It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the

receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he

then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might

see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only

truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed

one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time of which we write, it may

be said, in general, that six main arteries of commerce and intercourse traversed the

country, the chief objective points being Caesarea, the military, and Jerusalem, the

religious capital. First, there was the southern road, which led from Jerusalem, by

Bethlehem, to Hebron, and thence westwards to Gaza, and eastwards into Arabia,

whence also a direct road went northwards to Damascus. It is by this road we imagine

St. Paul to have travelled, when retiring into the solitudes of Arabia, immediately after

his conversion (Gal 1:17,18). The road to Hebron must have been much frequented by

priestly and other pilgrims to the city, and by it the father of the Baptist and the parents

of Jesus would pass. Secondly, there was the old highway along the sea-shore from

Egypt up to Tyre, whence a straight, but not so much frequented, road struck, by

Caesarea Philippi, to Damascus. But the sea-shore road itself, which successively

touched Gaza, Ascalon, Jamnia, Lydda, Diospolis, and finally Caesarea and Ptolemais,

was probably the most important military highway in the land, connecting the capital

with the seat of the Roman procurator at Caesarea, and keeping the sea-board and its

harbours free for communication. This road branched off for Jerusalem at Lydda, where

it bifurcated, leading either by Beth-horon or by Emmaus, which was the longer way. It

was probably by this road that the Roman escort hurried off St. Paul (Acts 23:31), the

mounted soldiers leaving him at Antipatris, about twenty Roman miles from Lydda, and

altogether from Jerusalem about fifty-two Roman miles (the Roman mile being 1,618

yards, the English mile 1,760). Thus the distance to Caesarea, still left to be traversed

next morning by the cavalry would be about twenty-six Roman miles, or, the whole way,

seventy-eight Roman miles from Jerusalem. This rate of travelling, though rapid, cannot

be regarded as excessive, since an ordinary day's journey is computed in the Talmud

(Pes 93b) as high as forty Roman miles. A third road led from Jerusalem, by Beth-horo n

and Lydda, to Joppa, whence it continued close by the sea-shore to Caesarea. This was

the road which Peter and his companions would take when summoned to go and preach

the gospel to Cornelius (Acts 10:23,24). It was at Lydda, thirty-two Roman miles from

Jerusalem, that Aeneas was miraculously healed, and "nigh" to it --within a few miles--

was Joppa, where the raising of Tabitha, Dorcas, "the gazelle" (Acts 9:32-43), took place.

Of the fourth great highway, which led from Galilee to Jerusalem, straight through

Samaria, branching at Sichem eastwards to Damascus, and westwards to Caesarea, it is

needless to say much, since, although much shorter, it was, if possible, eschewed by

Jewish travellers; though, both in going to (Luke 9:53, 17:11), and returning from

Jerusalem (John 4:4,43), the Lord Jesus passed that way. The road from Jerusalem

straight northwards also branched off at Gophna, whence it led across to Diospolis, and

so on to Caesarea. But ordinarily, Jewish travellers would, rather than pass through

Samaria, face the danger of robbers which awaited them (Luke 10:30) along the fifth great

highway (comp. Luke 19:1,28; Matt 20:17,29), that led from Jerusalem, by Bethany, to

Jericho. Here the Jordan was forded, and the road led to Gilead, and thence either

southwards, or else north to Peraea, whence the traveller could make his way into

Galilee. It will be observed that all these roads, whether commercial or military, were, so

to speak, Judaean, and radiated from or to Jerusalem. But the sixth and great road, which

passed through Galilee, was not at all primarily Jewish, but connected the East with the

West--Damascus with Rome. From Damascus it led across the Jordan to Capernaum,