ISRAEL AT THE FIRST COMING OF JESUS

1. Tyre and Sidon: Jesus compared Chorazin and Bethsaida to Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 11:20–22). He healed the daughter of a Gentile woman (Matthew 15:21–28).
2. Mount of Transfiguration: Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John, and they were given the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 17:1–13). (Some believe the Mount of Transfiguration to be Mount Hermon; others believe it to be Mount Tabor.)
3. Caesarea Philippi: Peter testified that Jesus is the Christ, and he was promised the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 16:13–20). Jesus predicted His own death and Resurrection (Matthew 16:21–28).
4. Galilee: Region Jesus spent most of His life and ministry in Galilee (Matthew 4:23–25). Here He delivered the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7); healed a leper (Matthew 8:1–4); and he chose, ordained and sent the Twelve Apostles to preach, and among them only Judas Iscariot was apparently not a Galilean (Mark 3:13–19). In Galilee, the resurrected Christ appeared to the Apostles (Matthew 28:16–20).
5. Sea of ​​Galilee, later called the Sea of ​​Tiberias: Jesus taught from inside Peter's boat (Luke 5:1–3) and called Peter, Andrew, James and John to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:18–22; Luke 5:1–11). He also calmed the storm (Luke 8:22–25), taught parables while in a boat (Matthew 13), walked on the sea (Matthew 14:22–32) and appeared to His disciples after His resurrection (John 21).
6. Bethsaida: Peter, Andrew and Philip were born in Bethsaida (Jprecise:44). Jesus withdrew with the Apostles to near Bethsaida. The crowds followed Him and He fed the 5,000 (Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–14). Here, Jesus healed a blind man (Mark 8:22–26).
7. Capernaum: Here was Peter’s house (Matthew 8:5, 14). In Capernaum, which Matthew called “the city of Jesus”, Jesus healed a paralytic (Matthew 9:1–7; Mark 2:1–12), healed a centurion's servant, healed Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8:5–15), called Matthew to be one of His Apostles (Matthew 9:9), opened the eyes of the blind, cast out a demon (Matthew 9:27–33), healed a man's withered hand on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9–13), delivered the sermon on the bread of life (John 6:22–65) and agreed to pay taxes, telling Peter to take the money out of a fish's mouth (Matthew 17:24–27).
8. Magdala: Here was the house of Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9). Jesus came here after feeding the 4,000 (Matthew 15:32–39), and the Pharisees and Sadducees asked Him to show them a sign from heaven ( Matthew 16:1–4).
9. Cana: Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1–11) and healed the son of a nobleman who was in Capernaum (John 4:46–54). Cana was also the home of Nathanael (John 21:2).
10. Nazareth: The annunciation made to Mary and Joseph took place in Nazareth (Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38; 2:4–5). After returning from Egypt, Jesus spent His childhood and youth here (Matthew 2:19–23; Luke 2:51–52), announcing that He was the Messiah and was rejected by His own (Luke 4:14–32).
11. Jericho: Jesus gave sight to a blind man (Luke 18:35–43). He also dined with Zacchaeus, “one of the chief tax collectors” (Luke 19:1–10).
12. Betabara: John the Baptist testified that he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” (John 1:19–28). John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River and testified that Jesus was the Lamb of God (John 1:28–34).
13. Judean Desert: John the Baptist preached in this desert (Matthew 3:1–4), where Jesus fasted for 40 days and was tempted (Matthew 4:1–11).
14. Emmaus: The resurrected Christ walked the road to Emmaus with two of His disciples (Luke 24:13–32).
15. Betphage: Two disciples brought Jesus a colt, on which He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–11).
16. Bethany: Here was the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus (John 11:1). Mary listened to Jesus’ words, and He spoke to Martha about choosing the “good part” (Luke 10:38–42); Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1–44); and Mary anointed Jesus' feet (Matthew 26:6–13; John 12:1–8).
17. Bethlehem: Jesus was born and laid in a manger (Luke 2:1–7); angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds (Luke 2:8–20); wise men were guided by a star to Jesus (Matthew 2:1–12); and Herod killed the boys (Matthew 2:16–18).

Galilee, where Jesus was born, was part of the Roman Empire, which encompassed the entire Mediterranean region, including parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, with a population of 50 million.

Augustus was the emperor when Jesus was born. He was succeeded by Tiberius. It is the image of this ruler that Jesus sees on a coin, in a passage from the New Testament.

Judea was conquered by the Romans in 63 B.C. and became a semi-autonomous kingdom. When King Herod died, the territory was divided among his three sons: Philip (east of the Jordan River), Archelaus (Judea, Samaria and Idumea) and Herod Antipas (Galilee). Archelaus proved so brutal that he was deposed. His kingdom was made a province under the care of a Roman governor. In Jesus' time, that governor was Pontius Pilate.

Jerusalem was the main city of Judea, with 25 thousand inhabitants, receiving 100 thousand pilgrims for festivals such as Passover. Its importance was due to the Temple, a building that occupied a fifth of the city and was the centre of Judaism. Jesus was taken there eight days after his birth, so that his parents could make the obligatory offering of a pair of doves.

Three languages ​​were widely used in Palestine, depending on the context:

Aramaic: A language that was learned in early childhood and used in everyday life and within the family. The structure of Jesus' sentences and vocabulary indicate that he preached in this language.

Hebrew: Jewish liturgical language, which children learned in synagogue school, studying the scriptures. Through knowledge of the texts of the Torah, Jesus knew Hebrew.

Greek: The Roman Empire had two languages, Latin and Greek. In the East, Greek was the lingua franca, with a role similar to that of English today, being used in legal documents and contracts. It allowed people from all regions to speak to each other. Parents wanted their children to learn it, so they could get ahead in life. This was probably the language Jesus used when speaking to Pilate.

Most people made their living from farming. Families usually lived in villages and farmed a small plot of land nearby. The average farm in Galilee was seven hectares. Grain, olive trees, and vegetables were grown. Vineyards were common. Fruit trees had to be guarded to prevent thieves.

As for education, the school was in the synagogue and was only for boys. They learned to read, write and do math. They also received some notions of geography.

The clothing of Palestine in the time of Jesus followed the customs of the Greco-Roman world:

Tunica: Casual clothing, made of linen or cotton, was worn around the neck and had sleeves. There were different models for men and women. Colourful pieces were more popular among women.

Cloak: Wrapped around the body, over the tunic, on formal occasions or cold days. Because it was expensive, it was a target for thieves. Only the wealthy owned more than one.

Underwear: Men sometimes wore a type of loincloth, made of cotton or wool. When working in the hot sun, this might be their only clothing. Women wore such a garment during their periods.

Belt: A belt was placed around the tunic, allowing the height of the garment to be lowered or raised as needed.

There were no clocks or precise measurements of time. People didn't even know their age. The day began at sunrise. The morning was spent working. After lunch, around 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., it was time to rest: it was common to sleep or go to the public bath. When the sun went down, everyone was home, because the streets were dangerous.

Greek time The Greeks developed the idea that the day was divided into 12 hours, with each hour corresponding to one-twelfth of the period of sunlight. Since the daily amount of sunlight varied with the seasons, the length of an hour was not fixed. Jesus was familiar with this system, as John 11:9 states: “Are there not twelve hours in a day? He who walks in the daytime does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.”