EDOM

To the south of Judea, another region of more recent conversion was

Idumea, Greek for Edom, where Herod the Great’s family had come from.
The territory was from the Dead Sea southeast to the Gulf of Aqaba.
Devoid of occupation until the thirteenth century b.c.e., the region was
occupied by a Semitic tribe ethnically related to the Hebrews. David conquered
the region, and after Alexander’s conquest it was taken over by
the Arab Nabataeans, who established the Arab kingdom of Idumea from
Moab to the gulf with Petra as its capital. The Edomites rejoiced in the destruction
of Jerusalem in 587 b.c.e., and many prophets spoke concerning
the hostility of Edom and Judea. The region had been attacked by Judea
after the Maccabean wars. Judea not only subjected the people politically
Map of ancient Jerusalem. From Palestine and Syria:
Handbook for Travellers by Karl Baedeker, 5th ed., 1912.
University of Texas Libraries.
Daily Life of Geographical Groups in Palestine 27
but also religiously, forcing them to accept Judaism or face exile. This was
the first time that a group had been forced into conversion by the Jews.
The Idumeans acknowledged Esau, son of Isaac, as their progenitor. But
the Idumeans remained pagan, and when Judaism was forced upon them
many if not most paid only lip service to Judaism. Their humiliation soon
reversed with the accession of Herod, who was a son of an Idumean (recent
Jew) and an Arabian (pagan) princess. His ancestry and most likely his
outlook made him more pagan (and cosmopolitan) than Jewish. This region,
however, was sufficiently Jewish to send a large contingent of troops
to Jerusalem, about 20,000, in the great Jewish rebellion of 66 c.e. Vespasian
marched into the region and took two towns, Betobris and Caphartoba,
killing, according to Josephus, 10 thousand inhabitants. It was also
in this region that the great fortress of Masada was occupied by the rebels
until destroyed in 73 c.e. by general Silva; two centuries earlier the region
had been completely pagan and now it was the last stronghold of the
Jewish rebellion. In terms of daily life during the New Testament times,
Idumea should be seen as a Jewish region.
The region of Idumea was considered nomadic, with most of the inhabitants
engaged in pastoral life. Many of the inhabitants, especially before
their conquest by Judea, were nomads who traveled across the deserts
into Arabia and Egypt. This land was harsh and few settled sites existed.
In many ways the land and its people looked more to the south and west
away from Judea than toward the Mediterranean and the Jewish state. The
Nabataeans controlled the caravan routes that linked the Persian Gulf,
Arabia, and Egypt with Syria. They controlled the city of Damascus after
37 c.e., when Paul was converted and had to escape the city by being lowered
from the walls in a hamper. The region, however, did provide some contact
with other non-Roman/Greek civilizations. Coming into the region were
goods, mainly spices, arrived from India and Arabia. These luxury items
did result in the flow of gold coins from the Roman Empire. The Roman
writer Pliny the Elder remarked that the flow of gold from the empire to
the east was a drain on the economy. This view, however, is not exactly accurate,
because the Romans received luxury items. However, this trade did
not benefit the average resident, as the goods were destined for Rome.
PHOENICIA AND SYRIA
The coastal region of Palestine held the great Phoenician cities of Tyre,
Sidon, and Byblos. These cities, ethnically Semitic, had traditionally looked
to the sea and the commerce it brought rather than inland. The New Testament
indicates that Jesus had some contact with the coastal cities, and
during the early missionary activities his followers also visited them.
These cities were cosmopolitan, because after Alexander the Great there
was an influx of Greeks. This influx, here and among other cities, brought
with it Hellenism. The region allowed for the exchange of goods and ideas
throughout the Mediterranean. Greek ideas affected not only with the