Journal 3: Economic and Social Conditions

During King Herod's reign, the masses were extremely poor. They depended heavily on the soil to live and felt financially "squeezed" by Herod's building projects (e.g., Herod's Temple, Herod's Palace, Herod's Theatre at Caesarea). Not to mention the religious revenues for the temple and priesthood and the synagogue dues.

Instructions

For this activity:

1. Read the following chapters in Jesus is Lord:
   • Chapter 9 (Women)
   • Chapter 10 (The Masses)
   • Chapter 12 (Religion)
2. Following your reading, record your response to the following prompts in your journal:
   • The average wage was one denarius, or about 20 cents a day. Calculate the following:
     • In a week’s time how much would a person’s salary be? In a month? In a year?
     • Set up a budget on the annual income you just calculated.
     • If you were living on the amount of money many living during the days of Jesus were earning, how would you feel? What would you have to do to care for your family?
   • React to the following statements:
     • Women are unworthy creatures.
     • As the weaker sex, women are inferior to men.
     • As the Jews used to say, “It is better to be a slave, a gentile, or a dog than to be a woman.”
     • For this reason women should not be allowed to read the Bible since Christ was not interested in women!
3. Submit your journal entry below.