Click picture, Sepphoris, 4 m. 4 s.
Why would Sepphoris be so significant to the Jews in Nazareth during Christ’s lifetime? What happened there just before Jesus was born? Sepphoris offered so much work for carpenters and was so close to Nazareth…
When Christ was nearly stoned by the mob in Luke 4:14-30, this history would be a significant part of the reasons for this.
Why would being such a shallow lake make the Sea of Galilee such a threat to the ancient fishermen? Lake Erie has much the same problem. What is Galilee like in January and how high can the waves get?
Click picture, Sea of Galilee, 2 m. 59 s.
Click picture, Qasrin, Part 1, 2 m. 17 s.
Qasin dates from the second to the eleventh centuries A.D. Whole structures including roofs are preserved here. This is unlike many sites where archaeologists don’t restore the whole building because there’s not enough intact to guide as to exactly how it would’ve been.
I went to Qasrin with Earl Davis after my tour group left Israel in 2004. I stayed at this “Galilee Study Center” but recently, as I tried to locate this center online, I couldn’t find it. Perhaps it changed ownership and its name, etc.
How did they make their walls and roofs secure from the temperatures outside? Did they cook inside or out? When Jesus was teaching the crowds indoors and they broke up the roof to lower the paralytic in, what type of roof did they break up?
Click picture, Qasrin, Part 2, 57 s.
Click picture, Qasrin, Part 3, 1 m. 5 s.
How did they make their ceilings strong enough for a second floor? How did they store their extra oil, grain, and other foods to preserve them from flies? And how did they prevent rats getting their food? Why would their windows be small and near the top?
What is a sukkot and what were they for? Does it seem likely Jesus had this kind of roof?
One thing I found most interesting in my research after I was in Israel is that it seems Jesus had his own home in Capernaum. He didn’t need to get permission to break up the roof because it was his own roof. See the story in all 3 gospels, particularly Mark 2:1, to form your own opinion.
Click picture, Qasrin, Part 4, 1 m. 28 s.
Click picture, Christ's Ministry Elsewhere, 4 m. 14 s.
What is meant by “the other side” in Mark 5:1, 21? Why was this so significant to the Jews?
I was told there’s probably no other place around Galilee than this place for where the pigs ran into the water and drowned. There are lots of hills around Galilee but there’s always some level ground between them and the water. This hill is the only one that goes straight down into the water, as described in Mark 5:13.
What were Zealots like, and what were they fighting for? Where and how did they live? What could the crowds hear the Zealots doing while they listened to Christ’s sermon on the mount?
What were people usually crucified for? When Jesus was crucified between the 2 “thieves” the Romans were making a political statement. What was this statement?
Click picture, Zealots, 1 m. 46 s.
Did you read your Bible lately?
Heather, May 2023
