The Galilean Paradise

JEHOVAH GOD himself assured the Israelites that the land to which he was bringing them was one that flowed with milk and honey. And Moses, in his parting address to his people, extolled the virtues of the land to which they were about to go. Of the entire land of Palestine Galilee was the most beautiful and fertile, and of Galilee the plain of Gennesaret, northwest of the sea of Galilee, was the choicest. Concerning it the historian Josephus wrote:

“Its nature is wonderful as well as its beauty; its soil is so fruitful that all sorts of trees can grow upon it, and the inhabitants accordingly plant all sorts of trees there; for the temper of the air is so well mixed, that it agrees well with those of several sorts. Particularly walnuts, which require the coldest air, flourish there in vast plenty; there are palm trees also, which grow best in hot air; fig trees also and olive grow near them, which yet require an air that is more temperate. One may call this place the ambition of nature, where it forces those plants that are naturally enemies to one another to agree together; it is a happy contention of the seasons, as if every one of them laid claim to this country; for it not only nourishes different sorts of autumnal fruits beyond men’s expectation, but preserves them a great while; it supplies men with the principal fruits, with grapes and figs continually, during ten months of the year, and the rest of the fruits as they become ripe together through the whole year; for besides the good temperature of the air, it is also watered from a most fertile fountain.”—Wars, Book 3, 10:8.