When we turn to the New Testament about four hundred years later, the ruling monarch is Augustus; he represents the power of Rome (Luke 2:1). Between these two pillars of history the ebb and flow of wars, struggles, hopes, and defeats passed over Palestine. How will a knowledge of the political history of the times help us interpret the New Testament? First, knowing the political history of this period helps us more accurately interpret the contents of the New Testament. Names of government leaders