Galilee: History, Politics, People

Who were the Galileans? What was their background? Were they descendants of ancient northern Israelites? When had they come under Jerusalem rule? What precipitated resistance movements in the area?

Throughout the past fifteen to twenty years a great deal of attention has been devoted to Galilee by those interested in the synoptic Gospels and the historical Jesus, and by American and Israeli archaeologists. This intense focus on Galilee has produced a number of interesting and important results, such as the development of a more sophisticated critical reading of rabbinic sources and increased maturity in how we understand the limited literary and archaeological evidence available. More important for an understanding of Galilee or Roman Palestine generally, however, has been the opening toward greater awareness of social structure and analysis.

Richard Horsley takes all these developments into account in this commanding study of the basic political and economic relations that prevailed in Roman Palestine—with particular reference to Galilee, and with particular sensitivity to the implications for the resident's lives. The purpose of his meticulous research, analysis, and reconstruction is ultimately to provide a more complete and precise sense of the historical Jesus and the synoptic Gospel traditions.