According to the Gospels, Jesus’ earthly ministry centered around the Sea of Galilee. While important events occurred in Jerusalem, the Lord spent most of the three years of his ministry along the shore of this freshwater lake.
Hebrew Nuggets, Lesson 22: Israel (Part 4)
Final part of a four-part series on the Hebrew word Israel.
Book Review: Marvin Wilson’s Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
For too long discussion of the Jewishness of Jesus has remained academic. Few scholars have had the interest or ability to unfold the practical meaning of the Gospels’ Jewish roots for today’s Church. Marvin Wilson, professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Gordon College, has finally filled that void with Our Father Abraham. And the result is simply revolutionary.
Synagogue Guest House for First-century Pilgrims
This Greek inscription was cut into Jerusalem limestone late in the first-century B.C. It was discovered by Captain R. Weill in 1914, in excavations on the Ophel hill south of the Temple Mount. The inscription provides evidence of the accommodations that were provided in Jerusalem for pilgrims.
Fish and the Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee was the scene of most of Jesus’ ministry. Fishermen and sailors were his earliest followers, and it was to them that he first preached, standing on the shore of the lake.
Pilgrimage in the Time of Jesus
Luke states that Joseph and Mary made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem every Passover. The requirement of pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem is mentioned in the passages of Scripture that deal with three annual festivals: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.
Hebrew Idioms in the Gospels
There are many expressions in the Greek texts of Matthew, Mark and Luke that seem to derive from Hebrew idioms. These are phrases that mean something different from the literal meaning of the words they use. Every language has its own idioms, many of which seem strange when translated literally out of their native setting.