Is C3.ai Tom Siebel’s Biggest Idea Yet?
By Peter High, Forbes contributor
Tom Siebel’s reputation in business has been cemented as a pioneer in relational databases and as a godfather of customer relationship management. The latter came to fruition through his eponymously named Siebel Systems, which he founded in 1993 and sold to Oracle in 2006 for $5.8 billion.
In 2009, Siebel founded the enterprise artificial intelligence platform company C3.ai, which provides applications for multiple commercial uses, including energy management, predictive maintenance, fraud detection, anti-money laundering, inventory optimization, and predictive CRM.
This year, Siebel wrote a book, his fourth, entitled Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction. The book describes the interplay between four modern information technology trends—elastic cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things, which is impacting business, government, and society. Siebel believes that the century ahead will be one of “corporate mass extinction,” noting that 52 percent of the Fortune 500 have fallen off the list since 2000. He also discusses how new companies like Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, Tesla, and others have scaled, gobbling up market share from traditional players in the process.
(To listen to an unabridged podcast version of this interview, please click this link. This is the 38th interview in the Tech Influencers series.)
Peter High: People know you as a multi-time entrepreneur and innovator, and they know your former company Siebel Systems, which was acquired by Oracle. For those who may be less familiar with you are doing now, could you describe C3’s business?
Tom Siebel: For the past 10 years, I have been involved in founding and building a company called C3.ai, and I am the Chief Executive Officer. We have spent a decade and roughly half a billion dollars building a software suite that we typically market to large multinational organizations. This suite allows them to design, develop, provision, or operate enterprise and industrial-scale artificial intelligence [AI] and Internet of Things [IoT] applications. These customers include Royal Dutch Shell, Cat, 3M, and the United States Air Force, and they are making massive-scale industrial AI implementations.
High: Could you talk about the methods these companies are using and what others similar to them need to be using to fully capture the opportunity you are describing? Surely, there is some transformation from a people, practice, process, and technology perspective that organizations of a certain age and scale need to go through to ensure that they are ready for this sort of transformation. Can you describe that?
Siebel: As we power into the 21st century, there are four step-changes in information technology that consists of the convergence of four information technology vectors that change everything about computing. These include elastic cloud computing, big data, IoT, and AI. At the convergence of these technologies, we find this phenomenon that we call big data. There is a massive global push at the boardroom and at the level of the CEO to digitally transform their companies to leverage these technologies. By doing this, they are looking to change the way they manufacture products, the way they develop services, the way they deliver products and services, and how they run their companies. They are doing this so they can be competitive in the 21st century.
High: In your book, Digital Transformation: Survive and Thrive in an Era of Mass Extinction, you warn large organizations not to suffer the same fate as digital immigrant organizations such as Kodak, Toys R Us, Westinghouse, Blockbuster, and Circuit City. 52 percent of Fortune 500 companies have disappeared in the last 18 years, and data seems to suggest that if anything, the cycle time through the Fortune500 is going to become more rapid. Could you share some lessons from your study of those that successfully transform versus those that have not done so?
Siebel: While I believe some are successfully transforming, I do not believe any digital immigrant organizations have fully transformed. The only ones who have done so are digital natives, such as Tesla, Amazon, and Airbnb. These companies are all about leveraging these technology vectors to change the way business is conducted in travel, transportation, financial services, retail, or whichever industry the company may be in. With the previous trends we have seen, such as the transition from mainframe computing to mini computing to personal computing to internetwork computing, companies that did not adopt these technologies were left at a significant competitive disadvantage. This seems to be a little more significant than the other step functions in technology that we have seen. There is now an existential risk, and we are seeing an acceleration where companies are simply disappearing. As you mentioned, this includes Westinghouse, Kodak, Toys R Us, and Sears Roebuck. In their place, we have these companies with what we call new DNA, and we read about these companies in financial publications all the time.
These organizations are adopting technologies to dominate whichever industry they operate in. There is a sense that these smaller startups from Silicon Valley, New York, or in Washington D.C. somehow have an advantage in this new generation of 21st-century technology, but I do not think that is true. I believe the big guys, such as JPMorgan Chase, Boeing, and Walmart, have the advantage. These companies have massive amounts of data, and data is the fuel of AI. They have the advantage in this new market to adopt technologies that are coming out of Silicon Valley and other places to use AI to gain a strategic competitive advantage. The leading companies such as Bank of America, 3M, Baker Hughes, and Shell are dramatically accelerating their initiatives to digitally transform their companies from the ground up. I believe they are going to be hyper-competitive in the new markets. However, companies that do not adopt these new technologies will cease to be competitive, and they will be acquired.
High: Given that they are not mutually exclusive, what do you think about the balance between internal capability development and the development of an ecosystem?
Siebel: In the last 40 years, we have seen that the decision has always been build versus buy. As you might recall, I was one of the early executives at Oracle Corporation when we released relational database technology to the market. As we talked to customers around the world in the early days of the relational database market, the decision was not about buying from Oracle or one of Oracle’s competitors. Instead, the decision was whether to buy from a professional software company or to build relational database systems internally. IT organizations would frequently attempt to build relational database systems themselves, and to my knowledge, nobody succeeded at that. Two or three years later, the CIO would be fired, and then Oracle, IBM, or somebody else would sell them relational database systems. Further, almost everybody tried to build CRM systems themselves. Even technically competent companies such as IBM, which tried three times, HP, and Microsoft tried and ultimately failed, and they would buy from Siebel Systems.
As we see this new generation of AI technologies, it is not unusual for the CIO to elect to build the technology. GE Digital spent almost a decade and $7 billion trying to build this by assembling various componentry from Apache and Spark. Similar to the relational database systems and ERP systems, companies tend to fail at building AI technologies internally. AI and IoT applications are substantially more complex than either relational databases or enterprise application software. IT organizations simply do not have the skills to succeed at this. Some companies consider building it themselves, they invariably will fail, and they will purchase these technologies from trusted partners that are professional application software developers.
High: What inning of the game do you believe we are in from an AI perspective, and how is that likely to develop going forward?
Siebel: Julius Caesar considered Gaul as being divided into three parts, and I believe AI is divided into three parts.
Artificial general intelligence, which includes projects such as Google DeepMind. Here, the attempt is to build computers that have equal or greater intelligence as human beings. This gets to the malicious killer robots and the refrigerator that takes over your household theory, but I do not believe we need to worry about that in our lifetimes;
Social media systems. Here, social media vendors are using AI extremely effectively to manipulate people at the level of the limbic brain. I believe this is malevolent, and what we are seeing in social media is concerning. People are acting as servers to the computer instead of the opposite;
The application of AI to commercial, industrial, and government systems, which is where we play at C3.ai. This is building prediction to identify fraud, efficiency to the supply chain, and predictive maintenance for devices in the digital oilfields, the smart grid, the manufacturing industry, agricultural equipment, and precision health. This is about using AI to lower the cost of production and to deliver products and services with greater safety, with greater cybersecurity, and with lower environmental impact. The global information technology market in 2019 is about $3.5 trillion, and it will likely be $8.5 trillion in five years. Most of that growth is because of AI. What we see develop in the next 20 years is going to be unimaginable and fantastic, and it will make a truly significant social and economic impact.
High: You have referred to there being a war with China based on artificial intelligence, and you have referenced how Vladimir Putin said the country that wins in AI will ultimately win in the world. As a citizen of the U.S., what do you think about this? How optimistic are you about the state’s ability to lead and the extent to which it is appropriate language?
Siebel: This is a crucial topic. As you mentioned, in 2017, Vladimir Putin said, “Whoever wins the war in AI will be the ruler of the world.” I believe that is true, but I do not believe Russia will win. It is either going to be China or the U.S. I believe we are currently in a state of non-kinetic warfare with China. It is well-documented how great Russia and China are at infiltrating our power grid infrastructure, infiltrating our financial system infrastructure, and implanting viruses, bots, and malware so they can remotely turn off the grid. There are well-documented incidents where the Chinese have penetrated, say, the United States Office of Personnel Management and stolen the personnel records of up to 21 million people. This includes anyone who has ever applied for or been granted a security clearance. If this is not war, what is it?
If you read the 13th five-year plan, it is extremely clear what they are doing. They are investing tens of billions of dollars a year in AI to win this battle and to dominate the use of AI for the purposes of defense and conducting warfare. In many ways, this is a test of two fundamentally opposed political philosophies. In the case of China, there is a totalitarian state with a top-down command and control economy where the NRDC writes the 13th five-year plan, invests billions of dollars, and mandates that this happens. They are extremely bright, competent, and educated, and they are hard at work. In the United States, we have a much messier process with a free-market economy and a capitalist system. Innovation does not take place from a top-down command and control government-mandated system, but in garages in Palo Alto and storefronts in theNew York. I do not know which system is going to win, but this is going to be the ultimate test of these political philosophies. This is not a war we want to lose, the stakes could not be higher, and it is game on.
High: What role do you see the government playing in all this versus private industries, and how do you see the balance between the two?
Siebel: The people who work in the Pentagon are exceptionally bright and well educated. These scholar statesman warriors are not asleep at the switch, and they are adopting AI in many ways to prove the efficiency of the Department of Defense. As it relates to AI, the U.S. is going to advance through a free market economy, entrepreneurship, and through the creativity of individuals who are unbridled by the constraints of the stage. This system has always worked out for us in the past, and hopefully, it will continue to. If it does not, we are going to have a problem.
High: You cemented your legacy in business through Siebel Systems, yet you got back into entrepreneurship through C3.ai. As somebody who has been such a successful entrepreneur multiple times over, what keeps you hungry?
Siebel: In my career, I have been highly fortunate to be in the right place at the right time on multiple occasions. The first time was when I entered the relational database industry when it was in its infancy. Later, we founded Siebel Systems, where we invented what is known as CRM products in the CRM market. Today, that is a $100 billion industry annually, so those events turned out to be fortuitous. The change we are looking at today is an order of magnitude more significant than what happened in the relational database or the enterprise application software market. This will be a quarter of a trillion-dollar software market in 2023. It changes AI, and it changes everything regarding how we think about computing, managing businesses, motivating people, and serving customers.
I do this because it is my idea of a good time. I enjoy being involved in the formation of markets, and I enjoy doing my best to attract highly motivated, well educated, and high energy professionals. I have had the opportunity to play a role in the creation of the relational database market and the enterprise application software market, and we are now playing a leadership role in the development of applying AI to commercial, industrial, and government processes globally. Doing this is exceptionally hard, and every project we are working on has a problem that has never been solved before. However, the social and economic benefit of what we do is staggering.
Read the full interview here.


A Case Study for Cloud Computing: Minnesota v. Accretive Health Inc.
Not long ago, it would have been absurd to imagine an employee of a large company leaving confidential health care records of 25,000 people in his rental car (at risk of being lost or stolen). But that is what happened in July of 2011 in Minneapolis’ Seven Corners neighborhood to Accretive Health, Inc. and the fallout for that company has not been pretty.
It appears that the rental car, unencrypted lap top included, was stolen and, as a result, (1) confidential health care records of nearly 25,000 people were vulnerable to access by whomever got the laptop (and still are? into perpetuity?), and (2) although there have actually been no reports of any unauthorized use or access to the data, the incident got the attention of Lori Swanson, Minnesota’s Attorney General because regulatory rules required the victimized company to report the data breach.
So, though the car thief appears not to have bothered with the laptop, the Minnesota AG’s office had a peak at the data and the AG was not at all pleased with what she saw. The AG was understandably displeased that unencrypted health care records were lost but also, from the data on the laptop, the Minnesota AG learned about and did not like how Accretive goes about its business of getting money from consumers of medical care for their consumption of medical care. (Debt collection, ML readers know, is a tough gig (FDCPA debt or not.))
If the Accretive system had been cloud-based — i.e., if the company had had a system where individual laptops functioned as portals to data stored elsewhere — the employee would have called in the loss of the lap top, it would have been “locked out” and “remotely wiped.” Maybe that would have been “end of story.” The unencrypted data itself was lost on the lap-top, however, and a very different scenario has been playing out.
The irony, of course, is that “the bad guys” who stole the lap-top and the data appear to have inflicted very little harm or damage on Accretive Health or literally no harm or damage on anyone else (which is part of the basis for Accretive’s recently filed motion to dismiss the AG’s complaint).
If health care company executives ever crunched and analyzed the cost, the risks, and the benefits of on-line cloud-computing solutions versus “local data storage,” one has to wonder if they might have neglected to include a cell in the spread-sheet for “Aggressive Regulator Exploits Company’s Data Breach Report To Access Business Model and Attempt to Eviscerate Company.”
This could be the kind of “black swan” or “unknown unknown” that can undermine even the most thorough and careful planning and risk management.


Locals celebrate Veterans Day with events
By Sarrah Peters, News Editor
On November 10, Modern Woodmen held its annual Veterans Day Event at the Hokes Bluff Community Center.
The Etowah County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard kicked off the event with the presentation of the flag, followed by Erin Morgan leading the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. Kim Johnson performed the “Star Spangled Banner” with music by the Hokes Bluff Eagle Marching Band.
Hoke Bluff Mayor Scott Reeves welcomed everyone to the event.
Pastor Scott Hassell of First Baptist Church of Southside gave an opening prayer. Then, the Hokes Bluff Eagle Marching Band played several patriotic songs.
The event’s guest speaker was Rainbow City Police Chief Jonathon Horton, who served in the U.S. Navy. During his service, he was awarded three Army Achievement Medals and a Governor’s Commendation. Horton began with a brief history of Veterans Day, which began after World War I in 1938 as Armistice Day. In 1954, U.S. Congress changed the name of the day from Armistice to Veterans Day, as there had been a couple wars since the original day was instated.
“From that day since, it’s been a day to celebrate and honor all Americans that have took that oath and wore the uniforms of each of our branches of the armed services,” said Horton. “This day above all is to celebrate our freedom, and those that stood behind it.”
Horton continued by thanking not only those who have served in the military, but also those who are currently serving and the families of service men and women.
Horton went on to talk about his biggest hero: his grandfather Troy L. Horton. Troy joined the U.S. Army Reserves and was activated to serve in the Korean War. He served two tours in Korea and two tours in the Vietnam War, winning many awards including three Bonze Stars and one Purple Heart. Horton said that his grandfather inspired him to join the U.S. Navy after high school. Horton also served in the Alabama National Guard.
“He left with me something I carry every day,” said Horton. “It’s a little Bible that he was given. This Bible is nearly 60 years old. In 1949 this was issued to the armed services to every and each soldier. He carried this in his right pocket of his uniform, and he claims this is what kept him safe in two tours of Korea and through two tours of Vietnam. And I believe that to be so today.”
Horton went on to thank first responders. In closing, Horton told the crowd to “thank every veteran.”
Modern Woodmen representative Morgan Lavender then presented two Hometown Hero Awards. Award winners received $100 to donate to the charity of their choice.
The first winner was James Hanks, a 1960 Hokes Bluff High School graduate. He attended JSU and was a member of the school’s ROTC. Hanks served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. During his service, he received many awards including a Purple Heart. After serving, Hanks received his doctorate and taught at both JSU and Gadsden State.
The second award winner was John Ed Godfrey. Godfrey served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955. He worked at Republic Steel for 30 years and retired in 1985. He is active with many local community organizations, including the Hokes Bluff Quarterback Athletic Club, the Hokes Bluff Girl Scouts and Modern Woodmen service projects. He also lends his building and plumbing skills to the elderly and those in need.
Melvin Slocum was announced as a third recipient of the Hometown Hero award but was unable to attend the event.
Reeves gave closing remarks.
“We appreciate what Modern Woodmen and [Hokes Bluff] Seniors and Friends does for our community,” said Reeves. “And again, veterans, I know it don’t seem like much just to tell you thank you, but we do thank you.”
Hassell led the crowd in a closing prayer.
After the event, attendees were invited into the Hokes Bluff Community Center for a candle lighting ceremony, slideshow and food.
Later that same day,p Regency Pointe, a Rainbow City senior living community, held a Veterans Day program. Robert Gibson led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by Brenda Harvey with an invocation. Regency Pointe musicians played several patriotic songs.
Colonel Carl Sutherland gave the keynote address. Sutherland served in the U.S. Army for 25 years, where he earned the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Air Medal, two Army Commendation Medals and the Army Achievement Medal.
Sutherland began the keynote speech by stating that Regency Pointe is “a community of American patriots” who know that “freedom is not free.” He went on to say that Americans have an “obligation to honor the service of those who have worn our country’s uniform,” because it is “the sacrifice of our armed forces and their families that have paid the price for safeguarding our liberty and protecting our national security.” Sutherland went on to thank the soldiers that are currently serving.
“If you want to show your gratitude for this land of the free and home of brave, then thank a veteran,” said Sutherland.
After Sutherland’s speech, Regency Pointe recognized the veterans in the audience. Bill Fulford gave the benediction.
After the program, attendees went upstairs to Regency Pointe’s multi-purpose room to view an exhibit put together through resident veterans displaying memorabilia collected during their service. Old newspapers, photographs, medals, flags, money from foreign countries, letters, foreign stamps, clothing, tools, a quilt and even fragments from bombed out buildings that were used to construct runways were displayed. While upstairs, attendees also enjoyed refreshments.


New tools to facilitate training of mediators
The EU project IncludeMe has developed materials to train mediators for European countries. At the end of the project in October, the team was able to present a MOOC, a Good Practice Guide and an Innovative Course for Trainers.
A mediator is a person who has been trained to provide support on issues such as immigration law, family reunification, government services and labour market integration. Mediators are already used in several places across Europe and have proven to be a successful way of working with new arrivals. You can find mediators in, for example, educational organisations and the municipal sector, but also in the voluntary sector. The aim of the IncludeME project has been to strengthen and train skills related to mediation, communication, conflict resolution and conflict management.
Intercultural mediation can be seen as a key strategy for social inclusion and cohesion. Mediation helps to support conflict prevention, increase mutual understanding between parties with different cultural backgrounds and beliefs. It also supports knowledge of rights and access to community services. A guiding principle of the project has been the objectives set by the EU in the Europe 2020 strategy, which states that a higher level of social inclusion is more important than ever to combat tensions in society. To this end, the project team has developed a guide to good practice. As a basis for the guide, the project team analysed various institutional and individual initiatives, different projects and European programmes and, based on these insights, identified difficulties and problems that mediators may encounter. On this basis, it has developed action strategies for different dimensions, ranging from classical and formal mediation to social intervention, including social awareness.
The Good Practice Guide provides examples of how mediation can serve as a tool for conflict resolution in social conflicts and highlights how to promote the social integration of migrants and refugees. It further introduces and identifies both formal and non-formal mediation activities as a tool for mutual knowledge, social cohesion and peaceful approaches to conflict resolution.
The Good Practice Guide shows how the role of mediator can more effectively influence and use the capacity of intercultural mediation methods to contribute to social change and social justice.
By training immigrants, refugees and people in the social sector in mediation, the project can contribute to a change in the social dynamics of society.
The poject ”IncludeMe: Inclusion through mediation” is co-funded by the Erasmus+ of the European Union. It has been led by Åbo Akademi University in Finland and project partners are: European Universities Continuing Education Network in Belgium, European E-learning Institute in Denmark, Momentum Marketing Services Limited in Irland, Tuzla Kaymakamlığı in Turkiet and Fundacio Solidaritat UB in Spanien.
catherine@euei.dk2023-01-08T09:55:41+00:00Latest News|


New domed Diet building proposed
A dome-shaped parliament building is proposed by a government panel on relocating Japan's capital. A pamphlet released Jan. 20 by the panel shows a drawing of the Diet building and lower-level buildings in a rural environment. ==Kyodo
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#dome
#pamphlet
#level
#panel
#building
#capital
#parliament
#Jan.
#buildings
Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand prime minister
STORY: Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand prime minister DATELINE: Jan. 25, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:09 LOCATION: Wellington CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of New Zealand Parliament Buildings 2. various of the swearing-in ceremony STORYLINE: Chris Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand Prime Minister on Wednesday, with his predecessor Jacinda Ardern officially tendering her resignation. The swearing-in ceremony held in parliament saw Hipkins officially taking up the top job and Carmel Sepuloni becoming the deputy prime minister. Prime Minister Hipkins will reshuffle the cabinet next week. Besides the top leadership role, Hipkins himself will be the minister of national security and intelligence. Tackling inflation will be his priority, he said, as Stats NZ released on Wednesday the growth of New Zealand's consumers price index remained 7.2 percent in the 12 months to December 2022. Announcing her resignation last Thursday, Ardern said, after five and a half years of the top leadership role, she coul
Lunar New Year observed around world with illuminated landmarks
STORY: Lunar New Year observed around world with illuminated landmarks DATELINE: Jan. 23, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:54 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of celebrating the Chinese New Year 2. various of the Empire State Building in New York, U.S. 3. various of the Palace Bridge in St. Petersburg, Russia 4. various of the London Eye in London, Britain 5. various of the Tokyo Tower in Tokyo, Japan 6. various of the Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia STORYLINE: Landmarks around the globe have been lit up in the auspicious color red to celebrate the Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, that fell on Sunday this year. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing. (XHTV)
Confucius class in Congo celebrates Chinese New Year
STORY: Confucius class in Congo celebrates Chinese New Year DATELINE: Jan. 22, 2023 LENGTH: 0:04:45 LOCATION: Brazzaville CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Revolution High School in Brazzaville 2. various of the gala 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WANG YULAN, Head of the Confucius classes of the Revolution High School STORYLINE: The students of the Confucius class of the Revolution High School in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of the Congo, held a gala this Saturday for the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, symbolling good fortune, great ambition, bright future, wealth and prosperity. This celebration, in which Chinese classes from various high schools in Brazzaville took part, was marked by several activities, in particular the recital of poems in Chinese language, Chinese songs, and the performance of the dragon dance by the students of the Wushu Federation of Congo. "The Sino-Congolese collaboration at the cultural level has grown, especially with the opening of Confucius classes
Chris Hipkins confirmed New Zealand's new PM, to focus on domestic issues
STORY: Chris Hipkins confirmed New Zealand's new PM, to focus on domestic issues DATELINE: Jan. 22, 2023 LENGTH: 00:03:00 LOCATION: Wellington CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views of New Zealand Parliament Buildings 2. various of the press conference after the Caucus meeting 3. various of street views of Wellington STORYLINE: The New Zealand Labor Party has confirmed Chris Hipkins as the party's new leader and New Zealand's 41st Prime Minister. Chris Hipkins announced that at a press conference on Sunday. The Labor Party caucus meeting on Sunday voted the Caucus member, Minister for Education, Police and Public Service and Leader of the House Chris Hipkins as the new party leader. Hipkins was the only nominee to replace Jacinda Ardern, who announced her resignation on Thursday. Member of Parliament for Kelston and Cabinet minister Carmel Sepuloni was appointed deputy prime minister. According to the New Zealand political system, the majority party of the Parliament forms the
CHINA-BEIJING-GREEN DEVELOPMENT-WHITE PAPER (CN)
(230119) -- BEIJING, Jan. 19, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission Zhao Chenxin (C, back), Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xin Guobin (2nd R, back), Vice Minister of Natural Resources Liu Guohong (2nd L, back), Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment Zhao Yingmin (1st R, back), and spokesman of the State Council Information Office attend a press conference introducing a white paper titled "China's Green Development in the New Era" issued by the State Council Information Office in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 19, 2023. The white paper aims to present a full picture of China's ideas, actions, and achievements in green development in the new era, and to share with the world its experience in this regard. (Xinhua/Li He)
Lower house of Poland's Parliament adopts judicial reform
STORY: Lower house of Poland's Parliament adopts judicial reform DATELINE: Jan. 15, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:05 LOCATION: Warsaw CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Sejm building 2. SOUNDBITE (Polish): ELZBIETA WITEK, Marshal of the Sejm (Courtesy of Sejm TV) 3. various of Polish and EU flags STORYLINE: Poland's Supreme Court reform bill, which was needed to unlock billions of euros in European Union (EU) post-pandemic recovery funds, was passed by the lower house of the country's Parliament (Sejm) on Friday. In the 460-member chamber, 203 deputies supported the bill, 52 were against (including 22 members of the ruling caucus) and 189 abstained (opposition parties), the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported. SOUNDBITE (Polish): ELZBIETA WITEK, Marshal of the Sejm "We vote on the whole project of the bill. Who is for the adoption of the entire bill? Who is against? Who abstained? Thank you. 444 deputies voted, 203 for, 52 against, 189 abstained. The Sejm passed the bill." The government itself was spli
Iranians blame U.S. sanctions for severe air pollution
STORY: Iranians blame U.S. sanctions for severe air pollution DATELINE: Jan. 9, 2023 LENGTH: 0:02:14 LOCATION: Tehran CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of air pollution in Tehran 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Persian): ALI MARDANI, Tehran resident 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Persian): REZA KESHAVARZ, Crisis analyst STORYLINE: The air pollution in Iran's capital Tehran has reached an alarming level this winter and has aroused people's concerns over its health impacts on local residents. SOUNDBITE 1 (Persian): ALI MARDANI, Tehran resident "We have lived in this city for many years. Between seven and ten years ago, the air was not as polluted as it is now. It is true that the number of factories and cars has increased, but the fuel which was used for cars and refineries at that time was not the one burned at present." While some have pointed out multiple factors causing the pollution, others blame the decades-long U.S. sanctions against Iran. SOUNDBITE 2 (Persian): REZA KESHAVARZ, Crisis analyst "In general, it (polluti
BRAZIL-BRASILIA-PROTEST
(230110) -- BRASILIA, Jan. 10, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Protesters gather near Brazil's Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, Jan. 8, 2023. Brazilian authorities have arrested at least 1,200 supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro by Monday, and regained control of main government buildings here. (Marcelo Camargo/Agencia Brasil via Xinhua)
(230110) -- BRASILIA, Jan. 10, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Protesters gather outside Brazil's Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, Jan. 8, 2023. Brazilian authorities have arrested at least 1,200 supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro by Monday, and regained control of main government buildings here. (Marcelo Camargo/Agencia Brasil via Xinhua)
XINHUA-PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2022-LEADING CHINA
(230109) -- BEIJING, Jan. 9, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping chairs the High-level Dialogue on Global Development via video link in Beijing, capital of China, June 24, 2022. Xi delivered an important speech titled "Forging High-quality Partnership for a New Era of Global Development". (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)


Blog: Five Management Lessons From Tony Soprano
By Jack Keough
James Gandolfini, the legendary actor who portrayed Tony Soprano, the mob boss on HBO’s television hit series “The Sopranos,” died June 19 of a heart attack. Gandolfini was only 51 years old. His excellent acting led to him capturing Emmy Awards, as well as awards from the Screen Actors Guild. It was a remarkable career for a guy from Jersey who started acting late in life and had a series of minor roles before being cast as Tony Soprano.
Tony Soprano was a complicated boss who was involved in murder, extortion and various other crimes, ruling his organization with an iron hand. But for some reason, Tony Soprano was a popular character.
Despite all his faults, there were several management lessons that can be learned from Tony Soprano. And, no, I am not equating running a distributorship with running a mob crew but some of Tony’s management’s philosophies can be applied to any business.
Leadership. There was no doubt that Tony Soprano was in charge of his crew. He demanded loyalty-and earned it-from his cast of characters. Take this comment from Christopher, Tony’s nephew and a member of the Soprano crime family when talking about Tony: “I’d follow that man back to hell and back,” he told his fiancée. A true leader whether in business or otherwise instills leadership and direction for his crew, company or military unit.
Decision making. Tony Soprano made decisions quickly and stuck to them. He thought things out, looked at the pros and cons of some of his potential decisions. When there was a problem with a crew member, for example, Tony met the problem head on. If you were to ask employees within a company what annoys them the most about their bosses, inevitably the answer is indecision. No one likes to wait in limbo before a decision is reached.
Succession planning. When one of his captains died unexpectedly, Tony had a successor in place. And that successor did even better than he ever anticipated. One of the failures of management today is the inability to mentor and develop a management team. Many companies have had problems when the CEO or president leaves the company.
Thinking one step ahead. In one episode, Tony loaned money to his best friend, Arnie, who owned a restaurant. His friend couldn’t pay it back on time. At one point, Arnie says to Tony: “You knew this was going to happen all along. You’re always thinking one step ahead of anyone else.” Arnie was right. Some managers today don’t think ahead but instead are focusing only on today. When is the last time you really set up a strategic plan for your company’s future? Should you add product lines? Expand geographically? Sell or merge your company? It’s so hard today just focusing on profitability you really don’t think where you want to be a few years from now.
Know your competition. Tony knew who his competitors were and took steps to make sure they didn’t encroach into his territory. It’s no wonder that “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu, written as a Chinese military strategy that can also be applied to any business, was Tony’s favorite book.
Now his approach was of course, different, than a distributor would take but the philosophy is the same. Today you no longer have your traditional competitor but new on-line rivals like amazonsupply.com and Google as well as national distributors. Some of the mega distributors in the industry are venturing into areas they haven’t traditionally sold in.
How do you want to compete?
Should you develop an e-commerce program or just enhance your web site? Should you specialize and develop a specific niche? Know your strengths and weaknesses but also know your competitors. Tony knew who to align with and who to avoid. And he was rarely wrong. Tony Soprano knew his business and where he wanted it to go in the future. It’s something every manager should focus on and not be content with the status quo.
James Gandolfini and the character he played, Tony Soprano, are unfortunately gone. But the memories of that show will continue to live on.
Jack Keough was the editor of Industrial Distribution magazine for more than 26 years. He often speaks at many industry events and seminars. He can be reached at john.keough@comcast.net or keoughbiz@gmail.com
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'You Make Your Own Family': Losing A Mother, Gaining 2 More
Carolina Escobar
Corinthia Isom (right) was just a child when her mother died. At StoryCorps in 2015, Kathleen Payne (left) told Isom why her mom trusted her to take care of her daughter.
When Corinthia Isom was a child, her mother sat her down on the steps of their home to tell her she had a deadly illness.
"I have HIV, and things are gonna change within our lives," Isom says, recounting the words of her mother, DeSeane Isom.
DeSeane was a single mother, so before her death, she asked two of her closest friends if they would care for Corinthia after she was gone.
The two friends, Kathleen Payne and her partner, April, had met DeSeane through an LGBTQ gospel choir in New York City.
"Every weekend, April and I would hang out with you and your mom," Payne told Isom in an interview with StoryCorps. "I remember that she said, 'Don't tell her that I'm going to die.' "
But keeping that promise, Payne says, made it difficult to get to know Isom better.
"When we got the news that your mom had passed on, I was really scared," she says. "For one thing, it was difficult for a lesbian couple to adopt."
The couple would eventually win guardianship of Isom. Still, it was a big transition as Isom grappled with adjusting to having two new mother figures in her life. She and her mother had grown very close in the years before her death, and as Payne remembers, Isom would ask her questions like, "Do I have to call you Mommy?"
"Well, no," Payne recalls answering.
"Then, later on, you said, 'Why do you guys talk like you're white?' " she told Isom.
Laughing, Payne says she explained to Isom that "this is the way some black people talk."
Isom says that at first, she was unsure being placed under the couple's care was the right fit.
"You guys are very educated and, for me, it was like, they're going to want me to study all the time," Isom says. "But I enjoyed you guys, and I was looking forward to you guys being my parents."
Payne told Isom that her mom trusted that she and April would take good care of her daughter.
"She knew we had the support of a lot of people who knew her and would be there for us," Payne says, "which is the kind of thing that you also develop when you're queer and your family may or may not accept you ... you make your own family."
It has been more than 20 years since Isom's mother died. She says her mom never talked to her about why she hoped Payne and her partner would take her in. "But she made a good choice," she says. "A very good choice."
Produced for Morning Edition by Jud Esty-Kendall.
StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy for future generations. Learn more, including how to interview someone in your life, at StoryCorps.org.
10 things to do in NH this weekend: Winter festivals in Concord and Hooksett


Julian Andrew Ashley of Melrose died Monday at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville. He was 58.
Mr. Ashley was born in Norfolk, Va., and moved to Melrose from Maryland more than 30 years ago. He was a welder. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. He was a Baptist.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Pamela Ashley.
Survivors include his mother, Ruby Ashley of Melrose; a daughter, Lena Kay Brown of Key Largo; and a sister, Rachel Ashley of Melrose.
Glen Lawson Billups of Richboro, Pa., died Nov. 15 in Richboro. He was 83.
Mr. Billups was born in Wayne County, W.Va., and had lived in Gainesville for four years. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, where he served as an officer. He worked in women's fashion sales until becoming a master chef in 1985 at the University Centre Hotel in Gainesville. He enjoyed cooking, duck hunting and he loved Labrador retrievers.
Survivors include daughters Christine Lanier of Gainesville and MaryEllen Billups and Amy Pierce, both of Bucks County, Pa.; sons Wayne Billups of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Glen Billups Jr. of Corona, Calif.; and eight grandchildren.
Alphonso Chapman of Gainesville died Monday at Hospice of North Central Florida from lung cancer. He was 44.
Mr. Chapman was a lifelong resident of Gainesville. He attended Alachua County schools.
Survivors include his mother and stepfather, Rosa and Fred Batie of Gainesville; brothers Kenneth Davis of Gainesville, Willie Littles of Orlando, Terry Johnson of Ocala and Edgar Smith of Tampa; sisters Anita Smith of Bainbridge, Ga., and Patricia Lavan of Gainesville; and stepsisters Shelia Williams, Jackie Jones, Chiquiea Williams and Quila Wilson, all of Gainesville.
Arrangements by Washington Funeral Home.
Tommie Lee Fewox of Steinhatchee died Tuesday at Cross City Rehabilitation & Health Care Center. He was 79.
Mr. Fewox was born in Plant City. He was a heavy equipment operator and was a member of the American Legion and the Moose Lodge in Riverview. He was a veteran of World War II. He was a Baptist.
Survivors include a son, Raleigh Fewox of Live Oak; daughters Sandra Damron of Arcadia and Pattie Dixon of Lakeland; stepson Danny Little of Wewahitchka and Billy Walker of Inverness; stepdaughters Edna Jean Ford of Plant City, Debbie Wilson of Huntsville, Ala., and Kathy Ringley of Valdosta, Ga.; a half-brother, W.R. Fewox of Frostproof; 23 grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Rick Gooding Funeral Home in Cross City.
Carol S. Galloway of Morriston died Tuesday at Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala. She was 62.
Mrs. Galloway was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to Morriston from Melbourne more than two years ago. She was a member of the AARP, the Williston Garden Club and the Friends of the Williston Library.
Survivors include her husband, Rodney Galloway of Morriston; and a sister, JoAnne Weinberg of Port Orange.
Arrangements by Knauff Funeral Home in Williston.
James Henry of Gainesville died Jan. 25 at his home after a brief illness. He was 72.
Mr. Henry was born in Lake City and moved to Gainesville from his hometown 50 years ago. He was a cook and a Baptist.
Survivors include sons Larry D. Henry of Fort Lauderdale and Barney A. Henry of Tallahassee; daughters Janet Williams and Fern Y. Von Faulkenstein, both of Gainesville, Deanna Troutman of Tampa and Caroline Ogelsby Henry of Orlando; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Chestnut Funeral Home.
Marie Pauline Holt of Starke died Tuesday at her home after an extended illness. She was 57.
Mrs. Holt was born in Louisville, Ky., and moved to Starke from Miami in 1971. She was a physician's assistant at Shands at the University of Florida. She also taught EMT courses and nurses' aid classes at Lake Butler High School. She was a member of Evergreen Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Paul A. Holt of Starke; a daughter, Jackie Baugess of Lawtey; sisters Mary Christensen of Keystone Heights and Betty Cohen of Fort Lauderdale; a brother, Rayfield Burns of Kentucky; and three grandchildren.
Arrangements by Archie Tanner Funeral Home in Starke.
Maria Melvavina Hutson of Grandin died Monday at Hospice of the Lakes in Palatka. She was 82.
Mrs. Hutson was born in Palatka and lived in Grandin most of her life. She was a homemaker and a member of Paran Baptist Church in Grandin. She was the granddaughter of David Brooker - the founder of the town of Brooker.
Survivors include a son, Edward "Skee" Hutson Jr. of Fort White; and five grandchildren.
Arrangements by Moring Funeral Home in Melrose.
Harriette Marie Spinks Melendez of Gainesville died Tuesday at Palm Garden of Gainesville. She was 71.
Mrs. Melendez was born in Plattsburg, N.Y., and moved to Gainesville from Puerto Rico in 1978. She was the owner of Casareyito Import & Export. She was a Catholic.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Manuel Antonio Melendez.
Survivors include daughters Carol Melendez Jensen of Alachua and Bonnie Melendez Huguley of Gainesville; a son, Manuel "Manny" Andrew Melendez Spinks of Gainesville; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Arrangements by Milam Funeral and Cremation Services.
Dr. Gerald A. "Jerry" Olson of Durham, N.C., died Jan. 23 at his home. He was 60.
Dr. Olson was born in Iowa City, Iowa, and had lived in Gainesville for several years. He was a medical researcher at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He also did research at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, Washington University in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Durham, N.C. He enjoyed the outdoors, fishing, camping, hiking, tennis and biking. He also enjoyed woodworking.
Survivors include his mother, Nancy Olson of Columbus, Ind.; his companion, Arlene Weidmann of Durham; a daughter, Jennifer Garcia of Columbus, Ga.; sons Scott Olson of Columbus, Ga., and Brian Olson of McKinney, Texas; brothers Steve Olson of Addison, Texas, Bob Olson of Redwood City, Calif and twin brothers Dr. Larry Olson of Columbus, Ind., and Dr. Lynn Olson of Bowling Green, Ky.; and four grandchildren.
Arrangements by Clements Funeral Home in Durham.
Pauline Hill of Gainesville died Tuesday at Shands at AGH after a brief illness. She was 50.
Ms. Hill was a lifelong resident of Gainesville. She was a 1973 graduate of Buchholz High School. She was a member of Old Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church.
Survivors include daughters Tracy Smith of Gainesville and Loluegra Shumeka Booth of Orlando; sons Darrell Powell of Alachua and Kenneth Bynum of Gainesville; sisters Ophelia Hill, Marie Hill, Rose Mary Hill, Wanda Gail Hill and Shirley Ann Hill, all of Brooker; brothers Kenneth Hill of Brooker and Adam Hill of Gainesville; and eight grandchildren.
Arrangements by Duncan Brothers Funeral Home.
Sylvester "West" Prophet of Alachua died Tuesday at his home after an extended illness. He was 76.
Mr. Prophet was born in Mount Pleasant and moved to Alachua from Fellsmere 20 years ago. He was a cement finisher. He was a member of Paradise United Methodist Church.
Survivors include brothers Samuel Prophet of Miami and Isiah Prophet of Philadelphia; and his niece and caregiver, Barbara West of Alachua.
Pauline Scully Riley of Middleburg died Tuesday in Middleburg. She was 95.
Mrs. Riley was born in Xenia, Ohio, and moved to Middleburg from Gainesville three years ago. She was a retired bookkeeper for an automobile dealer. She was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church for several years and she attended St. Luke's Catholic Church in Middleburg.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Elmer Riley.
Survivors include a daughter, JoAnne Riley Eutsler of Middleburg; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Arrangements by Milam Funeral Home.
Willie Junior Sylvester of Palatka died Jan. 27 at Roberts Hospice Care center in Palatka from leukemia. He was 25.
Mr. Sylvester was born in Gainesville and moved to Palatka from Gainesville seven years ago. He attended Eastside High School until the 11th grade, when he was home-schooled due to his illness.
Survivors include his mother, Julie Ann Marie Cannon of Palatka; his father, Willie Lee Sylvester of Palatka; his stepfather, Leon Perry of Palatka; a sister, Jennifer Arlene Sylvester Barnes of Gainesville; and a brother, Alan Alfred Cannon of Palatka.
Arrangements by Smith's Funeral Home.
Richard "Richie" Lee Taylor of Starke died Monday at his home. He was 35.
Mr. Taylor was born in Gainesville and was raised in Starke. He graduated from Bradford High School in 1988. He received his associate's degree from Santa Fe Community College and he worked at CVS Pharmacy for five years as a pharmacy technician. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Starke.
Survivors include his mother, Carolyn Taylor of Ocala; a sister, Kathy Green of Ocala; and a brother, Jeffrey Taylor of Starke.
Jennie "Aunt Jennie" Louise White of Gainesville died Tuesday in Gainesville. She was 92.
Mrs. White was born in Lamar, S.C., and moved to Gainesville from Sumter County in 1926. She was a homemaker. She was an active member of the First Church of the Nazarene. She also belonged to Fire of God Ministries, where she helped feed the homeless and needy.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred White.
Survivors include a daughter, Jackie R. Wilk of Alachua County; her companion and caregiver, Lora Atkins of Gainesville; and one grandchild.
Arrangements by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home.


Home » Research » Search by Chronological Categories » Life & Ministry of Jesus & the Apostles » Aquila and Priscilla: A Godly Marriage for Ministry
Propaganda, Power, and Perversion of Biblical Truths: Coins Illustrating the Book of Revelation
Author: Gordon Franz MA
Category: The Life & Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ & the Apostles 26-99 AD
Coins offer a “numismatic window” into the world of the New Testament (Oster 1982: 218). At the end of the First Century AD, the power-hungry Roman emperor minted coins as political propaganda in order to influence his culture. This article peers through that window and examines the imperial coins from the reign of Emperor Domitian. The article also examines how Domitian’s regime attacked some unchanging truths of the Word of God, how the Book of Revelation constructs a subtle polemic against Emperor Domitian, and how the Roman provincial coins can illustrate the messages to the seven churches.
The classic example of the Flavian Dynasty using coins for propaganda purposes is the “Judea Capta” coins. These coins were minted by Emperors Vespasian, Titus and Domitian and depict a Roman soldier standing guard next to a palm tree with a weeping Judea seated under the tree. On the edge is the words “Judea Capta” translated “Judea is captured.” This coin commemorates the end of the First Jewish Revolt and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. There were Jewish people throughout the Roman world and the propaganda message of these coins was clear: “Don’t you, or anybody else, think about revolting again. We will defeat you just as we defeated the Judeans!” For a good discussion of these coins, see Hendin 2001: 303-343.
The Book of Revelation only mentions one coin by name: the denarius in the third seal judgment (Rev. 6: 5, 6; Franz 2000:9-11). However, monetary exchange is also mentioned in Revelation 13:17, 18: “and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.” How these transactions will be carried out, either by cash, credit card, microchip or some other technology, I will leave that for the prophetic sensationalists and speculators to figure out! For a First Century AD understanding, see Kraybill 1996.
Denarius coin with the image of Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96).
Two coins illustrate the abuse of numismatics in contemporary sensationalist prophetic studies. The first is a coin issued by the Vatican in 1995 with Pope John Paul II on the obverse and the depiction of the woman and child of Revelation 11 on the reverse. Some of the sensationalist prophecy teachers were not so much interested in the reverse side of the coin as they were the bottoms of the obverse side. Underneath the portrait of the pope were three six-pointed stars. These prophecy teachers were quick to make the association with the number 6-6-6!
Portrait of the late John Paul II, 1995. Note the three-pointed stars at the bottom of the coin.
The second coin is the 2-euro coin from Greece. On the reverse of this coin is a “woman riding a beast!” Greek mythology says that this woman is Europa, a Phoenician princess, being carried away to the island of Crete by Zeus / Jupiter disguised as a bull (Jones 1990: 110). These coin types are known from ancient times and are also on the coins from modern Cyprus too. They have nothing to do with the woman riding the beast in Rev. 17:3, 7.
Greek two-Euro coin showing Europa riding a bull, 2002
Greek coin from Amphipolis in Macedonia portraying Artemis Tauropolos (Greek Europa), riding a bull, reign of Claudius (AD 51-54).
Coins are a neglected area of study for New Testament scholars, yet they are important for Biblical studies. One person points out that “numismatic evidence can … help shed light on important historical events which had a bearing on the lives of the New Testament writers and their audience” (Kreitzer 1996: 28).
A good coin to illustrate the importance of numismatics for Biblical studies is a coin minted by Antiochus IV with the inscription “theos epiphanies” (“god manifest”) on the reverse. Some have called this the Hanukkah coin because when Antiochus desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem he also claimed deity. Several years later, the Antiochus IV and his Seleucid army were defeated and the temple in Jerusalem rededicated. The festival of Hanukkah commemorates this event. The Lord Jesus goes to the Temple for Hanukkah in John 10, He makes the statement, “I and my Father are one” (10:30), an outright declaration of His deity. This declaration should be seen in the context of Antiochus’ blasphemous claim to being “god manifest” (Franz 1998).
Coin of Antiochus IV (175-164) depicting Zeus on a throne holding Nike. The inscription on the left reads “theos epiphanous”, god manifest.
There is a helpful book that illustrates the coins that were encountered by the Apostle Paul and his companions on their travels through the Roman world. It is entitled, The Pocket Guide to Saint Paul by Peter Lewis and Ron Bolden (2002). The book contains some interesting theological views that some would disagree with, but the numismatic material is very good.
The Date of the Book of Revelation
The date for the Book of Revelation is a much debated topic. The two prevailing views are the early date during the reign of Emperor Nero, ca. AD 65. Some advocates of the early date tend to see the Book of Revelation as being fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. I do not share these views and see a number of historical inconsistencies with this understanding (Franz 2003).
The second view is the late date for the Book of Revelation set during the reign of Emperor Domitian, ca. A.D. 95. A good case can be made for this date (Hitchcock 2003; 2005).
The Coins of Emperor Domitian
Self-deified Emperor
Emperor Domitian had a definite ego problem! In Imperial Rome the senate would deify an emperor upon death (Kreitzer 1990:210-217). However, Domitian, like Gaius Caligula, could not wait until death, so he deified himself while he was alive. This is well attested by the ancient writers (Franz 1999).
Suetonius (AD 75 – ca. 140), in his book Lives of the Caesars, wrote, “With no less arrogance he began as follows in issuing a circular letter in the name of his procurators, ‘Our Master and our God bids that this be done.'” [“Dominus et deus noster hoe fieri iubet.”] (Domitian 13:2; LCL 2:367). He also delighted in the adulation of the people in the amphitheater when they shouted, “Good Fortune attends our Lord and Mistress” [Domino et dominae feliciter!”] (Domitian 13:1; LCL 2:367) a reference to himself and his wife.
Pliny the Younger (born AD 61 or 62 – died before 113), wrote in his Panegyricus, a tribute to Emperor Trajan, “He (Domitian) was a madman, blind to the true meaning of his position, who used the arena for collecting charges of high treason, who felt himself slighted and scorned if we failed to pay homage to his gladiators, taking any criticism of them to himself and seeing insults to his own godhead and divinity; who deemed himself the equal of the gods yet raised his gladiators to his equal” (33:4; LCL 2: 395).
Dio Cassius, in his Roman History, wrote, “For he even insisted upon being regarded as a god [theos] and took vast pride in being called ‘master’ [despotus] and “god” [theos]. These titles were used not merely in speech but also in written documents” (Epitome of Book 67:5:7; LCL 8:329). Elsewhere he wrote, “One Juventius Celsus, … [conspired] … against Domitian … When he was on the point of being condemned, he begged that he might speak to the emperor in private, and thereupon did obeisance before him and after repeatedly calling him ‘master’ [despoton] and ‘god’ [theon] (terms that were already being applied to him by others)” (Epitome of Book 67:3:4; LCL 8:349). Later writers repeat the same claim and then go on to embellish it. However, Statius claims Domitian rejected these titles (Silvae 1:6:83-84; LCL 1: 69, 71).
There seems to be other contemporary evidence that backs up Domitian’s claim to deity. Unfortunately, no monumental inscriptions have been discovered with these titles on them. Dio Cassius again adds an important detail, when he wrote, “After Domitian, the Romans appointed Nerva Cocceius emperor. Because of the hatred felt for Domitian, his images, many of which were of silver and many of gold, were melted down; and from this source large amounts of money were obtained. The arches, too, of which a very great number were being erected to this one man, were torn down” (Epitome of Book 68:1:1; LCL 8:361). Upon his death, the Roman Senate was, “… overjoyed … [assailed] the dead emperor with the most insulting and stinging kind of outcries. … Finally they passed a decree that his inscriptions should everywhere be erased, and all record of him obliterated” (Suetonius, Domitian 23:1; LCL 2:385). This decree, the damnatio memoriae, destroyed all the statues and epigraphical inscriptions of Domitian. Evidence of this can be seen in the arch at Hierapolis, built by Domitian, as well as the dedicatory inscriptions for the Temple of the Sabastoi in Ephesus (Friesen 1993:34).
The only evidence not destroyed was the set of coins minted by Domitian as it was impossible to recall all of them. Numismatics is able to provide some evidence of Domitian’s boast of deity.
The Numismatic Evidence
Dr. Ernest Janzen, of the University of Toronto, in an article entitled, “The Jesus of the Apocalypse Wears the Emperor’s Clothes” (1994, see also 1993) provides for two lines of evidence from numismatics for Domitian’s claim to deity. The first are coins minted in AD 83 called the DIVI CAESAR (“divine Caesar”) coins (Vagi 2:329, coins 1160, 1161, 1162). These coins, minted in gold and silver, had the bust of Domitia, the wife of Domitian, on the obverse with the inscription, “DIVI CAESAR MATRI” and “DIVI CAESARIS MATER”, the mother of the divine Caesar! (Vagi 2:327, coins 1149, 1150, 1151; RIC 2:179, coin 209A; 2:180, coin 213). On the reverse was their infant son who was born in the second consulship of Domitian in AD 73 and died in the second year after he became emperor in AD 82 (Suetonius, Domitian 3:1; LCL 2:345). He is depicted as naked and seated on a zoned globe with his arms stretched out surrounded by seven stars! ( RIC 2:209; coins 440, 441) The inscription surrounding it said “DIVUS CAESAR IMP DOMITIANIF”; translated it means, “the divine Caesar, son of the emperor Domitian.” The infant is depicted as baby Jupiter (Jupiter being the head of the Roman pantheon). “The globe represents world dominion and power, while stars typically bespoke the divine nature of those accompanied. … the infant depicted on the globe was the son of (a) god and that the infant was conqueror of the world” (Janzen 1994:645-647). It goes without saying that if he is the son of a god, then his father, Domitian, must be god! I cannot help but use my sanctified imagination and wonder if John did not have this coin in front of him when he penned, “and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to His feet … He had in His right hand seven stars” (Rev. 1:13,16). He refers back to this vision in the letter to the church at Thyatira when the Lord Jesus identifies Himself as the “Son of God” (Rev. 2:18).
Replica of a coin illustrating the deified son of Emperor Domitian reaching for seven stars.
The second bit of numismatic evidence comes from the coins with the fulmen (“thunderbolt”) on them. The fulmen is the divine attribute of Jupiter. Janzen says, “In 84 Domitian struck reverse type Jupiter holding thunderbolt and spear. The first issue of 85 continued this type but the second issue witnessed the fulmen in Domitian’s hand. He and Jupiter would ‘share’ the fulmen for the years 85-6 after which Jupiter remained as a regular type, only without fulmen. From 87-96 Domitian alone held the fulmen, persuasive evidence of a developing megalomania which place the fulmen in Domitian’s hand and are clearly patterned after the Jupiter with fulmen type” (Janzen 1994:648, footnote 55; RIC 2:185, coins 247,248; 186, coin 253; 189, coin 279; 192, coin 300; 194, coins 313,314; 196, coin 334; 197, coin 342; 203, coin 288). One numismatic expert says that this type “clearly suggests a parallel between himself and ‘Jupiter tonaus’ (the thunderer) or the father of the gods” (Mattingly, cited in Janzen 1994:648, footnote 55).
Martial, the first century satirist of Rome, confirms this idea in his writings. One of his epigrams, written in AD 94, describing the Gens Flavia says, “This piece of ground, that lies open and is being covered with marble and gold, knew our Lord (domini) in infancy. … Here stood the venerable house that gave the world what Rhodes and pious Crete gave the starry sky [Helios, the sun god, was born on Rhodes according to some traditions, and Zeus, the chief god, was born on Crete- GF]. … But you the Father of the High One did protect, and for you, Caesar, thunderbolt (fulmen) and aegis took the place of spear and buckler” (Epigrams 9:20; LCL 2: 249). Sometimes Martial even calls Domitian the “Thunderer” (7:99:1; LCL 2: 157), a title that usually belongs to Jupiter (Zeus) (Epigrams 9:91; LCL 2: 311)! Domitian is putting himself on the same level as Jupiter.
Elsewhere in Martial’s writings he calls Domitian “lord” (Epigrams 7:2; 8:82; 9:20, 28, 66; LCL 2: 75, 231, 249, 257, 291) and “lord and god” (Epigrams 5:8; LCL 1: 361; 7:34; 8:2; LCL 2: 105, 161). Interestingly, after the death of Domitian, Martial repudiates these titles attributed to Domitian (Epigrams 10:72; LCL 2: 391). However, I think he was reflecting the sentiments of the day while Domitian was alive. Though he may not have believed it, that is what Domitian wanted, that is what he got.
Another interesting sidelight is that on some of Domitian’s coins, the initials “PM” appears on the inscriptions. Some of the coins have Domition praying or offering sacrifices (RIC 2:201, coins 377,378; 202, coins 381,383,385). These initials stand for “pontifex maximus,” the high priest as head of the Roman religion. Biblically, this title belongs only to the Lord Jesus (Heb. 4:14). Yet in Revelation, the “things which you [John] have seen” (Rev. 1:19) is the vision of the glorified Son of Man who is also the High Priest (Thomas 1965: 241-247).
Coin depicting emperor Domitian (right) burning incense on an altar as pontificus maximus (high priest), AD 85.
It appears that something triggered Domitian to openly claim deity in AD 85/86. The triggering event is not known, but the response in Asia Minor was a temple dedicated to the Sabastoi (emperors). This temple appears on several coins minted in Ephesus (Ramsay 1994: 168).
In the year AD 91/2 coins were minted in Alexandria, Egypt which had on the obverse a portrait of Domitian encircled by an inscription that identified Domitian as the “son of God” (RPC 2:323,328,333-337). One coin in particular had on its reverse, four pygmies surrounding Hercules. In his left hand he is holding a fifth and in his right is his club. The inscription calls Domitian the “son of God” (Mowat 1901: 72-74; RPC 2:337, coin 2709).
Coins from the Seven Churches
Let us turn our attention to the Roman provincial coins of Asia Minor. The Book of Revelation was addressed to the churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea (Rev. 1:11; 2-3). Each city minted coins during the reign of Emperor Domitian. The study of the local coins is important because of the light they shed on the city at the time. Colin Hemer points out, “Coinage is often in fact the most illustrating key to local religion and so to the formative ideas of the society” (2001:25). A British numismatic expert has observed, “The real value of the types of coins from the Greek East is the insights into the local city life which they reveal. Topography, architecture, literature and mythology, religious beliefs and practices, entertainments and celebrations were all considered suitable subjects for illustrations because the coinage provided citizens with a vehicle on which to express their civic pride” (I. Carradice, cited in Kreitzer 1996: 28).
Remains of the Temple of Domitian in Ephesus.
The first letter from the Lord Jesus went to the church at Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7). This city was famous because it housed one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis / Diana. In this open-air temple there was a garden with deer roaming in front of a sacred tree and the cult statue of Artemis. This garden was called the “paradise of Artemis” (Hemer 2001:50-52).
Many coins from Ephesus have a bee on one side, symbolizing the priestesses that ministered in the temple as well as a palm tree and stag on the reverse (Rakicic 1994:6-12). The palm tree was a “sacred tree” and was considered the “tree of life” (Hemer 2001: 41-47).
Coin from Ephesus with a deer in front of a palm tree, the "tree of life".
John writes that the “overcomers” (those who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and are living a victorious Christian life) will “eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7).
What John is saying is this: the temple of Artemis is a false imitation of the real thing, i.e. the Biblical Tree of Life and the Paradise of God. Believers in the Lord Jesus have something infinitely superior than the Artemisian to look forward to. If they are faithful to the Lord, His Word, and to each other they will be “overcomers.” Those who overcome will receive the privilege of eating from the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:12-14) and abiding in the Paradise of God.
Artist's reconstruction of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.
The second letter is addressed to the church of Smyrna (Rev. 2: 8-11). The city was established on Old Smyrna (Bayraki) and destroyed about 700 BC. It was reestablished as a polis in 290 BC. This is an example of a city that “died” but came “back to life.”
The story is told that Alexander the Great was hunting on Mt. Pagos when he fell asleep under a plane tree in front of the Temple of the two Nemeses. The two goddesses appeared to him in a dream and told him to rebuild the city of Smyrna on Mt. Pagos. The Smyraeans sent envoys to the Temple of Apollo at Klaros to inquire if they should rebuild. The response from the priest was, “Thrice, yes, four times blest will those men be who shall dwell in Pagus beyond the sacred Meles” (Pausanias, Description of Greece 5:1-3; LCL 3:193).
A Roman coin minted during the reign of Philippus Arab (AD 244-249) depicts Alexander the Great sleeping under a plane tree with the two Nemeses on Mt. Pagos (Akurgal 1993: pl. 46a). The two Nemeses appear on one coin minted during the reign of Domitian (RPC 2:158, coin 1012).
The third letter is addressed to the believers living in Pergamum (Rev. 2:12-17). Twice in the letter Jesus acknowledges that Pergamum is where “Satan’s throne is” and where “Satan dwells” (Rev. 2:13). Commentators have had a field day trying to figure out these statements.
Coin with the head of Asklepios, god of healing, from Pergamum.
The numismatic evidence can support three of these ideas. The first is that Satan’s throne was located at Pergamun because there was a large temple to Asklepius, the god of healing. One of the characteristics of coins on Asklepius is that there is a snake coiled around a stick in his hands. Satan is called “that old serpent the Devil and Satan” (Rev. 12:9; RPC 2:144,145; coins 921,924).
Coin from Pergamum illustrating a coiled serpent. Snakes are associated with the healing shrine of Asklepios.
The second possibility is the Temple of Zeus, the chief deity of the Greek pantheon that overlooked the lower city of Pergamun. This temple is now in the Berlin Museum. There are a number of coins minted with the bust of Zeus on it.
The trees mark the spot where the altar of Zeus was originally located. It was removed and is now exhibited in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin.
Temple of Emperor Trajan (AD 98-117) at Pergamum where emperor worship took place.
The third possibility is the Temple of Augustus and the emperor worship associated with the place. One coin was minted during the reign of Domitian depicting a temple with four columns and a statue of Augustus (RPC 2:144, coin 918). This temple is also depicted in the reigns of Tiberius (RPC 1:403, coin 2369), Claudius (RPC 1:403, coin 2370) and Nero (RPC 1:403, coin 2372).
The fourth letter is addressed to the church meeting in the city of Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29). Colin Hemer states: “The longest and most difficult of the seven letters is addressed to the least known, least important and least remarkable of the cities. The letter was not, I think, obscure to the church in Thyatira, the problem lies in our remoteness from the contemporary facts” (2001: 106).
Coins might help to shed some light on the letter. In this letter Jesus is described as “the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass” (Rev. 2:18). This is the only time in the Book of Revelation that Jesus is referred to as the “Son of God”. It is implied in Rev. 1:6; 2:27; 3:5, 21; 14:1.
The coins of Thyatira point to Apollo Tyrimnaeus as the patron deity of the city. Apollo was the “son of Zeus.” Jesus is described as having “eyes as flames of fire and feet of gleaning bronze.” The reader would immediately go back to the vision of the glorified Son of Man in Rev. 1:13-16. Colin Hemer points out that the fine bronze is “an alloy of copper with metallic zinc [that] was made in Thyatira, the zinc was obtained by distillation. This was a finer and purer brass than the rough and variable coinage-alloy” (2001:116). He goes on to suggest that there might have been a statue in town of the patron deity, Apollo Tyrimnaeus. Coins have been discovered of him grasping the hands of the Roman emperor (Ramsay 1994:235). While this coin is much later than the time of Domitian, there were coins with implements associated with Apollo (tripod, lyre) and his reign (RPC 2:147).
The phrase “son of God” would also call to mind the coins of Domitian’s deified infant son seated on the globe reaching for the seven stars.
The fifth letter is addressed to the church meeting in the city of Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). There seems to be no coins that illustrate the letter to the church at Sardis.
The sixth letter was written to the church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13). This was a small church to which Jesus has nothing negative to say. In fact, He commends them for keeping His Word and not denying His Name in spite of the fact that they had little strength (3:8).
There have been very few excavations in Philadelphia. In the Manisa Museum in Turkey there are statues of various deities that have been discovered by the locals while putting in foundations for their houses or plowing fields. Some of the deities represented are Dionysis, the god of wine and merrymaking; Demeter, the goddess of agriculture; Helios, the sun god. The coins add a few more deities. Philadelphia was a city that had a pluralistic society, but also had an exclusive element in the population that thought they had a corner on the market of truth, i.e. the synagogue. Yet the believers in the Lord Jesus were faithful to Him in spite of the societal pressures.
The promise to the overcomers was that he would be made a “pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on Him my new name” (3:12).
After the devastating earthquake of AD 17, the Roman government financially assisted the cities of Asia Minor that were affected by this quake. The city showed its gratitude to the emperor by changing the name of the city to “Neocaesarea”, the New Caesarea! There were coins minted in Philadelphia with this name on them ( RPC 1:492,493, coin 3017; 494, coins 3032-3040).
Coin of Emperor Caligula (AD 37-41) with the words "Neo-Caesarea" on it. Philadelphia was called the "New Caesarea" after imperial aid helped rebuild the city.
Laodicia
The final letter was written to the church in Laodicea, located in the Lycos Valley (Rev. 3:14-22). In this letter, Jesus had nothing good to say about this church. In fact, He describes their arrogance by saying, “You say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (3:17).
The church was imitating the society around it. It was a very affluent society and quite self-sufficient. After the earthquake of A.D. 17, the Roman imperial government provided aid to the cities of Asia Minor, including Laodicia. Yet when Laodicia was hit with another earthquake in A.D. 60 (or 64) they declined the offer of imperial aid. Tacitus said, “Laodicea, one of the famous Asiatic cities, was laid in ruins by an earthquake, but recovered by its own resources, without assistance from ourselves” (Annals 14:27; LCL 5: 151).
In A.D. 22-23, Emperor Tiberius (A.D. 14-37) issued a coin commemorating his generosity to the cities of Asia Minor. On the reverse was Tiberius seated on a throne with his feet resting on a footstool. The inscription surrounding him states that he personally financed the restoration of the cities (Vagi 2:243, coin 442).
Coin representing Emperor Tiberius (AD 14-37) on a throne. It was minted to commemorate the imperial government's financial support to rebuild earthquake-ravished Asia Minor.
Word pictures from Revelation
Altars and Thunderbolt
In the first two years of his reign, Domitian minted coins with thunderbolts on a throne (RIC 2:154, coin 1; 155, coins 13, 16; 156, coin 24). These two objects are associated together in the Throne Room of Heaven recorded in Revelation 4. The description given is that the Lord Jesus is sitting on the throne with the 24 elders surrounding Him. John writes, “And from the throne preceded lightnings, thunders and voices” (4:5).
Statue of Domitian Riding a Horse
Emperor Domitian erected a large bronze statue of himself riding a horse in the Forum of Rome in A.D. 91, the famous Equus Maximus Domitiani (Platner 1929: 201-202). This statue commemorated his campaigns against the Germans and his attempt to bring peace to the Roman Empire. Statius, one of the Roman poets, describes this statue in detail in the first poem in his book, Silvae (LCL 1: 7-15). Domitian minted a coin with a detailed representation of this statue on it (Carradice 1982: 376,377; 1993: Plate 30:36).
In contrast, the Book of Revelation, chapter 19, records the return of the Lord Jesus to earth on a white horse with His saints following Him. Domitian took the title “Lord and God”. When the Lord Jesus returns, He will have on His robe and thighs a name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (19:16). Domitian thought he could bring peace to the Roman Empire, but only the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isa, 9:6, 7) will bring world peace when He rules and reigns from Jerusalem.
Apollo and Ravens Predicting Prophecy
Emperor Domitian, the self-proclaimed “Lord and God” and ruthless dictator, reigned from AD 81 to 96. During the last few years of his life, Domitian became very superstitious. In fact, on the day before he was murdered, he consulted an astrologer (Domitian 14:3; LCL 2:373). Domitian himself proclaimed his own death based on an astrological reading by declaring, “that on the following day the moon would be stained with blood in Aquarius” (Domitian 16:1; LCL 2:375). It has been demonstrated that this was based on Domitian’s astrological readings (Molnar 1995:6-12).
During this time Domitian also consulted Apollo, the god of music and poetry, and who was also the god of light, truth and prophecy! To commemorate his superstition, the emperor minted coins depicting Apollo on one side and a raven, a bird associated with prophecy, on the reverse side (Jones 1990:266; RIC 2:188, coin 275; 204, coins 398, 399; 205, coin 410; 206, coin 414; 207, coin 424B). It was believed one could tell the future by watching this bird’s flight (Kanitz 1973-74:47), so Domitian looked to it to foretell his immediate future. Ironically, Suetonius, a Roman historian and senator, records, “A few months before he [Domitian] was killed, a raven perched on the Capitalium and cried, ‘All will be well,’ an omen which some interpreted as follows: ‘… a raven … could not say, “It is well,” only declared “It will be well.”‘” ( Domitian 23:2; LCL 2:385). Emperor Domitian died soon after and all was well!
The Apostle John, exiled on the island of Patmos about AD 95, received a more sure word of prophecy. Not from a raven, nor Apollo, but from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Book of Revelation begins, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants – things which must shortly take place” (Rev. 1:1). He goes on to say, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Rev. 1:3). Might we read the book, be blessed and also be encouraged.
Akurgal, E.
Ancient Civilizations and Ruins of Turkey. Istanbul, Turkey: NET Turistik Yayinlar. 8th edition.
Burnett, Andrew; Amandry, Michel; and Ripolles, Pere Pau
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Was “Babylon” Destroyed When Jerusalem Fell in A.D. 70? Pp. 221-236 in The End Time Controversy. The Second Coming Under Attack. Edited by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice. Eugene, OR: Harvest House.
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The Stake in the Heart – The A.D. 95 Date of Revelation. Pp. 123-150 in The End Times Controversy. The Second Coming Under Attack. Edited by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice. Eugene, OR: Harvest House.
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This paper was first read at the Eastern Regional Evangelical Theological Society meeting at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clark Summit, PA on March 26, 2004. It was published in Bible and Spade, Vol. 19, no. 3 (Summer 2006), pages 73-87.
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A drought-proof weed may hold the key to feeding the world, according to new research.
The common plant known as purslane, harbors important clues about how to create valuable drought-resistant crops.
Yale scientists describe how Portulaca oleracea integrates two distinct metabolic pathways to create a novel type of photosynthesis that enables the weed to endure drought while remaining highly productive.
“This is a very rare combination of traits and has created a kind of ‘super plant’ — one that could be potentially useful in endeavors such as crop engineering,” said Erika Edwards, Yale professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and senior author of the paper published today in the journal Science Advances.
Plants have independently evolved a variety of distinct mechanisms to improve photosynthesis. For instance, corn and sugarcane evolved what is called C4 photosynthesis, which allows the plant to remain productive under high temperatures.
Succulents such as cacti and agaves possess another type called CAM photosynthesis, which helps them survive in deserts and other areas with little water. Both C4 and CAM serve different functions but recruit the same biochemical pathway to act as “add-ons” to regular photosynthesis.
What makes the purslane plant unique is that it possesses both of these evolutionary adaptations — which allows it to be both highly productive and also very drought tolerant, an unlikely combination for a plant. Most scientists believed that C4 and CAM operated independently within leaves of purslane.
But the Yale team, led by co-corresponding authors and postdoctoral scholars Jose Moreno-Villena and Haoran Zhou, conducted a spatial analysis of gene expression within the leaves of purslane and found that C4 and CAM activity are totally integrated. They operate in the same cells, with products of CAM reactions being processed by the C4 pathway. This system provides unusual levels of protection for a C4 plant in times of drought.
(The plant is also one of the most nutritious greens you can eat, according to the National Institute of Health, which reported on its Omega 3 content. It is available in farmer’s markets, and Hispanic stores in the US by the name of Verdolaga. It’s also a delicacy in certain Middle Eastern cuisines. In Afghanistan, the leaves of the plant are cooked together with mung beans for a heart-healthy and delicious dish.)
The researchers also built metabolic flux models that predicted the emergence of an integrated C4+CAM system that mirrors their experimental results.
Understanding this novel metabolic pathway could help scientists devise new ways to engineer crops such as corn to help withstand prolonged drought, the authors say.
“In terms of engineering a CAM cycle into a C4 crop, such as maize, there is still a lot of work to do before that could become a reality,” said Edwards. “But what we’ve shown is that the two pathways can be efficiently integrated and share products. C4 and CAM are more compatible than we had thought, which leads us to suspect that there are many more C4+CAM species out there, waiting to be discovered.”
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