Primary Sources

What type of history do the four Evangelists tell, and what does it reveal about Jesus?No modern biographer would ignore all of Jesus' early life, as Mark does, or skip over his formative experiences as a young adult, as all Gospels but Luke do (L...

Province of Asia Minor

The Province of Asia MinorThe remains of the towns and villages of Galilee give evidence to the simple lifestyle of the Jewish people of the first century. Few were wealthy but most were hardworking people living comfortable lives as extended fami...

Rabbi and Talmidim

Rabbi and TalmidimThe people of Galilee were the most religious Jews in the world in the time of Jesus. This is quite contrary to the common view that the Galileans were simple, uneducated peasants from an isolated area. This perspective is probab...

Ruins of Capernaum

This aerial view shows the remains of Capernaum, a small village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee ("Capernaum" comes from the Hebrew Kfar Nahum, which means "Nahum's Village"). Jesus chose this place as the hub of hi...

Scenes from Caesarea Philippi: The Grotto of Pan

Against the cliff and in the large cave on the left, in the third century BC, was a cult center to the fertility god Pan. This center probably was built to compete with the high place at Dan, about three miles away.The presence of the spring formi...

Scenes from En Gedi

En Gedi is the home of desert goats known as ibex. These heavy- horned males and graceful does graze on the sparse grasses in the surrounding desert. The only available water for miles around is the spring of En Gedi. This photograph doesn?t exact...

Scenes from En Gedi- Ibex

En Gedi is the home of desert goats known as ibex. These heavy- horned males and graceful does graze on the sparse grasses in the surrounding desert.The only available water for miles around is the spring of En Gedi. This photograph doesn?t exactl...

Sea of Galilee Geography

Sea of Galilee GeographyAlthough it has many names, most New Testament readers recognize "the Sea of Galilee" as its common designation. It is also called the Sea of Kinnereth (Num. 34:11; Josh. 12:3), the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1), ...

Sennacherib's Palace

Sepphoris

Just three miles from the small town of Nazareth where Jesus grew up, archeologists are unearthing the sophisticated city of Sepphoris, the city Herod Antipas constructed as his administrative capital.Crowned by Herod's elaborate palace, Sepphoris...

Sadduccees Definition

Means "righteous ones." Wealthy Jewish aristocracy, claiming descent and authority from the high priest Zadok. Oversaw Temple; theology based on the first five books of the Bible; did not believe that God interfered in human lives or in ...

Sea of Galilee Definition

Freshwater lake filled by the Jordan river, located in the Great Rift Valley and site of the first-century commercial fishing industry; significant for a trade route on its northern shore. Jesus spent the majority of his ministry here, including t...