Galilee at the Time of Jesus -- Jesus settles at Capernaum
After leaving Nazareth, Jesus arrived at Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Some might expect that Jesus would go to Jerusalem – the Holy City – the capital of ancient Israel and site of the Jewish temple. But no, without fanfare -- Jesus set-up shop on the Sea of Galilee.
Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. (Luke 4:31-32)
Jesus began to teach in the local synagogue. In Capernaum, Jesus held no official position – He was not trained as a professional religious teacher. But because of his special insights, the local townspeople quickly consider Jesus a “rabbi” – or teacher. And though the town of Capernaum became home base for his teaching and travels, Jesus didn’t restrict his teaching to the synagogue like other rabbis. He took his ministry on the road – to the people in their homes and on the hillsides.
Galilee at the time of Jesus, on the west side of the lake, was under the control of the Tetrarch, Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. The Galilee region included towns such as Capernaum, Magdala, and Chorazin. The Galilee region was also home to Tiberias, which was built by Herod Antipas on the shoreline not far south of Capernaum.
Tiberias was named by Herod Antipas after the Roman Emperor Tiberias who ruled at the time. It became the new capital city of the Galilee region and the place from which Herod Antipas established his power base. Tiberias exists today, and is a thriving little city of about 40,000 people. As in Jesus’ day, the Sea of Galilee and the hot springs found here are the biggest draws. Religious Jews shunned Tiberias during the time of Jesus, since it was built on top of a cemetery. This made it “unclean” under Jewish law.
Galilee at the Time of Jesus – Influence of Greek and Roman Culture
Galilee at the time of Jesus had a unique power structure. Now might be a good time to do a little review of the influence of Greek and Roman culture in this region. Alexander the Great conquered Judea about 360 years before Jesus began his ministry. It is hard to over-state the impact that the Greek culture -- or Hellenism -- had on the places that Alexander conquered. The Greeks brought their language and radically different ideas of religion, architecture, government, philosophy, religion, and morality.
The Romans took over Judea in 63 BC and King Herod the Great was given power almost 25 years later in 40 BC. By the time that Jesus arrived, the area was a real cultural melting pot. There were the Jews, ranging from the very religious and orthodox to those who had largely accepted the Hellenized Roman culture and the Greek way of doing things. Then, you had everyone else -- the Hellenists, some would say, “Gentiles.” By the time of Jesus, Judea was a cultural crossroads with people from all around the Roman Empire.
The Jews largely tried to live apart from the Hellenists. They were viewed as outsiders and corrupt. But the Romans were an occupying force, so you couldn’t avoid them all together. And certain cities were virtually all Hellenists, complete with pagan structures, statues and spas. It was scandalous for a Jew to even be there. The Galilee region had a large Jewish population, mixed with communities that were quite obviously dominated by Hellenistic culture.
The region of Gaulanitis spread north and east from the northeast corner of the Sea of Galilee. Gaulanitis was governed by Herod Antipas’s half-brother, Herod Philip. Gaulantitis included towns such as Bethsaida and Caesarea Philippi. Gaulanitis was also a dramatic mix of Jewish and Greek Hellenistic culture.
The region of the Decapolis spread south and east from the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee. This was a region of ten Hellenistic cities loosely associated with each other, and loosely controlled by Rome. There was a large Roman military presence guarding the eastern frontier, but the cities were bastions of Greek Hellenism and places that religious Jews avoided.
Want to learn more about the Gospels?
Randall acts as the lead writer for ColdWater’s Drive Thru History® TV series and Drive Thru History® “Adventures” curriculum.