thousand. Ezra chs ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter xvi the restoration.htm

Germantown, Pennsylvania.
... His successor in New Sweden was another German, Printz von Buchau, during whose
regime, from 1643 to 1654, the colony became very successful and thereby ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bente/american lutheranism/germantown pennsylvania.htm

Reformed Dutch Church.
... The first place of worship built by the Dutch in the colony of New Netherlands,
as it was then called, was erected in the fort at New York, in the year 1642. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/reformed dutch church.htm

The Neighbor Colonies to virginia-Maryland and the Carolinas.
... Thus he was in antagonism to the Puritan colony both in politics and in religion. ...
The authorities of the colony were equal to the emergency. ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter vi the neighbor colonies.htm

Salzburg Lutherans in Georgia.
... The story of their vicissitudes and especially of their colony Ebenezer, however,
has retained a peculiar charm. ... Rabenhorst was sent to the colony in 1753. ...
/.../bente/american lutheranism/salzburg lutherans in georgia.htm

John Clarke.
... Soon after the first settlement of Massachusetts, he was driven from that colony
with a number of others; and March 7, 1638, they formed themselves into a body ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/john clarke.htm

Spanish Conquest-The Propagation, Decay, and Downfall of Spanish ...
... the most horrible massacres in recorded history, the cold-blooded and perfidious
extermination, almost to the last man, woman, and child, of a colony of French ...
/.../chapter ii spanish conquest-the propagation.htm

Colony (1 Occurrence)
... The city of Philippi was a Roman colony (Acts 16:12), ie, a military settlement
of Roman soldiers and citizens, planted there to keep in subjection a newly ...
/c/colony.htm - 10k

Cyrene (7 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary A city (now Tripoli) in Upper Libya, North Africa,
founded by a colony of Greeks (BC 630). It contained ...
/c/cyrene.htm - 13k

Antioch (21 Occurrences)
... It bears the modern name of Antakia, and is now a miserable, decaying Turkish town.
Like Philippi, it was raised to the rank of a Roman colony. ...
/a/antioch.htm - 27k

Pisidia (2 Occurrences)
... Not much before 6 BC, Antioch was made a Roman colony, with the title Caesareia
Antiocheia; it was now the capital of southern Galatia and the chief of a ...
/p/pisidia.htm - 21k

Puteoli (1 Occurrence)
... peninsula of Baiae and Cape Misenum. It was originally a colony of the
neighboring Greek city Cumae. The earliest event in the history ...
/p/puteoli.htm - 11k

Papyrus (4 Occurrences)
... found on the Island of Elephantine, just below the First Cataract, dating from 494
to 400 BC They show that between 470 and 408 BC a flourishing colony of Jews ...
/p/papyrus.htm - 34k

Colonize (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To plant or establish a colony or colonies
in; to people with colonists; to migrate to and settle in. ...
/c/colonize.htm - 6k

Syracuse (1 Occurrence)
... The design of the present work scarcely permits more than a passing allusion to
Syracuse, the most brilliant Greek colony on the shores of the Western ...
/s/syracuse.htm - 9k

Settlement (4 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) The act of peopling, or state of being peopled; act of planting, as a colony;
colonization; occupation by settlers; as, the settlement of a new country ...
/s/settlement.htm - 9k

Corinth (13 Occurrences)
... BC 146), and that mentioned in the New Testament was quite a new city, having been
rebuilt about a century afterwards and peopled by a colony of freedmen from ...
/c/corinth.htm - 21k

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