Ammon
The country of Ammon was located north
of Moab and east of the Jordan River. The Ammonites originated from Ben-Ammi,
the son of an incestuous union of Lot with his younger daughter (Genesis
19:38). In the time of Moses, the Ammonites as well as the Moabites were
excluded from the Israelite community (Deuteronomy 23:3-4). There was constant fighting
between Ammon and Israel. Jephthah, the Judge, subdued the Ammonites, King Saul
drove back Ammonite King Nahash from Jabesh in Gilead. There were good
relations between King David and Ammon, but when David sent his servants to
console the Ammonite King on the death of his father, the new king embarrassed
the servants by shaving their heads. A war then broke out and David subdued the
Ammonites. It was during this war, the David-and-Bathsheba affair occurred,
with the killing of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah. Ammon was defeated by Israel
two more times in later years. When the Assyrians, followed by the Babylonians,
took over the area, Ammon paid tribute to them for protection.
Ammon was condemned by the
prophets, and today, Ammon and its neighbors, Moab and Edom, do not exist. The
three countries are now part of Jordan.
Antioch
Antioch is about 15 miles inland from
the Medeterranean sea, in what today is Turkey, just north of Syria. This city
became home to the first Christian church outside of the land of Israel and was
the first place in which followers of Jesus were referred to as Christians.
The city was founded by Seleucus
1 in 300 BC, and its port, which was called Selecus, was founded at about the
same time. Antioch had a population of Greeks from Athens and Macedonia, and
also a sizeable Jewish population.
The Romans took it in as part of
their empire, and next to Rome and Alexander, it became the third great city of
the empire.
After Stephen's martyrdom in
Jerusalem, some of the disciples scattered to Antioch and started preaching to
the Greeks. When the Christians in Jerusalem heard that many people in Antioch
were becoming believers in Christ, they sent Barnabas there, who in turn
brought Paul, to help the new converts (Acts 11:19-26).
Paul and Barnabas stayed there
for one year, and Paul began and ended his second missionary journey from
there. When the prophet Agabus predicted a famine for Israel, the church in
Antioch generously sent financial aid to Jerusalem to aid their brethern. Peter
also visited Antioch (Galatians 2:11).
Babylon
Babylon was the seat of power for the
neo-Babylonian empire that destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple about 2600 years
ago, during the days of the prophet Jeremiah.
Babylon was the subject of many
prophecies in the Bible, including some by Jeremiah and Isaiah. In Jeremiah
25:11-12, we were told that Babylon would rule over the land of Judah for a
period of 70 years. He also said that this subjugation would include an exile
that would end at the end of that 70-year period. The neo-Babylonian empire
rose to power in 612 BC with the defeat of the Assyrians at Nineveh. A few
years later, in 609 BC, the Babylonians captured and killed the last Assyrian
king. Seventy years later, in 539 BC, the neo-Babylonian empire fell to Cyrus
and his invading army of Medes and Persians.
Babylon never again rose to
power but began a gradual process of decline, during the course of centuries,
until the city was abandoned and buried in sand. Babylon began a new life as an
archaeological site during the 1800s.
Beersheba
Beersheba is about 45 miles southwest
of Jerusalem in the Negeb (or Negev). Beersheba played a key role in the lives
of the patriarchs. Abraham lived there for a while, as did his son, Isaac. And
Isaac's son, Jacob, visited the area on his way to Egypt, during a great
famine.
The name Beersheba derives from
an incident involving Abraham and Abimelech, the king of Gerar. The two made a
covenant over a water well, and the area became known as Beersheba, which means
"the well of the oath" (Genesis 21:25-34).
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree
and called on the Lord in Beersheba, and lived in the area for a while.
God appeared to Isaac in
Beersheba, and Isaac built an altar and resided there.
Later, Jacob offered sacrifices
in Beersheba before leaving for Egypt with his family, to see his son Joseph.
Many generations later, after
the time of the patriarch's, Samuel's sons were judges in Beersheba, before
Saul became the first king of Israel.
The saying "from Dan to
Beersheba" is used several times in the Bible to encompass the northern
border of Israel, to the southern border of Judah (the complete nation).
Beersheba was resettled after the return from Babylon, and later became part of
Idumea. Excavations found six Israelite fortified towns and a Roman fortress.
Bethany
Bethany is a village on the Mount of
Olives, less than 2 miles east of Jerusalem. It was the home of sisters Mary
and Martha, and Lazarus, who was raised from the dead by Jesus.
It was also in Bethany that a
woman poured a bottle of expensive perfume over Jesus' head while he was dining
in the home of Simon the leper.
Jesus lodged in Bethany during
his final days in Jerusalem, and the Palm Sunday procession started out from
there. After Jesus had risen, he appeared to his followers (Luke 24:36), he
then led them on the road to Bethany.
And somewhere on that road, he
blessed his followers, and then rose up into Heaven (Luke 24:50-53). Today the
village is named Al-Azariyya which is Arabic for Lazarus.
There is a church there called
The Church of St. Lazarus, and a chapel called The Chapel of the Ascension.
Bethel
The city of Bethel is located about 10
miles north of Jerusalem. It's first mentioned in Genesis 12:8, where Abraham
built an altar. After Abraham left Egypt he returned to Bethel, and it was here
that Lot moved his herds away from Abraham, as the land could not support the
two herds. Jacob had his dream of a ladder connecting Heaven and earth, and
thus he named the place Bethel, "House of God, Gate of Heaven." It
formerly was called Luz. (Genesis 28:17-19).
The Ark of the Covenant was
housed in Bethel during the period of the Judges (Judges 20:26). One of the
judges, Deborah, was based in the vincinity of Bethel. Samuel visited Bethel on
his yearly circuit. During Elijah's time, a guild of prophets resided there,
and Bethel was one of the stops Elijah and Elisha made before Elijah was taken
up into Heaven in the fiery chariot.
When the Kingdom divided, Bethel
became one of the places where people in the northern kingdom gathered to
worship. It was here that King Jeroboam set up one of his golden calves to
compete with the Ark in Jerusalem. The prophets Hosea and Amos both condemned
the worshiping of the calf in Bethel. Bethel fell to the Assyrians, along with
the rest of the Northern Kingdom, in 721 BC.
Excavations show there was a
continous occupation from 2000 BC to Christian times. Today Bethel is known as
Baytin.
Bethlehem
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus
Christ, is a town about 5 miles south of Jerusalem.
During pre-Christian times, it
was the home of Ruth and Boaz and their great grandson, David. Samuel anointed
David in Bethlehem to be the second King of Israel. For a time, the Philistines
occupied Bethlehem, and it was there that David's three men broke through the
Philistine ranks to bring him water. Not far outside of Bethlehem is the tomb
of Rachel (Jacob's wife), which is still there today.
In
AD 385, a church was built on the traditional site of the Nativity. The emperor
Justinian erected the building as it stands today. Although most religious
buildings were destroyed during the Persian invasion of the 7th century AD, the
Church of the Nativity, was not destroyed.
It is written in Micah 5:2 that
Bethlehem would be the birthplace of a future king of ancient origins. This
prophecy was fulfilled with the birth of Jesus about 2000 years ago.
For Christians, the prophecy is
very powerful in a very simple way. It eliminates all other cities and towns
throughout the world as a place in which the Messiah could be born. It narrows
the possibilities to one tiny village just south of Jerusalem.
And throughout the span of the
past 27 centuries, from the days of the prophet Micah up through the present
time, Bethlehem is credited as being the birthplace for only one person who is
widely known throughout the world. And that person is Jesus Christ.
The New Testament books of
Matthew and Luke list Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. Matthew 2:1-6
describes the birth of Jesus as the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy.
In recent years, however, some
non-believers have attempted to discredit Matthew's interpretation of Micah 5:2
by claiming that the prophecy refers to a person named Bethlehem, not a town
name Bethlehem. This claim has been widely circulated on the Internet by a
college professor who describes himself as a former Christian minister.
The first problem with this
claim appears in Micah 5:1. In that verse, the prophet establishes that he is
speaking of Bethlehem the town, not Bethlehem the person, by setting up a
context in which he contrasts the city of Jerusalem with the town of Bethlehem.
A second problem with the claim
is that there is also evidence outside of the Bible that shows that Micah 5:2
was regarded as a Messianic prophecy involving the town of Bethlehem. Here is
an excerpt from the Jerusalem Talmud, which is a collection of Jewish scholarly
writings completed about 1600 years ago:
"The King Messiah... from
where does he come forth? From the royal city of Bethlehem in Judah." -
Jerusalem Talmud, Berakoth 5a.
Ephrathah, or Ephrath, is the
ancient name for the town of Bethlehem. When the prophet Micah prophesizes in
Micah 5:2 that the town of Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah, he
refers to the town as "Bethlehem Ephrathah," to distinguish it from
another town named Bethlehem in the northern part of Israel.
Caesarea
Caesarea is a city on the Mediterranean
coast of Israel, about 33 miles north of modern day Tel Aviv. It was the
capitol of the Roman province of Judea for many years. In the middle of the 3rd
century BC, the Phoenicians built a small port here, and called it Stratos
Tower. It was captured by Alexander Janneus in 96 BC, and became a Jewish
community.
When general Pompey conquered
Israel in 66 BC, Stratos Tower became a non Jewish city. Emperor Agustus gave
the city to King Herod, who built an entirely new city between 22 and 10 BC,
and called it Caesarea to honor the emperor. Peter baptized the Roman
Centurion, Cornelius here, and Philip the Evangelist lived in Caesarea.
Paul
passed through Caesarea and was imprisoned here 2 years, before being sent to
Rome for trial. Jerome states he saw the Hebrew origional of the Gospel of
Matthew in Caesarea. Excavations starting in the 1950's have uncovered a large
Roman theater, statues, the temple of Augustus, the city wall, and the first
known inscription of the name Pontus Pilate. There is also a Crusader fort near
by.
Today its a tourist attraction
and known as Horbat Qesari.
Caesarea
Philippi
Caesarea Philippi is north of the Sea
of Galilee. Jesus and his disciples visited this region. Here, Peter declared
that Jesus was the Son of God. This event is called "Peter's Confession of
Christ" by Christians. Here is the NIV English translation of Matthew
16:13-17:
When
Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say
John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the
prophets."
"But what about you?"
he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are
you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my
Father in heaven.
- Matthew 16:13-17 (NIV).
Cana
Cana was a village in Galilee about 12
miles west of the Sea of Galilee. It was here that Jesus performed his first
miracle, turning water into wine, while attending a wedding. Later, a royal
official came to Cana to ask Jesus to heal his son, who was sick in Capernaum.
Jesus healed the man's son.
The apostle Nathanael came from
Cana. Today there are 2 churches there commemorating Jesus' first miracle, a
Greek Orthodox, and a Franciscan church.
Canaan
Canaan refers to a place and a person.
The place, which is named after the person, is the land that became known as
the land of Israel.
Canaan was the name of a son of
Ham, and grandson of Noah. He was the ancestor of the Canaanites, a group of
people including Jebusites and Zemarites, who often clashed with the
Israelites, as described in the book of Joshua, and in other books of the Old
Testament.
Canaan received the curse from
Noah "a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers" (Gen. 9:21-25)
when his father, Ham, humiliated his own father, Noah.
Capernaum
Capernaum is a town on the northern
shore of the Sea of Galilee, with a port for its fishing industry. Jesus went
there from Nazareth and found his first disciples, Peter, Andrew, James and
John.
Jesus left Nazareth and made his
home in Capernaum, in Peter's house, after he heard that John the Baptist had
been arrested. It was there Jesus healed the Centurion's servant, Peter's
mother-in-law, the paralyzed man who was lowered through the roof, a man who
was possessed, (see our Miracles of Jesus page for miracles 3, 4, 7 and 8) and
many others who gathered to see Jesus.
It was in Capernaum that Jesus
directed Peter to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth to pay the Temple tax.
On leaving Capernaum, Jesus condemned it along with other cities that had not
heeded his call to repentance.
Today there is the remains of a
synagogue from the 4th century.
Also a short distance from the
synagogue, a church was built in the 4th century over what is believed to be
the house of Peter. Since then, a new church has been built on the site. Houses
have been excavated in Capernaum dating to the 1st century AD.
Damascus
Damascus is the capitol Syria, north
of Israel. Today, Damascus is the largest city of Syria, with an estimated
population of more than 4 million people. The great evangelist, Paul, converted
to Christianity when traveling on a road to Damascus.
Damascus is mentioned in old
Egyptian documents as a caravan center in southern Syria. During the Old
Testament period, its geographical position made it very prosperous from the
trade routes.
King
David, during his war against the Arameans, captured the city (2 Samuel 8:5-6).
Later, it was conquered by Rezon, who cast off Israelite sovereignty during
Solomon's reign, and made it the capitol of the Aram-Damascus kingdom (1 Kings
11:23).
It remained the capitol until it
was destroyed by the Assyrians in 732 BC. After the Assyrians, Damascus was
taken over by the Chaldeans, then the Persians, then the Greeks.
In 64 BC it was captured by the
Roman general, Pompey. In the New testament era there was a large Jewish
community living in Damascus, as well as a Christian community.
Saul (later known as Paul) was
on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians when he was blinded by a light
from the presence of Jesus. He spent three days in Damascus, blind, until Jesus
sent a disciple named Ananias to Saul.
Through Ananias, Jesus restored
Saul's sight, and baptized him. Damascus was the city in which Paul began his
work as a great evangelist, teaching people in Asia, Africa and Europe about
Jesus.
Dan
Dan is city in the most northern part
of Israel, at the border of Lebanon.
Dan was a Canaanite city named
Laish before it was taken, and renamed by the tribe of Dan (Judges 18:27-29).
Dan became part of the popular
phrase "from Dan to Beersheba," which is used several times in the
Bible, describing the full length of the territory of Israel.
About 2900 years ago, when
Israel split up into two kingdoms, King Jeroboam I set up a temple with a
golden calf in the towns of Dan and Bethel, for the people of the Northern
Kingdom to worship, in an attempt to keep them from traveling to the Temple in
Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:28-30), which was located in the Southern Kingdom, which
was called Judah.
When King Asa of Judah was at
war with King Baasha of Israel, he made an alliance with King Benhadad in
Damascus, who sided with Asa and captured Dan along with other northern cities.
Excavations at Dan have
uncovered the remains of the temple set up by Jeroboam, and a 4-horned altar.
Dead
Sea
The Dead Sea is the lowest point of
earth, lying 1,290-feet below sea level. It is located between the Judean Hills
on the west and the Hills of Moab on the east. It is 48 miles long, and 11
miles at the widest point, and is fed by the Jordan River.
The Dead Sea contains 30 percent
of sodium, magnesium, calcium and other salts, it has the highest mineral
content of any body of water in the world.
Nothing grows in the immediate
area, and there is no animal life, hence its name, the Dead Sea. Due to the
high salt content, a person can lay on top of the water and find it impossible
to sink. The Sea is known to have some healing qualities. Floating on the water
has been helpful to people with muscular problems or skin diseases.
In Ezekiel 47:1-10, the prophet
says that there will be a time in the future when the Dead Sea will be healed
of its salty waters by a stream flowing eastward from the Temple, and that the
Sea will teem with fish. Today there are resort hotels in some areas along the
shore, and crystallized salt formations that protrude from the water, and with
Qumran, En-Gedi and Masada along its western shore, the Dead Sea is a tourist
attraction.
Decapolis
During the time of Jesus' ministry about 2000
years ago, the Decapolis was a group of ten cities
in an area overlapping Judea and Syria. The cities were grouped together because
of proximity and because of the strong presence of Greek and Roman culture
there.
With the exception of Damascus,
which is in Syria, the other cities were in an area that now is part of
modern-day Jordan.
Edom
Edom is the country that was
established by the descendants of Esau, who was Jacob's brother. Edom means
"red" and was a name by which Esau himself was called. The nation of
Edom was often antagonistic towards the people of Israel. Edom ceased to exist
as a definable people within a few centuries after the Romans suppressed
uprisings for Jewish independence in the land of Israel about 2000 years ago.
Edom was near the land of
Israel, to the east of Jerusalem, between the Dead Sea to the north and the
Gulf of Aqaba to the south. It's most famous city was Petra, which featured
many buildings that are carved into rock.
Petra,
and the land that once was Edom, are now part of the country of Jordan.
Edom is mentioned in a list of
Sethos I of about 1215 BC. It is also mentioned in the records of Rameses III.
Edom would not allow the Israelites to use their roads on their way to Canaan
(Numbers 20:17-21), and Aaron died on Mount Hor near the Edom border.
Although Edom and Israel were
related through Esau and Jacob, there was constant warfare between the two
countries. David was the first Israelite King to conquer Edom. Edom revolted in
the days of King Joram, installing its own king. Years later, Amaziah re-conquered
Edom, and it was not until the days of Ahaz that the country regained its
independence. In the 6th century BC Edom was conquered by the Babylonians.
The years following its
downfall, the country was overrun by nomadic tribes, which forced the Edomites
westward into southern Judah, south of Hebron. The area became known as Idumea,
and in 135 BC it was conquered by John Hyrcanus who converted them to Judaism.
King Herod was an Idumean of Edomite origin. Edom was condemned by the
prophets, especially Obadiah, who devoted his 21-verse Book to foretelling the
eventual destruction of the country.
Egypt
Situated along the southeastern shore
of the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Libya on the west and the Red Sea on the
east. The southern boundry changed many times in different periods of history.
The population of Egypt is centered around the Nile River and its delta. Egypt,
throughout the Biblical period, was one of the great powers of the world.
It's rivals were mainly from
Mesopotamia, which consisted of Assyria and Babylon.
On
various occasions the Egyptians invaded the land of Israel. But throuhout the
Bibilical times the relationship between Israel and Egypt remained unique.
Egypt played such a great part in Bible history that the name occurs more than
750 times in the Scriptures, and "Pharaoh" is mentioned over 200
times.
At one time Egypt was hostile to
the Israelites and held them in bondage, until Moses led them across the Red
Sea.
At other times Israel turned to
Egypt when looking for a safe haven in a time of crises, or for food during a
famine. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Jacob's entire family all spent time in
Egypt. Joseph became a great ruler in Egypt because of his wise counsel to the
Pharaoh. But after Joseph died, a new Pharaoh who had not known Joseph,
enslaved the Israelites, and after many years of suffering, God inspired Moses
to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
After the Exodus, Moses set up
laws for the Israelites, and the Egyptians were given a favorble status as
compared to other peoples: "You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you
were an alien in his land; the children of the third generation born to them
may enter the congregation of the Lord" (Deut. 23:7-8).
After Israel was established the
relations between Egypt and Israel fluctuated. For long periods they were
friendly. King Solomom married a daughter of Pharaoh, who brought the town of
Gezer as her dowry (1 Kings 9:16). But after Solomons son, Rehoboam, became
Israel's king, the Egyptian ruler Shishak, attacked Rehoboam's southern kingdom
and destroyed many cities there (1 Kings 14:25, 2 Chron. 12).
Years later the Persians
conquered Egypt, followed by the Greeks and the Romans. The Jewish community,
dating from the time of Jeremiah, prospered in Egypt and grew rapidly until it
numbered 1,000,000 in the first century A.D. And it was here the Bible was
first translated into Greek.
In the New testament, Egypt was
once more a place of sanctuary. Joseph was told by an angel to "Arise,
take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt and stay there until I bring
you word" (Matt 2:13). Thus the infant Jesus escaped from the massacre of
the innocents (Matt 2:16).
Ephesus
Ephesus was one of the largest and
wealthiest cities in the eastern Mediterranean area. It had a population of
about 250,000 people. The temple of the Greek goddess Artemis was located
there.
It came under Roman rule around
130 BC. The evangelist Paul stayed in Ephesus for 2 years, and wrote the first
letter to the Corinthians there, and probably other Epistles also.
He preached in the synagogue and
the lecture hall of Tyrannus, and after 2 years everybody in the province had
heard the word of the Lord. God accomplished miracles at the hands of Paul, and
when pieces of cloth that touched Paul's skin were applied to the sick, their
diseases left them and they were healed (Acts 19:8-12).
Through Paul's preaching, people
stopped buying miniature silver shrines of Artemis. Demetrus the silversmith
started a riot amongst the idol-making craftsman and they seized two of Paul's
companions, Gauis and Aristarclus.
After the disturbance was over,
Paul left Ephesus and continued on his missionary journey.
Other well-known disciples
preached in Ephesus, including Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, Erostus, and John
the Apostle.
Paul wrote his letter to the
Ephesians while he was in Rome. The first letter to the 7 churches in
Revelation, chapters 2-3, was written to Ephesus, and except for the love of
the church towards Christ not being as strong as it was at first, the rest of
the letter was positive.
Ephrathah
(Ephrath)
Ephrathah, or Ephrath, is the ancient
name for the town of Bethlehem, in Judah, in the southern part of the land of
Israel.
It was called Ephrath during
ancient times, as recorded in the following Old Testament verses:
• Genesis 35:16 (NIV): Then
they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,
Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty.
• Genesis 35:19 (NIV): So
Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
• Genesis 48:7 (NIV): As
I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan
while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her
there beside the road to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem).
When the prophet Micah
prophesizes in Micah 5:2 that the town of Bethlehem would be the birthplace of
the Messiah, he refers to the town as "Bethlehem Ephrathah," to
distinguish it from another town named Bethlehem in the northern part of
Israel.
