Altamirando Carneiro

Daily life in Jesus' time

GEOGRAPHICAL ASPECTS – In Song of Solomon there are several passages that speak of the love that the Palestinians had for their land. Palestine was a beautiful country: a deep blue sky, a reddish land sparkled by the green of the vegetable gardens, the gold of the barley and the dark yellow of the desert.

And what to say about the peacefulness of the rivers and lakes: the Jordan River, mentioned more than 200 times in the Scripture; The Lake Tiberias, or Sea of Galilee, that takes half an hour to cross by boat; The Lake of Gennesaret, or Chinnereth, with its limpid and sapphire blue shades of water!

The climate of Palestine was Mediterranean, with tropical features. Two seasons predominated: the long summer and the winter of normal length. The most gorgeous early mornings, of a black bluish sky, star speckled. And a bright mist seemed to float over the mountains. 

COLD NIGHTS - The nights of Palestine were quite cold. The book Proverbs says, "The ox shivers in the early morning, but during the day it seeks the shade of fig trees to refresh its skin".

Historians tell us that, one night in April, Peter enters into the High Priest's courtyard in search of news of the Master, and he keeps himself warm by standing next to a brazier.

FLOWERS - There were a lot of lilies in Palestine. "Look at the lilies of the field, said Jesus. They do not spin or weave. However, not even Solomon in all his greatness can dress like one of them". The vine, also known as "the plant of life" and the olive tree were plentiful. The fig tree had thick foliage that favored meditation.

ANIMALS - Among animals, the donkey was part of the Palestinian life. It could be seen everywhere, and there was no family that did not have one, however poor it may be. Who could not buy a donkey, rented one. 

CITIES, GOVERNMENT – Palestine, an occupied country, lived more than 700 years under the rule of a foreign country. When Jesus was born, Israel was under the domination of the Roman Empire. There was the influence of the Greek or Hellenistic culture, the so called Greek Cities were born, Decapolis, or the League of the Ten Cities, located west of the Jordan River, in Transjordan and along the coast. They were: Bete-Sem (later called Scythopolis), Hippos, Gerasa, Pella, Gadara, Philadelphia, (not to be mistaken with the American city of the same name), Damascus, Shechem, Tiberias, Sepphoris (capital of Galilee).

The question of the tribute to Caesar gave rise to the question put to Jesus: "Is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar?" To which the Master replied: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." People did not know to distinguish the boundaries between Caesar and God. The Jews paid heavy taxes, including a type of tax that annoyed them very much: the tax for the maintenance of the Roman soldiers in Palestine.

By the trial of Jesus we can understand the complexity of the political structure of Palestine. They marched side by side: the interference of the authorities of Rome and of the Tetrarch of Galilee, subordinate to Rome, each with its own concept of law. Every religious decision had political consequences and every political act caused repercussions in religion.

JERUSALEM, THE QUEEN OF THE HOLY LAND - The city of Jerusalem was no doubt the Queen of the Holy Land. Every Jew dreamed to visit it at least once in life.

It was located in the heart of the mountains of Judea, surrounded by hills, and the cold wind brought the image of rain and constant snow. The city had three neighborhoods: the Upper Town, where the rich lived; the Lower town where the poor lived and the Jerusalem Temple Quarter, designed by King David, built in the reign of his son Solomon. At the time of Jesus, Jerusalem was the religious center of the time. It reached a population of 150,000 inhabitants.

The prophet Jeremiah's book classifies Jerusalem as "the perfection of beauty; the joy of the whole Earth". One of the rabbis at the time said that "who has not seen Jerusalem, has never seen a really beautiful city". 

THE HAPPINESS OF THE BIRTH OF A CHILD - The birth of a child was the happiest of the events: a blessing. The book of Psalms says: "The Lord’s heritage is his sons; the fruit of the womb is a reward".

Circumcision was mandatory, made in Jesus' time, eight days after the child's birth. To call a man “uncircumcised” was the greatest of insults. In Romans, Paul says that "the true circumcision is the inner one, which takes place within the heart of man".

After delivery, the woman was considered unclean under the law: for 40 days if the child was a male and 80 days if a female. The male child's name was chosen in the first weeks or during circumcision. The right to choose the child's name belonged to his father. There was no surname. To the names of the boys it was added: “son of …” “ben” (Hebrew) or "bar" (Aramaic). Example: John "ben" Zechariah (John son of Zechariah); Jonathan "ben" Hanan (Jonathan, son of Hanan); Yesua "ben" Joseph (Yesua - Jesus, son of Joseph).

Many women had the same name, in general, the name of an Israel heroin. This is why we see in the Gospel so many women with the name of Mary. In its early years, the child was entrusted to the mother's care; the child’s education was entrusted to the father’s care. 

EDUCATION - The education level was excellent. The book Proverbs says that "if you have knowledge, you have everything. But if you lack knowledge, you have nothing". The doctors of Law said: "It is better that a sanctuary is destroyed than a school”. Primary schools were generally connected to the synagogues.

Rabbi Simon and Shetac, who was president of the Sanhedrin, opened the first House of the Book in Jerusalem. The example was followed, resulting in a public education system. 

THE HIGH MEANING OF FAMILY - The word family had a high meaning. The good fortune of a family member meant joy for every member of the family.

Men married early, at 18; women when they were physically apt: 12 to 13 years old. Marriages between relatives were banned by law. The book of Leviticus says that "no man shall come near any relative of his flesh to uncover her nakedness".

SLAVERY, PUNISHMENT – Israel had slaves, as can be implied from some of Jesus' parables. Punishments were strict: the sentence for crimes against religion was death penalty. For more common punishments: flogging and stoning. The Crucifixion, brought from the Greeks and Romans was originated in Phoenicia and it was a punishment for slaves. 

FOOD - The law required that man pray every time he ate. Bread was the basic food, and it was treated with respect. It was forbidden to put things inside the bread, which could be cut, but not broken. The poor ate barley bread; the rich wheat bread. Its shape was generally round.

Honey was an essential food. Cane sugar was not known yet. Fish was more important than meat. Bread and fish were the common food. 

One of the most amazing foods was the locust. There were 800 edible species, four of which were often used. They were boiled in salt water, and their taste was similar to shrimps. Some species even had the same coloring of shrimps.

The preparation was as follows: the head and the tail were removed, then the remainder was dried in the sun in a container with honey and vinegar, or they could be ground or mixed together with wheat flour. 

LANGUAGES - In Palestine, the spoken languages were Hebrew and Aramaic. Latin was used for official documents. Instructions from Rome were sent to be translated.

Greek was spoken throughout the Empire: it was the language used by the high class, the powerful, and also in international trade. The Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, almost all the Epistles and Revelation were written in Greek or immediately translated into Greek. 

THE SPOKEN LANGUAGE - Before the Old Testament was written, it only existed orally. Jeremiah's prophecies were known orally for 22 years before being written. The Psalms, Proverbs, the Song of Bridal of the Song of Solomon first appeared as speeches and songs. The Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles, and the Revelation, were written from the beginning. The four Gospels were spoken before.

Even after they were written, the habit of oral transmission continued until the year 1000 of our Era. Sheria Gaon said that "the scholars consider their duty to recite from memory". Among the early Christians, the Good News (stories and teachings of Jesus) were initially made orally.

Reference:

Daily life in the times of Jesus, Henri Danlel-Rops - Religious Society Vida Nova Editions, 2nd Edition - 1986.