God’s Word

Christian Scripture

Old Testament Scripture

A Short Review

The “Holy Land”

• Home to three major world religions:• Islam• Judaism• Christianity

• In order to know the type of people living in the Holy Land, we need to recognize some of its geography

Shape

• Rectangular• 145 miles, North to South• 25 miles wide in North• 87 miles wide in South (near Dead Sea)

• Served as a crossroads for Egypt, Syrian, and Persian expansions

• Later: political conquests of Greece & Rome(N.T. Era)

Ancient IsraelWestern portion: rainEast. portion: no rain

Dead Sea:Below Sea Level - and therefore holds a great amount of salt within its waters.

Map of Palestine

Timelinec. 1850 BC: Abraham

journeys from Ur to Canaan

c. 1700 BC: Jacob settles in Egypt (Joseph)

c. 1280 BC: Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt

1250-1200: Joshua leads conquest of Promised Land

1200-1020: Israel = a 12 tribe “confederacy” - Period of the Judges

c. 1020: David annointed king; unites Israel and makes Jerusalem capital

961-922: Solomon; builds Temple

922: Kingdom splits: North & South

721: Israel conquered by Assyria

701: Assyria: attacks Judah & captures Jerusalem, but then retreats

621: King Josiah, reforms Judah’s religion

587:Babylonian King: Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem & Temple - Jews to Babylon

587-538: Jewish remnant returns to Jerusalem

520-515: 2nd Templec. Ezra & Nehemiah

rebuild Jerusalem; reform religion

c. 333 Alexander: Captures Jerusalem

323-197: Egyptians rule over Palestine

197-142: Seleucids rule Palestine; Jews persecuted

63: Falls to Rome

Hebrew

The New Testament

ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ θεοῦ

Mark 1:1

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.