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Roads and
Travel Linda McKinnish Bridges
People in the first century A.D. moved around more than we might think they did. People traveled for the same reasons we travel today--to trade goods, visit relatives, make business contacts, and to carry out official government duties. Although the road between Jerusalem and Jericho may have changed since ancient times, it can still be seen today. Roads and travel are frequent metaphors in the Bible. Crooked roads denote evil and hardship. Straight ones tell of peace and prosperity. When the biblical writers wanted to depict what peace might look like, they describe a straight and level road, the opposite of the hazardous Jericho road.
People in the first century A.D. moved around more than we might think they did. People traveled for the same reasons we travel today--to trade goods, visit relatives, make business contacts, and to carry out official government duties. Although the road between Jerusalem and Jericho may have changed since ancient times, it can still be seen today. People also traveled for religious purposes. Recall that Mary and Joseph journeyed from Nazareth to Jerusalem, about seventy-five miles, to visit the Temple and follow the traditional laws of purification. Devout Jews would make at least one annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Although travel was common, it was slow. Because of the rugged geographical character of Palestine, most travel was done on foot. At a normal pace, a person could walk about twenty miles in a day. Riding on an animal or in a carriage, one could travel five or six miles in an hour. Donkeys were used by the average person not only to carry supplies but also for riding. Roads varied in size from two lanes, ten feet wide, for military maneuvers, to simple tracks through fields. Jesus and the disciples walked along these roads, and they may not have always followed the roads suited for wheeled traffic. Although the road between Jerusalem and Jericho may have changed since ancient times, archeologists have helped us understand landscape of the road at the time of Jesus. The road that joined the two cities was a direct horizontal climb from Jericho. It crossed rugged, rough terrain along side cliffs and embankments. The distance from Jericho to Jerusalem may have been about twelve miles and could have taken eight to ten hours to travel on foot. Travel was difficult on the dangerous terrain of the Jericho road. Travelers faced hazards of water shortage, bandits, infiltrators, accidental falls, and even wild beasts. It is not surprising to discover that roads and travel are frequent metaphors in the Bible. Crooked roads denote evil and hardship, and straight ones tell of peace and prosperity. When the biblical writers wanted to depict what peace might look like, they describe a straight and level road, the opposite of the hazardous Jericho road.
People in the first century A.D. moved around more than we 20th-century folk might think they did. During the time of Jesus and Paul, we know that "people traveled more extensively and more easily than anyone before them or would again until the 19th century" (Meeks, p. 17). People traveled then for the same reasons we travel today—to trade their goods, to visit relatives, to make business contacts, and to carry out official government duties. Food, raw materials, and merchandise were transported by land and sea in first-century Palestine. In fact, trade routes have been documented as early as the third century B.C. People also traveled for religious purposes. Recall that Mary and Joseph journeyed from Nazareth to Jerusalem, about 75 miles, to visit the Temple and follow the traditional laws of purification. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph also traveled to Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve years old ( Luke 2.42–51). Devout Jewish people would make at least one annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Although travel was common, it was slow. Because of the
rugged geographical character of Palestine, most travel was done on foot. At a normal
pace, a person could walk about twenty miles in a day. Riding on an animal or in a
carriage, one could travel five or six miles in an hour. Donkeys were used by the average
person not only to carry supplies but also for riding. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey
Roads varied in size from two lanes about ten feet wide, designed for military maneuvers, to simple tracks through fields with just enough room for a person and a donkey to pass. During the years of Roman occupation, an integrated road system was built that could accommodate people, animals, and carriages. There were both north and south routes and east and west routes, with intersections often being in towns like Neapolis, Nicopolis, Hebron, Jericho, and Jerusalem. Jesus and the disciples walked along these roads, and they may not have always followed the roads suited for wheeled traffic. A road did go from Jerusalem to Jericho, and it probably
had existed from ancient times. Perhaps David escaped from Jerusalem to Jericho ( 2 Sam 15.23) on this road, and King
Zedekiah of Judah may have fled on this road when he tried to escape from the Chaldeans Although the road between Jerusalem and Jericho may have changed since ancient times, perhaps in several different stages, it can still be seen today. Scholars continue their search toward understanding the history of the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robert Beavery was able to document the history of the road prior to the improvements made in the 1960s that altered its shape slightly (see Revue Biblique, 64 (1957), 72–101). From the work of Beavery and other scholars, we are able to gain some understanding of the landscape of the road during the time of Jesus. Jericho was about 250 meters below sea level and Jerusalem about 750 meters above. The road that joined the two cities was a direct horizontal climb from Jericho, and it crossed rugged, rough terrain beside cliffs and embankments. The distance from Jericho to Jerusalem may have been about twelve miles and could have taken eight to ten hours to travel on foot. The road ran south of a place called "the Ascent of Blood," perhaps named for the presence of red sandstone in the area. Jerome (342–420), however, interpreted the name as being related to the loss of blood shed by unfortunate travelers and robbers. Jerome also remarks that a soldier’s castle was located there to help travelers on their way (Jerome, "Liber Lucorum" in Eusebius. Das Onomastikon der biblischen Ortsnamen, ed. E. Klostermann (1904), p. 25). Travel was difficult on the dangerous terrain of the Jericho road. Travelers faced hazards of water shortage, bandits, infiltrators, accidental falls, and even wild beasts. Accounts exist of wild animals such as bears and lions being on the road. Travel was often done in the cool of the night, adding darkness as another danger. Wild animals and bandits could hide in limestone caves along the winding, treacherous path. It is not surprising to discover that roads and travel are frequent metaphors in the Bible. Crooked roads denote evil and hardship, and straight ones tell of peace and prosperity. When the biblical writers wanted to depict what peace might look like, they describe a straight and level road, one without the steep inclines and hazardous crossings of the Jericho road. Hear the words of the prophet Isaiah as he draws a vivid word picture of God’s entrance and presence in the world: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway from our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain ( Isa 40.3–4). |