Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Identity Crisis


            Sometimes, I feel as though I am very immature. Sadly many of my actions show that to be true. It’s not as though some of these actions, whether is be a stupid joke or a silly poking at someone, are sin. But they are often unnecessary and I know that. But the thing is that I don’t know what to do about them. I don’t want to be fake. But I know maturity is necessary for me to be a Pastor. It is as if there is a line in the sand that I keep missing due to the winds of life.
            This is where my wife comes into play. She is such a blessing and a great help mate. Sadly but truly, these actions mentioned previously often embarrass her. This sometimes fuels the rebel in me to desire to do them even more because as mentioned previously I justify them by saying, “there not sin.” So my immaturity seems to perpetuate in this cycle where I feel crippled by my sometimes-childish actions and yet justify them.
“Where is the end to this cycle?” is a question I sometimes ask. Or “Would this have been different if I had been raised by a Christian father?” Am I an untamed dragon as Donald Miller properly assesses in his book, “To own a dragon”. This is me behind the veil.
            Yet God continues to teach me how to be mature even though some of these actions and childish tendencies persist.
The only solution I can find is Jesus…I know, your thinking I’m just being cheesy or over spiritualizing things or giving vague platitudes.  But this is really the only place that my soul has found identity. When this identity Crisis comes upon me Christ intervenes. My immaturity comes crushing in and brings me to my knees because I have tried to stop but can’t…without his help. My old sinful self died when Jesus died on the cross. My new identity is found when I die to self my surrendering to Jesus and Obeying Him. He makes me able to selflessly serve my wife. He tames my anger that flares up at every turn. He gives me patience to bear with trials. He gives me joy when my heart is overwhelming heavy with life. My identity is in Jesus. He will help mature me.
            Please brothers and sisters in Christ pray for my maturity and encourage me in my weakness. As Paul says, “I do those things which I hate”. While I’m not sure if Paul was taking directly about immaturity but I definitely know he was referring to sin. May Jesus mature each one of us.

Ephesians 2:4-5, “ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—“
4:21-24, “21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Are you living in reality?


Sometimes I get this eerie feeling that a lot of people are being drawn into fantasy rather than reality. What I mean by this is that instead of facing true reality we would rather watch someone else’s life or a made up story or even play a character in another reality. More specifically, I think that the stories created by Hollywood seem to always captivate our minds rather than our own lives. Or perhaps we are on Facebook making our lives look better than they are as we peer into other people’s lives looking on with envy.  Or perhaps we are sucked into a video game where we are a mage or soldier in the infantry. All of these options seem to be prevalent in our American culture. Yet all of these options in some way get us away from our daily human interaction. All of these options seem to distract us as many of our lives crumble from secret sins or bad choices.  Maybe we dwell so much in fantasyland because we are frustrated and can’t figure out what to do with the problems we face. Maybe the reason many people allow themselves to be drawn away from real life is because they don’t want to face reality?
            I think that there are several options for why Americans are so obsessed with fantasy rather then reality:
1.     Many of us think our lives suck. We have chased material things. Tried to find joy in every area we think possible yet are never satisfied so we run to fantasy.
2.     Some of us have made and continue to make poor decisions. Whether we have burned bridges with those close to us or sinned so greatly we can’t face it.
3.     We don’t feel like our lives are adventurous enough. We think that our lives are boring so we run to more adventures.
4.     The let us escape from forming true deep relationships with others because relationships are hard and we often mess up.
All of these are symptoms of our hearts that are at unrest. As Augustine once said, “Our hearts are restless until they find rest in God.” God wants to give us wisdom to face our trials head on. If only we would read His Word. God wants to forgive us and give us restoration for our sin. If only we would confess and turn to Him. God wants to give us the power to overcome the sins we struggle with. If only we would believe that the Spirit that lives within believers is powerful enough. God wants us to stop seeking other things to satisfy our hearts. If we would just rest in Him. God wants us to have healthy relationships with others. If we would seek Him first then put others before ourselves. God wants to heal our brokenness. If we would just come to Him.
Many of those things mentioned at the beginning of this blog are not bad. They are sometimes neutral or good things. Yet when we let them consume our hearts and take us away from reality we often become deceived by lies, consumed by these things, and our hearts grow hard towards God. God wants our lives to be an adventure. He has placed each one of us where we are for a reason. Let us seek Him and His ways first. Then God will teach us how to rightly live in reality.
John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Friday, April 20, 2012

WHEAT, GRAIN AND MEAL WERE VITAL COMPONENTS TO THE ECONOMY OF 1st CENTURY PALESTINE


*This was my paper presented to my Palestinian Roman class. Hope you enjoy and that it helps you understand the culture in which Jesus lived*

            Many factors composed and held together the society of first century Palestine. Kinship was of great importance at this time. Sons normally followed after their fathers when it came to work. Daughters were normally married to second cousins or wealthy suitors to help sustain the family’s wealth.[1] The cities were very much interdependent[2] and inter-relational, as the shop owners of similar trades would work together in close circles to help keep each other economically afloat.[3] There were tax collectors who would collect monies for Rome in order to keep the government stable. There would be rulers over all of the major cities such as Herod the Great and Herod Antipas who ruled for the Roman Empire over Jerusalem, Sepphoris, and other provinces.  Thus kinship, business, the political landscape, and many other factors were essential to the economy of first century Palestine. But this paper will not focus on any of the previous factors mentioned.  Instead, the focus of this paper will be upon the agriculture, specifically the production of wheat, grain, and meal and their essential nature to the economy of first century Palestine.
            First century Palestine was not a culture of industries like the modern world; many people had to work as farmers either in a small sense just for their household or in a bigger sense at a farmhouse.[4] One author makes the claim that “80 to 90 percent of the populace in Jesus’ day regularly engaged in agricultural work.”[5] Thus, Palestine was self-sustained economically.[6] Grain was a prominent crop that was produced among the farmers. Grain then was a sustaining factor in first century Palestine’s economy. But how can this statement be proven? This paper sets out to prove the previous statement, to show that first century Palestine’s economy was held together by their self-production of grain[7]. One might think that this could not be proven because the remains of seeds, grains and weeds might no longer be evidenced due to their perishable nature.[8] Yet, the significance of wheat to the first century Palestine’s economy will be proven by the examination of many factors, both archaeological and historical.
 First this paper will examine the parables of Jesus of Nazareth, which were spoken to the common man of first century Palestine. Then the sizable presence of farms, both big and small, will be examined. Thirdly, the landscapes and archaeological evidence will be looked at in order to bolster the claim that “‘wheat was grown in all regions of Palestine’…except for times of drought and famine, Galilee in particular and Palestine in general supplied itself with grain.”[9]  Fourthly, the taxation of the villages to the cities’ storehouses will be examined to shed further light on their economy. Then, the historical evidence found in reliable works will be examined. Finally, there will be an examination of the evidenced eating habits, which make wheat a multi-purposed necessity for the first century person in Palestine. All of these factors will be combined to shows how the economy of first century Palestine was dependent upon seeds, wheat, grain, and meal.
Why should Jesus of Nazareth be used to point out the significance of agriculture in first century Palestine? It is key to note that when Jesus spoke to the peoples of Palestine, he did not just speak these parables to a specific social group. The New Testament says, “That great crowds gathered about him.”[10] (Matt. 13:2) This was not just one group of people but instead was multiple groups that many times included the Pharisees (Matt. 12:2). Jesus’ parables should be examined for many reasons. First off, it must be noted that the Gospels are one of the most significant helps that one has to understand first century Palestine due to their details of this era.[11] Secondly, Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth was about four miles from the important city of Sepphoris, and it was south of the rich agricultural land of Bet Netofa Valley.[12] Thus, Jesus was very much acquainted with the agricultural areas. Finally, Jesus was a carpenter thus making him well acquainted with farmers who were on the same level as him socially and economically.[13]
During Jesus’ presentation of the “Parable of the Sowers” it is important to note that he was in Nazareth his hometown (Matt. 13:53-54). One can deduce that in this case agriculture was a well-known, essential part of the economy in Nazareth. The use of agriculture by Jesus was not a mistake because Jesus often used things that were common to the people in his parables.[14] For example, look at the “Parable of the Net” (Matt. 13:47-50) or the “Parable of Salt and Light” (Matt. 5:13-16).[15] These are just a few references that point to Jesus’ use of common things in his parables. Thus, the things that Jesus references in his parables can then be seen as things which were common to the first century people of Palestine and in turn show that seeds, grain, wheat, and meal were common to these peoples.[16] 
Jesus then used his keen observation skills using what was common to the peoples in his public proclamations. There are some key things that one can observe from his parables in order to further understand how essential and common seeds, grain, and wheat were to these peoples. First, notice the disciple’s confused reaction to Jesus’ “Parable of the Sower” (Matt. 13:1-9). Jesus presented a farmer who cast seed in four places: the path, the rocky ground, the thorns, and the good soil. The fact that people sow seeds was a common thing to the people, yet casting seed so randomly seems leaves the people with confusion. The proper way to sow seeds was common to these people. This points out that these disciples, from various jobs, did not just have a passing understanding of how to plant seeds but a proper understanding. It is also to be noted by Jesus’ response concerning the people’s lack of understanding that the common people were also confused, as the disciple had been (Matt. 13:11-13)[17]. Thus, the conclusions made by some that most peoples of the first century Palestine were involved in agriculture, specifically wheat, seem to be true of these “great crowds” that came out to hear Jesus speak.
         Based off of an article, by Yizhar Hirschfield a former Israeli archaeologist, entitled “Farms and villages in Byzantine Palestine,” one can see traces of the agriculture economy of the first century Palestine, which carried over into the Byzantine period. Even Hirschfield himself admits in the beginning of his article that “the economic prosperity of the villages in the eastern provinces, which had begun to take root in the Hellenistic period, continued throughout the Byzantine period.”[18] A lot of Hirschfield’s observations concerning farms in the Byzantine period are based off of the facts of farms in the Roman period. He goes onto explain how proper excavations and dating has concluded that the housings and farms were “diverse, ranging from large or small single farms, to groups of farms combined to form small villages or hamlets, to medium- and large-sized villages scattered throughout the country”[19] The appearance of this mass amount of farms seems to indicate the agrarian nature of the first century Palestinian economy.
         Hirschfield then goes on to trace archaeological findings concerning farmhouses. This is significant because he shows that farms and agriculture were found in a variety of locations in Roman Palestine. Though, in this article his primary focus is upon the Byzantine period. He also mentions some Roman farms because these two time periods over lap in dating of farms and lay out of farms. Often the farms of the Byzantine period had been built in the earlier periods.[20]  The first farm, which had a large plot of farmland, was excavated on the southern bank of Nahal Govta.[21] He even shows how some villages were formed around farmhouses in Horvat Din’ila.  In Ramat Hanadiv a farmhouse was exposed which was much like a Roman villa rustica.  These are just a few examples of Roman/Byzantine farms. Hirschfeld continues to trace farmhouse from the coastal plains, Samria, Judea, the Negev Desert, Northern, Western, central Negev, and the Negev highlands.[22] This agriculturally based society was not just found in a few regions in Palestine but is found throughout the land of first century Palestine.
         Another archaeologist has found farmhouses throughout the Caesarea. One archaeologist says, “Farmhouses, were found dispersed in the countryside of Caesarea, and in the Samaria Hills.”[23]  Thus, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the hills of Samaria there is archaeological backing for Hirschfield’s previous claims of the prevalence of farms in Palestine. It is also important to note that warehouses and granaries were “found next to urban palatial mansions.”[24] This storage of grain is seen as so prominent that it reaches the shore, city, plains, and hills.[25] This evidence concerning farmhouses paints the land of Palestine as actively engaged in agriculture.
         These farmhouses are not only found in all of the previous areas mentioned by Hirschfeld but are also found in and around ancient Jerusalem.[26]  There was a specific group of archaeologists who examined the whole area of Jerusalem finding “literally hundreds of carefully planned farm units and many other remains scattered around Jerusalem.”[27] The conclusions of these archaeologists are very important to the investigation of the agrarian nature of the first century Palestine.  They found two types of farms. The first one covered around four and a half acres of land and was built between the eight and sixth centuries B.C. Though this farm was built during the Iron Age, there was evidence of its usage during the first century. The elements that characterize this first farm are a house at the center, agricultural installations, and an enclosed area for the animals. [28] The second farm had a wine manufacturing installation. [29] This farm was also built in Iron Age and continued in use throughout first century A.D. Yet, it was not primarily a wine press because there was much evidence of the milling of grain found throughout this farm. This farm was built on a slope with a great irrigation system to water the grain and grapes.[30] These farms were primarily focused upon grain and grapes providing crops for Jerusalem.
In examining the landscape of Palestine there is much archaeological evidence, which sheds light upon the claims that first century Palestine was an agrarian based society. Some modern researchers, when examining the soil, have seen the previous agricultural prosperity.[31] One archaeologist points out concerning the soil of Upper Galilee,
In the coastal plain and the smaller valleys, the main soil types are basically alluvial, particularly suitable for field crops and especially for cereals grown without irrigation…Although the vast majority of these fields were not cultivated in 1945, this evidence shows that almost all the land except for the steepest slopes was cultivated at sometime in the past.[32]

Thus, from examination of present day soil and landscaping, archeologists can see the presence of the past agricultural society.[33] This author goes onto to show that there is evidence that shows dividing stonewalls in the fields that might signify farmland, which would point to sheep grazing and the production of produce, which most likely included grain.[34] This further points out the claims others have made concerning the citizens and land of Palestine pointing to their necessity of grain and wheat production.
         To add onto the previous thought, some archaeologists have noticed the presence of this agrarian based society saying that from c.a. 7000 B.C. to c.a. 400 A.C. there was “an active agricultural population.”[35] These archeologists have also based these claims off of the examination of soil and landscaping, seeing remains of this agricultural engagement throughout the land.  They also claim that there was a “prosperous agriculture during the Roman occupation.”[36]  Thus, they have seen evidences of agriculture being an essential part of the first century Palestinian economy and that agriculture continued to grow into the Christian time period. Concerning the area called the Lod (Lydda) Basin one archaeologist notices fertile nature of the soil and also claims that many grains were grown in this area.[37] With these conclusions set in place, by archaeologist examining the soil and landscape, it is clear that the economy of first century Palestine had the fertility to sustain a great amount of cultivation.[38] All of these claims by archaeologists concerning the soil of Palestine coincide claims made by Josephus in the first century that (B.J. 3.42) “the land everywhere is so rich in soil.”[39] The claims of first century Palestine being an agrarian society are not just claims made by past historians but are claims confirmed by modern archaeologists.
         Reflecting upon and examining the lands throughout Palestine, many field archaeologists have noticed much about their agrarian culture. For instance, Yizhar Hirschfield concerning the Ein Gedi noticed “the terraces and irrigation system indicated that these people were engaged in agriculture.”[40] It is not only the soil that leads archaeologists to conclude that the land was ripe for agriculture, but it was also the irrigation system. In the same archaeological exploration of Israel, one archaeologist found “a concentration of cereal grains” in Atlit-Yam.[41]  During this same exploration in different areas they also found grains and other aspects of agriculture that would leave one more convinced that first century Palestine was rich in grain and agricultural cultivation.
         Concerning soil in the land of Palestine, some archaeologists have found some interesting things in the Judean wilderness. On the outside, the Judean wilderness might appear barren and have no chance of farming; yet with a more throughout examination one will find the opposite is true. These archaeologists discovered desert farms that previously provided food for the security garrisons.  These farms were used from the Iron Age into the Byzantine period. These archaeologists began to examine the area of these farms, that were uniquely u-shaped, to find out how the soil was able to produce any crops at all. They found that the water that flowed down towards the Dead Sea would be collected where the farms dwelt. The reason these farms would collect the water was due to the fact that they dwelt in a basin. Not only did the location of these farms help them flourish but also the architects developed a unique system to help retain the water for their crops. Thus, the natural flooding and the skill of these farmers helped to cultivate this wilderness. [42]  These archaeologists “found the botanical remains of wheat and barley, probably grown on the farm.”[43] Agriculture and the production of grain was so essential to the peoples of Palestine that they even cultivated areas that others would think were impossible to cultivated.
         The people of the villages of first century Palestine, specifically Galilee, had a culture of subsistence, which means they primarily produced goods for themselves and not for trade. There was no such thing as a market in the village economy. No archaeological evidence has been found concerning a specific market building in the village, yet the villages did have extra produce that was given to the tax collectors. This tax had previous been paid to the temple because the people were required to give forth their first fruits or one-fourth of their produce. But, when Rome took over Palestine, their leaders just adopted this system of taxation for their government and also required the villages to pay a tribute to Rome. This is shown in Josephus (Ant. 14.209), “[The Judeans] shall pay tithes to Hyrcanus and his sons, just as they paid their forefathers.”[44]  The villages then had heavy burdens place upon them by the Herodian officers who were the collectors of produce for Rome. This type of taxing by Herod “was a system of state monopoly or of tax-farming.”[45] The produce redistribution by the cities from the towns shows that “the grain supply was at the very center of the ‘politics’ of the polis!”[46] In Caesarea the collector of taxed grain for the cities was called “grain buyer (sitonos).”[47] Thus the village’s produce was essential to the economy of the Roman cities because it was taxed to help with army supplies and help the local aristocrats run a better economy.[48]
         Another evidence of the city’s dependence upon the villages, which shows further evidence for this taxation and redistribution, comes from Josephus. In a discourse where Josephus is giving defense of Galilee for the Romans from John of Gischala, Josephus says (Vita 71-73), “The imperial grain stored in the villages of Upper Galilee.” Even though Josephus mentions this as a passing reason for his defense of Galilee it is a significant point. First off, these grain storehouses were so essential to the economy of Palestine that Josephus was willing to defend it by force. Secondly, that this stored grain was actually in existence in Upper Galilee proves the existence of redistribution and taxation of grain by the Romans. Finally, that Josephus was in some way responsible for this grain, showing the importance the village grain had to the Roman cities. This mention by Josephus only further solidifies the claim that grain was essential to the Roman economy.[49]
         Many archaeologists working throughout the land of Palestine have found the existence of granaries and warehouses, which were mentioned previously by Josephus. Excavations have uncovered inside and to the south of Caesarea the storage of grain in underground granaries. These storages areas, which were mainly next to urban villas, took up an altogether twenty-five percent of the area.[50] Thus, this archaeological evidence coincides with Jeffers who says, “Storage pits were dug into the floor to hold grain.”[51] Numerous storage rooms were also found throughout Masada. Many of these storerooms in Masada were specifically used for wheat and grain storage.[52] These storehouses and granaries are found throughout the land of first century Palestine.
         Concerning many of the agricultural recourses in Palestine, historically, Caesarea was a great source of wealth for Herod the Great’s Kingdom.[53] One of the main reasons that Caesarea was a great source of wealth was due to the fact that it possessed the Sharon Plain, which was renown “as a land of wheat.”[54] The Sharon Plain’s wheat was imported throughout the kingdom by their five trade roots, which went in all directions to the surrounding regions.[55] There is also much historical evidence concerning the grain, which was evidently essential to Jerusalem. Historically there are many mentions of “‘fields’… ‘landed property’…threshing[floors]”[56] in and around Jerusalem that provided grain for the city. In Jerusalem grain, flour, and bread went for a higher price due to the fact that much of it was imported from the villages.[57]  In times of famine Jerusalem would first lack grain. This is due to fact Jerusalem had poor soil and was unable to provide its own grain.  But the fact that grain was the first crop to diminish during a famine also points to its essential nature to Jerusalem. The prevalence of grain is also seen in the fact that one of the names of the cities that was within eleven miles was made up of the word ‘wheat.’[58] The fine flour that was received by the temple in Jerusalem was imported from Judea. Grain suppliers brought this fine flour from Michmash, Zanoah, and Ephriam.[59]  Even though Judea provided this flour for the temple, the primary source of imported grain for Jerusalem was from Transjordan. Thus, when it came to Jerusalem, the historical records point to grain being primarily imported from all over the land of Palestine. [60]
         Many of the tools that were used to harvest and work grain have been found in archaeological digs.[61] Yet, before the tools are mentioned, it is important to note that in Caesarea they found an amulet with a man holding back a sickle to thresh produce. If someone was willing to wear an amulet inscribed with a farmer, it is clearly evident that farming was a prevalent and cherished activity.[62] Inside of the city of Caesarea there were basalt millstones found.[63] These millstones were heavy stones used to grind grain for baking and cooking uses.[64] Caesarea was not the only city with millstones; the Ein Yalu farm outside of Jerusalem had varies milling stone scattered throughout their farm. These millstones were made from the hard limestone found in the local quarries.[65] The primary tools for farming were then the sickle noted in the amulet picture and the millstone, which would grind the grain into flour.
Grain, wheat, and meal will now go from simple produce to actualization in the life of the first century Palestinian. Grain had multiple uses within first century Palestine. Yet, there is a primary use of wheat and grain that was used daily by the first century Palestinians. Bread was this primary staple of the first century Palestine citizen’s diet.[66] Bread was not normally made without wheat, grain, or meal. Bread is so essential to the common diet that it was how the devil tempted Jesus (Matt. 4:3-4). It is also what Jesus multiplies, along with fish, to feed the five thousand (Matt. 15:32-39). It is also what Jesus and his disciples eat during the Passover when Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:14-23). These are just a few examples from the bible that show the prominence of bread, in essence the prominence of grain, among the first century Palestinians.
         The preeminence of bread in the first century Palestinian’s diet was not only seen in the bible but is also seen in other sources.[67] When it comes to housing layout most of the archaeological evidence show bread ovens being found inside and outside of houses. This shows how essential bread was to these people that they would have a specific oven for bread cooking. This bread cooking would be done on a weekly basis. The people of this time would use a millstone to grind their grain or buy ground grain to make their own bread weekly.[68] Yet, it is important to note that some people would take a specific apprenticeship to learn how to cook five hundred recipes, which would require five years of apprenticeship.[69] Josephus mentioned that during a time of famine there were specialized bakers of bread in first century Jerusalem.[70] A loaf of bread in Jerusalem was sold for a twelfth of a denarius. From this price it has been deduced that the price of grain or flour in Jerusalem was “one denarius for each Se’ah (about thirteen liters or three gallon)”[71] The prominence of bread in the daily diet of all of the people throughout the land of Palestine is clearly evidenced.
         In conclusion, Jesus speaks to the common man’s environment when he speaks in parables about wheat and seeds. The overwhelming archaeological evidence proves this. Throughout the landscape of Palestine many have found fertile soil, remains of previous agricultural usage, and a massive amount of farms. These farms are dated from the first century and are found predominantly throughout the land of Palestine. Yet, these farms’ primary crop was wheat. This is evidenced from the massive amounts of granaries, millstone, and bread ovens found throughout them. This agriculture of wheat is also seen in the storehouses found historically in Josephus and archaeologically in many cities throughout the land. This wheat and grain was used throughout the daily meals of the first century Palestine. Thus, first century Palestine’s economy was very much dependent upon their self-production of wheat and grain.

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[1]K.C. Hanson & Douglas E. Oakman, Palestine in the Time of Jesus: Social Structure and Social Conflicts; Second Edition, (Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 1998) 30-47.
[2]It is also important to note that not only were the cities interdependent, but the farms and cities of Jerusalem were interdependent upon each other. One archaeologist notes, “In many ways the urban hub and the surrounding rural areas were interdependent. The rural areas were dependent on Jerusalem commercially and politically Jerusalem, on the other hand, depended on the surrounding farms for a steady supply of agricultural produce. This mutual dependency assumed an urban center that was politically stable and economically sound. The urban center, on the other hand, could expand and develop only if an adequate food supply from the surrounding areas was assured. In short, the population of an urban center was related to food available from the rural areas that surround it.”- Gershon Edelstein and Shimon Gibson, Ancient Jerusalem’s Rural Food Basket: The “new” archaeology looks for an urban center’s agricultural base, (Biblical Archaeology Society Online Archive, Jul/Aug 1982) (Access date: April 14, 2012)
[3]James S. Jeffers, Greco-Roman World of The New Testament Era: Exploring the Background of Early Christianity, (Downers Grove, InterVarsity Press, 1999) 54.
[4]“Compared with modern industrial agriculture, ancient agriculture was not very productive. Ancients could expect at best a yield of 10 to 15 times the grain seed sown; modern grain production, with the aids of tractors and chemical fertilizers, often yields forty times or better…Basic agricultural operations were undertaken by families of peasants…living in villages” Hanson, 98
[5]Hanson, 97.
[6] Phillip A. Harland Originally published in Handbook of Early Christianity: Social Science Approaches, edited by Anthony J. Blasi, Jean Duhaime and Paul-Andre Turcotte, pp. 511-527. (Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press. Reprinted here with approval from Altamira Press. Copyright Philip A. Harland 2002) 518.
[7]For all intensive purposes grain, wheat, seed and meal will be used interchangeable within this paper since they are so closely related.
[8]It is also interesting to see the research of some self proclaimed “Archaeobotanists.” These people have found remains of seeds and grains from early B.C. Thus, it is highly possible that there could also be some remains of grain found in pottery from the 1st century Palestine. Ehud Weiss, Mordechai E. Kislev, Weeds & Seeds: What Archaebotany can teach us, (Biblical Archaeology Review, Nov/Dec 2004) (Accessed 4/14/2012)
[9]“…as well as wine and oil” Richard A. Horsley, Archaeology History and Society in Galilee: The Social Context of Jesus and the Rabbis, (U.S.A., Trinity Press International, 1996) 74.
[10]ESV
[11]W. F. Albright, The Archaeology of Palestine, (Hardmondsworth, Penguin Books, 1951) 146.
[12]Hanson, 97.
[13]This is true for Hanson says, “The elite 5 percent of the population-rulers…did not regularly do agricultural work.” 97. Hanson then puts most of the rest of the population as agricultural workers. Thus Jesus was well acquainted with agriculture even though He didn’t farm for a living.
[14] Hanson, 97.
[15]For more examples see Jesus’ parables of fruit trees in Matt. 7:15-20; 12:33-36, house building in Matt. 7:24-27, the use of Jonah in Matt. 12:39-42, the parable of the lost sheep in Matt. 18:10-14, and many other references which could be proven historically.
[16]It is also important to note that bread was also a common staple of the first century Palestine citizens’ diet. Bread was not normally made without wheat, grain, or meal. Bread is so essential to the common diet that it is what Jesus is tempted with by Satan (Matt. 4:3-4). It is also what Jesus multiples along with fish to feed the five thousand (Matt. 15:32-39). It is also what Jesus and his disciples eat during the Passover when Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:14-23).
[17]Though this passage is probably referring to true belief in Jesus by understanding the parables, it is key to note that they didn’t understand the parable. They were confused in some manner, and I believe that part of this was due to the usual way in which the sower was sowing.
[18]Yizhar Hirschfeld, Farms and Villages in Byzantine Palestine, Dumbarton Oaks Papers Vol. 51, (1997), pp. 33-71, Published by: Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1291761 (Access date: 2/18/2012), 33.
[19] ibid, 36.
[20]This evidence was found by Archaeologists who dated many farms around Jerusalem. Edelstein, ibid.
[21]Hirschfeld, 40. He has a layout of this farmhouse and other pictures of the actual building.
[22]Ibid, 39-60.
[23]Joseph Patrich, Studies in Archaeology and History of Caesarea Maritima: Caput Judaeae, Metropolis Palaestinae, (Leiden, Brill, 2011) 135.
[24] Hirschfeld, 40.
[25]It should also be noted that not only in houses and farmhouses were grain productions found, but there was much found in a Qumran shop. “Others connected to bread making, such as baking ovens, grinding stones, and silos for grain storage, were found in the southern part of the western complex.”- Yizhar Hirschfeld, Early Manor Houses in Judea and the Site of Khirbet Qumran, in Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 57, No. 3(Jul. 1998), pp.161-189 (The University of Chicago Press, http://www.jstor.org/stable/545860) (Accessed: 2/18-2012) 
[26]Concerning these farms in Jerusalem Edelstein says, “Our interest in farms outside ancient Jerusalem was first aroused in 1977 during salvage excavations at Mevasseret Yerushalayim, four miles west of Jerusalem in the Judaean hills” Edelstein, ibid.
[27]Ibid.
[28]This example is taken from a specific farm at Khirbet er-Ras. Ibid.
[29]This second farm is taken from an example in Ein Yalu. Ibid.
[30]Yet there were many other crops grown at this farm, “The crops grown on the terraces varied widely and included almonds, figs, olives, grapes, and grains. Vegetables could be grown only on terraces irrigated with spring water, such as the one we examined at Ein Yalu.” Ibid.
[31]And desire for the future agriculture to be the as prosperous. A. T. Strahorn, Agriculture and Soils of Palestine, Vol. 19, No. 4 (American Geographical Society, Oct. 1929) (Accessed by JSTOR on 2/18/2012) 581-602.
[32] In between these two quotes resides more helpful information concerning the soil of Palestine, “In the mountain areas and the hills the most common types are brown soils, but in many cases the steep slopes and shallow soil require terracing to permit cultivation. The mountain areas are particularly suitable for vineyards and olive groves, although cereals were also grown there. Examination of air photographs taken by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1945, before the intensive afforestation and development of the last half of the century when the region was still largely bare of vegetation as a result of intensive grazing, makes it possible to trace ancient stone field divisions, terraces, and piles of stone amassed during stone clearing.”  Rafael Frankel, Nimrod Getzov, Mordechai Aviam, Avi Degani, Settlement Dynamics and Regional Diversity in Ancient Upper Galilee: Archaeological Survey of Upper Galilee, (Jerusalem, Israel Antiquities Authority, 2001) 2-3.
[33]It is also interesting to note that present day farms still have a relatively average wheat based culture. “About 70 per cent of the cultivated area is suitable for wheat culture, the soils being of the heavy type.  The soils used for wheat are generally deficient in nitrogen and available phosphoric acid. The fertility of these soils is best maintained by use of stable manure.” E. Ray Casto, Geography of Palestine: Economic Geography, Vol. 13, No. 3, (Clark University, July, 1937) (accessed on JSTOR on 2/18/2012) 238.
[34]It is also important to notice that the previous book mentions the finds of several farmsteads during the Roman Period. Ibid, 111.
[35]Harold Liebowitz and Robert L. Folk Journal of Field Archaeology , Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring, 1980), pp.18 Published by: Boston University Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/529580, (Access date April 6, 2012) 41.
[36] ibid, 20. The author goes onto to say that, “Shores of the Sea of Galilee during Christian times boasted nine substantial cities and beautiful farms and gardens with a population of 50,000-150,000 people”
[37]Joshua J. Schwartz, Lod (Lydda), Israel: From its Origins through the Byzantine Period: 5600 B.C.E.-640 C.E., (Oxford, BAR International Series 571, 1991) 20.
[38]“In other words, the entire first century diet-and in ways, much more than that-rested on what you could make from those fields of grain”- Scott Korb, Life in year one: What the world was like in first Century Palestine, (Riverhead books, New York, 2010) 11.
[39]Though this might be an overstatement by Josephus it still points to a present reality that a lot of the soil in Upper Galilee was able to be farmed.
[40]Samuel R. Wolff, Archaeology in Israel, American Journal of Archaeology , Vol. 97, No. 1 (Jan., 1993), pp. 135-163 Published by: Archaeological Institute of America, Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/505843, (Access date: April 7, 2012) 796.
[41]Ibid, 763.
[42]Lawrence E. Stager, An excerpt from “Farming in the Judean Desert During the Iron Age”, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 221, February 1976, p. 145. Found in Biblical Archaeology Society Online, (accessed April 16, 2012).
[43]Stager, 145.
[44]Horsley, 73-85.
[45] Jeremias, 125. He then goes onto say as a result of these taxes that “bitter was the popular outcry against the abuse of the whole common wealth because of despotism…against the squandering of money that had been wrung from the people’s very life blood.”
[46]Ibid, 210. Footnote 44 has some good supporting evidence.
[47]Patrich, 134.
[48]Ibid, 84-85. “That is, some or much of what passed through the agora (city-square or “market-place”) in Sepphoris or Tiberias, as supervised by the agoranomos (supply officer or market supervisor) of the respective cities, must have been taxes paid in kind by the household producer in the village of Galilee.”
[49]It is also important to note that Tyre, due to the lack of land, was dependent by trade on the agriculture from Rome’s storehouses. Acts 12:20 says, “Because their [Tyre] country depended on the king’s country for food.” It was brought to them by caravans, which were mentioned in rabbinic writing. This is found in Horsley, 86.
[50]Patrich, 134.
[51]Jeffers, 68.
[52]Y. Yadin, The Excavation of Masada, (Jerusalem, Israel Exploration society, 1965) 37-49.
[53]Lee I. Levine, Caesarea Under Roman Rule, (Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1975) 15.
[54]Kurt Galling, Die syrisch-palastinsche Kutste nach der Beshreibung bei Pseudo-Skylax, (ZDPV, 1938) 90.
[55]Patrich, 117.
[56]Jeremias, 39.
[57]Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, (Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1969) 39, 120.
[58]G.A. Smith, Jerusalem: The Topography, Economics and History from the Earliest Times to AD 10, 2 vols. (London, 1908) 298.
[59]Jeremias, 40.  The first two areas mentioned were from Judea.
[60]Ibid, 39-41. In this book there many more historical records concerning the importation of grain.
[61] Though I could not find much when it came to the variety of agricultural tools found in Palestine there are many tools that one author recognizes as being used in the first century to farm. Some of those tools include a plow, a hoe, a shovel, and other tools. E. W. G. Masterman Agricultural Life in Palestine, The Biblical World , Vol. 15, No. 3 (Mar., 1900), pp. 185-192 (Published by: The University of Chicago Press Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3137064) (Acessed: 2/18/2012)
[62]These amulets were worn so that the gods would have favor on the peoples produce and make them prosper.
[63]As one author says, “The hand-mill is one of the most primitive utensils found in the world.” They go onto explain in detail the different types of grindstones and many of the processes, which were used to produce bread from grain. Gustaf Dalman, Grinding in Ancient and Modern Palestine: The Biblical World , Vol. 19, No. 1 (Jan., 1902), pp. 9-18 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3137192 (Access date 2/18/2012)
[64]Ibid, 134.
[65]Edelstein, ibid.
[66]The peasant’s diet consisted mainly of bread and salt, along with olives, oil, onions, and perhaps some grapes.” Phillip A. Harland Originally published in Handbook of Early Christianity: Social Science Approaches, edited by Anthony J. Blasi, Jean Duhaime and Paul-Andre Turcotte, pp. 511-527. (Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press. Reprinted here with approval from Altamira Press. Copyright Philip A. Harland 2002) 515.
[67]This prominence of bread as the Palestinians diet still exists today among the Arabs. As one writers says, “In Palestine bread is the chief food, especially of the Arab, and considerable wheat is consumed in forms other than bread” Casto, 238.
[68]Jeffers, 68.
[69]Patrich, 119.
[70]Josephus, Antiquitates, 15.309.  Also he speaks of a hurricane in 64 BC that had destroyed the entire harvest, “So that a modius of wheat was bought for eleven drachmas” in Ant. 14.28.
[71]Jeremias, 122. There are calculations concerning their bread and grain prices and ratios. Also, there is evidence of this link with famine and evidence showing the significance of grain in Jerusalem.