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ANCIENT EGYPT AND BIBLICAL TIMES

13

SPYING ON JESUS

The Roman conquest of Palestine in 63bce

followed a typical pattern. The Romans allowed

local leaders considerable freedom of action as

long as there was no trouble in the occupied

territory. The New Testament relates that Jewish

leaders in Palestine feared a Roman crackdown

as a result of the teachings of radical prophets,

of whom Jesus was the most popular. Jesus

was placed under surveillance, and

Judas, one of his followers,

was paid to infiltrate his

inner circle. Judas was

instructed to find Jesus

and point him out to

the soldiers sent to

arrest him. He was

paid “thirty

pieces of silver”

for doing so.

BIBLICAL SPIES

As depicted in the Bible, Canaan was the scene of another

spying mission. Having escaped from Egypt, the Jewish

tribes under Moses were looking for a place to set up a new

home. According to the Bible story, God commanded Moses

to “spy out the land of Canaan.” Moses dutifully sent out

twelve men on a covert reconnaissance mission. They

returned saying Canaan was a “land flowing with milk and

honey,” but only two of the spies recommended that they

march on to conquer Canaan. The others believed the Jews

lacked the necessary strength to overcome the people of

Canaan. Displeased by this intelligence assessment, the

story tells that God punished the Jews by forcing them to

wander in the wilderness for forty years.

According to The Book of Joshua, the Jews were finally

led into Canaan by Joshua. As he advanced into Canaan,

Joshua was confronted by the powerful fortress city of

Jericho. He infiltrated spies into the city, and they brought

back information that morale was poor, with the inhabitants

fearful of the forces arraigned against them. The Jews were

greatly encouraged by this report, and the fall of Jericho’s

city walls was the first step in Joshua’s conquest of Canaan.

However, as with the story of Moses, no archeological

evidence has been found to corroborate the story.

Left: The original

Wall of Jericho

was built around

8000

bce—more

than 6,000 years

before the

events related

in the Bible.