Thursday, December 27, 2012 - Litany Lane Blog:
Devotion, First John 1:1-4, Psalms 97, John 20: 2-8, St John the Apostle, Galilee
Good Day Bloggers! Joyeux Noelle et Bonne Annee!Devotion, First John 1:1-4, Psalms 97, John 20: 2-8, St John the Apostle, Galilee
Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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December 25, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
Our Lady came with little Jesus in her arms and she did not give a message, but little Jesus began to speak and said : “I am your peace, live my commandments.” With a sign of the cross, Our Lady and little Jesus blessed us together.
December 2, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
Dear
children, with motherly love and motherly patience anew I call you to
live according to my Son, to spread His peace and His love, so that, as
my apostles, you may accept God's truth with all your heart and pray for
the Holy Spirit to guide you. Then you will be able to faithfully serve
my Son, and show His love to others with your life. According to the
love of my Son and my love, as a mother, I strive to bring all of my
strayed children into my motherly embrace and to show them the way of
faith. My children, help me in my motherly battle and pray with me that
sinners may become aware of their sins and repent sincerely. Pray also
for those whom my Son has chosen and consecrated in His name. Thank
you."
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Today's Word: devotion de·vo·tion [dih-voh-shuh n]
Origin: 1150–1200; Middle English devocioun (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin dēvōtiōn- (stem of dēvōtiō ), equivalent to Latin dēvōt ( us ) (see devote) + -iōn- -ion
noun
1. profound dedication; consecration.
2. earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc.
3. an assignment or appropriation to any purpose, cause, etc.: the devotion of one's wealth and time to scientific advancement.
4. Often, devotions. Ecclesiastical . religious observance or worship; a form of prayer or worship for special use.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
1 Yahweh is king! Let earth rejoice, the many isles be glad!2 Cloud, black cloud enfolds him, saving justice and judgement the foundations of his throne.
5 The mountains melt like wax, before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his saving justice, all nations see his glory.
11 Light dawns for the upright, and joy for honest hearts.
12 Rejoice in Yahweh, you who are upright, praise his unforgettable holiness.
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Today's Epistle - First John 1:1-4
1 Something which has existed since the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have watched and touched with our own hands, the Word of life -- this is our theme.2 That life was made visible; we saw it and are giving our testimony, declaring to you the eternal life, which was present to the Father and has been revealed to us.
3 We are declaring to you what we have seen and heard, so that you too may share our life. Our life is shared with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 We are writing this to you so that our joy may be complete.
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Today's Gospel Reading - John 20: 2-8
It was very early on the
first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the
tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came
running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus
loved. 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,' she said, 'and we
don't know where they have put him.'
So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in.
Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.
Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.
Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents
to us the passage of the Gospel of John which speaks about the Beloved
Disciple. Probably, this text was chosen to read and to meditate on it
today, feast of Saint John the Evangelist, for the immediate
identification that we all make of the beloved disciple with the apostle
John. But the strange thing is that in no passage of the Gospel of
John it is said that the beloved disciple is John. But then, from the
most remote times of the Church, it has always be insisted upon in
identifying both of these. This is why, in insisting on the similarity
between the two, we run the risk of losing a very important aspect of
the message of the Gospel in regard to the beloved disciple.
• In the Gospel of John, the beloved disciple represents the new community which is born around Jesus. We find the Beloved Disciple at the foot of the Cross, together with Mary, the mother of Jesus (Jn 19, 26). Mary represents the People of the Old Covenant. At the end of the first century, the time in which the final redaction of the Gospel of John was compiled, there was a growing conflict between the Synagogue and the Church. Some Christians wanted to abandon the Old Testament and remain or keep only the New Testament. At the foot of the Cross, Jesus says: “Woman, behold your son!” and to the Beloved Disciple: “Son, behold your mother!” And both must remain together as mother and son. To separate the Old Testament from the New one, in that time was what we would call today separation between faith (NT) and life (OT).
• In the Gospel today, Peter and the Beloved Disciple, informed by the witness of Mary Magdalene, ran together toward the Holy Sepulchre. The young one runs faster than the elderly one and reaches the tomb first. He looks inside the tomb, observes everything, but does not enter. He allows Peter to enter first. Here is indicated the way in which the Gospel describes the reaction of the two men before what both of them see: “He entered and saw the linen clothes lying on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen clothes but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, he saw and he believed”. Both of them saw the same thing, but this is said only of the Beloved Disciple that he believed: “Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, he saw and he believed”. Why? Is it that Peter did not believe?
• The Beloved Disciple looks, sees in a different way, he perceives more than the others. He has a loving look which perceives the presence of the novelty of Jesus. The morning after that night of working, looking for fish and, then the miraculous catch of fish, it is he, the beloved disciple who perceives the presence of Jesus and says: “It is the Lord!” (Jn 21, 7). On that occasion, Peter informed by the affirmation of the Beloved Disciple, also recognizes and begins to understand. Peter learns from the Beloved Disciple. Then Jesus asks three times: “Peter, do you love me?” (Jn 21, 15.16.17). Three times Peter answers: “You know that I love you!” After the third time, Jesus entrusts the flock to the care of Peter, and in that moment Peter also becomes a “Beloved Disciple”.
Personal questions
• All of us who believe
in Jesus are today Beloved Disciples. Do I have the same loving look to
perceive the presence of God and to believe in his Resurrection?
• To separate the Old Testament from the New one is the same thing as to separate Faith and Life. How do I do and live this today?
• To separate the Old Testament from the New one is the same thing as to separate Faith and Life. How do I do and live this today?
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: St John the Apostle
Feast Day: December 27
Patron Saint: Love, loyalty, friendships, authors, booksellers, burn-victims, poison-victims, art-dealers, editors, papermakers, publishers, scribes, scholars, theologians
The Church Fathers generally identify him as the author of five books in the New Testament: the Gospel of John, three Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation. The Gospel according to John differs considerably from the synoptic gospels, likely written decades earlier than John's Gospel. The bishops of Asia Minor supposedly requested him to write his gospel to deal with the heresy of the Ebionites,
who asserted that Christ did not exist before Mary. John probably knew
and undoubtedly approved of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but
these gospels spoke of Jesus primarily in the year following the
imprisonment and death of John the Baptist.
Around 600, however, Sophronius of Jerusalem
noted that "two epistles bearing his name ... are considered by some to
be the work of a certain John the Elder" and, while stating that
Revelation was written by John on Patmos, it was “later translated by
Justin Martyr and Irenaeus”, presumably in an attempt to reconcile tradition with the obvious
differences in Greek style. On the other hand, many authors in those
days employed secretaries often called scribes whose personal styles
influenced the final documents. John perhaps employed different scribes for his several works who dictated his words.
Some modern scholars have raised the possibility that John the
Apostle, John the Evangelist, and John of Patmos were three separate
individuals. Certain lines of evidence suggest that John of Patmos wrote Revelation
but neither the Gospel of John nor the Epistles of John. For one, the
author of Revelation identifies himself as "John" several times, but the
author of the Gospel of John never identifies himself directly. Some
Catholic scholars state that "vocabulary, grammar, and style make it
doubtful that the book could have been put into its present form by the
same person(s) responsible for the fourth gospel".
In the Bible
John the Apostle was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of James, son of Zebedee (Saint James the Greater). Tradition, based on Sacred Scripture, considers Salome their mother. James and John were the cousins of Jesus and their mother Salome was the younger sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Zebedee and his sons fished in the Lake of Genesareth. James and John first were disciples of Saint John the Baptist, their second cousin. Jesus then called Saint Peter and Saint Andrew, and these two sons of Zebedee to follow him. James and John did so and thus rank high among the Twelve Apostles
of Jesus. James and John both held prominent positions for not only
being the first of the disciples to be called but also because of their
relationship to Jesus among the Apostles.
Jesus referred to the pair
collectively as "Boanerges" (translated "sons of thunder") [Mk 3:17]
being that although their nature was of a calm and gentle manner, when
their patience was pushed to its limits their anger became wild, fierce
and thunderous causing them to speak out like an untamed storm. At one
point John and his brother James wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but Jesus rebuked them. [Lk 9:51-6] John survived James by more than half a century after James became the first Apostle to die a martyr's death.
Peter, James and John were the only witnesses of the raising of Daughter of Jairus. [Mk 5:37] All three also witnessed the Transfiguration,[Mt 17:1] and these same three witnessed the Agony in Gethsemane more closely than the other Apostles did. [Mt 26:37]
Jesus sent only John and Peter into the city to make the preparation for the final Passover meal (the Last Supper).[Lk 22:8][6]
At the meal itself, the "disciple whom Jesus loved" sat next to Jesus
and leaned onto his chest. Tradition identifies this disciple as Saint
John[Jn 13:23-25].
After the arrest of Jesus, Peter and the "other disciple" (according to
Sacred Tradition, John) followed him into the palace of the high-priest. [Jn 18:15]
John alone among the Apostles remained near Jesus at the foot of the cross on Calvary alongside myrrhbearers and numerous other women; following the instruction of Jesus from the Cross, John took Mary, the mother of Jesus, into his care as the last legacy of Jesus [Jn 19:25-27].
After Jesus’ Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost,
John, together with Peter, took a prominent part in the founding and
guidance of the church. He is with Peter at the healing of the lame man
in the Temple.[Ac 3:1 et seq.] With Peter he is also thrown into prison.[Acts 4:3] He is also with Peter visiting the newly converted in Samaria.[Acts 8:14]
There is no other information in the Bible concerning the duration of this activity in Judea. According to tradition, John and the other Apostles remained some 12 years in this first field of labor, until the persecution of Herod Agrippa I led to the scattering of the Apostles through the various provinces of the Roman Empire. [cf. Ac 12:1-17]
In any case, a messianic community was already in existence at Ephesus before Paul's first labors there (cf. "the brethren"),[Acts 18:27] in addition to Priscilla and Aquila. While he remained in Judea and the surrounding area, the other disciples returned to Jerusalem for the Apostolic Council (about AD 51). Paul, in opposing his enemies in Galatia, recalls that John explicitly, along with Peter and James the Just, were referred to as "pillars of the church" and refers to the recognition that his Apostolic preaching of a gospel free from Jewish Law received from these three, the most prominent men of the messianic community at Jerusalem.[Gal 2:9]
Of the other New Testament writings, it is only from the three
Letters of John and the Book of Revelation that anything further might
be learned about John, if we assume that he was the author of these
books. From the Letters and Revelation we may suppose that John belonged
to the multitude of personal eyewitnesses of the life and work of Jesus
(cf. especially 1 Jn 1:1-5; 4:14),
that he had lived for a long time in Asia Minor, was thoroughly
acquainted with the conditions existing in the various messianic
communities there, and that he had a position of authority recognized by
all messianic communities as leader of this part of the church.
Moreover, the Book of Revelation says that its author was on the island of Patmos "for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus", when he was honored with the vision contained in Revelation.[Rev. 1:9]
Though some scholars agree in placing the Gospel of John somewhere between AD 65 and 85, John A.T. Robinson proposes an initial edition by 50–55 and then a final edition by 65 due to narrative similarities with Paul. Other critical scholars are of the opinion that John was composed in stages (probably two or three).
There is also a strongly held view amongst contemporary scholars that
the Gospel was not written until the latter third of the first century
CE. The Dean of New Testament at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Gail R O'Day, writes in her introduction to the Gospel in the New Revised Standard Translation of the Bible "...a date of 75-80 CE as the earliest possible date of composition for
this Gospel". Other reliable scholars are convinced that an even later
date, perhaps even the last decade of the first century CE right up to
the start of the 2nd century (i.e., 90 - 100) is applicable.
The Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which
follow the Byzantine Rite commemorate the "Repose of the Holy Apostle
and Evangelist John the Theologian" on September 26. On May 8 they
celebrate the "Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the
Theologian", on which date Christians used to draw forth from his grave
fine ashes which were believed to be effective for healing the sick.
Until 1960, another feast day which appeared in the General Roman
Calendar is that of "St John Before the Latin Gate" on May 6,
celebrating a tradition recounted by Jerome that St John was brought to
Rome during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, and was thrown in a vat
of boiling oil, from which he was miraculously preserved unharmed. A
church (San Giovanni a Porta Latina) dedicated to him was built near the
Latin gate of Rome, the traditional scene of this event.
Until the 19th century, the authorship of the Gospel of John had
universally been attributed to the Apostle John. However, critical
scholars since then have had their doubts. The Gospel does not make that
attribution. Instead, authorship is internally credited to the disciple whom Jesus loved ("ο μαθητης ον ηγαπα ο Ιησους") in John 20:2. The term the Beloved Disciple ("ον εφιλει ο Ιησους") is used five times in the Gospel of John to indicate authorship. John 21:24 claims that the Gospel of John is based on the written testimony of the "Beloved Disciple".
Extrabiblical traditions
Byzantine illumination depicting John dictating to his disciple, Prochorus (c. 1100).
Roman Catholic tradition states that after the Assumption, John went to Ephesus
and from there wrote the three epistles traditionally attributed to
him. John was allegedly banished by the Roman authorities to the Greek island of Patmos, where some believe that he wrote the Book of Revelation. According to Tertullian (in The Prescription of Heretics)
John was banished (presumably to Patmos) after being plunged into
boiling oil in Rome and suffering nothing from it. It is said that all
in the entire Colosseum audience were converted to Christianity upon witnessing this miracle. This event would have occurred during the reign of Domitian, a Roman emperor who was known for his persecution of Christians in the late 1st century.
When John was aged, he trained Polycarp who later became Bishop of
Smyrna. This was important because Polycarp was able to carry John's
message to future generations. Polycarp taught Irenaeus, and passed on to him stories about John. In Against Heresies, Irenaeus relates how Polycarp told a story of It is traditionally believed that John survived his contemporary
apostles and lived to an extreme old age, dying naturally at Ephesus in
about AD 100. An alternative account of John's death, ascribed by later Christian writers to the early second century bishop Papias of Hierapolis, claims that he was slain by the Jews. Most Johannine scholars doubt the reliability of its ascription to Papias, but a minority, including B.W. Bacon, Martin Hengel and Henry Barclay Swete, maintain that these references to Papias are credible. John's traditional tomb is thought to be located at Selçuk, a small town in the vicinity of Ephesus.
In art, John as the presumed author of the Gospel is often depicted
with an eagle, which symbolizes the height he rose to in the first
chapter of his gospel. In Orthodox icons, he is often depicted looking
up into heaven and dictating his Gospel (or the Book of Revelation) to
his disciple, traditionally named Prochorus.
The Acts of John Tradition
Fresco of St. John the Evangelist adorning the dome of St. Peter's Basilica
Before Jesus ascended, he charged John with watching over the newly
established Church. He was then established as a pillar at the Church of
Jerusalem. While dying on the cross, he asked John to take care of
Mary, his mother, a duty which John fulfilled even after Christ's
resurrection up until her death. At the time John was the only apostle
present at the crucifixion, despite being the youngest of all twelve
apostles. Jesus told his disciples how they would meet their end with
the exception of John and this irked Peter.
It was after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost where
they were gathered in one place that John spent much of his time in
Judea and in the surrounding lands preaching the gospel. He accompanied
Peter through the temple one day and they healed a lame beggar. The
people in the temple were amazed and Peter testified to them and then
again to the Jewish Council. They were arrested but later freed. In that
day, Herod the king committed violence against some who belonged to the
church. He killed James the brother of John the Beloved with the sword,
and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter
also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had
seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of
soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to
the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was
made to God by the church. He was later freed by an angel of God.
In 54 AD, Mary the mother of Jesus died and was buried and so John
fulfilled his duty of caring for her until the very end. It was said
that when they opened the tomb her body was gone. Catholic tradition
says she rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven with both body and
soul intact in what is called the Assumption of Mary,however others say her body was taken away lest it become an idol. John
and Mary Magdalene went north and visited the churches that were
established along the way. They travel as far as Asia Minor and settle
in Ephesus. One night, while they slept a thief broke into their home
and John confronted him, converted him to the faith, and told him turn
from doing evil. The thief’s name was Cleophus whose name means "vision
of glory". This story was shared among the Church and it became used as
another example to describe the second coming of Christ as “thief in the
night”.
John, one day, was going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving
Cerinthus within, he then rushed out of the bath-house without bathing,
exclaiming, "Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because
Cerinthus, the enemy of the Truth, is within.” He wrote three epistles
while living in Ephesus, and he also completed the Gospel of John during
this period. John was taken away in the persecution of the Roman
emperors in Ephesus, leaving Mary Magdalene in the care of Cleophus.
Eastern Orthodox tradition states Mary Magdalene went to Cyprus to be
with her sister Martha, where Lazarus became the first Bishop of Kittim
(modern Larnaca). All three died in Cyprus. Catholic tradition says she later traveled to France and lived out her days there in penance.
After having spent time imprisoned in Rome during the reign of Roman
Emperor Domitian, John was sentenced to be boiled in oil at the Colosseum.
However he endured no harm or suffering from the scalding oil. It is
said that all in the entire Colosseum audience were converted to
Christianity upon witnessing this miracle. John was then sent by the
Roman authorities to the Greek island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book
of Revelation (Rev 1:9) and where it is said he was later freed. When John was aged, he trained Polycarp who later became Bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp in turn taught Irenaeus
and passed on to him stories about John. The only one of the Apostles
who was not martyred, John testified that God has kept him alive for for
Himself and his service. Surrounded by his closest friends in Ephesus,
he closed his eyes and died at age 94 in 100 AD.
Liturgical commemoration
The traditional tomb of St. John at Ephesus, Turkey.
He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion who commemorate him as "John, Apostle and Evangelist" on December 27.
The Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite commemorate the "Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian" on September 26. On May 8 they celebrate the "Feast
of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian", on which date
Christians used to draw forth from his grave fine ashes which were
believed to be effective for healing the sick.
Until 1960, another feast day which appeared in the General Roman
Calendar is that of "St John Before the Latin Gate" on May 6,
celebrating a tradition recounted by Jerome that St John was brought to Rome during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, and was thrown in a vat of boiling oil, from which he was miraculously preserved unharmed. A church (San Giovanni a Porta Latina) dedicated to him was built near the Latin gate of Rome, the traditional scene of this event.
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Today's Snippet I: Galilee
Galilee (Hebrew: הגליל HaGalil, lit: the province, Ancient Greek: Γαλιλαία, Latin: Galilaea, Arabic: الجليل al-Jalīl), is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District and Haifa District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee (Hebrew: גליל עליון Galil Elyon), Lower Galilee (Hebrew: גליל תחתון Galil Tahton), and Western Galilee (Hebrew: גליל מערבי Galil Ma'aravi), extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the ridges of Mount Carmel and Mount Gilboa north of Jenin and Tulkarm to the south, and from the Jordan Rift Valley to the east across the plains of the Jezreel Valley and Acre to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Coastal Plain in the west.
Geography
Most of Galilee consists of rocky terrain, at heights of between 500 and 700 metres. There are several high mountains including Mount Tabor and Mount Meron in the region, which have relatively low temperatures and high rainfall. As a result of this climate, flora and wildlife
thrive in the region, while many birds annually migrate from colder
climates to Africa and back through the Hula–Jordan corridor. The
streams and waterfalls, the latter mainly in Upper Galilee, along with
vast fields of greenery and colourful wildflowers, as well as numerous
towns of biblical importance, make the region a popular tourist destination.
Due to its high rainfall (900–1200 mm), mild temperatures and high mountains (Mount Meron's elevation is 1,000–1,208 metres), the upper Galilee region contains some unique flora and fauna: prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus), Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani), which grows in a small grove on Mount Meron, cyclamens, paeonias and Rhododendron ponticum which sometimes appears on Meron.
Regions
Galilee is often divided into the following sub-regions:
- Western Galilee, also known the "Northern Coastal Plain", stretches from north of Haifa up to Rosh HaNikra on the Israel-Lebanon border.
- Lower Galilee covers the area from Mount Carmel and Mount Gilboa in the south to the Beit HaKerem Valley in the north. Its eastern border is the Jordan River.
- Upper Galilee extends from the Beit HaKerem Valley northwards into southern Lebanon. Its eastern border is the Sea of Galilee and the mountains of the Golan Heights. The "Finger of Galilee" (Hebrew: אצבע הגליל, Etzba HaGalil) is a panhandle along the Hulah Valley; it contains the towns Metulla and Qiryat Shemona and the rivers of Dan and Banias; also the Arab village of Cana.
History
According to the Bible, Solomon rewarded Hiram I for certain services by giving him the gift of an upland plain among the mountains of Naphtali. Hiram called it "the land of Cabul". The region takes its name from the Hebrew galil,
"district", "circle", a noun which, in the construct state, requires a
genitival noun. Hence the Biblical "Galilee of the Nations", Hebrew"galil goyim"(Isaiah
9:1). The "nations" would have been the foreigners who came to settle
there, or who had been forcibly deported there. The region in turn gave the English name "Sea of Galilee" to the Kinneret (Numbers 34:11, etc.), from Hebrew kinnor, "harp", describing its shape, Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1, etc.), from Ginosar (Hebrew) ge, "valley", and either netser, "branch", or natsor, "to guard", "to watch" (the name which may have given that of Nazareth, and Sea of Tiberias (John 6:1, etc.), from the town of Tiberias at its southwestern end, called after the Greek name of Tiberius.
In Roman times, the country was divided into Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, which comprised the whole northern section of the country, and was the largest of the three regions under the tetrarchy. When Iudaea became a Roman province, formed from a merger of Judea, Samaria and Idumea, Galilee was not a part of it.
The Galilee region was presumably the home of Jesus during at least 30 years of his life. The first three Gospels of the New Testament are mainly an account of Jesus' public ministry in this province, particularly in the towns of Nazareth and Capernaum. Galilee is also cited as the place where Jesus cured a blind man.
After the Arab caliphate took control of the region in 638, it became part of Jund al-Urrdun (District of Jordan). Its major towns were Tiberias—which was capital of the district—Qadas, Baysan, Acre, Saffuriya and Kabul. The Shia Fatimids conquered the region in the 10th century; a breakaway sect, venerating the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim, formed the Druze religion, centred in and to north of, Galilee. Eastern Galilee, however, retained a Jewish majority for most of its history. During the Crusades, Galilee was organized into the Principality of Galilee, one of the most important Crusader seigneuries.
The Jewish population of Galilee increased significantly following their expulsion from Spain and welcome from the Ottoman Empire. The community for a time made Safed an international center of cloth weaving and manufacturing, as well as a key site for Jewish learning. Today it remains one of Judaism's four holy cities and a center for kabbalah.
In the mid 18th century, Galilee was caught up in a struggle between the Bedouin leader Dhaher al-Omar and the Ottoman authorities who were centred in Damascus. Al-Omar ruled Galilee for 25 years until Ottoman loyalist Jezzar Pasha conquered the region in 1775.
In 1831 the Galilee, a part of Ottoman Syria, switched hands from Ottomans to Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt until 1840. During this period aggressive social and politic policies were introduced, which led to a violent 1834 Arab revolt. In the process of this revolt the Jewish community of Sefad was greatly reduced, in an event of Safed Plunder
by the rebels. The Arab rebels were subsequently defeated by the
Egyptian troops, though in 1838 the Druze of Galilee led another
uprising. In 1834 and 1837 major earthquakes leveled most of the towns,
resulting in great loss of life.
20th and 21st century
In the early 20th century, Galilee remained part of Ottoman Syria. It was administered as the southernmost territory of the Beirut Vilayet (established in 1888). Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, and the Armistice of Mudros, it came under British rule, as part of the British Mandate for Palestine, established in 1920. After the 1948 Arab–Israeli war
nearly the whole of Galilee came under Israel's control. A large
portion of the population fled or were forced to leave, leaving dozens
of entire villages empty; however, a large Israeli Arab community remained based in and near the cities of Nazareth, Acre, Tamra, Sakhnin and Shefa-'Amr, due to some extent to a successful rapprochement with the Druze. The kibbutzim around the Sea of Galilee were sometimes shelled by the Syrian army's artillery until Israel seized the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War.
During the 1970s and the early 1980s, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) launched several attacks on towns of the Upper and Western Galilee from Lebanon. Israel initiated Operation Litani (1979) and Operation Peace For Galilee
(1982) with the stated objectives of destroying the PLO infrastructure
in Lebanon and protecting the citizens of the Galilee. Israel occupied
much of Southern Lebanon until 1985 when it withdrew to a narrow security buffer zone.
Until the year 2000, Hezbollah, and earlier Amal, continued to fight the Israeli Defence Forces, sometimes shelling Upper Galilee communities with Katyusha rockets. In May 2000, Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak unilaterally withdrew IDF troops from southern Lebanon, maintaining a security force on the Israeli side of the international border recognized by the UN. However, clashes between Hezbollah and Israel continued along the border, and UN observers condemned both for their attacks.
The 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict was characterized by round-the-clock Katyusha rocket attacks (with a greatly extended range) by Hezbollah on the whole of Galilee, with long-range ground-launched missiles, hitting as far south as the Sharon plain, Jezreel Valley, and Jordan Valley below the Sea of Galilee.
Tourism
Galilee is a popular destination for domestic and foreign tourists
who enjoy its scenery, recreational, and gastronomic offerings. The
Galilee attracts many Christian pilgrims, as many of the miracles of Jesus occurred, according to the New Testament, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee - including his walking on water, calming the storm, and his feeding five thousand people in Tabgha. In addition, numerous sites of biblical importance are located in the Galilee, such as Megiddo, Jezreel Valley, Mount Tabor, Hazor, Horns of Hattin and more.
A popular hiking trail known as the "yam leyam", or sea to sea,
starts hikers at the Mediterranean. They then hike through the Galilee
mountains, Tabor, Neria, and Meron until their final destination, the
Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
In April 2011, Israel unveiled the "Jesus Trail", a 40 mile (60-kilometre) hiking trail
in the Galilee for Christian pilgrims. the trail includes a network of
footpaths, roads and bicycle paths linking sites central to the lives of
Jesus and his disciples, including Tabgha, the traditional site of Jesus' miracle of the loaves and fishes, and the Mount of Beatitudes, where he delivered his Sermon on the Mount. It ends at Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus espoused his teachings.
Many kibbutzim and moshav families operate Zimmers (German: "room", the local term for a B&B). Numerous festivals are held throughout the year, especially in the autumn and spring holiday seasons. These include the Acre (Acco) Festival of Alternative Theater, the olive harvest festival, and music festivals featuring Anglo-American folk, klezmer, Renaissance, and chamber music.
References
- Aviam, M., "Galilee: The Hellenistic to Byzantine Periods," in The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, vol. 2 (4 vols) (Jerusalem: IES / Carta), 1993, 452–458.
- Meyers, Eric M. (ed), Galilee through the Centuries: Confluence of Cultures (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1999) (Duke Judaic Studies 1).
- Chancey, A. M., Myth of a Gentile Galilee: The Population of Galilee and New Testament Studies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002) (Society of New Testament Monograph Series 118).
- Aviam, M., "First-century Jewish Galilee: An archaeological perspective," in Edwards, D.R. (ed.), Religion and Society in Roman Palestine: Old Questions, New Approaches (New York / London: Routledge, 2004), 7–27.
- Aviam, M., Jews, Pagans and Christians in the Galilee (Rochester NY: University of Rochester Press, 2004) (Land of Galilee 1).
- Chancey, Mark A., Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee of Jesus (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006) (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, 134).
- Freyne, Sean, "Galilee and Judea in the First Century," in Margaret M. Mitchell and Frances M. Young (eds), Cambridge History of Christianity. Vol. 1. Origins to Constantine (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006) (Cambridge History of Christianity), 163-194.
- Zangenberg, Jürgen, Harold W. Attridge and Dale B. Martin (eds), Religion, Ethnicity and Identity in Ancient Galilee: A Region in Transition (Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 2007) (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 210).
- Fiensy, David A., "Population, Architecture, and Economy in Lower Galilean Villages and Towns in the First Century AD: A Brief Survey," in John D. Wineland, Mark Ziese, James Riley Estep Jr. (eds), My Father's World: Celebrating the Life of Reuben G. Bullard (Eugene (OR), Wipf & Stock, 2011), 101-119.
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