That the World May Know

Jerusalem was a fitting place for Jesus, the greatest king of all, to live out the final moments of his life.Jerusalem held deep cultural and religious significance for the Jewish people. Many of their great leaders, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, reig...

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Encyclopedia

Bethlehem - Jesus' Birthplace

Today the town of Bethlehem is much larger than it was in Jesus' day. But despite its small size in biblical times, Bethlehem was the location of significant historical events. Discovering its history helps us appreciate why the town was the perf...

Building a Typical Galilean Home

The typical Galilean house was built of basalt (dark volcanic rock) with the stones carefully squared or "dressed" by a stonemason (sometimes translated as "carpenter").A wooden scaffold is used in the building process. Smaller...

Capernaum

The town of Capernaum stood near the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee, situated along the busy Via Maris trade route, also known as the 'Way of the Sea.'The prophet Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would live by "the way to the sea,&qu...

Confronting Evil

The CityAncient Beth Shemesh guarded the Sorek Valley of Israel's Shephelah; a place where the pagans and the Israelites often interacted.Beth Shemesh stands in Israel's Shephelah;foothills lying between the coastal plain and Judea Mountains. Seve...

Cultural Images in Jesus Teaching

Jesus used various word pictures and ideas that were familiar to the people of his time in order to communicate effectively with both religious Jews and pagans.The Bridegroom ImageFor example, Jesus described his deep love for his followers in ter...

Decapolis Area

Decapolis means "10 cities." Though the number of cities changed from time to time, the Decapolis was a group of independent city-states that were thoroughly pagan and Hellenistic. Veterans of Alexander the Great's army founded several o...

Diagram of a Tel

By cutting through the layers of civilization and examining the artifacts, structures, and even human remains, archaeologists can reconstruct the lifestyle of a community. Pottery styles change over time, and since pottery is virtually imperishabl...

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Glossary

Beth Shemesh Definition

City in the Soreq Valley near where Samson lived. The Philistines returned the ark of the covenant here.

Bethlehem Definition

Located at the border between the mountains and the wilderness, its inhabitants benefited from the fertile mountain valleys and pastures the wilderness provided for the shepherds' flock.Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Micah prophesied t...

Bethsaida Definition

One of the three main towns of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. This small, prosperous fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee was renamed Julias and rebuilt by Herod Philip. Home of apostles Peter, Philip, and Andrew. Near this villag...

Decapolis Definition

Ten Hellenistic cities established at the time of Alexander the Great east of the Sea of Galilee and north of Perea. Later, the Roman emperor Pompey organized the cities into a league named the Decapolis, largely populated by Roman army troops. In...

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