First Century kitchen page 7

First Century kitchen page 7 by ric gustafson


Before we sit down and have a first century meal, we need to know a little bit of where we would be eating it. Galilee was in the northernmost region of first century Palestine. The region was only thirty five miles north and south and twenty five miles east and west. It was conquered by the Assyrians in 763 BC and by the Romans in 63 BC.
Galilee is divided into two regions, Southern Galilee which includes the Plain of Esdraelon. Northern Galilee is hill country and Eastern Galilee borders the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. At the time of Jesus, the population was around 350,000.
Galilean Jews lived a long way from Jerusalem with Nazareth being seventy miles away. This required a three to four day walk so they did not go there very often. Eighty to ninety percent of the people of the region were involved in agricultural work. Livestock, olives and grapes were chief products. Olive oil, wine, fish and grain were exported for income. The region was home to several major trade routes. Tax collectors such as Matthew benefited from the caravans passing through.


research help: ' The Food and Feasts of Jesus' by Douglas Neal and Joel Pugh


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric