Sea of Galilee

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KEY FEATURES

The Sea of Galilee is also called the Sea of Tiberias or Lake of Gennesaret. It was commonly known in the Old Testament as the Sea of Kinnereth. Nearly 700 feet below sea level, “the lake” is the largest freshwater bank in the region.
Geographically, the sea is 8 miles wide and about 12 miles long, north to south. Located near the Golan Heights, it is Israel’s primary source of drinking water. The heart-shaped feature forms a circular arc which connects the flow of the Jordan River and provides much of the water supply and a well-stocked variety of fish.
Some major towns at its shores include Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Tiberias.

THE TIME OF CHRIST

During the first century, Christ spent much of His time around the Sea of Galilee. He healed the sick and cast out demons near the Sea of Galilee. He also ate breakfast with His disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after His resurrection. The Sea of Galilee played a pivotal role in the 3 1/2 year ministry of Jesus Christ.

Sabbath Day’s Journey

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From Acts of the Apostles: The Church Begins (Unit 1) – Learn More

jur’-ni (sabbatou hodos):

Used only in Acts 1:12, where it designates the distance from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives, to which Jesus led His disciples on the day of His ascension. The expression comes from rabbinical usage to indicate the distance a Jew might travel on the Sabbath without transgressing the Law, the command against working on that day being interpreted as including travel (see Exodus 16:27-30). The limit set by the rabbis to the Sabbath day’s journey was 2,000 cubits from one’s house or domicile, which was derived from the statement found in Joshua 3:4 that this was the distance between the ark and the people on their march, this being assumed to be the distance between the tents of the people and the tabernacle during the sojourn in the wilderness. Hence, it must have been allowable to travel thus far to attend the worship of the tabernacle. We do not know when this assumption in regard to the Sabbath day’s journey was made, but it seems to have been in force in the time of Christ. The distance of the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem is stated in Josephus (Ant., XX, viii, 6) to have been five stadia or furlongs and in BJ, V, ii, 3, six stadia, the discrepancy being explained by supposing a different point of departure. This would make the distance of the Sabbath day’s journey from 1,000 to 1,200 yards, the first agreeing very closely with the 2,000 cubits. The rabbis, however, invented a way of increasing this distance without technically infringing the Law, by depositing some food at the 2,000-cubit limit, before the Sabbath, and declaring that spot a temporary domicile. They might then proceed 2,000 cubits from this point without transgressing the Law.

And in some cases even this intricacy of preparation was unnecessary. If, for instance, the approach of the Sabbath found one on his journey, the traveler might select some tree or some stone wall at a distance of 2,000 paces and mentally declare this to be his residence for the Sabbath, in which case he was permitted to go the 2,000 paces to the selected tree or wall and also 2,000 paces beyond, but in such a case he must do the work thoroughly and must say:

“Let my Sabbath residence be at the trunk of that tree,” for if he merely said: “Let my Sabbath residence be under that tree,” this would not be sufficient, because the, expression would be too general and indefinite (Tractate `Erubhin 4:7).

Other schemes for extending the distance have been devised, such as regarding the quarter of the town in which one dwells, or the whole town itself, as the domicile, thus allowing one to proceed from any part of the town to a point 2,000 cubits beyond its utmost limits. This was most probably the case with walled towns, at least, and boundary stones have been found in the vicinity of Gaza with inscriptions supposed to mark these limits. The 2,000-cubit limits around the Levitical cities (Numbers 35:5) may have suggested the limit of the Sabbath day’s journey also. The term came to be used as a designation of distance which must have been more or less definite.

H. Porter

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. “Entry for ‘SABBATH DAY’S JOURNEY'”. “International Standard Bible Encyclopedia”. 1915.  

Acts Challenge

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Recommended Reads: Do Hard Things

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Cities of the Book of Acts

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Galilee

Acts 1:11 – Messengers after ascension: “Men of Galilee”

Acts 2:7 – During Pentecost, “Aren’t they Galileans?”

Acts 5:37 – Gamaliel mentions “Judas the Galilean” who rose up for a time, had some followers, who then scattered.

Jerusalem

Acts 1:1-8:3 – Starting point for the way. Events in chapters 1-7 occur in Jerusalem: Ascension, Pentecost, healings, Stephen’s ministry and death.

Acts 11:2-18 – Peter returns to Jerusalem and tells the brothers what happened in Caesarea.

Acts 12:1-19 – Herod kills James, imprisons Peter. Peter escapes and goes to Caesarea.

Acts 12:25 – After completing their mission (in Antioch), Barnabas and Saul return to Jerusalem with John Mark.

Acts 15:1-2 – Brothers from Judea came to Antioch teaching circumcision. Barnabas and Paul chosen to go to Jerusalem to discuss issue with them.

Acts 15:4-39 – Jerusalem council. Barnabas and Paul separate. Barnabas with Mark to Cyprus, Paul with Silas to Syria and Cilicia.

Acts 18:22 – Paul goes from Kenchreae to Ephesos to Caesarea (boat), then Jerusalem to Antioch (overland).

Acts 19:21-22 – Paul’s travel plans while in Ephesos: travel through Macedonia and Achaia, then back to Jerusalem, then on to Rome.

Acts 20:16 – Paul had decided to sail past Ephesos and meet the elders in Miletus because he didn’t want to spend time in Asia and was eager to get to Jerusalem for Pentecost.

Acts 20:22 – Paul tells the Ephesian elders in Miletus that he is on his way to Jerusalem.

Acts 21:15-23:22 – Paul in Jerusalem. Trials.

Acts 26:4-11 – In his defense in Caesarea, Paul tells of his persecution of Christians in Jerusalem.

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Profile of Herod Agrippa II

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Paul’s Encounter with King Agrippa

Apostle Paul On Trial by Nikolai Bodarevsky, 1875. Agrippa and Berenice are both seated on thrones.

“Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You may now speak for yourself.’ Paul lifted his hand and started to talk, ‘King Agrippa, the Jews have said many things against me. I am happy to be able to tell you my side of the story. You know all about the Jewish ways and problems. So I ask you to listen to me until I have finished. ‘All the Jews know about my life from the time I was a boy until now. I lived among my own people in Jerusalem. If they would tell what they know, they would say that I lived the life of a proud religious law-keeper. I was in the group of proud religious law-keepers who tried to obey every law (Acts 26:1-5).“

King Agrippa

A “seat of Moses” carved from basalt found in the ruins of the third-fourth-century C.E. synagogue at Chorazin. 

Born        27/28

Died        c. 92 or 100AD

Full name
Marcus Julius Agrippa

Dynasty        Herodian dynasty

Father         Herod Agrippa I

Mother        Cyprus

Herod Agrippa II was born in the year 28, and according to a statement that is not uncontradicted (Photius, “Bibliotheca,” cod. 33), it is said that he died in the year 100. He was educated in Rome, where he saw much of the court life that had been so harmful to his father. It proved just as detrimental to him, for he reached maturity just at the time that Messalina and Agrippina dared to flaunt the most fearful depths of profligacy in public. On the sudden death of his father, the emperor Claudius desired him to enter into the full inheritance of all his rights and titles, but upon the advice of court favorites he refrained from doing so. Once again Judea was handed over to the care of procurators, and for the time being the young man was detained at court. Here he had the opportunity of being helpful to his coreligionists from time to time (Josephus, “Ant.” xv. 11, § 4; xx. 1, § 2) and of acquiring proficiency in all the arts of courtly flattery.

Succeeds Herod II. On the death of Herod II., Agrippa succeeded in having the former’s post promised him. In the year 50, without regard to the rights of the heir to the throne, he had himself appointed (“B. J.” ii. 12, § 1; “Ant.” xx. 5, § 2; 9, § 7) to the principality of Chalcis by the emperor, and also to the supervisorship of the Temple at Jerusalem, which carried with it the right of nominating the high priest. Within three years—possibly before he left Rome to assume the dignity of his office—the emperor presented him with larger territory in exchange for Chalcis, giving him the tetrarchy of his great-uncle Philip—over which Agrippa’s father had also ruled—together with that of Lysanias (Abilene), and the district of Varus (“Ant.” xx. 7, § 1; “B. J.” ii. 12, § 8). Nero, when he became emperor, added to this territory, giving him considerable tracts of Galilee and Perea.

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Paul’s Travels

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50 – Paul took Silas to Syria and Cilicia. Barnabas took his nephew John Mark to Cyprus and presumably on to Egypt (Acts 15:39).

50 – Paul came to Derbe and to Lystra (Acts 16:1).

50 – At Derbe Paul met Timothy (whose mother was a believing Jew and his father a Greek unbeliever) and circumcised him (Acts 16:1-3). Note: this matter is understood as one of expediency in order that Paul’s work among the Jews would not be hindered. It differs from the matter of Titus (Galatians 2:3) as some at Jerusalem had argued for the necessity of circumcision as a prerequisite to being a Christian.

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The Nazarite Vow

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Nazarite Vow

In Lectures 2,3, and 4, Dr. Meredith describes how Paul and his companions participated in a Nazarite vow.

In Numbers 6, Moses was inspired of God to lay out the requirements of a vow of special consecration to God, called a Nazarite Vow. Generally men took this vow for a specific period of time, after which, there was a ceremony marking its conclusion. During the time of their vow, the men were not to cut their hair or shave, nor were they to taste any grape product, including wine, fresh grapes, or raisins, nor were they to touch anything that would make them ceremonially defiled.” (Ogwyn, John. “A Tale of Two Nazarites”)

A “seat of Moses” carved from basalt found in the ruins of the third-fourth-century C.E. synagogue at Chorazin.

James propose to Paul to sponsor and pay the expenses of the Nazarite vow for some of the men in order to prove to Paul’s detractors that he is loyal to the Law (21:22-25).

As Mr. Meredith explains in Lecture 2, the book of Acts describes how Paul had apparently taken a Nazarite vow when he cut his hair off at Cenchreae. But there was another major character in the New Testament who lived under a Nazarite vow. That man was John the Baptist.

The two examples in the Old Testament of men who lived under a Nazarite vow were contemporaries, and they served God in leading Israel. But they were very different men.

To read the full story of these two men, just go to Mr. John Ogwyn’s article, “A Tale of Two Nazarites”.

If you’d like to do more research into how the Nazarite vow became woven into Jewish culture in history, a good place to start is the Jewish Encyclopedia. Follow this link for an article on this topic.

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Diana of Ephesus

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he Diana of Ephesus was a goddess “whom all Asia and the world worship” (Acts 19:27). Diana was the Roman name for the Greek deity Artemis, the “goddess of the moon and the chaste and sister of the sun-god, Apollo” (Colliers Encyclopedia). Artemis was also the “protectress of chastity and patroness of childbirth” and the goddess of seafarers, who brought good weather and profitable voyages (Encyclopaedia Britannica,11th edition). She is often portrayed as a virgin and mother goddess and the “Mistress of Animals.” Her statues depict a multi-breasted figure wearing a turreted crown. Artemis incorporates many features of the great mother goddess who was worshiped under a variety of names in the ancient world (see The Oxford Companion to the Bible).
 
We also learn that “Artemis is a deity of very ancient origins who survived and attracted great popularity in Asia Minor and Greece into Christian times when… much of her ethos [beliefs & practices] was transferred to the Virgin Mary. Both figures enjoyed major sanctuaries at Ephesus” (Encyclopedia of Gods, Jordan, p. 26).

By building a church for Mary in Ephesus and declaring her “Mother of God” near the great temple of the mother goddess Diana, the Catholic church simply borrowed and adapted ancient traditions that allowed new converts to continue pagan practices in a “Christian” context!  

…Excerpted from “The Lady of Nations,” Tomorrow’s World,  2003 November-December

To read the whole article, including Diana’s connection to modern-day worship of Mary, read “The  Lady of Nations“

To learn more about “Diana”, a good resource is the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, under the article “Diana; Artemis”.

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