Geographical location of Palestine

• 1st Century Palestine was known in the Old Testament as the "Land of the Philistines" and is located in the northeastern part of Egypt and south of ancient Syria
• It is identified as the Holy Land and is associated with famous localities like Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and Jerusalem, the capital city
• Greeks conquered Palestine through Alexander the Great over 200 years before the birth of Jesus, followed by the Roman Empire making it a strategic area for defense and expansion
• Galilee, located at the northernmost part of Palestine, means "circle of Gentiles" and was home to the northern tribes of Israel, especially the tribe of Naphtali
• Galilee was inhabited by Jews and Gentiles in the New Testament and was the home province of Jesus, where many miracles were performed
• Galilee was known for its fertile land and the abundance of its lake, the Sea of Galilee
• Galileans were distinguished by their accents, with Pharisees looking down on them for being lax in their observance of the Jewish law
• Cities under Galilee include Nazareth, Sepphoris, Bethsaida, Capernaum, Cana, and Tiberias
• Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus, was a poor city where people depended on farming, carpentry, and tending the flock
• Sepphoris was a wealthy city of trade and commerce, located near Nazareth
• Bethsaida, located northeast of the Sea of Galilee, was favored for Jesus' miracles but cursed for failing to respond to them
• Capernaum, on the northwest shore of Galilee, was the hometown of Peter and the headquarters of Jesus' ministry
• Cana was where the first miracle of Jesus happened, turning water into wine
• Tiberias, located at the western part of the Sea of Galilee, was a fishing and agriculture area later governed by Herod Antipas
• Samaria was held with suspicion and discrimination by mainline Jews, with different religious practices and scriptures from mainline Jews
• The Samaritans were deemed racially unclean by Judeans due to interracial marriages with Pagan Assyrians
• The Samaritans were rejected by the remnant returning from Exile and were not allowed to participate in Jewish national life
• Jesus faced criticism and negative reactions from Judeans for narrating the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Samaria
• Samaritans recognized Mount Gerizim, not the Jerusalem temple, as the sole legitimate place for sacrificial worship, leading to division from Judeans
• Cities under Judea include Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Bethany, Mount of Olives, Jericho, Qumran, Emmaus, and Masada
• Jerusalem was set up as a city of economic prosperity by King David and later became the center of Jewish religious hierarchy and Roman power in Palestine
• Bethlehem was the favored place of Jesus' birth and the birthplace of King David according to the Old Testament
• Mount of Olives was where Jesus spoke of the destruction of the Temple and the signs of the coming of the Son of man on Judgment day
• Bethany was where Jesus revealed the hope of resurrection after death and raised Lazarus from the dead
• Jericho was known for the siege by Joshua and as the hometown of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector
• Qumran was believed to be the place of the Essenes, a group dedicated to communal prayer and work, famous for the discovery of ancient scrolls in 1947
• Emmaus was where the risen Jesus walked with two disciples who recognized him after breaking bread with them
• Masada was an ancient mountaintop fortress taken by the Zealots from the Romans in 66 AD, known for its ornate palaces and defensive structures
• Idumeans in Idumea were forced to accept Judaism by Judeans, and Herod the Great, an Idumean, was appointed as the ruler of Palestine by the Roman senate
• Jesus healed a Gadarene demoniac in the Province of Decapolis, where he transferred demons to a group of swine
• Jesus exhorted people to be "like a child" in the Province of Perea, emphasizing the difficulty of entering the Kingdom of God