Galilaea
（
Γαλιλαία, from the Hebrew
galil,
“a circle” or “circuit”). A celebrated country of
Palestine, forming the northern division. Iosephus (
Bell. Iud. iii. 3) divides
it into Upper and Lower, and he states that the limits of Galilee were, on the south, Samaris
and Scythopolis to the flood of Jordan. It contained four tribes— Issachar, Zebulon,
Naphthali, and Asher—a part also of Dan, and part of Peraea, or the country beyond
Jordan. Upper Galilee was mountainous, and was called Galilee of the Gentiles from the heathen
nations established there who were enabled, by the mountainous nature of the country, to
maintain themselves against all invaders. Strabo enumerates among its inhabitants, Egyptians,
Arabians, and Phœnicians. Lower Galilee, which contained the tribes of Zebulon and
Asher, was adjacent to the Sea of Tiberias or Lake of Gennesareth. Galilee, according to
Iosephus, was very populous, contained 204 cities and towns, and paid 200 talents in tribute.
Its principal city was Caesarea Philippi. The inhabitants of Galilaea were very industrious,
and, being bold and intrepid soldiers, they bravely resisted the nations around them. The Jews
of Iudaea regarded them with much contempt. Their language was a corrupt and unpolished
dialect of Syriac, with a mixture of other languages. It was probably this corrupt dialect
that led to the detection of Peter as one of Christ's disciples (Mark, xiv. 70). The Saviour
was called a Galilean (Matt. xxvi. 69), because he was brought up at Nazareth, a city of
Galilaea; and as his apostles were mostly, if not all, natives of this province, they
also are called Galileans and “men of Galilee” (Acts, i. 11). See Merrill,
Galilee in the Time of Christ (2d ed. 1885).
