THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS

In this chapter we will look at the life of Jesus and the contributions which archaeology and history make in understanding His life and times.

1. The Calendar of Dionysius.

• Events were tabulated from the founding of the city of Rome.

• The beginning of the reign of Diocletian was also used as a standard

2. The Death of Herod.

1. Caesar Augustus.

2. The Census.

• It has been suggested that the passage can be translated to read: This census was taken before Quirinius was governor of Syria.
• Another proposed translation reads: This census was before that while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

• The first is mentioned here by Luke and is thus far undocumented by modern archaeology.

• The second is mentioned by Luke in Acts 5:37 as well as by Josephus where he describes the rebellion of Judas of Galilee which was brought about by the ordering of a Census in the days following the removal of Archelaus. This second census took place during the governorship of Quirinius in 6-7 A.D.

In the days of Herod, the Magi had become a very powerful political body. No Parthian King was ever permitted to rule on the throne of Parthia until he had first been accepted by the Magi.

Do you remember who Herod had to fight to regain Israel in B.C. 40? It was the PARTHIANS! You can imagine his consternation as a delegation of Parthian King-makers arrive in Jerusalem, seeking the one who has been "born King of the Jews."

Herod was the king of the Jews. But Herod was never BORN the King of the Jews. He was a foreigner. He was not a true king. He was not of the royal line of David. He was not even Jewish. He had never been accepted by the Jews.

We do not know how many were in the party. Undoubtedly there were many. And they are all asking the same question: "Where is the new King who has been born?" The news reaches Herod. Could this be a plot on the part of the Parthians to overthrow him and place another on his throne? Herod has heard nothing of a newborn king.

As Herod hears reports from the Magi, it becomes evident to him that they have come to seek out the MESSIAH, the One whose coming was foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures. Therefore Herod calls a convention. The chief priests and the scribes are called in. These are the experts. When they have all been assembled, Herod asks them a question:

The experts all agree on the same answer. They are all of the same opinion. There is no debate. The Old Testament prophet Micah has made it very clear. The Messiah is to the born in BETHLEHEM.

You know the rest of the story. Herod pretends to have a desire for worship while his plan is really that of an assassin. He engages the unwitting assistance of the Magi, but they are warned by God in a dream. They leave Bethlehem by an alternate route and Joseph, Mary and the baby escape to Egypt. In a futile attempt to capture them, Herod orders the execution of every child under 2 years of age.

Archaeology and history are silent with regard to the slaughter of the babies of Bethlehem. But this is not especially surprising as Bethlehem was only a tiny village and the slaughter of the infants would have been hushed up to prevent it from becoming a source of rebellion.

Why did Herod permit the Magi to go unescorted through his domain? The answer is that he knew their destination and he had a method of keeping abreast of any of their movements. A signal tower located atop the Herodium had an aerial view of Bethlehem and was able to pass signals on to Herod in Jerusalem.

Herod died in the Spring of 4 B.C. He left a number of surviving children. Josephus tells us that Herod had ten wives. Five of them had children of historical significance. Three of Herod's sons were put to death by Herod before he died.

The New Testament tells us that Joseph took Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt until the death of Herod. After this, Archelaus was made Ethnarch of Judea. He would only last 10 years and then would be removed and replaced by a series of procurators.

The word "procurator" signifies that the primary duty of this government post was the procurement of taxes for Rome.

1. Nazareth.

2. The Nazareth Inscription.

1. Chronological Considerations.

2. An Outline of His Ministry.

Most of the ministry of Jesus was centered in the area of Galilee. The name "Galilee" (literally, HaGalilee) means "the circle." The name probably reflects the circular shape of the lake.

Galilee was under the oversight of the Tetrarch Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. Antipas served under the authority of Rome.

There was a saying among the Jews that went, "If you want to be spiritual, go to Jerusalem; if you want to be rich, go to Galilee." This is because Galilee enjoyed a booming economy. Fishermen plied its lake. Farms lay scattered across its rolling hills and upon the fields of Jezreel. It was to this area that Jesus came to begin his ministry.

Why did Jesus begin His public ministry in Galilee? Perhaps it was because Galilee tended to be more receptive to new ideas. It was something of a proverb that Galilee was the birthplace of all sorts of seditions and revolutionary ideas.

The Sea of Galilee has been given several different names throughout its history. It is alternately known as the Sea of Tiberias (John 6:1; 21:1) and Lake Gennesaret (Luke 5:1). In Old Testament times it was known as the Sea of Chinnereth (Numbers 34:11; Joshua 13:27).

The waters of the Sea of Galilee lie 680 feet below sea level. The Sea measures some 13 miles from north to south and is surrounded by mountains. This ring of mountains is broken by the Jordan River in the south and in the north by a narrow gorge to the north which winds its way 30 miles to the snowcapped heights of Mount Hermon. This gorge acts as a funnel for the winds that blow off the surrounding mountains. When cool air currents from the mountains rushing down the gorge collide with the heated air over the lake, the result is sometimes a violent storm.

The original Semitic name of the settlement is Kefar Nahum i.e. the village (kafar) of Nahum (Nahum means "consolation"). The composite name Kefar Nahum is always rendered in non-Semitic languages as a single name, and the guttural "h" has been dropped altogether.

Capernaum much more than Nazareth offered to Jesus a twofold advantage as far as his messianic activity was concerned.

• Capernaum was a crossroad of primary importance, being along the Beth-shan - Damascus highway; whereas Nazareth was a mountainous and isolated hamlet.

• Capernaum was sufficiently apart from the big centers and especially from Tiberias where Herod Antipas had set his capital. In that way Jesus was able to spread his messianic message to many persons without running too soon into trouble with the political and religious leaders.

In contrast to Nazareth, the population of Capernaum was highly stratified: fishermen, farmers, artisans, merchants and publicans lived in the same village, but apparently without any strident economical inequality. Even the relations between the inhabitants of Capernaum and the Romans were surprisingly cordial. It was a Roman centurion who built the synagogue for the Jewish community, while the elders of the village reciprocated in kindness and pleaded earnestly with Jesus asking him to heal the centurion's servant (Lk 7:1-10). From the same community Jesus chose many of his apostles either among fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, John - Mt 4:12-22) or publicans (Matthew - Mk 2:13).

The archaeological site, called at present Kefar Nahum in Hebrew and Talhum in Arabic, is located on the northwest shore of lake Kinneret in Galilee some 600 feet below sea level, 8 miles from Tiberias.

When Robinson visited the site in 1838 he left the following description: "The whole place is desolate and mournful. A few Arabs only of the Semekiyeh were here encamped in tents, and had built up a few hovels among the ruins which they used as magazines."

From 1968 to 1991 Franciscan archaeologists worked at ancient Capernaum. The excavations concentrated first on the two public buildings of the town.

• The octagonal church
• The synagogue.

Their efforts were rewarded by the sensational discovery of the house of Peter and of the first century synagogue built by the Roman centurion. The house of Peter, often mentioned by the Synoptic Gospels in relation to the activity of Jesus in Capernaum, and recorded later on by pilgrims, was rediscovered in 1968 under the foundations of the octagonal church some 30 meters south of the synagogue. The history of that house where Jesus lived, can be summarized as follows:

1. The house was built in the late Hellenistic Period.
2. In the late first century A.D. it was changed into a "domus-ecclesia" — a house for religious gatherings
3. In the fourth century A.D. the same "domus-ecclesia" was enlarged and was set apart from the rest of the town through an imposing enclosure wall.
4. In the second half of the fifth century A.D. an octagonal church was built upon the house of St. Peter and remained in use until the seventh century A.D.

As you travel north from the Sea of Galilee, you will find the upper reaches of the Jordan River as it flows to the south. Moving upstream, you will find Lake Hula (which today has dried up). Moving even further northward, you would find yourself on the lower slopes of Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan River. Straddling these lower slopes was the Roman city of Caesarea Philippi.

The city was named after Julius Caesar. Indeed, there was even a temple in honor of Caesar and the Romans who lived there celebrated him as divine. It was an international metropolis with Syrians, Jews, Greeks, and Romans. At least 14 temples to false gods were to be found in the city of Caesarea Philippi. The city was dedicated to the Greek deity Pan, the god of nature.

It was in this setting that a penniless, homeless Nazarene asked a question of His disciples.

Antipas was given Galilee on the west and Perea on the east bank of the Jordan River. His title was that of a Tetrarch (literally, "ruler of a fourth part"). He built his palace at Sepphoris, only 4 miles to the northeast of Nazareth. He also built the city of Tiberius on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Herod Antipas was not actually a king. He ruled at the whim of Rome. Indeed, on one occasion he traveled to Rome and requested that Emperor Caligula make him a king, but he was refused.

This presented some problems because Antipas was married to the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia. King Aretas was not going to take kindly to the divorce of his daughter and they reasoned that it would be best if she met with some kind of "accident."

Herod was to come to an ignominious end. He would suffer defeat at the hands of King Aretas of Arabia. Then at the urging of his ambitious wife, he and Herodias would travel to Rome to seek the kingship of all of Palestine. His request would be his undoing. As he stood before Emperor Caligula, he was accused of conspiring against Rome and banished with his wife to Gaul where he died as a penniless pauper.

1. The Pharisees.

2. The Sadducees.

3. The Essenes.

4. The Zealots.

The city of Jerusalem had grown extensively since the days of the kings of old. It was now a major metropolis with outlying suburbs. Herod the Great had brought many Hellenistic influences to the city. It now boasted a circus where chariot races could be held as well as a Greek theater.

The city was built upon two parallel ridges which were divided by a steep valley. The lower hill to the east was the site of the original city dating back to the days of the Jebusites. The Temple sat at the northern edge of this ridge

• The Upper City was located on the western ridge. Back in the days of King David, it had been called the Citadel. Herod's palace was located here. This was the wealthier quarter. The home of the high priest was located here.

• The Lower City was the older portion of the city that started on Mount Ophel and spilled down into the Tyropoeon Valley

The newest part of the city was located to the north. This area was as of yet still unprotected by a wall -- it would be enclosed by Agrippa I.

To the east of the city is the steep ravine known as the Kidron Valley. Opposite the city on the east side is the Mount of Olives, rising a hundred feet above the city. On the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives is the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane.

In 1969 archaeologists found an inscribed stone which had originally been a portion of the pinnacle of the temple at the southwestern wall of the Temple mount. It read, "To the place of trumpeting." It was apparently to this location that a priest would come each morning and each evening to announce by trumpet call the morning and evening sacrifices.

1. The Western Wall.

2. The Temple Mount.

3. Entrances to the Temple Mount.

There were five primary means of egress onto the Temple Mount. Four of these were regularly used.

a. The Eastern Gate.

The road leading up to the eastern gate was joined to a great bridge that spanned the Kidron Valley.

b. The Hulda Gates.

Named for the prophetess Hulda who had advised Josiah, these large double gates ran up a long stairway from the south side of the Temple complex.

c. Robinson's Arch.

Not far from the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, the remains of "Robinson's Arch" can be seen projecting from the wall. This arch once supported a monumental staircase which gave access to the Temple Mount from the main street below it.

d. The Royal Bridge and Wilson's Arch.

The Temple Mount was separated from the western portion of the city by the deep Tyropoeon Valley. Today this valley has been filled in and is no longer visible.

The Royal Bridge was built on huge spanning arches and traversed the Tyropoeon Valley, joining the western portion of the city to the Temple. Each arch spanned 41 feet and stood on stones measuring 24 feet in length.

e. The Fortress Stairs.

A narrow stairway ran down from the Antonia Fortress to the Court of the Gentiles. It was from here that Paul evidently addressed his fellow Jews when he was being arrested in Acts 21:40.

4. The Court of the Gentiles.

5. The Dividing Wall.

6. The Court of the Women.

7. The Inner Courts.

8. The Interior of the Temple.

The Caiaphas family tomb was accidentally discovered by public workers constructing a road in a park just south of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1990. Archaeologists were called to the scene. When they examined the tomb they found 12 ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) containing the remains of 63 individuals. The most beautifully decorated of the ossuaries was inscribed with the name "Joseph son of (or, of the family of) Caiaphas." That was the full name of the high priest who arrested Jesus, as documented by Josephus (Antiquities 18:2:2; 4:3). Inside were the remains of a 60-year old male, almost certainly those of the Caiaphas of the New Testament.

The inscription on his craved ossuary, fit for a high priest, was the name Yehosef bar Qafa (Joseph, son of Caiaphas). Coins found in the cave were bronze minted in 42 A.D. during the reign of Herod Agrippa I.

1. The Man.

2. The Pilate Inscription.