The small desert community of Qumran is a study in contrasts. Established during the era of the Maccabees, the site was located less than 14 miles (22 km) east of Jerusalem and 8 miles (13 km) south of Jericho, yet its location in the arid wilderness of Judea afforded it a significant degree of intentional […]
Category Archives: Jesus
Jesus’ Ministry beyond Israel
Though the majority of Jesus’ ministry was performed within predominantly Jewish areas of Palestine, the Gospels also record several occasions when Jesus traveled beyond Israel and ministered to Gentiles, including a visit to Tyre and Sidon in Syria and possibly multiple visits to the region of the Decapolis southeast of the Sea of Galilee. It […]
Cyrene and Its Surroundings
For most Bible readers, the city of Cyrene is not typically recognized as a significant place for understanding the world of the Bible, yet it is mentioned no less than five times in the New Testament as the place where certain people came from or lived. This underscores how much interaction some residents of Cyrene […]
Nazareth and Its Surroundings
The apostle Paul noted that God often chooses the lowly to accomplish his will and humble the great (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). This was never more evident than when God selected Nazareth as the town where Jesus would grow up. At this time, the tiny village of Nazareth was so insignificant that, besides the New Testament, […]
Jesus Is Born in Bethlehem
Luke 1-2 Joseph and Mary were living in Nazareth when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would soon give birth to the Messiah. Then a census was decreed by Caesar Augustus, which required Joseph and Mary to travel about 70 miles (110 km) to Bethlehem, the town of their ancestor David, to be […]