The world
The Holy Land in the time of Jesus
15 regions, from the shore of the Sea of Galilee to the Temple courts in Jerusalem and the Tiber at Rome. Walk the roads between them, or ride.
15 regions to explore
Capernaum’s basalt houses and harbour, the road over Arbel, the Temple courts in Jerusalem, the harbours of Joppa and Caesarea, and the Tiber at Rome. Walk the roads between them, or ride.
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Galilee
The Sea of Galilee
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Jerusalem
Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives
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Samaria
Jacob's well and the town of Sychar
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Nazareth
Nazareth and the hills of Lower Galilee
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Chorazin
Chorazin and the basalt hills north of the lake
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Hippos
Hippos, the hill city east of the lake
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Jericho
Jericho and the palm oasis below the hills
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Sebaste
Sebaste, Herod's hill city in Samaria
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Bethlehem and Herodium
Bethlehem, its terraces and the Herodium hill
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Antipatris
Antipatris and the springs of the Yarkon
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Caesarea Philippi
Caesarea Philippi, the springs below Hermon
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En Gedi
En Gedi, the spring under the cliffs by the Salt Sea
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Rome
Rome, the lower Tiber and Ostia
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The Coast
Joppa, Lydda and Caesarea by the Great Sea
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Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes
The map
Zoom from the shore you stand on out to the whole land, and on to Rome.
Close to history
Basalt houses with flat roofs, boats drawn up on the shore, the market and the synagogue, the coins in Simon’s purse: places, food, work and money follow first-century Galilee as closely as we can manage. The Sabbath is kept, and the lake has its own weather.
Daily work
Skills grow by doing the work
Fish, mend nets, cook, build and look after the animals. There are no classes and no magic: Simon gets better at what he does.
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Fishing
Casting and mending nets on the Sea of Galilee.
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Carpentry
Shaping olive and oak into yokes, bowls and beams.
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Scripture
Reading the Law and the Prophets from the synagogue scrolls.
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Cooking
Fish on the coals, parched grain and a Sabbath table.
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Teaching
Sharing the good news plainly with the people of the market.
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Compassion
Serving widows, the poor and the overlooked.
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Prayer
Withdrawing to quiet places. Prayer restores your stamina.
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Endurance
Long journeys and steady work build Endurance, raising your maximum stamina.
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Seamanship
Rowing, setting a sail to the wind and bringing a boat in to land. It opens the bigger boats and makes every boat faster.
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Husbandry
Field, grove and vineyard: reaping, threshing, sowing and pressing olives.
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Hunting
Sling, staff, bow and tracking: game for the table, and wolves driven from the flock. Bows and arrows are made at a hunter's camp.
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Blade
Knife and sword work: a blade in the hand in a fight, cutting rope, and forging and honing blades. The sword Peter carried (John 18:10) answers to this skill.
Hidden in the world
Pearls
Galilee keeps a few things back. We call them pearls: small hidden moments for those who look closely. There is no list of them and no marker on the map.
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Leave the road
A path behind a house, a jar out of place, a stone someone set there on purpose.
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Listen twice
Some people say more the second time you speak to them, or at the right hour of the day.
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Knowing smiles
Quiet nods to Scripture, to history and to the people who made the game. Some are serious; some are gentle jokes.