Much like the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 B.C., the ill-fated Jewish war against the Romans from A.D. 66-73 became a defining event in the history of Israel, and it affected the nascent Christian church as well. Tensions between Jews and Romans had run deep ever since Pompey first seized the land […]
Category Archives: Roman Period
The Community at Qumran
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 […]
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 […]
The City of Philippi
Acts 16:11-40 During the time of the apostle Paul the city of Philippi in Macedonia was home to military veterans of a great battle fought nearby as well as to the very first Europeans who responded to Paul’s message of the good news of Jesus Christ. During his second missionary journey Paul traveled to Troas, […]
Geshur and Maacah
The remote region surrounding the Upper Jordan River was home to two small nations that are frequently overlooked regarding their role in Israelite history: Geshur and Maacah. The land occupied by these two nations fell within the allotted territories of Naphtali and Manasseh, but Israel was never able to drive them out (Joshua 12:5; 13:1-13), […]