ANN042

Travel times

This appendix examines the means and duration of travel in the first century. In Jesus' day, people travelled mainly on foot, by caravan or by boat. The journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem (142 km) would have taken about seven to eight days, because of Mary's pregnancy and the observance of the Sabbath. A cart pulled by a donkey would have reduced the fatigue without significantly shortening the length of the journey.

8 min travel journey first century Nazareth Bethlehem 4 verses 3 books

Further information

You can consult:

Introduction

Today, thanks to technological advances, travelling to the far corners of our world has become relatively easy, the constraints being limited mainly to financial considerations. Some leaders of large companies are even considering trips to Mars!

Man has thus acquired the ability to move anywhere on Earth, in space, and under the oceans. This ease of travel, which we now consider normal, stood in stark contrast to the situation in the time of Jesus.

In this short study, we will analyze the means of travel and their duration in the time of the Messiah Jesus.

I. Means of travel in the first century

In the time of the Messiah Jesus, people travelled mainly on foot. This limitation in the means of travel encouraged the population to stay in one place. In general, people were born, grew up, married, worked and died in the same village or the same region.

For long journeys, camels or dromedaries were used. Caravans regularly crossed the region to transport goods. Carts of all kinds, pulled by donkeys or oxen, were also used to carry merchandise.

Ships also played a crucial role in economic exchange and in the transport of people. The apostle Paul, for example, mentions his sea voyages in Acts 16.11. These vessels carried various cargoes and also took on passengers, as the account of Paul's shipwreck in Acts 27.21-44 describes in detail.

It is easy to understand that the duration of these journeys was considerably longer than by our present standards.

II. Travel times

We have precise indications of the duration of ancient journeys, as shown by the example of Ezra travelling the 1,100 km that separated Babylon from Jerusalem. According to Ezra 7.8-9, his journey lasted four months, in 458 BC. Note that technical progress in transport did not change significantly during the five centuries separating this event from the time of the Messiah Jesus.

Journeys in those days were infrequent and had specific purposes, such as the religious feasts at the temple in Jerusalem or, in the case of Joseph and Mary, a census in their city of origin. Tourism, as we know it today, did not exist, even though the Jews took advantage of the feasts in Jerusalem to admire the buildings of Herod the Great, such as the temple, described in Mark 13.1.

The Gospels report several journeys of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, notably for the Passover feasts. The most direct road from Nazareth to Bethlehem passed through Samaria, but the Jews generally avoided this route for historical reasons, preferring a longer itinerary following the banks of the Jordan.

Moreover, the did not hesitate to attack the Jews who crossed their territory on the various pilgrimages to the Temple in Jerusalem.

For the journey of Mary and Joseph, it is estimated that they covered about 142 km along the road following the Jordan. Based on the marching speed of the Roman legions, which varied between 15 and 25 km per day, this journey would have taken about eight days, taking Mary's pregnancy into account. They would probably have stopped to spend the night under the open sky, because of their limited financial means.

We are also considering the use of a wooden cart, built by Joseph and pulled by a donkey, which would have allowed a speed of 3 to 6 km/h for a maximum of 6 hours per day. However, this option would not have significantly reduced the travel time, because of the load to be pulled and the quality of the roads. This method would nevertheless have reduced the fatigue.

The most plausible solution for the couple, taking Mary's condition into account, would be the use of a cart pulled by a donkey, with a journey of seven days, travel being forbidden on the .

Under normal conditions, this distance could be covered in five days, with well-defined stages, as shown by the episode of Mary's visit to Elizabeth.

Conclusion

When reading the Gospels, it is sometimes difficult to appreciate the challenges of travel in the time of the Messiah Jesus. Indeed, the authors of the Gospels focus more on the teachings and the events, leaving little room for the details of the journeys they mention.

Thus, we encounter brief expressions such as “she went to her relative,” “they went up to the temple for the feast of the Jews,” or “the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness.” Behind these words, it is important to picture the days of walking, the nights spent under the open sky or in tents, and the various difficulties inherent in these long journeys.

For example, Galilee, where Jesus carried out most of his ministry, was about five days' walk from the Temple in Jerusalem. Moreover, the observance of the imposed a restriction on travel of no more than 1 km.

Although the people of that time were accustomed to walking, it is essential to recognize the difficulties of this travel, without forgetting the risks posed by the bandits who often prowled at night, forcing travelers to reach their destination before sunset.

This reality contributed to the population staying in one place. However, observing the many journeys made by Jesus, it is clear that he was in excellent physical condition, demonstrating his ability to overcome these challenges.