Thoughts about John BarZebedee
Recently I have been thinking about and writing about the disciple John. I recently had a strong discussion about him which left his name in mind, and then yesterday whilst seeking info about the Baptist I 'clicked' on a Wiki article and there in front of me was an ancient artist's impression of the disciple, a white European male with remarkable complexion, curling reddy-brown hair, staring skywards towards his heaven with a meek and mild expression. And not far beneath I was told Born Bethsaida, Galliee, Roman Empire 6AD.
I see him rather differently.
And this is my idea about and around disciple John. Please feel free to offer your own ideas.
And so I'll start with John's Father, because that might help......... I don't even know Zebedee's full name... he is described as a boat owner with hired hands, with a wife called Salome and two sons. Many might think that to be the list. But those few descriptions plus a description of something that John did can enlarge the picture about Zebedee somewhat.
A boat owner with hired hands.... Zebedee must have been what folks around here call 'streetwise'.... I'll call him 'Lakewise', a man who could make and keep friends but who could also be as hard as nails. He was a survivor in the midst of a Patronage system following Roman rules and run by a ruthless Client Tetrarch who not only ruled the Galilee but also Perea, another vast province to the South. Herod Antipas was separate in power and authority from and above the Levite-Priesthood and Sanhedrin Court, if the Sanhedrin was a quill then Antipas was a sharp sword.
Somehow Zebedee owned and ran a fishing boat within a system so loaded with tolls and taxes, so filled with corruption and greed, and yet he survived... I just wonder at him.
The Romans let Antipas get on with running his provinces, apart from a few senior observers or officials (possibly based at Tiberius?) you wouldn't have seen Romans or Roman troops marching around Galilee because Antipas had his own staff and troops etc.
Boat owners would have paid a Lake Toll just for the privilege of floating around on it. They would pay for the right to work nets. They paid for their crew, for flax to make sails, ropes and nets, timber for spars, oars, repairs etc, stone anchors and a mass of other equipment that a fishing boat needed. He would need to hand over a % value for every fish that he caught and landed. And that wasn't the end of the 'costs' list. The Lake Publicans were a greedy, tough, hard nosed bunch of corrupted nasties who themselves were bullied by the Lake's Tax/Toll collection officials.... they may well have been Levites because no local men would have been contracted to control and fleece local men. All of a sudden John's Dad looks like some hardened guy, for sure.
And I almost 'know' that he had scams. Taxed and tolled boatmen have their ways everywhere around the world. The boatmen around where I live were just as oppressed in the distant past, so they could earn more with 'other work'. When I look at pictures of the ancient boat found in Galilee lake it even looks similar to the beach boats from here...... the nets I used as a youth were cotton and so I know about the care and maintenance flax nets required, and I know how a favourite net can be destroyed in minutes if a very large and unexpected fish gets trapped within it. A terrifying experience as well. What did Zebedee do with the huge cat fish that his men caught be accident? I once had a porpoise swim in to my herring nets....... it survived but I nearly didn't. Never forgotten. More about this stuff later, I expect.
And I think he was a brilliant husband. Why? Well the gospels tell me that he let his wife have quite a lot of freedom in a world where women could be very oppressed and held down. Zebedee's wife, Salome, was not only quite free for movement and mind, she must have had house servants because somebody needed to look after the place if she wanted to travel. And she had guts...... for sure she did. And she was devoted to her boys. It was Salome who went to Jesus before that last week to tell him that she would expect her boys to hold high positions in any kingdom that he founded. It was Salome who in the most dark and dreadful circumstances was right there with Magdalene, and not afraid to witness the execution. And it was she with Magdalene (and others) who helped to bring the Body of Jesus to place of burial, looked down upon by Roman soldiers. I know that the decurio Joseph was present as well, but... Yes, Salome had guts.
I've breezed over John's Parents........ could anyone offer more, please?
And what of their youngest (surviving?) son? Next post.
Recently I have been thinking about and writing about the disciple John. I recently had a strong discussion about him which left his name in mind, and then yesterday whilst seeking info about the Baptist I 'clicked' on a Wiki article and there in front of me was an ancient artist's impression of the disciple, a white European male with remarkable complexion, curling reddy-brown hair, staring skywards towards his heaven with a meek and mild expression. And not far beneath I was told Born Bethsaida, Galliee, Roman Empire 6AD.
I see him rather differently.
And this is my idea about and around disciple John. Please feel free to offer your own ideas.
And so I'll start with John's Father, because that might help......... I don't even know Zebedee's full name... he is described as a boat owner with hired hands, with a wife called Salome and two sons. Many might think that to be the list. But those few descriptions plus a description of something that John did can enlarge the picture about Zebedee somewhat.
A boat owner with hired hands.... Zebedee must have been what folks around here call 'streetwise'.... I'll call him 'Lakewise', a man who could make and keep friends but who could also be as hard as nails. He was a survivor in the midst of a Patronage system following Roman rules and run by a ruthless Client Tetrarch who not only ruled the Galilee but also Perea, another vast province to the South. Herod Antipas was separate in power and authority from and above the Levite-Priesthood and Sanhedrin Court, if the Sanhedrin was a quill then Antipas was a sharp sword.
Somehow Zebedee owned and ran a fishing boat within a system so loaded with tolls and taxes, so filled with corruption and greed, and yet he survived... I just wonder at him.
The Romans let Antipas get on with running his provinces, apart from a few senior observers or officials (possibly based at Tiberius?) you wouldn't have seen Romans or Roman troops marching around Galilee because Antipas had his own staff and troops etc.
Boat owners would have paid a Lake Toll just for the privilege of floating around on it. They would pay for the right to work nets. They paid for their crew, for flax to make sails, ropes and nets, timber for spars, oars, repairs etc, stone anchors and a mass of other equipment that a fishing boat needed. He would need to hand over a % value for every fish that he caught and landed. And that wasn't the end of the 'costs' list. The Lake Publicans were a greedy, tough, hard nosed bunch of corrupted nasties who themselves were bullied by the Lake's Tax/Toll collection officials.... they may well have been Levites because no local men would have been contracted to control and fleece local men. All of a sudden John's Dad looks like some hardened guy, for sure.
And I almost 'know' that he had scams. Taxed and tolled boatmen have their ways everywhere around the world. The boatmen around where I live were just as oppressed in the distant past, so they could earn more with 'other work'. When I look at pictures of the ancient boat found in Galilee lake it even looks similar to the beach boats from here...... the nets I used as a youth were cotton and so I know about the care and maintenance flax nets required, and I know how a favourite net can be destroyed in minutes if a very large and unexpected fish gets trapped within it. A terrifying experience as well. What did Zebedee do with the huge cat fish that his men caught be accident? I once had a porpoise swim in to my herring nets....... it survived but I nearly didn't. Never forgotten. More about this stuff later, I expect.
And I think he was a brilliant husband. Why? Well the gospels tell me that he let his wife have quite a lot of freedom in a world where women could be very oppressed and held down. Zebedee's wife, Salome, was not only quite free for movement and mind, she must have had house servants because somebody needed to look after the place if she wanted to travel. And she had guts...... for sure she did. And she was devoted to her boys. It was Salome who went to Jesus before that last week to tell him that she would expect her boys to hold high positions in any kingdom that he founded. It was Salome who in the most dark and dreadful circumstances was right there with Magdalene, and not afraid to witness the execution. And it was she with Magdalene (and others) who helped to bring the Body of Jesus to place of burial, looked down upon by Roman soldiers. I know that the decurio Joseph was present as well, but... Yes, Salome had guts.
I've breezed over John's Parents........ could anyone offer more, please?
And what of their youngest (surviving?) son? Next post.
Comment