Life in the Time of Jesus

THE PALESTINE THAT JESUS KNEW WAS ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

Land of Palestine• Stretching just 145 miles from north to south and

anywhere from 25 to 87 miles from its western coast at the Mediterranean Sea to its eastern border.

• This small area was the only world Jesus ever knew.

• Even though people of Jesus’ time most often had to walk from town to town, it was still relatively easy for them to get around.

• The Jews were great walkers, they always thought of nothing but walking distances we today would be hesitant to drive.

• An average walker could go from Nazareth to Jerusalem(ninety miles by road)in about two days.

Geography of Palestine

• Though Palestine was rather small, it held tremendous geographical diversity.

• Lakeshores and hillsides, deserts and forests, the area surrounding the Dead Sea was plain and dangerous and the area surrounding the sea of galilee was beautiful and healthy.

• “ A walk of a single hour(took) one from the richest of plains to the bare hills where sheep[grazed]; and the caravans, toiling under the hot wind of the desert, took hope again from the sight of the snow shining on[the mountain].” this how an unnamed author puts the land of Palestine in sight.

Climate of Palestine

• The usual temperature of Palestine for the year was around 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

• The temperature would vary, it was rare, but snow did fall in this region.

• Temperatures at the barren dead sea could reach 122 degrees

• Rain was scarce, and when it did appear, it was only in the form of violent storms, like the one mentioned in Matthew 7:24-27

• This is when Jesus reminds his listeners of a time when “the rain fell; the floods came, and the winds blew.”

Animals of Palestine• Both wild and domesticated animals were abundant in Palestinian

time.

• Wild animals- boars, foxes, porcupine, hyena, wolves, leopards, bears, lions, fishes and birds.

• Domesticated animals- sheep, oxen, donkeys, and cows. Pigs were considered unclean so they were unworthy of being sacrificed and eaten. Roosters, hens, and geese were common.

• All of these animals were essential to the survival of the Palestinian people.

Importance of bread and wine in Palestine

• Trees and fruits were abundant, with juniper and oak the most common trees, and olive and fig trees the most valuable because of the oil and fruit used to make grape wine for ceremonies and celebration.

• The common grains of Jesus’ time consisted of wheat- the most precious- along with oats and barley.

• Bread was treated with great respect, and many Jewish laws governed its preparation.

• Wine was very important in the time of Jesus. It sanitized the water that they welled since it wasn’t safe to drink water on its own.