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Closely Related:
- Matthew 4 - How Should Galilee of the Nations be Interpreted?
- Was Nazareth a joke town?

1. Question, Historical Context:

What were the religious / cultural demographics of "The Galilee" in the Temple Periods? Was there a "Gentile-ish Jewish Sect" in Galilee?

What Galilean religious sect, or other factor, could have accounted for Jesus' theologies and training? (If asked from a Non-Christian point-of-view, as an alternative to "Divine Revelation".)

NASB, John 7:15 - And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”

Was there a specific religious sect that was present in Galilee during this period? (Beit Shammai, Beit Hillel, the Samaritans, Herodians, etc.)

2. Current Research :

NASB, Matthew 4:15 - “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, (from Isaiah 9:1) ...

What Sect could the Mishnah have been referring to - in the Galilee?

MISHNA Pesahim IV - And the Sages say, "In Yehuda, they would do work on the eve of Pesach until noon; and in the Galilee they did not work at all [on that day]." And [with respect to] the evening [of the fourteenth of Nissan in places like the Galilee], Beit Shammai forbids [work], but Beit Hillel permits [it] until the sunrise.

NASB, Luke 23:6-7 - 6 When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.

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elika kohen
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    Did you look at Josephus? He wrote a lot about how the various jurisdictions came about. – user33515 Apr 06 '17 at 21:27
  • user33515 - I have not read it yet. A.) Was Galilee any different from the other jurisdictions for some reason? B.) Or, was there some noteworthy Jewish sect residing there, (which may have influenced Jesus some way or the other)? – elika kohen Apr 06 '17 at 21:33
  • He wrote two large volumes. I think they are online. I think the answer to A is yes - but I am not very familiar with the details. I think that the Hellenistic influence dating back to Alexander was much stronger in the North. I don't have an objective opinion on B. – user33515 Apr 06 '17 at 21:53
  • Even today, Galilee doesn't seem to be as Jewish as the rest of Israel. Nazareth, for example, is an Arab city (I've been there) – user33515 Apr 06 '17 at 21:55
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    Josephus was first a Jewish rebel during the war in c.70, but then he switched sides and joined the Romans. During the rebellion he was for a time himself the commander of the Galileans. I would answer your question, but I have huge holes in my knowledge. – user33515 Apr 07 '17 at 19:10
  • There may be some prophecies related to Galilee. I can't remember them off the top of head (if there are any) – Christian Sirolli Apr 07 '17 at 20:56
  • What are you looking for out of this question? Was Galilee different? Not from a Roman perspective. Lots of other Roman provinces had governors. Why was it mentioned so much in the Mishna? As opposed to... Jerusalem? The Dead sea? My guess is because fishing was a large part of the economy of the region. Was there a specific religious sect? Not really - just the Jews mostly, but it was cut off from Jerusalem by the Samaritans. Is that the kind of thing you are looking for in an answer? – James Shewey Apr 08 '17 at 06:01
  • @JamesShewey - A.) It seems like there was a "notably different" Jewish community in Galilee. I am hoping to find out if it was the Essenes, etc. B.) So, something like the Samaritan context would be helpful. C.) I wonder if Jesus' theology might be similar to the Jewish community he grew up around; D.) For example, Jesus' very strong statements against Jewish tradition, (and Paul's), seem very, very, Sadducean, (though his doctrine of resurrection does not). E.) According to the Mishnah - it seems certain it was not a Pharasaic community - which seems consistent; – elika kohen Apr 08 '17 at 07:02
  • Regarding the "Too Broad" close reason: this question is super focused on the historical background of Galilee. Any historical information would be helpful, that might explain the comments found in the Talmud and New Testament. – elika kohen Jul 06 '17 at 00:11
  • The "historical background" is super-generic which is why I asked my above questions - I was trying to narrow down what historic background you were looking for. Perhaps if you clarify the comments to which you are specifically referring to and limit "historical background" to historical background relevant to understanding those comments this would not be too broad. Which is to say, just simply ask "What is the reason for these comments in Matthew / the Talmud" - Right now I'm not really sure what your question/problem is. – James Shewey Jul 13 '17 at 07:13

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