L'Era Pre-Christian: the Galilee

On 11 September 2015 Last update 13 April 2023 781 0

A picture taken on September 24, 2016, shows a general view of the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee from the Church of the Mount of Beatitudes in Tabgha. The Mount of Beatitudes is said to be where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount in which he summarised the law of God. / AFP / THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

Galilee is the most fertile region of Palestine and for this reason today there are many agricultural kibbutzts. The kibbutz is an associative form of life halfway between the patriarchal lifestyle present in the Old Testament and the principle of sharing goods. A group of families decide to work together on a fairly large area of agricultural land. These families share separate lives only at certain times of the day, while work, prayer, religious and political formation, the education of children are shared. This type of work organization has established itself in Palestine over the course of the last century, and it has become characteristic of the modern State of Israel (which was formed in this region in 1948, after the end of the Second World War).

Galilee is mostly hilly, but there are also wide valleys and very fertile plains such as the one that extends from the center of the region towards Mount Carmel (Jezreel valley). In ancient times, the olive tree grew there in abundance, quickly, the grab, barley, linen. Today cotton crops have been added, some pineapples, citrus fruits and all give an excellent yield.

The main feature of Galilee is the great lake, long about Km 21 deep on average m 45. The lake of Galilee or of Genezareth or the Sea of Tiberias (from the town founded in honor of the Emperor Tiberius) it has always been full of fish. For this reason, since ancient times it has been a source of life for all of Palestine. At one time the mountains and hills were covered with large forests that provided valuable timber, which, however, were cut down over the centuries by the Arabs and the Crusaders.

Nonetheless, Galilee is still a very green region as many trees have been planted in recent decades to replace those felled..

Almost in the center of Galilee rises one of the greatest peaks in Palestine, Mount Tabor.

When Jesus in Nazareth was rejected, moved to Capernaum (Village
Nahum), an important village on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Here Jesus called Matthew to leave his business to follow him. A senior government official lived here (Giovanni 4:46) and Jesus healed his son. A Roman centurion commander of 100 soldiers, he lived here and Jesus healed his servant. Jesus performed many other miracles in Capernaum. Many wonderful archaeological antiquities were discovered here.