Posted on 07/10/2014 1:12:27 PM PDT by NYer
The climate in Palestine, both today, and at the time of Jesus has two distinct seasons. The wet or rainy season is from the middle of October to the middle of April. The dry or summer season lasts from the middle of June until the middle of September. It is quite dry in these months and rainfall is very unusual. Although the temperature is summer can get very hot, it often does not feel this way. Cool breezes and low humidity are typical, making the summers very pleasant, especially in areas directly on the coast or on the higher slopes of the hills. During these months the sky is almost always cloudless and sunny. Throughout the summer rain does fall, because of the dominance of high-pressure zones in the area. This provides challenges for farmers, who have to develop special methods for trapping water during the rainy season. The rainy season, does not feature rain every day. But there can be significant rains that cause streams to flood from time to time. While it gets cool in winter, and certain higher altitudes neat Jerusalem and Bethlehem can even see snow, this is rare and limited to brief periods during December and January. Though the bible mentions snow, it is mostly mentioned as being in the mountains to the north near Mt. Hermon.
The climate of the Holy Land varies from north to south and east to west. Since the topography is varied there can be dramatic differences within a few miles of places. Generally there is more rain on the eastern part of Palestine and it gets hotter the further south you travel. The Dead Sea region and the area around Jericho are deep crevasses and pure desert. The mountainous regions have more rain on the west side then the east side. The hottest days of the year are during the transition of the two seasons
The climate of Israel may not have been quite as warm and dry as it is today. Several references in Scripture would seem to imply that the land was wetter in the past and more suitable for agriculture, without the need for significant irrigation than that which is prevalent in the Middle East now. For example,
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar (Genesis 13:10).
And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:7,8).
The Bible also describes Solomon’s (about 1,000 B.C.) use of prodigious quantities lumber to build the Temple and many other buildings.
Land-use studies throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Mid East show the prevalence of crops and forests, which were suited to cooler, wetter climates in the period before 1000 B.C.
In Jesus’ time though, just like today, the topography, which is very hilly and mountainous, (with also the deep rift in the earth dear the Dead Sea), strongly affected the microclimate from mile to mile.
Lower Galilee, (Left) where Jesus lived most of his life and grew up was Israel’s lushest region, known for its sunny, temperate climate and its spring-watered lands. Each spring the valleys and slopes became an ocean of wildflowers and blossoming trees. Beginning in March, the area was covered by a vast blanket of green. The fertile land was a texture of vineyards and fruit orchards. Grapes, figs, olives, pomegranates, oranges and other fruits flourished in its pleasant, subtropical climate.
First Century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who knew the area well, wrote this about it:
Its nature is wonderful as well as its beauty; its soil is so fruitful that all sorts of trees can grow upon it, and the inhabitants accordingly plant all sorts of trees there; for the temper of the air is so well mixed, that it agrees very well with those several sorts, particularly walnuts, which require the coldest air, flourish there in vast plenty; there are palm trees also, which grow best in hot air; fig trees also and olives grow near them, which yet require an air that is more temperate. One may call this place the ambition of nature, where it forces those plants that are naturally enemies to one another to agree together; it is a happy contention of the seasons, as if every one of them laid claim to this country; for it not only nourishes different sorts of autumnal fruit beyond men’s expectation, but preserves them a great while; it supplies men with the principal fruits, with grapes and figs continually, during ten months of the year and the rest of the fruits as they become ripe together through the whole year” (The Jewish War, Book 3, Chapter 10:8)
Around the Sea of Galilee, crops were plentiful and fish were abundant. The Sea of Galilee is a fresh water lake that is about 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. The typical crops grown in the region were grain, olives and grapes. The area to the East of the Sea of Galilee is drier and had less vegetation.
An area to the south between Galilee and Samaria is called the Valley of Jezreel (right) and many regions here featured rich soil and moderate rainfall. Judea, south of Samaria, has a gradual change in landscape. The most distinct change is the decreased rainfall.
Since Jesus’ time the overall area of the Holy Land has undergone gradual desertification. Desertification is described a process where a region is turned into desert by either natural processes or by by the poor use of land by people. Desertification has become especially noticeable during the last several centuries, though this process has been going on since even before Jesus’ time. Desertification such as this leads to: - less water - less arable land - warmer days - and cooler nights. The chief human contribution to this has been war and poor land management. Deforestation became a big issue during the War with the Romans 67-70 AD. But in the past two thousand years there have been many other wars and struggles that have caused environmental damage as well.
So it is a reasonable conclusion that in the time of Jesus, the climate would have been noticeably more moderate and wet than it is today. However, there still are many beautiful regions, especially in Galilee in the North. So we ought not overestimate the difference in climate. It would be noticeable to people of Jesus time who would visit us today, but it would not astonish. They would likely notice that it seemed a bit warmer and drier than they were used to, and the fewer number of trees would be more noticeable.
Note that Israel currently has a program attempting to reverse the desertification by planting trees (cedars – the same type used by Solomon!), a program that has received huge amounts of private financial support. They are, in effect, attempting to partially reforest Israel. The expected results will be that the land will hold more water and so more water will be available for farming – and so more land can be farmed.
Then as now, the area to the east of Jerusalem and Bethany over the Mount of Olives drops into a deep rift valley, well over 1000 ft below sea level. The area is deep desert. Jericho in the region of the Judean Desert, is an oasis, but the area is otherwise an area where almost nothing can grow. It is mountainous and extremely dry.
Disclaimer – I am writing a series of reflections to prepare for a Bible Study of Life at the Time of Jesus. I am sharing some of these here. Please do not consider this article in any way as associating with the climate change debate that currently rages. If there are differences in the climate today compared to 2000 years ago, they are minor. Climate is always changing on this planet in both macro and micro ways. To what degree man is involved in this, I cannot say. This is not a science blog, and I do not wish to engage that issue here.
Climate factors into Scripture ... this is an interesting aspect often overlooked when reading through the Bible.
Remember this also.
Egypt was the bread basket for the world during this time. I remember a few classes about agriculture where the professor said that with the methods they used then, it would not be possible to produce the amount of grain that they were supposed have done in today’s climate.
Another thing to remember is when the Spanish came to what is now New Mexico, they ran into various Indian tribes that had moved down there to grow corn. The place where they moved from was to desolate to support agriculture any more.
We call that place Iowa, and have some of the best farm land in the world.
Climate shifts. Often dramatically.
It was a tragic loss for the Byzantines when they lost Egypt to the Muslims. I always wondered why Egypt couldn’t throw the yoke of Roman rule and govern themselves.
However, when I visited the Outer Banks and/or Virginia Beach in the late 1960, I observed the hotels, beach, and water's edge in the exact same place as it is today.
“this is an interesting aspect often overlooked when reading through the Bible.”
Sure. Like I’m interested what the weather was like when Christ was crucified. Was it snowing?
Three mighty rivers once flowed through the Sahara
http://io9.com/three-mighty-rivers-once-flowed-through-the-sahara-1316516244
The world’s most famous desert isn’t always quite so dry as it is now—thanks to the Earth shifting on its axis, the Sahara’s climate gets gradually greener over tens of thousands of years. But you’d have to go back a long ways to find real, perennial rivers flowing through the Sahara outside of the Nile. But 100,000 years ago, the Sahara was awash with rivers that might well have led humanity’s ancestors to the Mediterranean.
That’s a possibility raised by new work from an international team of researchers, whose computer simulations suggest the presence of massive river systems in the Sahara between 130,000 and 100,000 years ago.
Milankovitch Cycles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles
Milankovitch theory describes the collective effects of changes in the Earth’s movements upon its climate, named after Serbian geophysicist and astronomer Milutin Milankovich, who worked on it during his internment as a First World War prisoner of war (POW). Milankovich mathematically theorized that variations in eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession of the Earth’s orbit determined climatic patterns on Earth through orbital forcing.
The Earth’s orbit is an ellipse. The eccentricity is a measure of the departure of this ellipse from circularity. The shape of the Earth’s orbit varies in time between nearly circular (low eccentricity of 0.000055) and mildly elliptical (high eccentricity of 0.0679)[3] with the mean eccentricity of 0.0019 as geometric or logarithmic mean and 0.034 as arithmetic mean, the latter useless. The major component of these variations occurs on a period of 413,000 years (eccentricity variation of ±0.012). A number of other terms vary between components 95,000 and 125,000 years (with a beat period 400,000 years), and loosely combine into a 100,000-year cycle (variation of -0.03 to +0.02). The present eccentricity is 0.017.
18,000 years ago sea level was about 460 to 500 feet lower than it is today which brings right to the edge of the continental shelf.
From what I’ve read, In the time of the TURKS, they imposed a tax on all trees so the people went out and cut them down. No trees, no tax.
There was no "Palestine" it was "Judea".
Disclaimer – I am writing a series of reflections to prepare for a Bible Study of Life at the Time of Jesus. I am sharing some of these here. Please do not consider this article in any way as associating with the climate change debate that currently rages. If there are differences in the climate today compared to 2000 years ago, they are minor. Climate is always changing on this planet in both macro and micro ways. To what degree man is involved in this, I cannot say. This is not a science blog, and I do not wish to engage that issue here.
Did you read post #8?
Hydrazine didn’t post anything about the anthropomorphic controversy as far as I can see.
Well just like today, very warm.
Yet, thank the present day Israel for for rebuilding the land itself.
I thought it was Carthage, which is why the Punic Wars were central to the success of the Roman Republic, and later the Empire.
Having been to Israel, there is no way that I would consider the country, other than the immediate shoreline as being anything but HOT from late May to early October. Plus, the humidity can be quite high and the sun is very intense. Sure, if one frequents the beaches of Tel Aviv and up the coast, there are gentle to strong breezes which can keep one cool. However, venture a short distance from the shoreline, and one will sweat profusely.
This weather pattern prevails in most countries around the Mediterranean and Adriatic. I spent many summers in Italy. The heat builds up during the summer months and by August, the entire country goes on vacation to seaside resorts to escape the heat inland. I recall one summer when a scirocco struck, carrying sand up from the Sahara. Shutters were shut tight to maintain the cool interior while shielding homes from the sandy wind.
However, venture a short distance from the shoreline, and one will sweat profusely.
Throughout history, civilizations developed and expanded adjacent to sources of water. It was also the cause for many historic wars.
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