Bible Course for the Laity - 2004, DVK, Bangalore

Full Reports on the Bible & Theology Course - 2004

Sections 4.1 and 4.2 of this module were covered in Module 4, Part 1.

In this second part of Module-4, we learn about the land of Palestine.

4.3   Palestine

Around 12th century BC, the Indo-European "Sea Peoples", whose exact origins are still unknown, began to attack all coastal lands. One of the "Sea Peoples" known as "Philistines" landed on the coast of Palestine. Herodotus of Halicarnassus (484-425 BC), the Greek historian who is called "the father of history" referred to the above land that the Philistines captured as "Philistine Syria". The Greek word 'Palaistina' became 'Palestina' in Latin and 'Palestine' in English. The name Palestine is a latter term for the Holy Land. In the Old Testament, the land is often called "the land of Canaan" because the inhabitants were the Canaanites. Ref: Ex 15:15, Gen 11:31, 12:5, 13:12, 16:3, 23:2; Num 34:1) The land is also known by various names such as: "the Land of Hebrews" (Gen 40:15); "the Land of the Lord" (Hos 9:3); the Beautiful/Pleasant Land" (Dan 8:9); "the Holy Land" (Zec 2:12); "the Land of Promise" (Heb 11:9). The name "Holy Land" became common since the Middle Ages.

In popular usage, Palestine refers to the land "From Dan to Beersheba" (Judg 20:1). The Holy land extends from the southern slopes of the Mount Hermon to the edge of the southern desert Negeb, bounded on the west by the Mediterranean Sea and on the east by the Jordan valley.

4.3.1 Major zones of Palestine

The natural geography of Palestine divides the land into four major zones:

1. The Coastal Plain with sandy or marshy soil that stretches from a narrow belt in the north to broad areas in the south.
2. The hill country or Shephelah (Hebrew for "low lands"), a series of low hills and valleys up fro the coastal plain, often good for sheep-herding and orchards.
3. The central mountain range that runs like a spine down the eastern part of the country, often reaching 2000 feet in height.
4. The Jordan Valley that is in the lowest area on earth and stretches down the whole eastern border. It is divided twice by water -- the Lake of Galilee in the north and the Dead Sea. The two lakes are connected by the Jordan River. The valley continues for another 185 miles to the Red Sea. This section is called "Arabah".

4.3.2 Major regions of Palestine

The Holy Land can also be divided into five major regions that stretch across its length from East to West:

1. Galilee is a mountainous region at the north of Palestine. The importance of Galilee is evident in both the OT and NT. The entire Galilean region can be further divided into three areas: Upper Galilee, Lower Galilee, and Lake Galilee.
2. Samaria is in the middle of the land, and its hilly region is bordered on the north by the Esdraelon Valley. Samaria formed the heart of the Northern Kingdom after the time of Solomon.
3. Judah is a mixture of the high mountains and dry areas on the east, but consists of plains and fertile land on the west. Jerusalem comes under its limits, which was the primary city of ancient Israel and the capital of Judah.
4. Negeb is the desert area stretching across the whole southern part of the land and making up more than half of the total area of Palestine. It gradually becomes the Sinai desert dividing Palestine from Egypt.
5. Trans Jordan High Lands: These comprise the areas namely Bashan, Gilead, Ammon, Moab, Edom.

4.3.3 Palestinian provinces during Jesus

During Jesus' period, there were three main Jewish provinces, namely: Judea, Galilee, and Perea.

There were also non-Jewish Provinces, namely: Samaria, Decapolis, Phoenicia of Syria, Philip's Tetrarchy, and Idumea.

Note: A pictorial representation of the Bible World will be available later in this section.

This ends Module-4 of the "Bible Course for the Laity - 2004".

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