Jesus was apparently born in 4 BCE, the year of the death of Herod the Great. According to Christian tradition, he was born in Bethlehem, though some scholars believe that his birthplace was actually Nazareth. In any event, it was in Nazareth, in those days just a small village, that he spent his childhood. His earliest activities were concentrated in this region, particularly in the towns along the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. Wandering from village to village, he taught and preached in synagogues or wherever a crowd had gathered. His audiences were simple folk - craftsmen, fishermen, and farmers – among whom he found his first disciples. Descriptions of the acts of Jesus in the villages of the Galilee are replete with wondrous tales of healing and miraculous occurrences. His disciples - the Apostles - were twelve in number - a symbolic figure, evoking the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Jesus intentionally sought the company of sinners and emphasized God’s love and mercy toward all. In the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7) he delineates the main points of his moral doctrine, explaining that it was not his intent to override the words of the Prophets but rather to fulfill them. A main topic in the teachings of Jesus was the belief in the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, when all mankind would live in an ideal world. In this sense, he expressed the spirit of the times, in which messianic expectations were rampant and many believed that the End of Days and the Resurrection of the Dead were close at hand. Jesus’ image is that of a suffering Messiah, and it appears, though this is not explicitly mentioned, that he indeed saw himself as the bearer of this role.

“And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.” (Matthew 4:23)

Large Stone Vessels

The first miracle performed by Jesus according to the New Testament was to turn water into wine during the marriage at Cana. In this story, reference is made to large stone vessels used by the Jews for ritual purification: "Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons." (John 2:6)

The only large stone vessels from this period known to us are giant goblet-shaped barrels, most of which have been discovered in Jerusalem. They are undoubtedly among the most impressive examples of Judean stoneware from the Second Temple period. These vessels were cut on a lathe from a single block of stone and were certainly very costly. The jars mentioned in the story of the marriage at Cana were presumably similar to those shown here.

A corner in the exhibition: Large stone vessels
Jerusalem, 1st century CE
Israel Antiquities Authority, I.2222, 31.175, 91-461, 92-844, 99-3982, 99-4050
Photo: The Israel Museum, Jerusalem / by Avraham Hay

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In the Days of Jesus |In the Early Church |Pilgrimage |Images & Symbols |Monasticism in the Holy Land