Name:_____________________________________________________Grade: 8

Address:____________________________________________________Section:________________
Subject Teacher: Sem. Jose Angelo P. Cabrillos Quarter: 1 Week: no. 3

Foster Teacher’s Signature: ___________________________

Lesson 3. Palestine, the Place Where Jesus Lived

Doctrine: Understand that Jesus is a Jew who lived during a particular point in history and in a specific
society.

Moral: Imitate the human Jesus as the ultimate norm of humanity showing us what it means to be “truly
human” through the inspiration of His teachings and the Holy Spirit.

Worship: Read the scriptures daily, pray the angelus prayer reflectively and celebrate the Holy Eucharist.

INTRODUCTION
Activity 1: Picture Analysis

1. What have you seen in the picture?

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2. Are you familiar with the given places presented above?

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3. If you have given an opportunity to visit the place where Jesus lived, will you accept it? And Why?

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INTERACTION
HOME ACTIVITY READING

The land where Jesus lived is known as Palestine. This place belonged to the Greco-Roman world simply
because the Greeks and the Romans greatly influenced their culture and somehow influenced the shaping of their
mindsets. In the Scripture, Palestine is often referred to as the Land of Israel after Jacob's second name (Gen. 32:28-29).
The word Israel simply means victory with God and with man.

It is also called Land of Canaan because it literally means "lowland," an appropriate description of the place
where the inhabitants lived. However, when they moved to the hill country, this name became inappropriate. The
Scripture also calls the land of Jesus as the Promised Land. This name was due to the belief that God gave a promise to
Abraham about a land flowing with milk and honey (Gen. 15:18). There is no denying that the Scripture also calls it the
Land of Judah after the name of one of the sons of Jacob, where the savior was born.

Several times, the land which the ancestors of Jesus had made their home changed its name as well as its
boundaries. It was finally called Palestine. The Greeks gave this name in reference to the Philistines who lived along the
coastal area at one time. The word Palestine signifies the "Philistine land." It is to be noted that the Philistines
were considered the arch enemies of the Jews during the twelfth and eleventh centuries before the coming of Christ.

The land area of Palestine consists of a very noticeable geographical diversity. The evangelists mentioned the
lakeshores, hillsides, deserts, and forests. The Dead Sea and those that surrounded it were rather desolate, not life-
giving. In contrast, the Sea of Galilee going north is really beautiful. It has lush and very inviting sceneries. According to
an author, a walk of a single hour will take one from the richest of plains to the bare hills where the sheep graze; and the
caravans, toiling under the hot wind of the desert, to hope again from the sight of snow shining on Mount Hermon. The
mountains of Palestine are really only large hills, but they give a texture and majesty to the land that impressed even the
traveler of today (from "Jesus of History, Christ of Faith" by Thomas Zanzig, p. 75).

The ordinary Jews during Jesus time used

Aramaic as their spoken language. Certainly, Jesus
also used this language in his daily conversations with
the other people. If Latin is the classical language of
English and some other European languages, the Jews
also considered Hebrew as their classical language. The
scriptures of the Jews were written mostly in Hebrew,
however, most Jews did not speak such language nor
understand it. There is a great probability that the
Jewish merchants used Greek in their dealings with the
foreigners. Of course, with the presence of the Roman
soldiers who occupied Palestine at that time, Latin was
used by them.

Upon reading the gospel accounts, we notice

that some of the parables or stories Jesus used
had something to do with the occupations the
Jews were engaged in- the sower sowing seeds in
the fields; the shepherd pasturing the sheep; laborers working in the vineyard; Jesus picking up Brans or corn. From
here, we will be able to notice that most Jews were working in the farm. They were farmers and herdsmen. This is the
reason why many of the festivals and celebrations of the Jews were mostly done in gratitude or thanksgiving to God for
the abundant harvest from the fields. All these occupations became part of the teachings of Jesus simply because Jesus
and His listeners were familiar to these scenarios. Indeed, most of the Jews were involved in plowing, sowing, and
harvesting. Another common occupation during Jesus' time was fishing. It was a common industry along the sea.
Naturally, some of the Jews were totally engaged in fishing due to the fact that one of the famous lakes, the Sea of
Galilee, was very abundant in its products like fish. Aside from farming and fishing, some Jews also worked as carpenters,
sandal makers, and tent makers.

In terms of food which the Jews used to share at table,

the staple food of the poor was barley bread while those who
could afford and belonged to the bracket of the rich ate bread
from wheat. In Jewish culture, bread and wine are very
essential elements during mealtime. It should be noted that

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eating meals together or sharing food between and among peoples was deemed to be a very sacred act by the Jews.
They considered the "breaking of the bread" as an outward manifestation of friendship, unity, camaraderie and loyalty to
one another. Every time a meal is done or shared in the Scripture, we know for a fact that something of great importance
is happening. It was in line with the act of sharing a meal that the teachers of the law or the Pharisees reacted strongly
when they saw Jesus eating together or sharing meals with those whom the society considered as sinners. They
interpreted that the gesture of Jesus was an approval of the sinners as well as their sinfulness, without knowing that
Jesus did it out of mercy and compassion.

For the Jews, the family unit served as the true religious community in itself. That is why, the father often acts as
the celebrant every time a family feast is celebrated. Generally, Jewish families were large. The understanding of the
Jews was that children were blessings from Yahweh. To be childless, means being cursed or not being favored by God.
Parents favored the boys more than girls. Girls were less desired by their parents simply because most of them married at
an early age and eventually became someone else's property.

The issue of unequal treatment among children reflects how men and women were treated by the society. It is
very evident in some of the laws of the land. For instance, in the laws governing adultery, women were seen as property
of men and were greatly considered inferior to men. In fact, during mealtime, women were not allowed to eat with men
at the table, but instead, women remained standing while eating. In worship, women had a certain area in the temple.
On streets, they kept distance from men.

Lesson 4. The political and religious world of Jesus

The society where Jesus lived was not a perfect society. Jesus also struggled under the Roman domination. Jesus
and His fellow Jews had to accept the fact that foreign oppression was gradually creeping into the lives of the people.
Taking a glimpse of the history of Palestine, we become aware that the Roman armies capture and eventually ruled
Palestine in the year 63 BCE (Before Common Era). It was eventually governed and ruled by men whose appointment
came directly from Rome. It is to be noted that the Jews despised the Romans. Despite this attitude, the Romans were
more tolerant than to the other nations whom they conquered. In fact, the Romans still allowed the Jews to maintain
their own councils and synagogues. This is an expression that they manifested respect to some of the Jewish institutions.
For instance, the Sanhedrin, known to be the highest council of Palestine, was given the privilege to continue
promulgating laws, making decisions for the people, holding trials, but not giving out the capital punishment - death.
Rome also meddled with the religious affair of the people. The high priests were appointed by Rome.

One of the reasons why the Jews disliked the Romans was the mandate of Rome to oblige the Jews
to pay taxes. Those villages which failed to pay their taxes were destroyed. Since many of the Jews could not afford to
pay, they sold their properties or made themselves slaves to others. Another reason why there was resistance to pay
taxes to Rome sprang from the belief that only God, and God alone has the right to be given all the products of the land
and all that is within it. The Jews considered paying taxes to Rome as an act of unfaithfulness to Yahweh their God. The
spirit of discontent was really felt.

Let us mention those local officials appointed by Rome and whose names are mentioned in the New Testament.

Herod "the Great" - He was a successful politician if he is to be judged on the

basis of his political experience, without considering his morality. He had the capability
of combining his intelligence with absolute terror. During his leadership, he started
restoring the temple and eventually brought it back to its original splendor. In
Caesarea, he initiated the rebuilding or the eventually served as one of the great ports
in the Mediterranean world. Indeed, he was a master builder. His name appeared in
Mt. 2:16-18: “When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became
furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years
old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi”. Herod
was really afraid of a rival who might assume his role as "king of the Jews." This
event is called the Slaughter of the Innocents. Although this is not historically
verified, this simply depicts the brutality of Herod.

When Herod died, the Romans allowed the passing on of his power to his sons. His sons also possessed the
brutality and cruelty of Herod but not his intellectual power in relation with politics. When his sons rose to power, there
were protests and revolts that led to the destruction of the city or Jerusalem, the temple, and Judaism itself. Herod's sons
were:

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 1. Philip - Of the three sons, he proved to be very humane in dealing with his subjects. He was given the extreme
northeast of Palestine proper. He was responsible for the building of Cesarea Philippi.

2. Herod Antipas - He ruled Perea, a region just east of the Jordan River and Galilee the home province of Jesus.
He ordered the beheading of John the Baptist who was reacting to Herod Antipas’ marriage to the
wife of his half-brother (Mt. 14:1-12). In Lk. 13:31-33, it narrates: "At that time some Pharisees came to him
and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you”. He replied, Go and tell that fox, "Behold, I
cast out demons...” When Jesus said to go and inform that fox, he was actually referring to Herod Antipas.
Sometimes, the gospels refer to him as Herod "the tetrarch." This title is based on the Greek word for "four
which signifies that this man has ruled one-fourth of the province.

3. Archelaus - He was the worst leader of the three sons. He governed Judea, Samaria, and ldumea. He was
really inept as a leader. Because of this, he was eventually removed and sent into exile by the Romans
themselves. He was eventually replaced by a Roman official sometimes called a "prefect," a "procurator", or a
governor. Just few years before Jesus began his public ministry, the fifth procurator began his rule. This man
was Pontius Pilate. He played a key role in the crucifixion and death of Jesus. In short, the social situation of
the Jewish society during Jesus time was filled with the abuses of the Romans in cooperation with the Jewish
elite. This circumstance gave rise to the protest and renewal movements in the society which led the messianic
movement to become stronger. It is also noteworthy that the common people were engaged in social banditry.

Due to many factors, the Jewish religious community during Jesus time was no longer united. They were already
divided into different sects or groups.

1) Sadducees (sad'-yoo-seez) - They were the priestly aristocrats. They were the Jewish elite that connived with
the Romans. Many of them were members of the Sanhedrin. They composed the wealthy upper class of the society.
They were not conservative in terms of their political stand. In fact, they were willing to make a compromise with
those who are in power. Although, they are liberal minded people in terms of politics, yet they were very conservative
in religion. One classic example of this is, they accepted the Torah, the first five books, also called as Pentateuch, but
they would not accept any attempt to interpret the basic law included in the Torah. This group rejected the idea of
the resurrection after death. With the destruction of the temple, the Sadducees died out as a group.

2) Pharisees (fare'-eh-seez) – This group is mentioned 99 times in the New Testament. The word "Pharisee" means
the "separated ones." Indeed, they separated themselves from the Jewish society and formed closed communities
within the community. They also wanted renewal. They believed they had to preserve the identity of Israel as God's
people and this can be done through faithful and strict following of the commandments. They spent their lives by
following strictly the letter of the law. Sometimes, they were also called the "pious ones" because they adhered
strictly to the law. However, if we compare them with the Sadducees, the Pharisees were more liberal in matters of
religion because they were Open to new developments of the Jewish thinking. Unlike, the Sadducees, the Pharisees
were very conservative in politics. They did not want to compromise with people in the government.

3) The Scribes - Those who belonged to the group of the scribes were both writers and jurists. The scribes also
interpreted the law. The scribes were tasked to carefully study and interpret the contents of the law. They also
passed judgment to those who broke what the law requires. They were the learned people of the community and
oftentimes they were called the teachers of the law. Normally, they would form a group of people who were willing to
be taught about the law. They really loved to be called Rabbi or master. They were so obsessed with the law.
Some of them were called "doctors of the law" because they were the most respected of the scribes. This group
joined the Pharisees in their cause.

4) Zealots (zell-otts) - The Zealots were inclined to be more political rather than a religious group. The center
of operations of the Zealots was Galilee. It was their firm belief that God would certainly help them if they would be
united in overthrowing a government that is very oppressive, the Roman rule. They were very impatient with the
Romans, hence, they could not tolerate their presence. For them, organizing a military force is an initiative that
should be done to oust the Romans from their land. In fact, this group waged violent attacks against the
Romans as their way of protest. They are compared to rebels today. They also believed that the Messiah who is
coming is a military leader who would throw off the yoke which the Roman presence put on the shoulder of the Jews.
One of the apostles of Jesus was Simon the Zealot. His name is mentioned in Lk. 6:15. The Zealots would have
looked at Jesus as a Messiah who would politically make a change in the society. Most probably, they also would have
wanted Jesus to be a political king. The Zealots were mainly responsible for the revolution which ended up with the
disaster that happened on 70 CE (Common Era).

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5) Essenes - They left the Jewish society because they could not stand the corruption. They withdrew into
the wilderness to remain the true "People of God." According to James Finley and Michael Pennock, "Though the
Essenes are not mentioned in the New Testament, they are worthy of mention because of the discovery
in 1948 of the Dead Sea scrolls and the excavation of their monastic community at Qumran." Josephus
described them a monastic community practicing celibacy and holding property in common. They were exact
observers of the Law but held aloof from the Temple and its official priesthood, which they did not acknowledge.
They observed the Sabbath so strictly that they taught it was sinful to take care of basic bodily needs from sun up to
sun down on that day. They expected two messiahs, one who would be a king, the other a priest. Jesus
would have known of their existence and some scholars maintain that John the Baptist must have known them quite
well, perhaps having at one time been a member of their group. John baptized Jesus not far from their Qumran
community near the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea.

Palestine's political and religious situation during Jesus' time truly affected the lives of many ordinary people. The
inability of the leaders to create programs for the people brought many citizens to suffer poverty. The political leaders
greed for power caused division among the people. The religious leaders also became ineffective witnesses to the Laws of
Yahweh. They were not united in terms of their interpretation of the Law which brought conflict among themselves.
There was conflict. There was rebellion. There were oppressed people and citizens whose basic rights were trampled
upon. The same scenario can be observed in our society today. Corruption has caused many to suffer alienation and
poverty. The conflicting interests among the government officials do not help our poor people. Indeed, there is a need for
everybody to unite and move forward with optimism to battle the "death-causing" issues of the society. Nobody should be
passive, inert, and insensitive to the real plight of the people. We cannot exist without being concerned with others. We
need to lift our hands to help those who need our help.

Activity 2: Check
the space that coincides with your idea. Explain your answer in the space provided
under the column “Why.”

I do not
Situation I agree Why?
agree
1. Some people are
poor because they
are lazy.
2. Let us accept
poverty because
this is just a trial
given to us by God.

3. There is still
hope for the
Filipinos to be
alleviated from
extreme poverty.
4. Injustice is not
rampant in the
Philippine society.
5. The Church can
do nothing in
response to the
social inequalities
that we see in the
society.
6. The corrupt
government
officials have
nothing to do with

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 the suffering of our
people.
7. The Church
leaders have
nothing to do with
the suffering of our
people.
8. Like Jesus, we
need to be vocal
against the
government if we
see some people
who are victims of
injustice.
9. If people
negotiations with
the government do
not work to solve
all the social
problems, taking up
arms the best
solution.
10. The Church
leaders should
work hand in hand
with the
government
officials.

INTEGRATION
Activity 3: Characterization
If you were to compare the following leaders of Palestine during Jesus’ time, to whom will you
compare them with our Philippine leaders? Explain your answer.
1. Herod the Great
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2. Philip
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3. Archelaus
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Activity 4: Compare and contrast the following religious groups during Jesus’ time.
1. The Sadducees and the Pharisees
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2. The Zealots and the Essenes

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3. The Scribes and the Sadducees

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FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
I. True/False. Write True if the statement is correct and Change the underlined word if it is
false. Write the answer on the space provided.
____________________ 1. Those who belonged to the Scribes were both writers and jurists.

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____________________ 2. Sadducees were priestly aristocrats. They were the Jewish elite
that connived with the Romans.
____________________ 3. Zealots separated themselves from the Jewish society and
formed closed communities within the community.
____________________ 4. The event where all the boys in Bethlehem aging 2 years and
below were massacred is known as “The Slaughter of the
Innocents”.
____________________ 5. Essenes were inclined to be more political rather than a religious
group.
____________________ 6. Herodias is not the son of King Herod.

II. Essay
1. What is your own opinion with regards to the society where Jesus had lived? Is it an ideal society
or not? Why?

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