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Bible Maps - the Gospels

Bible overview
Maps showing locations in the Gospels.
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Herod’s Building Projects. <br/>Herod built numerous structures in Jerusalem, in many towns throughout his kingdom, and even in cities far beyond Palestine, such as Antioch of Syria. In Jerusalem he completely renovated and expanded the Temple of the Lord, built a lavish palace for himself, and built various pools, public buildings, and citadels (including the Antonia Fortress). Elsewhere he built Roman administrative buildings, aqueducts, and pagan temples, and he fortified several desert refuges for himself, including the fortress of Masada. – Slide 1
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Jesus Is Born in Bethlehem. <br/>Joseph and Mary were living in Nazareth when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would soon give birth to the Messiah. Then a census was decreed by Caesar Augustus, which required Joseph and Mary to travel about 70 miles (110 km) to Bethlehem, the town of their ancestor David, to be registered. There Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid Him in a manger. Nearby shepherds were living in the fields with their sheep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to them and announced that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem. – Slide 2
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Jesus’ Birth and Escape to Egypt. <br/>After the Magi worshipped Jesus and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:3-12). An angel then warned Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt with his family to escape Herod’s plan to kill the newborn king (Matthew 2:13-18). After Herod died, an angel told Joseph to return to Israel with Mary and Jesus, and they settled in their quiet hometown of Nazareth to avoid being discovered by Herod’s son Archelaus (Matthew 2:19-23). – Slide 3
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Nazareth. <br/>Nazareth was perched atop one of the low lying hills of Lower Galilee overlooking the great Esdraelon (Jezreel) Valley, the scene of so many momentous battles throughout Israel’s history (Judges 4-7; 1 Samuel 28-31; 2 Kings 23:29-30; 2 Chronicles 35:20-27). Nazareth lay about three miles (5 km) southwest of Gath-hepher, the hometown of the prophet Jonah (2 Kings 14:25), and about the same distance southeast of Sepphoris, a sizeable administrative centre during Jesus’ time. – Slide 4
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The Ministry of John the Baptist. <br/>When John grew up, he lived in the wilderness of Judea (Matthew 3:1; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 1:80). John initially baptized at Bethany beyond the Jordan River (John 1:28; 10:40), likely across from Jericho. Later he moved his ministry to Aenon across the Jordan River (John 3:22-26) and further north. John called out sin wherever he saw it and even rebuked Herod Antipas for marrying Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For this, Antipas imprisoned John (Matthew 14:3-4; Luke 3:1-20) at the fortress of Machaerus and later executed him. – Slide 5
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Palestine under Roman Rule. <br/>At the time of Jesus’ birth, the land of Israel (now called Palestine by the Romans) was ruled by the Romans, who had granted Herod the Great the title of “king” over the region. His domain included most of the land that once belonged to Israel. After his death, the Romans granted Herod’s wishes that his kingdom be divided among his sons Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip. The region of the Decapolis (“Ten Cities”) was never included in Herod’s kingdom and had a distinctly Gentile population and character. The cities of this region enjoyed semi-autonomous status under the Romans. By the time of Jesus, the Sea of Galilee had developed a thriving fishing industry, and many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen. Jesus chose the fishing town of Capernaum as the base of His ministry in Galilee (Matthew 4:12-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11). – Slide 6
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Galilee in Bible Times. <br/>Upper Galilee, which was occupied by the tribe of Naphtali, is home to the highest mountains in Israel west of the Jordan River. Further south the terrain gives way to the smaller foothills of Lower Galilee, which was occupied by the tribe of Zebulun. Even after the Maccabees reclaimed Galilee for Israel around 104 B.C., its population remained somewhat multi-ethnic throughout the New Testament, and its residents were typically more familiar with Greek than those living in other parts of Judea. Yet by the time Jesus’ family settled in Nazareth the region was also home to a significant population of devout Jews. And it was in this complex amalgam of rural and cosmopolitan, Jewish and Gentile, that Jesus of Nazareth grew up and conducted much of His ministry. – Slide 7
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Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. <br/>Soon after His baptism Jesus relocated his ministry from his hometown of Nazareth to the fishing town of Capernaum, and several of His disciples were fishermen on the lake (Matthew 4:12-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11). A number of the events described in the Gospels took place along (or sometimes on) the lake, including Jesus feeding thou-sands of people (Matthew 14:13-21; 15:29-39; Mark 6:30-44; 8:1-10; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15), walking on water (Matthew 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-53; Luke 6:16-21), and calming the wind and the waves (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41). – Slide 8
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Jesus’ Ministry along the Sea of Galilee. <br/>Although Lake Galilee spanned a mere seven miles at its widest point from east to west, a significant number of events in Jesus’ ministry took place along its shores–or sometimes even on the lake itself. One of these events–the feeding of 5000 people–took place near the town of Bethsaida (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15), which was also the hometown of Peter, Andrew, and Philip (John 1:44; 12:21). Other notable events along the lake include Jesus walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-53; Luke 6:16-21), calming the wind and the waves (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41), and teaching people in parables and sermons. Jesus’ most famous sermon (Matthew 5-7) was likely delivered at a place now called the Mount of Beatitudes. On another occasion Jesus taught from a boat on the lake while people listened along the shore (Matthew 13:1-2; Mark 4:1). This may have happened at a place called the Cove of the Sower, which was a naturally occurring outdoor amphitheatre. – Slide 9
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Jesus’ Ministry beyond Israel. <br/>The Gospels record several occasions when Jesus travelled beyond Israel and ministered to Gentiles, including a visit to Tyre and Sidon in Syria and possibly multiple visits to the region of the Decapolis southeast of the Sea of Galilee. – Slide 10
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Jericho. <br/>With its hot desert climate and abundant springs, Jericho was known as the ‘city of palm trees’ (Deuteronomy 34:3). Centuries later it was likely near Jericho (which had moved further south) where Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:9; Luke 3:1-22; John 1:26-34), and He also encountered Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) and a blind man named Bartimaeus there (Mark 10:46-52). Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan tells of a man overtaken by robbers on the steep route descending from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:25-37). About ten miles southwest of Jericho lay the forbidding wilderness of Judea, where Jesus fasted and was tempted by the Devil (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12). – Slide 11
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Jerusalem in New Testament Times. <br/>Just prior to Jesus’ birth, Herod the Great completely renovated and expanded the Temple, and he also built a lavish palace for himself, various pools (where Jesus occasionally performed healings), public buildings, and military citadels, including the Antonia Fortress, which overlooked the Temple. Across the Kidron Valley lay the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus often met with his disciples (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-53; John 18:1-14). Further east was the Mount of Olives, where Jesus began His triumphal entry one week before his crucifixion (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19), taught His disciples about the last days (Matthew 24-25; Mark 13), and eventually ascended to heaven (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:1-11). – Slide 12
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The Temple Area. <br/>Herod the Great completely rebuilt and expanded the Temple around 20 B.C., making it one of the largest temples in the Roman world. Jesus’ first believers often met together in Solomon’s Colonnade, a columned porch that encircled the Temple Mount, perhaps carrying on a tradition started by Jesus himself (John 10:23; Acts 3:11; 5:12). But Herod’s Temple did not last long: After many Jews revolted against Rome, the Romans eventually recaptured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70. – Slide 13
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Bethany and Bethphage. <br/>At the start of Passover one week before He was crucified, Jesus and his disciples travelled to Jerusalem, approaching the city from the east. When they arrived at the village of Bethphage, Jesus mounted a donkey and rode down the Mount of Olives as a humble king entering his capital city. Jesus then travelled nearly two miles outside the city to the village of Bethany to spend the night, which appears to have been where He typically lodged each night while visiting Jerusalem during the crowded Passover festival. Bethany is also where Jesus’ close friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. – Slide 14
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Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem - the Synoptic Gospels. <br/>The Synoptic Gospels present Jesus as making a single final journey to Jerusalem, beginning in Capernaum (Luke 9:51), passing through Perea (Matthew 19:1-2; Mark 10:1) and Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-19:10), and ending at Bethany and Bethphage, where He enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44). – Slide 15
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Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem – John’s Gospel. <br/>John, mentions several trips to Jerusalem by Jesus before His crucifixion (John 2:13-17; 5:1-15; 7:1-13; 10:22-23), followed by a trip to Perea across the Jordan River (John 10:40-42), a return to Bethany where He raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11), a withdrawal to the village of Ephraim for a few months (John 11:54), and a return trip to Bethany, where He then enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (John 12:1-19). The differences between the Synoptics’ and John’s accounts are noteworthy, but they are not irreconcilable. – Slide 16
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Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances. <br/>The first to see the risen Jesus were women, including Mary Magdalene, who had gone that morning to finish preparing Jesus’ body with spices. Later that same day (Sunday) Jesus also appeared to two disciples traveling from Jerusalem to a town called Emmaus (Luke 24:13-36). Still later that day when the two disciples had returned to Jerusalem and were telling Jesus’ disciples what they saw, Jesus appeared again to them and several other believers. Apparently a week after this, presumably in Jerusalem, Jesus appeared again to a group of disciples that included Thomas (John 20:24-29). At some point Jesus also met His disciples on a mountain in the region of Galilee, perhaps at Mount Tabor or the cliffs of Arbel (Matthew 28:16). Jesus also met with Peter and some other disciples who were fishing on the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14). Finally at the end of Jesus’ forty days on earth after His resurrection, Jesus led His disciples out from Jerusalem to the vicinity of Bethany and ascended to heaven (Luke 24:50-53). – Slide 17
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Qumran. <br/>The small desert community of Qumran was established during the era of the Maccabees. The site was located less than 14 miles (22 km) east of Jerusalem and 8 miles (13 km) south of Jericho, yet its location in the arid wilderness of Judea afforded it a significant degree of intentional isolation from established Jewish society. Prior to its demise, the community produced copies of the Scriptures, biblical interpretation, and community instruction (now known as the Dead Sea scrolls) and hid these manuscripts away in at least a dozen caves nearby, the most recent of which (Cave 12) was discovered in 2017. – Slide 18
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