The other thing about Claudius, is that his sister was Lavilla ) (while my sister is Jennifer Mary) and his sister's daughter (niece) was Julia) while my niece is Marttea.
I should note here that in the story of John the Baptist, it was the daughter of Herodias, Salome who asked Herod for the head (death) of John the Baptist. This was because he was in Herod's prison, and had been there for over two weeks, and Herod's soldiers were using him as a prostitute, and John the Baptist was at his physical and psychological limit.
Jesus had a sister too, and He asked his mother and sister to place a candle in the window of their house, which he could see from the cross. He asked them to sew a leaf on a tapestry every day he was on the cross, and every night more and more people in the town, who could clearly see Him from their windows during the day, put a candle in their windows at night, until the whole town was lit up with twinkling lights all night.
It is my belief, although I have absolutely no proof, that My sister was Claudius's sister, and her daughter Claudius' niece, and later Nero's wife. It is also possible that my niece and trish Johnson are one and the same, and that Will Pendergrast was therefore Nero. Only time can tell if it was so.
When I was in high school, my friend Will Pendergrast had a girlfriend named Trish Johnson. The Johnsons lived next to my friend Steve Dohnt, on Cameron road.
Trish was the girlfriend of a guy named Brice, and it is rumoured that Brice road his motorcycle through Te Puke one night, with Trish on the back, and that he came up out of the ground on one wheel going like a bat out of hell.
It is a true story. I was that Brice, although not the Brice, and I should also add that Jesus was that Brice, not me because I was at home that night, asleep in my bed, but that Trish just appeared on the back of Brice's bike as it was just high enough out of the ground for her to do so.
Trish was only 15 or 16 at the time, and later became Will's girlfriend.
Will went to Australia in 1973 or 74, but later came back and took Trish and I back with him.
I came back and was staying with my sister in Auckland. One night I just happened to be at the airport seeing some friends off, whe I saw Trish, who had just come back from Sydney herself.
In the Gospel accounts of John's death, Herod has John imprisoned for denouncing his incestuous marriage, and later executes John by beheading. John condemned Herod for marrying Herodias (who was not only his brother Philip's former wife but also Herod's niece) in violation of Old Testament Law. Later Herodias's daughter Salome (who was both Herod's grand-niece and stepdaughter) dances before Herod, who offers her a favour in return. Herodias tells her to ask for the head of John the Baptist, which is delivered to her on a plate (Mark 6:14-29). The first-century Jewish historian Josephus gives a slightly different account in his Antiquities of the Jews. Josephus writes that Herod had John arrested because John had so many followers that Herod feared they might begin a rebellion. Herod later had him executed (Ant. 18.116-118). It is possible that both accounts are true. Josephus writes about John's death in a section detailing some of Herod's political dealings. Herod regarded John as a threat, he spoke against Herod and had many followers, so Herod wanted to get rid of him. The Gospels recall the teaching of John, that he called for Israel to purify herself through baptism (Matthew 3:1-12). So the Gospels' description of John's death focuses on the final reason Herod had for arresting John, which was religious. So it may have been that Herod wanted John arrested because he was a political threat, and John's condemnations of Herod's marriage was "the final straw". See James D.G. Dunn, Jesus Remembered pp 377–379.[7]
Josephus on John the Baptist
An account of John the Baptist is found in all extant manuscripts of the Jewish Antiquities (book 18, chapter 5, 2) by Flavius Josephus (37–100):[51]
"Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him.[52]