Geographist

Pharisees Key Scripture: Luke 11:39-54 Figures: Nicodemus, Gamaliel, Saul This week we reach one of the most commonly-referenced groups in the Gospels, the Pharisees.  As one of the most important groups in Jewish culture during the first century AD, this group combined political and religious influence through their emphasis on morality.  Although several of Jesus' followers came from among their number, Christ had some of his harshest exchanges with them.  Although they were exceptionally well thought of among the population, the Pharisees are today considered to be unpopular and their ways undesirable.  By studying the history, beliefs, and actions of this group we'll get to understand them a bit better.  Like most of the groups we have studied within Jewish culture, the Pharisees trace their origins back to the time of the Hasmonean dynasty.  They seem to have arisen shortly after the Maccabean Revolt alongside the Sadducees, but were largely made up of...

Zealots Key Scripture: Acts 5:37 Figures: Simon This week, as we move past another major milestone for the site, we're going to study a group that may seem similar to the focus of last week.  Their viewpoints on the social impact of Hellenization may have been similar, but the tactics they employed were vastly different.  Unlike the Essenes, whose practices reflected much in the actions of both Jesus and John the Baptist, the Zealots were much more confrontational and lived by a code that the early church had to reject.  Their actions were a major factor that ultimately led to the fulfillment of one of Jesus' prophecies.  Let's dig into the story of the Zealots. More of a social movement than an actual political party, the Zealots existed during the time of Roman control but could trace their inspiration all the way back to the time of Moses.  During Israel's period of wandering, a plague broke out within the camp due to their Baal worship and immorality, but th...

Another major milestone for the website, and it's both amazing and humbling.  Just 14 months after reaching the 100k mark, we've officially doubled the number of reader clicks.  Thanks to each one of you!  If you haven't had a chance to browse through any of the old topics, just tap on the menu options at the top and you'll see archived pages with each of the subjects I've touched on so far.  It really seems like we're picking up steam these days, so keep coming back each week to see what's new.  I've already got an idea of what we might start next, so in just a few more weeks you can expect for that news to be unleashed.  Here's to 200,000 more! 

Essenes Key Scripture: Colossians 2:16-23 Figures: None... or was there? This week we will look at a group within Jewish society that wasn't really part of society.  By choice, the Essenes tried to avoid the rest of the population by withdrawing to secluded wilderness.  They are not specifically mentioned in the Bible but it is likely they are referenced, and possible that one or more of their members played a role in early church history.  Importantly, they also resurfaced in modern times and have played a significant part in how Christians now understand and believe our own spiritual foundation.  Let's take some time and dive into this reclusive group to see what more we can learn. During the centuries leading up to the birth of Jesus, major upheavals throughout Jewish society birthed numerous groups with varying responses to the rising tide of Hellenism.  While many embraced the new culture and the modern benefits it provided, others vehemently opposed the sp...

Sadducees Key Scripture: Acts 23:8 Figures: Annas, Caiaphas This week we continue our dive into some of the groups within the first-century Jewish community, and once again our focus falls on a political sect.  These are people with whom Jesus and the other players in the Gospel story would have been acquainted, and perhaps even members of their inner circle.  The target this week falls upon the Sadducees, a powerful group of wealthy men who populated the upper echelon of society but who captured the attention of some of the most influential names in the early church for reasons they may not have wanted.  Although there is no historical documentation of their goals and beliefs from their own perspective, we can learn about them from the Bible and secondary sources.  During the period of time that falls between the Old and New Testaments, the Jewish people had to adapt to various changes in governance and politics.  No longer led by their own judges or kings, the...

Herodians Key Scripture: Mark 3:6 Figures: Herod the Great, Archelaus, Antipas, Philip, Agrippa I, Agrippa II This week we're going to deviate a bit from our study of nations in the Bible to begin looking at some people groups within the Jewish nation that played a part in the New Testament story.  As is the case during modern times, not everyone within a particular nation could agree on their philosophy or ultimate societal goals.  Politics existed even in the first century, after all, and exerted influence on the individuals we read about in Scripture.  Sometimes unusual coalitions were formed among those who disagreed when a common enemy appeared, and Jesus Christ led a group that would eventually threaten the positions and authority of a great many civil leaders.  To lead off, we'll investigate a group known as the Herodians. The Jews who existed in the first century AD were under the control of the Roman Empire, but had experienced foreign rule for the majority ...

Samaritans Key Scripture: 2 Kings 17:24 Figures: Sanballat, woman at the well, grateful leper Happy New Year!  At the time of my writing, we have just entered 2025 - amazing to realize that's the quarter pole of the 21st century.  This week we're going to meet a group of people that was created in the wake of Israel's disobedience and who became the target of unmatched animosity from the Hebrew people.  In spite of this, however, the Samaritans also found themselves being specifically targeted by God as part of His redemption story.  We'll look at the origin of this intriguing people group, which tells where they came from and why they were so despised by Jews, as well as how they found their way back into the fold as part of God's chosen people. The city of Samaria was founded by Israel's King Omri, father of the infamous Ahab, when he purchased a hill near the city of Shechem in the northern kingdom from a man named Shemer for about 150 lbs of silver.  Naming ...

Roman Empire Key Scripture: Acts 23:11 Figures: Caesar Augustus, Pontius Pilate, Nero, Aquila and Priscilla First, a quick note: I will be out of the country next week to celebrate my anniversary, so there will be a hiatus until the beginning of January.  I wish you all a very merry Christmas, and may 2025 become your best year ever!  Earlier in our study of biblical nations, we spent time with some of the major empires that ruled over the Hebrew people or that impacted them in significant ways.  You may have noticed that one particular entry was missing, and it's the biggest of them all.  Today, we fill that gap.  Rome, the greatest empire known to western civilization (and possibly the world), was the dominant superpower at the time of Jesus' birth and throughout the entire New Testament.  The empire itself lasted for over 500 years, not to mention the rise and remnants that spanned an additional millennium or more, and it likely has had more researc...

Spaniards Key Scripture: Romans 15:24-28 Figures: none Spain exists at the western extent of the Mediterranean Sea, and for many of the civilizations that surrounded this vital piece of water it represented the edge of the world.  In Scripture, we only get one definite reference to the location, but there are other verses that may well point to this far away point that was seen as an exotic and strange destination.  In each case, it is curious that it also seems to be somewhat unreachable, almost as if God were holding back His people from reaching these distant shores regardless of what their intentions may have been.  Unlike any of the previous locations or civilizations, I have a personal experience with this week's focus that gives it an extra dose of intrigue and appeal to me.  Let's take some time looking into what we know of Spain, and see if we can learn anything new.  The name of Spain only shows up in one chapter of the Bible, as Paul is writing to bel...

Cretans Key Scripture: Titus 1:12 Figures: none As we've been investigating some of the locations mentioned in the New Testament, we arrive this week at an island that is tied to two other nations that we've already investigated.  Today, Crete is the largest and most populated island of Greece, and in a previous study we looked at the possibility that the Philistines were a group that had their origins on the island.  But in the New Testament the apostle Paul found himself on the island, and while the circumstances seemed to be out of his control he still managed to fulfill his lifelong mission.  Let's dig in. The island of Crete, or Caphtor as many early writings suggest it was initially called, has been visited by mankind for as long as they have been travelling the Mediterranean, several millennia before the writings of the New Testament.  Caphtor was descended from Ham's son, Mizraim, who was also the ancestor of the Egyptian people.  Permanent settlements o...

Galatians Key Scripture: Galatians 3:1 Figures: Ethnic - none; resident - Timothy This week we continue looking through the people groups that were visited by Paul, among others, during the time of the New Testament.  The eastern neighbors to last week's focus group are the Galatians, a storied and fascinating people.  Unique among Paul's epistles, his letter to the Galatians was not written to a single city but to a group of churches he had planted.  A number of locations within the region of Galatia are among those he visited alongside Barnabas on his first missionary journey, so it is possible that the letter is the earliest chronological book written by Paul (although many scholars favor a later date that places it closer to the middle of his works).  Regardless of the timing, it is clear that Paul not only encountered the Jewish diaspora within the region but also Gentiles, including the very people who gave the area its name.  It is this ethnic group and t...

Phrygians Key Scripture: Acts 18:23 Figures: Epaphras, Nympha This week we're going to take a turn to the north and look at a different part of the Biblical story.  While the Old Testament narrative focused largely on nations to the south or east of the Promised Land, the story that is told in the New Testament reflects a shift in historical trends towards the north and west.  A land once known as Anatolia played a vital role in the spread of Christianity, and later it was called Asia Minor before carrying its modern name of Turkey.  Controlled by the Greeks before eventually becoming part of Rome, it was populated with a number of different ethnic groups.  To continue our study, we now turn our attention to one of the regions within this important place that was home to a people group known as the Phrygians. The Phrygian people originally came from Europe, and had likely immigrated from the western side of the Black Sea some time during the late 2nd millennium BC....

Phoenicians Key Scripture: Ezekiel 27 Figures: Hiram, Jezebel Throughout their history the descendants of Israel have been a unique society.  They have managed to maintain their special identity in spite of numerous periods of persecution and other challenges, and their insistence upon being different than those around them has regularly set them at odds with other cultures.  One people group that was recorded to have a consistently positive alliance with the Hebrews, however, were the Phoenicians.  Similar to the Philistines, it is possible that they were never a cohesive nation with centralized ruler, but instead spread a vast web of influence throughout the known world from a few cities they controlled along Israel's northern border, such as Tyre and Sidon.  Although we see evidences of their civilization every day in the letters of our alphabet, is there more we can learn about this notable people group? Who were the Phoenicians?  Although they are reference...

Horites Key Scripture: Deuteronomy 2:12 Figures: Seir The flow of people groups in and out of the lands described in the Bible has been constant for quite a number of years.  Some nations have managed to establish a homeland for a significant amount of time, such as the Egyptians, while others have been relocated, destroyed, or assimilated by other cultures.  This week we look at the story of an old group about which little is known, and in fact may have gone entirely unnoticed if it weren't for a record of their existence found in the pages of Scripture.  They are the Horites, and like any group with little definitive information they are the subject of much conjecture. The first mention of the Horites is found in Genesis 14, shortly after Lot parted company with his uncle.  They were said to live in Seir, the mountainous region south of the Dead Sea, and in response to their rebellion against King Chedorlaomer of Elam were attacked by a confederation of his allies....

Philistines Key Scripture: Zephaniah 2:5 Figures: Abimelech, Goliath, Achish During our study of Biblical people groups, some of the names that have been studied are quite familiar while others are obscure and relatively unknown.  This week we'll dive into the Philistines - a nation that is discussed frequently in Scripture, but has certain mysterious details absent from their story.  This has led to some misconceptions and guesswork from readers, especially regarding their origin and ultimate destiny.  Let's dig deeper into this familiar name and see if we can't uncover some facts that we may not have known before.  Like so many of the nations discussed in the Old Testament, we are first introduced to the Philistine people when they are mentioned in Genesis 10.  While it is clear that the inhabitants of Philistia are descended from Ham's son Mizraim, their specific geographic origin has become disputed because of conflicting translations.  Two specific nam...

Hagrites Key Scripture: 1 Chronicles 5:20 Figures: Jaziz Another milestone for the website this week - we just crossed the 175,000 mark!  It was less than a year ago that I celebrated reaching six figures for the very first time, a goal that was five years in the making.  The fact that we're progressing towards doubling that number in the coming months is amazing to me, and (as it always does) fills me with gratitude for every person who takes the time to click on the links and read what I'm learning.  Thank you all!  This week, we're going to learn about another one of the more obscure people groups that are found in the Old Testament.  During the time when various empires were being forged, defeated, and recreated, several of these small nations seemed to exist.  Like some of the others that we've analyzed, this one has a possible family relationship to the people of Israel, but that didn't stop the Hagrites from opposing God's chosen people. Before the b...