Born: 1st Century BC Died: 1st Century BC Feast Day: November 5th What he said He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” What the world was like People at this time ate a fairly straightforward diet. Most days people would have eaten lots of bread from wheat or barley, cereals or gruels. Olives, dates and figs were also eaten. Meat was eaten every now and again, usually after a big festival and the slaughtering of a lamb or goat. A lot of wine was drunk too. Politically would have been quite a difficult time. She would have seen the end of the reign of Herod the Great and all the revolts that accompanied the end of his reign. She would have seen the Roman Legions coming in to Galilee to put down these revolts and all the atrocities associated with the legions. We know from Jewish writings of the time that the Romans burnt cities and took people away into slavery. Galilee was politically fairly stable throughout most of Jesus' lifetime but there would have been isolated pockets of resistance and certainly no one would have liked the idea that Judea to the south was a Roman province, or that the Romans were present in the Holy City of Jerusalem and in the temple itself. Galilee in the 20s was occupied by Romans and would have been an oppressing place for the Jews. If a Roman soldier said "you've got to carry my backpack one mile", they'd have to do it; they had no option. The Romans forced the Jews to pay taxes to Caesar. At night they might have heard the soldiers march by with their swords clanging, and they would have been afraid. One can imagine there was talk about trusting in God and that maybe in their lifetime he would send a Messiah. The Jews, as they became more and more oppressed, may have became more and more obsessed with God. They may have thought that this could be the time for the Saviour to come. Link Who he was Not much information is known about Elizabeth, but she has the distinction of being one of the first to know about Mary's great blessing as the Mother of God. Zachariah was a priest in Jerusalem whose wife, Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, was beyond child-bearing age. He was told by an angel in a vision that they would have a son and should name him John. When he doubted this, he was struck dumb. After John's birth, Zachariah's speech was restored. This is all that is known of Elizabeth and Zachariah, and is found in the New Testament in Luke. An unverifiable tradition has Zachariah murdered in the Temple when he refused to tell Herod where his son John was to be found. What this saint means to us today God can work in our life in spite of any circumstance. Things may look hopeless, but God is always in control. "All things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27, NIV) Faith is a quality God values highly. If we want our prayers to be answered, faith makes the difference. God does reward those who depend on him.
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