Region
Judea
joo-DEE-uh · Modern Judea region, Israel/West Bank · Also called Judaea
Judea is a region of the biblical world.
What is known
- Heartland of Jewish religious life, centered on the Jerusalem Temple
- Site of Jesus's trial and crucifixion under the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate
- Became the center of the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (AD 66–73), ending in the destruction of the Temple
History
- Founded
- Heartland of the former southern kingdom of Judah; became a Roman province in AD 6 after Herod Archelaus was deposed
- Population
- Estimated several hundred thousand in the 1st century AD
- Industry
- Agriculture (olives, grapes); the Temple economy in Jerusalem dominated the regional economy
- Coordinates
- 31.6000° N, 35.1000° E
Rulers and powers
- Herod the Great — 37–4 BC
- Herod Archelaus (ethnarch) — 4 BC – AD 6
- Roman prefects, incl. Pontius Pilate — AD 26–36
Archaeology
At Qumran, on the Dead Sea's northwest shore, manuscripts found in nearby caves beginning in 1947 (the Dead Sea Scrolls) illuminate Second Temple-period Judaism, the religious milieu into which Jesus was born; the identification of the adjacent settlement with the Essenes is still debated. Herodium, Herod the Great's fortress-palace south of Bethlehem, and Masada, his desert fortress overlooking the Dead Sea, are both extensively excavated and confirm the scale of Herodian building referenced in the Gospels' portrayal of Herodian rule over Judea.
Scripture references
- Matthew 2:1
- Matthew 19:1
- Luke 1:5
- Luke 2:4
- John 4:3
- Acts 1:8
- Acts 9:31
- Acts 11:29
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
Judea held both the crowded temple courts and the empty wilderness — do you tend to meet God in the crowd or in the quiet?
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