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Sons of LightIn Jesus' time, there were four major religious groups (or "philosophies," as Josephus, the Jewish historian of the time, called them). They were the Zealots, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. It is impossible t...
MOREGezerTravel to Gezer, and learn what it means to stand at the Crossroads.Gezer is one of the greatest tels in Israel. To stand on this magnificent tel is to stand on a part of history that existed as many as 3,000 years before our Messiah walked t...
MOREThe SoreqThe Soreq was a five-foot-tall stone wall that surrounded the inner courts of the consecrated temple area and was designed to keep Gentiles and other "unacceptable" people out of the inner courts. Gentiles could not pass the Sor...
MOREThis photograph shows the remains of the 15 storehouses on the eastern side of Masada. The one on the left is as it was found by archaeologists; the others have been reconstructed. In the background above the storehouses, you can see the Dead Sea,...
MOREThis photograph is taken from Mount Arbel on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee near Tiberias. The hilltop where Susita (Hippos) was located is clearly visible on the eastern shore. Towering over the Sea of Galilee, Susita is connected to the...
MOREThere are many theories about the origin of a gathering place called "synagogue." The Greek word for synagogue means "assembly" and is used in place of the Hebrew word meaning "congregation" or "community of Isra...
MORELocal elders governed the synagogue as a kind of democracy. While all adult members of the community could belong to the synagogue, only adult males age 13 or older could be elders.A local caretaker called the hazzan (sometimes called "ruler&...
MOREThis spectacular mosaic floor from a synagogue built in the second or third century was found at the oasis of En Gedi along the Dead Sea. The synagogue hall shown here is 45 feet long and about 30 feet wide. It follows the synagogue style found in...
MOREThe remains of this synagogue, one of the oldest found in Israel, are outlined in this photograph. It apparently functioned as a community center because no specifically religious artifacts were found in it. However, the mikveh (ritual bath) uncov...
MOREKorazin was one of the cities where "most of his miracles had been performed" (Matt. 11:20). Typical of Galilean towns of the time, the synagogue occupied a prominent place on an elevated platform in the center of town, symbolizing the i...
MOREBoth boys and girls attended school in Galilee. But only gifted boys continued their education beyond the age of 15, as girls were married by that age. Students probably attended school in the synagogue and were taught by the hazzan or a local Tor...
MOREWhen Israel divided after Solomon's death (926 BC), the tribe of Judah under Rehoboam became the southern kingdom, or Judah. In 586 BC, God punished the people for their sins by exiling them to Babylon for 70 years. Jesus was born of this tribe.
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