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Saturday, 21 September 2013

Who's for a walk?

The Bible has Jesus moving from Jerusalem to Galilee and back a lot.  And we are told he walked everywhere!  
I wondered how far it is from Galilee to Jerusalem - or the other way round, for I understand that everyone was said to “go up to Jerusalem”.  So I "Googled": “Distance from Jerusalem to Galilee.”  There is an amazing site called Miles Jesus and Mary walked, the Official website of Arthur Blessitt. Blessitt says that Mary walked half way round the world at the Equator; Jesus walked almost the whole way.
Every religious Jew was required by the law to visit Jerusalem three times a year (Ex. 34:23).  And there were “extras” which Jesus would have undertaken each year.
Blessitt mentions that Samaria (both mountains & Samaritans!) would be avoided when travelling between Jerusalem and Galilee.  He describes the route taken as going from Jerusalem east, down the Jordan Valley (the Jericho Road), across Jordan, north on east side to Decapolis, crossing back west over Jordan just below the Sea of Galilee, then north on the west side of the Sea of Galilee past Tiberias, and through Magdala to Capernaum.  Or from Decapolis north west to Nazareth and then east to Capernaum.  The direct route from Jerusalem to Galilee through Samaria was about 90 miles; the over-Jordan route 120 miles.  Blessitt says the company on the move would have been in the thousands.
I reckon there weren't many overweight religious Jews in those days!

Joyce Voysey

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