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Jesus’ World
Contents
The Land
Daily Life
Farming and Agriculture
Roman Occupation
King Herod
The Land
Do you know where
Jesus lived?
Look for a longitude of
between 34o and 38 o
East and a latitude of
between 28 o and 34 o
North in your Atlas.
If it seems difficult to
find it may be because
the land of Jesus’ birth
is small compared to
many other countries
of the world.
Compare the size of
Israel with your own
country.
When we examine a map of the Holy Land one feature stands
out. A large valley cuts its way through the landscape from
Lake Huleh in the north past the Dead Sea in the south. This is
called the Rift Valley.
Along the floor of the Rift Valley winds the River Jordan.
The River Jordan begins
its journey from Lake
Huleh. From there it
flows with a great
current to the Sea of
Galilee.
From the Sea of Galilee
the River Jordan
continues south until it
reaches the Dead Sea
River Jordan
“It was at this time
that Jesus came from
Nazareth in Galilee
and was baptised in
the Jordan by John.”
Mark 1:9
“He went back again to the
far side of the Jordan
where John had been
baptising. Many people
came to him there said,
“John gave no signs but all
that he said about this man
is true”; and many of them
believed in him.”
John 10:40-42
The Sea of Galilee in
Jesus’ time was of great
importance.
The Lake provided a living
for its fishermen and was
a source of irrigation for
agriculture.
The surrounding areas
were very fertile. The
nearby valleys were rich in
crops such as grain and
often ablaze with flowers.
It was in Galilee that
Jesus began his public
ministry.
The Dead Sea is about
15km wide and 80km long.
As the name suggests
nothing much grows in the
area because it is so
barren, hot and dry.
The Dead Sea is thought
to be the lowest point of
the earth. Its waters are
very salty because of
the high rate of
evaporation.
Jesus lived in Nazareth. The
town sat on a sheltered hill
which overlooked the valley of
Jezreel. Nazareth was a rural
village which was typical place
of habitation.
The countryside in Galilee has
rich soils, a variety of trees
and an abundance of
agriculture.
The people who lived here came
from a diverse range of
cultures, there were Syrians,
Greeks and Romans besides the
Jews.
The most common dialect
spoken in this region was called
Aramaic.
Give us our daily bread
In Jesus’ time the people
who lived in his region ate
a wide variety of foods.
The local dishes would
have reflected the
availability of different
foods.
The religious laws of the
Jews placed certain
restrictions on the kind of
food people ate.
The Romans probably ate
dishes which reflected
their own culture. We
know people spiced their
dishes in order to give
them more flavor.
Here are some of the most common foods
that were available.
Fruit and Vegetables.
Grapes
Apricots
Dates
Walnuts
Pomegranates
Lentils
Wheat
Barley
Onions
Cucumber
Broad Beans
Olives
Garlic
Dairy Products.
Goat’s Milk
Curds
Butter
Bread
Eggs
Wine
Chicken
Beef
Mutton
Cheese
Also.
Honey
The Laborers in the Vineyard.
From the city to the countryside people in Jesus’ day
were employed in many different kinds of work.
Here is a list of some the different occupations. Do you
recognize these jobs today?
Builders
Brick layers
Stone Masons
Architects.
Physicians
Scribes
Lawyers
Administrators
Soldiers
Sailors
Wharf workers
Carpenters
Importers
Exporters
Retailers
Craftspeople Artisans
Weavers
Butchers
Greengrocers
Day laborers
Farmers
Jewelers
The Farmer
People in the countryside
lived a simple lifestyle.
Farm work occupied
most people’s time
during the course of the
year
In the district of Galilee many of the farms
were small, barely supporting those who
farmed them. Life was probably tough at
times.
Jesus himself used a lot of imagery from agriculture
in his teachings. It would be reasonable to assume
that he was quite knowledgeable about farming.
Perhaps he even worked on one.
In the region of Galilee the soil
was good, suitable for crops and
stock.
On a typical farm there often
crops of barley and wheat.
Trees such as figs, dates,
almonds and olives.
Grape vines flourished. (Galilee
had a reputation for producing
good wines.)
Animals such as sheep, goats,
oxen or donkeys were kept as
well as a few chicken and other
fowls.
Jesus himself used a lot of imagery from agriculture in his
teachings. It would be reasonable to assume that he was
quite knowledgeable about farming. Perhaps he even
worked on a farm.
“This is what the Kingdom of God is like. A
man throws seed on the land. Night and day,
while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is
sprouting and growing; how, he does not know.
Of the its own accord the land produces first
the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in
the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses
no time: he starts to reap because harvest has
come.”
Mark 4: 26-29
The Romans and Herod
In 67 B.C. Palestine was plunged into a
civil war between two brothers Aristobus
and Hyrcanus.
The Roman general Pompey was in Syria
at the time with his army. He saw the war
as an opportunity to extend Rome’s
empire.
Pompey the Great
Initially he supported Aristobus but later
changed to Hyrcanus. The resistance of
some of Aristobus’ supporters gave
Pompey the excuse to attack Jerusalem.
After a siege of 3 months the city fell.
Hyrcanus was installed by Pompey as
High Priest and ruler. The year was 63
B.C.
A common practice of Rome was to control
a region through client kings.
Antipater the father of Herod was made a
Roman citizen and chief minister of Judea
by Julius Caesar. Herod his son was given
the governorship of Galilee.
Herod upset many by his methods. He was
summoned by the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem to
appear on a charge of murder. The end
result was his leaving for Syria.
In Syria he so impressed the Roman
governor that he was given the governorship
of Samaria and Coele-Syria as well as being
reconfirmed in Galilee.
In 40 B.C. the region was invaded
by the Parthians. Herod was able
to escape to Rome.
When he arrived he was met by the
Egyptian queen Cleopatra who
wished to make him a general.
He also became aquainted with
Mark Anthony and Julius Caesar’s
heir Octavian.
When the Parthians were defeated
Herod was the obvious choice to
be ruler.
Octavian, later
Caesar Augustus.
During the time Herod was
king of Judea there was a
priest named Zechariah….
Luke 1:5
At that time the Emperor
Augustus ordered a census
to be taken throughout the
Roman Empire…..
Luke 2:1
A statue of the
Emperor Augustus
Herod became an important
client king of Rome. During
his reign he was determined
to make his kingdom great
through a grand building
program.
Herod’s Temple.
New cities were built, old ones
were restored.
Palaces and fortresses were
built such as Herodium and his
palace at Jericho.
Aqueducts were built for
carrying water.
Roman Aqueduct
A new temple in Jerusalem was
constructed.
When Herod died Palestine was
divided between his three sons:
Herod Archelaus – Samaria and
Judea
Galilee
Philip – Land to the north-east of
Galilee
Herod Antipas – Galilee and
Peraea
Herod Archelaus was a bad ruler
and was replaced by a procurator
sent from Rome.
It was Herod Antipas who had
John the Baptist murdered.
The Jews hated the sons of
Herod as well as the Roman
procurator.
Samaria
Judea
Peraea
In 26 A.D. the Emperor
Tiberius appointed
Pontius Pilate as prefect
of Judea.
Pilate did not like the
Jews. He had a
reputation of being a
cruel and callous ruler.
While many of the Jews
resented Roman rule the
Romans did allow
freedom of religion.
3rd Century Roman relief of
Pontius Pilate washing his
hands.
The Roman
Capital was
the sea port
of Caesarea.
This is about
a ½ hour from
Haifa.
Roman Theatre, Caesaria.
Many prospered
in Palestine, as
Roman rule
allowed for many
economic
opportunities.
The End
COPYRIGHT
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use this presentation within
your school or in your parish.
Please respect the hard work
that has gone into making it by
purchasing only authorized
copies from the author.
Kevin Havell.
[email protected]