{"id":2104,"date":"2011-08-31T13:17:06","date_gmt":"2011-08-31T17:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fbclafayette.org\/?p=2104"},"modified":"2014-07-21T10:16:52","modified_gmt":"2014-07-21T14:16:52","slug":"bible-background-the-galileans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/bible-background-the-galileans\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Background: The Galileans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2173\" src=\"https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20170523133714\/Bible-Basics-The-Galileans-e1313674696910.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20170523133714\/Bible-Basics-The-Galileans-e1313674696910.jpg 540w, https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20170523133714\/Bible-Basics-The-Galileans-e1313674696910-300x97.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This people group produced more of Christ&#8217;s disciples than any other.\u00a0 They rejoiced when He cleansed the temple.\u00a0 They appreciated His teaching.\u00a0 They respected His power.\u00a0 So, why did they try to kill Him?<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the gospels, we read about different people groups that played a significant role in the land of Palestine during the first century.\u00a0 These people influenced the culture in which Christ ministered, and He tailored His messages in order to both reach and respond to these groups.\u00a0 Learning more about these people can add greater detail and deeper understanding to our study of the gospels.\u00a0 What follows is a thumbnail sketch of one of these groups&#8211;<em><strong>the Galileans<\/strong><\/em>.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Identity<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The term Galileans refers to the Jews and Gentiles who inhabited the region of Palestine, that lays north of the Plain of Esdraelon and the Valley of Jezreel.<\/li>\n<li>The region spread east along the shores of the Sea of Galilee to the Jordan River, and west to the Mediterranean Sea.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Though Galilee was a prosperous region during the time of Christ, wealth was unevenly distributed<\/strong>.\u00a0 There existed a small upper class and a slightly larger middle class, but<strong> the majority of the population was composed of lower class tenant farmers and day laborers.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Many among the population labored to generate the region\u2019s chief exports of wheat, olives, and wine.\u00a0 A great number also worked as herders and as part of the Sea of Galilee\u2019s fishing industry.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The vast majority of Galilee\u2019s population was Jewish.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Because of the region\u2019s Gentile heritage, Galilee\u2019s native tongue was Aramaic.\u00a0 Nevertheless, spreading Hellenistic influences made knowledge of the Greek language commonplace.<\/li>\n<li>It would seem that the Galileans primarily used an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Old Testament.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Galileans rejected the authority of the Roman ruling class, not only on religious grounds, but also on the grounds of social and economic need.<\/strong> This attitude made the region a hotbed for revolutionary sentiment and activity, and gave Galileans a reputation for fearlessness.<\/li>\n<li>The Pharisees had a strong following among the peoples of Galilee.\u00a0 Pharisaism primarily attracted those of the middle class in the larger Galilean towns.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Those in Jerusalem thought of Galileans as backward and unsophisticated.<\/strong> This was due in part to the peculiar dialect of the Galileans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Historical Development<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom resulted in the destruction of the Jewish population and an influx of pagan foreigners.<\/strong> As a result, the region came to be known as \u201cGalilee of the Gentiles\u201d or \u201cThe District of the Gentiles\u201d (2 Kings 17:6).<\/li>\n<li>The region was resettled by the Jews following their return from exile.<\/li>\n<li>Though many Jews were evacuated from the region during the Maccabean Revolt of the inter-testamental period, Galilee was later conquered by John Hyrcanus and his successors, and integrated into the Jewish state.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Hasmonean king, Aristobulus I, forced the Gentile population to convert to Judaism.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Herod the Great and his son Herod Antipas ruled Galilee from 40 B.C. to 39 A.D.\u00a0 Under their governance, Galilee enjoyed prosperity.<\/li>\n<li>According to Josephus, <strong>Galilee was heavily populated during the time of Christ<\/strong> (with between two and three hundred thousand inhabitants.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Reaction to Christ<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Jesus was largely, but not wholly, received with favor by the Galileans.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Most of Jesus\u2019 disciples were Galileans <\/strong>(Matthew 4:18-22; Luke 1:16-20, 5:1-11).<\/li>\n<li>The performance of his first miracle, at the marriage in Cana, marked a division in how people would respond to the witness of Christ\u2019s words and works.\u00a0 Some embraced Him (his disciples) and others rejected Him (his brothers) (John 2:11-12).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jesus received a hero\u2019s welcome in Galilee after clearing the temple in Jerusalem<\/strong> (John 4:45).<\/li>\n<li>Many Galileans evidenced faith in Christ.\u00a0 Such individuals included, among others, a Roman official of Capernaum whose son was ill (John 4:46-54), a paralytic, whom Jesus healed, and his friends (Mark 2:1-12), a centurion whose servant was ill (Luke 7:1-10), a woman suffering a hemorrhage who touched Jesus\u2019 garment (Mark 5:25-34), etc.<\/li>\n<li><strong>When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah in Nazareth, the Galileans responded in anger, unbelief, and rejection.\u00a0 They attempted to murder Him<\/strong> (Luke4:16-31; Matthew 4:13-16).<\/li>\n<li>Some Galileans were impressed with Jesus, recognizing that He taught with authority (Mark 1:22).<\/li>\n<li><strong>After hearing of His miracles, many Galileans came to Jesus for healing<\/strong> (Mark 1:29-34).<\/li>\n<li>The Pharisees of Galilee believed Jesus to be a sinner and plotted to destroy Him for what they believed to be His violation of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5; Matthew 12:9; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Religious leaders rejected His methods, practices, and claims of Messiahship<\/strong> (Mark 2:5-12; Matthew 12:22-45)<\/li>\n<li>Galileans probably comprised a large percentage of the triumphal entry crowd.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Resources for Further Study<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Evans, C. and Porter, S. (eds.) <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0830817808\/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=faithminis-20&amp;camp=213381&amp;creative=390973&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=0830817808&amp;adid=1D030ED5RMMRPKZ4SNF2&amp;\">Dictionary of New Testament Background<\/a><\/em> (Downers Grove, IL:\u00a0 InterVarsity Press, 2000)<\/li>\n<li>Green, J., McKnight, S., and Marshall, I.H. (eds.) <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0830817778\/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=faithminis-20&amp;camp=213381&amp;creative=390973&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=0830817778&amp;adid=036FPNEJ1YW5FKG8F3ET&amp;\">Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels<\/a> <\/em>(Downers Grove, IL:\u00a0 InterVarsity Press, 1992)<\/li>\n<li>Tenney, Merrill C.\u00a0 <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0310331889\/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=faithminis-20&amp;camp=213381&amp;creative=390973&amp;linkCode=as4&amp;creativeASIN=0310331889&amp;adid=162Y1R1MG1Q7FYEWNDC7&amp;\">The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible<\/a><\/em>, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids:\u00a0 Zondervan, 1975)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Throughout the gospels, we read about different people groups that played a significant role in land of Palestine during the first century.  These people influenced the culture in which Christ ministered, and He tailored His messages both to reach and to respond to these groups.  Learning more about these people can add greater detail and deeper understanding to our study of the gospels.  What follows is a thumbnail sketch of the first of these groups&#8211;the Galileans. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4242],"tags":[198,4166,145,4124],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.14 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Bible Background: The Galileans - Faith Church Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/bible-background-the-galileans\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bible Background: The Galileans - Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Throughout the gospels, we read about different people groups that played a significant role in land of Palestine during the first century. 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What follows is a thumbnail sketch of the first of these groups--the Galileans.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/bible-background-the-galileans\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"-0001-11-30T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-07-21T14:16:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/files\/2011\/08\/Bible-Basics-The-Galileans-e1313674696910.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Trey Garner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Trey Garner\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/bible-background-the-galileans\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/bible-background-the-galileans\/\",\"name\":\"Bible Background: The Galileans - Faith Church Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"-0001-11-30T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-07-21T14:16:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/d97312e41428aa529c70105e859f763e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/bible-background-the-galileans\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/bible-background-the-galileans\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/bible-background-the-galileans\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bible Background: The Galileans\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/\",\"name\":\"Faith Church Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/d97312e41428aa529c70105e859f763e\",\"name\":\"Trey Garner\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20200408121956\/GarnerTrey.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20200408121956\/GarnerTrey.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Trey Garner\"},\"description\":\"Trey Garner is the Pastor of Children's Ministries at Faith Church. 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