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Altamirando Carneiro |
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Palestine,
charm
and
magic |
Palestine
is
located
in the
region
called
Near
East by
the
European.
It has
always
been a
small
country
with an
area
equivalent
to
Wales,
Belgium
and
Sicily
together.
Jerome,
one of
the
"Church
Fathers",
who
lived
for a
long
time
near
Bethlehem
and knew
the
country
well,
estimated
that its
extension
from
North to
the
South
was not
greater
than 160
Roman
miles,
about
145
English
miles,
the
distance,
for
instance,
between
Rome and
Florence.
The
distances
are
minimal.
Referring
to the
time of
Jesus,
for
example,
a trip
from
Nazareth
to
Jerusalem
could
last two
days.
The
Israelites
knew
their
country
well and
loved it
deeply.
Entire
Books of
the Old
Testament,
such as
the
Songs of
Solomon,
fully
express
that
feeling.
The
inhabitants
of
Palestine
for over
two
thousand
years
(the
majority
of the
population)
were
convinced
that
they
were not
there by
chance;
that
their
presence
in the
country
had a
meaning;
that God
had
established
them in
that
land.
In
Solomon’s
time, it
was
estimated
that
there
was one
million
inhabitants.
In
Jesus'
time, if
we
calculate
a total
of two
million,
we are
being
generous.
Thousands
of Jews
lived
outside
Palestine.
They did
not
attend
the
great
festivities.
Simon,
for
example,
who
helped
Jesus
carry
the
cross,
was born
in
Cyrene,
North
Africa;
the
schools
of the
Holy
City had
many
students
from all
the
scattered
communities.
Among
these
students,
we can
mention
Saul,
son of a
tent
maker in
Sicily,
who
assiduously
attended
Rabbi
Gamaliel’s
speeches
and who
would
become
the
Apostle
Paul of
Tarsus.
There
was,
undoubtedly,
at that
time, a
Jewish
emigration.
In
Greek,
the term
used to
call it
was
Diaspora,
meaning
dispersion.
Wherever
they
were,
the
Jewish
colonies
showed
the same
characteristics.
They
kept
together,
were
stable,
and they
lived
near
each
other,
though
the
Greek
and
Roman
authorities
did not
make
such a
requirement.
In Rome,
they
lived in
different
districts.
These
communities
had
special
organizations.
They
were
democratic
and the
material
and
spiritual
matters
mingled.
In the
same
meeting
there
was
prayer
and
political
discussions
too.
The name
of the
place
where
they
elected
the
council
of
elders
and the
authority,
who
would
defend
the
interests
of the
group,
the
Ethnarch
or the
Exarch,
was the
same as
the
place
where
the
people
sang the
Psalms.
In
Hebrew,
this
assembly
was
called
Kinneseth;
in
Greek,
Sunagoge,
from
which
comes
the term
Synagogue.
An
occupied
country
Palestine
was an
occupied
country.
The
Romans
entirely
dominated
the
country,
directly
or
through
their
bondmen.
At the
same
time,
they
followed
their
customs
and
allowed
the
conquered
peoples
to
continue
their
usual
life.
For the
Romans
and the
Greeks,
the
State
represented
the
essential
governing
principle.
The
city-empire
or the
empire
reserved
the
right to
impose
rules to
subjects
according
to their
interests.
Religion
and
religious
worship
was
recognized,
while
they
remained
as State
instruments.
It was
considered
a civic
duty,
according
to the
formula
established
by the
State.
It was
as if
Caesar
"controlled
God."
But for
the
Jews,
God
controlled
Caesar.
Due to
all
this,
the Jews
at the
time of
Jesus
faced
situations
where
they did
not know
the
limits
between
the
Kingdom
of
Caesar
and the
Kingdom
of God.
Therefore,
we can
understand
why
Jesus'
opponents
asked
Him
about
the
lawfulness
of
paying
taxes to
the
Roman
authorities,
to which
Jesus
replied:
"Give to
Caesar
what is
Caesar's,
and to
God what
is of
God".
Children
were
blessings;
teaching,
excellent
In a
Jewish
family,
the
birth of
a child
was the
most
important
of
events,
celebrated
with
festivity
to which
all
relatives,
friends
and
people
who
lived
nearby
were
invited.
If the
child
was
male,
the
compliments
were
quite
warm. In
case of
the
firstborn,
if male,
enthusiasm
reached
its
peak.
Every
male
child
had by
law to
be
circumcised
eight
days
after
birth.
Some
Jews
could
escape
this
obligation.
In
Jesus'
time,
circumcision
was
regarded
not only
as a
mark of
the
alliance,
but
considered
an act
of
ritual
purification.
During
the
first
week,
probably
on the
day of
circumcision,
the
child
was
given a
name.
The
right to
choose
the
child's
name
belonged
to his
father,
the head
of
household.
The name
chosen
corresponded
to our
first
name.
The Jews
had no
name.
This
does not
mean
that the
family
feeling
was not
developed.
The son
received
his
father's
name -
"son of
so", ben
in
Hebrew
and bar
in
Aramaic.
Example:
John Ben
Zechariah,
Jonathan
Ben
Hanan,
Yesua
Ben
Joseph's
oldest
son
usually
received
the
grandfather's
name, to
continue
the
tradition
of the
name and
distinguish
him from
his
father.
Education
The
child
remained
in the
early
years
under
the care
of its
mother.
Daughters
stayed
with
their
mother
until
the
wedding
day.
They
helped
in the
work of
the
house,
carrying
water,
weaving
and also
helped
with the
work in
the
field.
The
father
looked
after
the
children
and
initiated
them in
their
profession
as soon
as
possible,
so that
they
could
work
with
him,
first as
apprentices
and then
as
officers.
Education
was the
father’s
responsibility.
The
Jewish
teaching
was
excellent.
The true
Israelites
gave
greater
importance
to moral
education
than
anything
else. It
did not
mean
that the
school
teaching
was
despised.
The
rabbis
said it
was the
basis of
everything
and
absolutely
necessary.
The
school
was
connected
to the
synagogue.
Children,
rich or
poor,
attended,
when
they
turned
five
years
old. The
basis of
education
was
learning
the
Torah
(or
Pentateuch,
the name
given to
the
group of
the
first
five
books of
the Old
Testament).
In the
Bible
they
studied
language,
grammar,
history,
and
geography.
This
exclusive
use of
the
Scriptures
in
teaching
was the
apparent
cause
for many
rabbis
to deny
girls
the
right to
learn
them.
But not
all
rabbis
had this
point of
view. In
the
Talmud
(collection
of the
Jewish
writings,
containing
explanations
and
traditions
relating
to the
Law of
Moses,
written
between
the
third
and
sixth
century
AD)
there is
a Treaty
that
prevents
the
entry of
girls at
school,
but this
same
Treaty
says:
"Every
man
should
teach
the
Torah to
his
daughter".
Judging
by Mary,
the
Mother
of
Jesus,
we can
understand
why many
Jewish
girls
knew the
Scriptures
as well
as their
brothers.
Divine
Emissary,
in the
heart of
Israel
Jesus
was
integrated
in the
Jewish
community;
his
parents
obeyed
all the
requirements
of the
Law,
with
respect
to His
person.
His
name,
Yesua,
or
Jesus,
of which
Joshua
is
another
form,
means
"Yahweh
is the
solution"
or
"Yahweh
saves
us." It
was a
very old
Jewish
name,
often
found in
the
Bible.
Joshua
was
named
after
the
famous
judge of
Israel
who, as
stated,
stopped
the sun
in its
course
(of
course,
this is
an
allegory).
According
to Luke,
3:29,
one of
Jesus'
ancestors
also had
this
name.
Jesus'
parents
had
typically
Jewish
names.
The
patriarch,
the
Pharaoh’s
administrator,
who
established
Israel
in
Egypt,
was
called
Joseph;
Marya
was one
of the
most
common
names
among
Jewish
women at
the
time.
The
names of
Jesus'
relatives
were
Jewish.
John (Yohanan)
– the
Baptist
- his
cousin,
John's
parents:
Zechariah
and
Elizabeth;
Anne and
Joachim,
his
grandparents.
The
house in
which
Jesus
lived in
Nazareth
before
starting
the
dissemination
of His
teachings
was a
humble
dwelling,
cube-shaped,
like the
housing
that the
Palestinian
peasants
continued
building.
His
physical
appearance
was the
one of a
Jew, as
almost
everyone
at that
time:
long
hair,
beard,
it was
not a
necessary
requirement,
side
curls
(whiskers)
- a
continuation
of the
hair at
the
temples
and
which
the Law
considered
mandatory.
His
clothes
were the
clothes
worn by
everyone.
The
Gospel
tells us
of His
"seamless
robe".
The
Messiah
In
general,
Israel
did not
recognize
Jesus as
the
expected
Messiah.
Only a
small
group
followed
Him.
The
Christ's
message
had
certain
influence
and it
was
generally
known in
Galilee.
In the
rest of
Palestine
its
impact
must
have
been
quite
limited.
The
Diaspora
Jews
probably
heard of
Him
casually,
through
the
pilgrims
returning
from
Jerusalem.
Most of
the
Jewish
people
probably
ignored
the
words of
Jesus.
Certainly
the
public
was not
very
enthusiastic
and most
of
those,
who were
aware of
the
events,
did not
take the
story of
a
Messiah
in
Israel
seriously.
At the
time the
Messiahs
were
very
common.
Between
the
birth of
Christ
and the
fall of
Jerusalem,
there
were at
least
six
impostors,
who thus
proclaimed
themselves.
Those,
who were
better
informed,
would
have
considered
the
passage
of Jesus
on Earth
as
something
more
than a
common
fact, a
fait
divers,
less
important
than a
national
event.
Empathy
There
was,
however,
a sense
of
empathy
and
enthusiasm
for Him
among
the
common
people.
Luke
19:48
says
that
"when
listening
to Him,
all the
people
were
overwhelmed”.
Lucas
was
referring,
of
course,
to the
crowd,
the mob,
not the
ruling
class.
The
so-called
"miracles"
which,
according
to some,
Christ
did (we
know
that all
cures
are
explained
scientifically)
astonished
many,
and many
became
believers
after
that.
But in
the eyes
of the
unbelievers
of that
time it
was no
sign
that he
was the
Messiah,
because
some of
the
prophets
had done
wonders,
which
they
called
"miracles",
because
they did
not have
the
ability
to
explain
them.
At the
end of
His
Gospel,
John
says:
"But
there
are many
other
things
that
Jesus
did; and
if we
wrote
down
each
one, I
suppose
that
even the
world
itself
could
not
contain
the
books
that
should
be
written".
The
greatest
(and
only)
miracle,
which
Jesus
did, was
to have
planted
the
lasting
seeds of
His
Gospel
in our
hearts -
hardened,
imperfect,
and
recalcitrant
Spirits
that we
are.
The
passage
of Jesus
on this
Earth
was so
dazzling
that He
divided
the
History
of
Humanity:
before
and
after
Him.
Bibliography:
"Daily
life in
Jesus'
time,"
Henri
Daniel
Rops,
1961
Religious
Society
Issues
New
Life,
SP.
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