CHRISTOLOGY (2)

• Geography of Palestine


  • The Land of Jesus, what we today call Israel and part of Jordan now
  • This Land is often referred to in Scriptures as Land of Israel, and in Jesus’ time, it was called “The Land of Canaan”, “The Promised Land”
  • The Greeks named it Palestine after the Philistines who had occupied the coastal area at one time
  • Palestine is considered the heart of Orient because it was here the most biblical events took place
• Judea

  • Arimathea - Hometown of Joseph (Mt. 27:57-60)
  • Bethany - Birthplace of Jesus’ best friends: Mary, Martha and Lazarus (Jn 11-1), Jesus Dined in the house of Simon the Leaper (Mk 14:3), Jesus spent Nights in this town during his last week (Mt. 21:17)
  • Bethlehem - Birthplace of Jesus (Lk 2:4-15)
  • Dead Sea - Known as Salt Sea (Gen. 14:3)
  • Emmaus - Apparition of the Risen Lord to His Disciple (Lk 24:13)
  • Gethsemane - known also Mt. of Olives, Scene of Jesus’ Agony and Arrest (Mt. 26:36)
  • Golgotha - Known as the Place of the Skull, Scene of Jesus’ crucifixion (Jn. 19:17)
  • Jericho - Hometown of Zaccheus (Lk 19:1-3), Healing of the Blind Man Bartimeaus (Mt. 20:29-31), Scene of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-33)
• Perea

  • Is also known in the gospel as “beyond the Jordan”. It is one of the two provinces of Transjordan, strategically located eastside of Jordan and North of the Dead Sea (Mk 2:8; Mt 4:15)
  • In the Old Testament times, the region was inhabited by the Tribes of Moab, Ammon, Gilead and Bashan
• Idumea
• Jerusalem

  • David captured this city from Jebusites, Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:6-9)
  • Qumran - Center of Essenes
  • Jordan River - Jesus was Baptized by John the Baptist (Mt 3:13-17)
• Famous towns of Galilee

  • Bethsaida - Birthplace of the Apostles: Peter, Andrew and Philip (Jn 1:44), Scene of the Cure of a Blind Man (Mk 8:22-26)
  • Chorazin - Jesus denounced this unrepentant town (Mt.11:21)
  • Cana - Jesus turned the water into wine (Jn 2:1-11)
  • Capernaum - Jesus began his public ministry in this city (Mk. 1:21ff), Cure the Paralytic Man (Mk. 2:1ff), Scene of the Healing of the Centurion’s servant (Mt. 28:5-13)
  • Magdala - Hometown of Mary Magdalene (Lk 28: 2)
  • Mt. Tabor - Scene of the Transfiguration of Jesus (Lk 9:28-36)
  • Nain - Raising to life of the Widow’s only son (Lk 7:11-16)
  • Nazareth - Scene of the Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary (Lk 1:26-38), Jesus spent His Childhood until His public Ministry (Lk 2:39-46)
  • Sea of Galilee - Simon Peter’s call and Miraculous Catch of Fish (Lk 5:1-17), Calming of the Storm (Lk 8:22-25), Jesus Walked on the water (Jn 6:16-21)
  • Tiberias - known also as the Sea of Galilee
• Decapolis


  • Is the region of Transjordan which is designated as the league of the Hellenistic cities under the administrations of the Romans
  • Gardara/Gerasa - Was where Jesus cured a demoniac (Mt. 8:28; Mk 5:1 and Lk 8:26)
• Samaria


  • The name “Samaria derives from an ancient city of the same name, which is located near the South of Samaria, and was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel
  • In his time, Jesus travelled through Samaria from Galilee on his way to Jerusalem
  • In Lk 17:11-19 narrates how Jesus cleansed Ten Leapers whose ingratitude “hurt” Him because only one came back to Him to say thank you after being healed
  • Sychar/ Shechem - Jesus conversed with the Samaritan woman near Jacob’s well (Jn 4:5-42)
  • Mt. Gerizim - The center of Samaritan cult during the time of Jesus (Jn 4:20,21)
• Places where Jesus performed miracles

  Chorazin
• Caeseria was renamed from


  Paneas
• Inhabitants of the region in Old Testament times

  • Tribes of Moab
  • Ammon
  • Gilead
  • Bashan
• Scene of Peter's confession of Jesus as Messiah

  Caeseria
• Regions of Phoenicia

  • From the river Eleutherus to the North
  • Carmel to the South
• Herod the Great died at Jericho in March/April, 4 B.C., and was buried in the Herodium near Bethlehem
• Herod the Great enjoyed the status of rex socius or allied king
• Romans carefully selected leaders from among the conquered people themselves when they defeated a country and took control of it
• Herod the Great was very suspicious by nature and reacted violently, leading to the deaths of his wife, mother-in-law, and son Antipater
• Herod the Great, a half-Jew of Idumean origin, was proclaimed as the King of the Jews by Octavian in 31 B.C.
• Pontius Pilate governed between 23 until 36 A.D. and irritated the Jews by bringing the imperial standard into Jerusalem
• Religious law also prescribed taxes to the priest and Levites, with a "head tax" applied to all who were directly subject to Romans
• By 37 B.C., with the Herodian monarchy and the consolidation of Roman power in the region, Palestine was relatively peaceful and prosperous
• Jesus performed miracles and condemned the cities of Tyre, Siddon, and Chorazin
• Actions of Pontius Pilate that provoked the Jews

  • Placing shields bearing the emperor's name on the walls of Herod's palace
  • Requisitioning funds from the temple for the construction of aqueducts in the city
  • Killing the Samaritans looking for sacred vessels at Mt. Gerizim
• Herod the Great never gained the affection or respect of the Jews
• Taxes were heavily imposed on the Jews, charged on various aspects including produce of the land, men, property, sale of animals, transportation of goods, and a half-shekel for the Jerusalem Temple
• Pompey besieged and took Jerusalem in 63 B.C., putting an end to the last period of Jewish Independence under the Hasmoneans dynasty in Israel
• Territories under Herod the Great's rule

  • Idumea
  • Judea
  • Samaria
  • Coastal plain to Caesaria
  • Galilee
  • Perea
  • Districts north and east to the Sea of Galilee
• Provinces of Transjordan

  • Perea
  • Idumea
• Herod the Great's reign was marked by great constructions, with the rebuilding of the temple in 20 B.C. as his most ambitious project
• Caeseria was rebuilt by

  Philip in honor of the Roman emperor
• Pontius Pilate was later suspended by the order of Vitellus, legate of Syria, and condemned to exile or committed suicide
• After Herod the Great's death, his kingdom was divided among his sons, with only Archelaus named as ethnarch, not a King
• Famous cities in Phoenicia

  • Tyre
  • Siddon
• Herod the Great never gained the affection or respect of the Jews
• Pontius Pilate governed between 23 until 36 A.D. and irritated the Jews by bringing the imperial standard into Jerusalem
• Herod the Great was very suspicious by nature and reacted violently, leading to the deaths of his wife, mother-in-law, and son Antipater
• Taxes were heavily imposed on the Jews, charged on various aspects including produce of the land, men, property, sale of animals, transportation of goods, and a half-shekel for the Jerusalem Temple
• Publicans were responsible for collecting taxes; for the Jews, these publicans or tax collectors were considered the grossest robbers
• Head tax in Jesus' time was approximately a day's wage
• Activities subject to taxes in Jesus' time

  • Property sale, Sale of animals, Transportation of goods across boundaries, Payment of a half-shekel for the Jerusalem Temple, "Head tax" for those directly subject to Romans