Lesson+14+Helps

Lesson 14 Bible --- Additional helpful information:  **Northeastern Corner of the Sea of Galilee**: Gamla. At the northeastern corner of the Sea of Galilee, on a mountain slope and protected on all sides by deep wadis, was the village of Gamla. Shortly after Jesus’ birth, Judah of Gamla, a Pharisee, founded the Zealot movement. The term Zealot is often applied to all rebels who resisted Roman authority; technically the term applies to those who belonged to the movement that originated at Gamla. The Zealots espoused a strict creed: (1) God alone was to be served; (2) neither Rome nor Herod was a legitimate authority; (3) taxes were to be paid only to God; and (4) serving Rome, whether by choice or as a slave, violated God’s supreme authority. Zealots violently resisted the authority of the emperor for nearly 100 years. They longed for a messiah who would raise a great army and totally destroy the Roman overlords. There is no record that Jesus ever visited Gamla, though He visited the other towns and villages in the area. (Matt. 9:35). He did have interaction with the Zealots regarding their philosophy of using the sword to support the kingdom of God.  **Eastern Shoreline of the Sea of Galilee**: The Decapolis. The Decapolis was an independent region of city states established by Alexander the Great and strengthened by the Roman conqueror Pompey in 63 BC. Several towns existed on the high plateau (today’s Golan Heights) including Hippos (Susita), Kursi, and Gadara. The people of this area were quite pagan, worshipping Roman and Greek gods. **Southwestern Shoreline of the Sea of Galilee**: Tiberias, Herod’s Capital. Herod Antipas, who executed John the Baptist, built a beautiful city on the southwestern side of the Sea of Galilee. Tradition holds, with much support, the religious Jews would not live here at that time because it was built over a cemetery. The people who lived in the city were most likely secular Jews who supported the Herodian dynasty, in part because it gave them the economic and political power they enjoyed.