Approaching 1st Century Palestine
What nation was in control of Palestine (and was the world power) during the time of Jesus?
Rome
Name one of the bodies of water/ rivers in Palestine
Galilee
Dead Sea
Jordan River
Med Sea
What religious group was known for storing the Dead Sea Scrolls?
The Essenes
What everyday activity consumed most of the time of those living in 1st century Palestine?
Providing food for themselves
What do we call the period of time between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament?
The intertestamental period
What was the universal language during the time of Jesus?
Greek
What is the Dead Sea known for?
Salt
What were Zealots known for?
Opposing Roman rule using violent tactics
First century Palestine was predominantly what kind of society?
Agricultural
Why is the Old Testament important for reading and understanding the New Testament (list at least 2)?
- The New Testament is a continuation of the Old Testament
- Fulfillment of prophecy
- Old Testament makes up 75% of scripture
- We can't understand the resolution without knowing the plot
What nation allowed Israel the Jews to rebuild their temple? And which nation was the least peaceful when ruling over the Israelites?
Persia allowed the Jews to rebuild the temple
Assyria was the least peaceful
What were the three regions in Palestine?
Galilee (in the North) -Jews had ore interactions with Gentiles
Samaria (in the center)- where Jews despised Samaritans because Samaritans had built their own temple
Judea (in the South)- location of Jerusalem
What was the largest and most politically powerful religious group?
What part of the New Testament does the cultural setting of Palestine help us understand better?
Jesus' parables
What are the three genres included in the New Testament?
2. Letters
3. Prophecy
Which leaders rule marked the time of the Pax Romana?
Caesar
Which Roman leader ruled over Palestine?
Herod the Great
How many leaders was the Sanhedrin composed of?
70 Jewish leaders
List three occurrences were Jesus interacts with woman during his ministry:
Answers may vary
-bleeding woman
-woman at the well
-Jesus anointing Mary Madeline
What is the goal of reading scripture?
To find the authors original meaning and apply what it means to our lives
What were the five pagan nations that ruled over Israel while they were in exile?
1. Assyria
2. Babylonia
3. Persia
4. Greece
5. Rome
List three reasons why Palestine was an ideal location for Jesus' ministry:
- Palestine was a crossway of many trade routes
- The Jewish people lived in Palestine
- Was ruled by the Roman Empire which helped it thrive
- Continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa merge around Palestine
List two differences between the Pharisees and the Sadducees:
Pharisees:
-Popular among the people
- Were known for enforcing rigid rules and laws
- Many of the scribes belonged to this group
-Accepted the Old Testament according to their interpretation
Sadducees:
-Came from among the wealthiest Jews
-High priest was responsible for temple worship and relationship of religious Jews with the Romans
-Accepted only the Pentateuch and believed only what they were able to understand
-Worked to retain their power and standing with the Romans
List two of the names that Jesus used to refer to himself that spoke directly to the needs of 1st century Palestine society:
- Bread of life
-Good Shepard
- True Vine
-cornerstone
List the three genres of scripture and two books from the New Testament that fall under each category (or 1 depending on genre).
History: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
Letters:Romans, 1 & 2Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 &2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1&2&3 John, Jude
Prophecy: Revelation