Mary (Mother of Jesus)

Mary, a humble Jewish woman from Nazareth, was divinely chosen to bear Jesus through the Holy Spirit, embodying faith and obedience within the cultural and religious context of first-century Judaism.

People, Places, and Things

Mary (Mother of Jesus)

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People, Places, and Things

The Lake of Gennesaret

In the first century AD, the Lake of Gennesaret—also known as the Sea of Galilee—was a fertile, storm-prone freshwater lake that served as the economic and spiritual heart of Galilee, supporting thriving fishing towns like Capernaum and providing the setting for many key events in Jesus’ ministry.

Zechariah

Zechariah, a righteous priest and husband of Elizabeth, is struck mute for doubting the angel’s promise but regains his speech when he faithfully names his son John, proclaiming God’s salvation in the Gospel of Luke.

Theophilus

Theophilus, likely a wealthy patron or high-ranking believer, is the person to whom Luke dedicates his Gospel and Acts, addressing him as “most excellent” and aiming to provide a well-ordered account to strengthen his faith.

Bethlehem

Bethlehem in the first century was a small, humble town in Judea known as the city of David, historically and prophetically significant as the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah, which Luke highlights to show Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament promises through His birth in this modest setting.

Judea

Judea is the central setting of God’s redemptive story in the Bible, serving as the heart of Jewish worship, prophecy, and history, and the place where key events of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection unfolded.

Herod Philip

Herod Philip the Tetrarch (4 BC–AD 34), son of Herod the Great, ruled peacefully over Ituraea and Trachonitis, is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke for historical context, and must be distinguished from his half-brother Philip I, the first husband of Herodias and father of Salome.