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The first description of the Promised Land given to Moses captures the essence of Palestine's geography: "The land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven." Palestine itself was only the size of modern New Jersey, but its dramatic changes in elevation were only one of the countless perils for travelers.

Nevertheless, travel was a major part of first-century Palestinian life, as the Gospels record: Mary left Nazareth to visit Elizabeth in the hills of Judea; foreign dignitaries came to pay homage to the new king of the Jews; Jesus attended the wedding feast at Cana and visited with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany. In fact, the travel narratives form a large proportion of the Gospels.

The least expensive mode of transportation was, of course, walking. Walking speed depended on the climate, season, and terrain, but one could generally walk about 20 miles in a day. Itineraries and travelogues of ancient Egyptians suggest that such a rate was typical for millennia. People walking the Persian Royal Road from Persepolis to Sardis (1,560 miles) averaged 18 miles a day, completing the entire journey in three months; government couriers changing horses at posting stations could cover the same distance in nine days. The Book of Acts recorded Peter walking 40 miles from Joppa to Caesarea in two days. Of course, Jews did not permit travel on the Sabbath, when walking was limited to 2,000 cubits (about three-fifths of a mile).

Jesus, like many of his contemporaries, crisscrossed the country numerous times. Assuming he went from Nazareth to Jerusalem annually for each of the three required annual feasts using the shortest route through Samaria, a distance of 75 miles each way, he would have walked a minimum of 13,500 miles before beginning his ministry. On at least one of his later pilgrimages, he went from Capernaum to Jerusalem by way of Jericho, 106 miles each way. Estimating conservatively, Jesus probably walked at least 15,000 miles in his lifetime.

Donkeys were frequently used to transport goods. They are fairly strong for their size, sure-footed, and even-tempered, especially when compared with camels. As early as 3000 B.C., caravans ranging from 100 to 3,000 donkeys brought goods from Asia Minor to Mesopotamia. The animals were not used for riding except by women, children, or those too weak or old to walk. The fictional Good Samaritan, for example, put the injured man on a donkey to transport him to the inn. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, it was an act of great humility.

Horses were faster and more prestigious than donkeys but also more expensive. A horse can travel 25 to 30 miles per day; changing horses throughout the day can yield extra miles. Roman couriers averaged 50 miles but could ride up to 200 miles a day if required. Emperor Tiberias, for example, rode 500 miles in three days to see his dying brother Drusus.

Chariots, from Egypt, were typically used only by the very wealthy or powerful, and the only mention of such transportation in the New Testament is the story of an Ethiopian eunuch riding on the long road from Jerusalem to Gaza.

Along their way, travelers risked dangers and hardships.

Attacks by wild beasts remained a threat until the end of the nineteenth century, particularly along the Jordan Valley. Worse than the lions, which were eradicated from Palestine during the 1800s, were the unpredictable Syrian bears in the hills.

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