What Jobs Were Like In Biblical Times - Living in The Time of Jesus - Making a Living

Summary

The documentary examines how people earned a living in first-century Judea and Galilee, drawing on archaeological sites, demonstrations of traditional crafts, and interviews with historians and specialists. It argues that the world around Jesus was sustained by interconnected forms of work, including household production, farming, construction, fishing, trade, taxation, and Temple service.

Work in homes and towns

• Much of daily life took place outdoors, in courtyards that also functioned as workshops.
• Families produced goods at home, including pottery, bread, and textiles. Working wool was a lengthy process: the wool was cleaned and carded, spun into yarn, dyed, and woven on a loom.
• Children commonly learned a trade from a young age. One scholar explains that Jewish teaching regarded failing to train a child in a profession as a serious neglect of their future.
• Jesus is traditionally described as a carpenter, but the documentary explores the Greek word tekton, which may mean a builder or craftsman more broadly. Given the prevalence of stone construction in the area, the program suggests that Jesus could have worked as a stonemason or builder. It presents this as a plausible interpretation, not a certainty.
• Nearby Sepphoris was a major commercial and construction center. After the city was rebuilt under Herod Antipas, it would have needed many workers, possibly including laborers from Nazareth. Its busy streets had shops, manufacturing, markets, and drains, as well as the smells and noise of a dense city.
• The documentary describes Sepphoris as a place where Jewish villagers encountered Roman and Greek urban culture. Some local people adopted aspects of those cultures, even as Roman rule and its influence remained politically contentious.

Food, farming, and household labor

• Bread was the staple of the diet and could account for a large share of what people ate. The program demonstrates a basic meal of whole wheat, lentils, and figs; other available foods included vegetables, fruit, and olives.
• Bread was eaten with meals and could also be used in place of a utensil. The documentary connects its central place in daily life with the prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
• Women’s work included making bread before dawn, maintaining the household fire, and carrying water. Fetching water was physically demanding, but wells and cisterns were also important social gathering places.
• Farming depended on rainfall and the seasons. Farmers grew staple grains such as wheat and barley, sometimes using hillside terraces to reduce erosion. They had to decide how much seed to eat and how much to save for planting; drought could threaten the entire harvest.
• Animals were essential to agriculture and household survival. They helped plow fields and provided food, transport, wool, and other useful products. The program also highlights tensions between farmers and herders, including the damage goats could do to crops.
• Water-lifting equipment, including a wheel carrying clay pots, could raise water from a pool and channel it into a trough for drinking and agriculture.

Fishing and food production

• Fishing was a significant, relatively steady industry around the Sea of Galilee. The documentary identifies at least four of Jesus’ disciples as fishermen.
• Fishermen relied on their knowledge of local waters and nets. The program notes that net fishing was often done at night, when fish were less likely to see the nets.
• Fishing could support more than subsistence. Evidence from Bethsaida—including fishing equipment, fish bones, and wine-storage facilities—suggests that some fishermen had a middle-class lifestyle and could accumulate wealth. The documentary raises the possibility that some operated as contractors with multiple boats.
• Fish were sold fresh, salted for preservation and export, or processed into garum, a fish sauce used as a condiment.
  • Garum-making process: Fish and their innards were placed in a container with salt. Enzymes broke down the fish while the salt inhibited harmful bacteria, and the mixture was left to ferment for months.
  • Fish bones found at archaeological sites can help researchers identify places where the sauce was produced.
• The documentary contrasts fishing in the north, described as a year-round business, with farming and herding, which were more exposed to seasonal conditions.

Roman rule, taxes, and trade

• Roman rule brought taxes on individuals, property, and harvests. The program’s expert estimates that harvest taxes may have taken roughly 30–50 percent, creating severe pressure for poorer households.
• Failure to pay could mean imprisonment or loss of land. The documentary also refers to accounts of thousands of people crucified after joining an anti-tax revolt.
• Tax revenue helped fund monumental buildings, roads, and aqueducts. The program presents this as a source of mixed feelings: Roman projects could benefit local residents, but the cost of occupation and taxation was oppressive.
• Tax collection was profitable and unpopular. The documentary notes that one of Jesus’ disciples, Levi—also called Matthew—was a tax collector.
• Trade routes connected local markets to distant regions and made it possible to tax goods at multiple points along their journey. Merchants, transport workers, and toll collectors all took part in this economy.

Incense, pilgrimage, and the Temple

• Frankincense, used in Temple worship, came from resin harvested from trees in southern Arabia and reached Jerusalem through long-distance trade.
• Camel caravans transported goods across the desert. Camel drivers had to care for their animals and cargo, while traders faced tolls or tribute along the route, adding to the cost of goods.
• Jerusalem’s pilgrimage economy supported food sellers, innkeepers, merchants, and many Temple workers. Pilgrims visiting for major festivals needed local currency to buy sacrificial animals.
• Money changers therefore provided a practical service. As presented in the documentary, Jesus’ objection was not necessarily to currency exchange itself, but to commerce taking place within the Temple and the possibility that Temple authorities were allowing sacred space to become commercialized.
• Priests had to navigate religious responsibilities while living under Roman rule. Rome influenced the appointment of the high priest, creating a difficult balance between religious duties and political authority.
• Ritual purity was central to Temple service. Pilgrims and priests immersed themselves in a mikveh before entering the sacred area. The documentary stresses that this was ritual purification, not simply washing for physical cleanliness.
• Archaeological evidence of a mikveh in a house believed to have belonged to a priestly family suggests that ritual purification mattered beyond the Temple itself. The program uses this evidence to illustrate how deeply religious practice shaped daily life.

Overall ideas

• Jobs were closely tied to family life, social class, religion, geography, and political power.
• Occupations that might seem humble or routine—farming, weaving, fishing, building, hauling water, or transporting goods—supported both local communities and the larger economy.
• The Temple was not separate from the economy. Pilgrimage created demand for services and goods, while commerce and Roman political influence could create conflict over the meaning and use of sacred space.
• The documentary combines hands-on demonstrations with archaeological remains, biblical passages, and historical writings to reconstruct work and daily life. Some conclusions, such as the nature of Jesus’ building trade or the wealth of particular fishermen, are presented as interpretations based on available evidence.

Speakers and sources featured

• Arne Kislenko (also rendered as “Arn Kisleno” in the subtitles) — historian and host.
• James Taber — biblical scholar specializing in the life of Jesus.
• Unnamed artisans and demonstrators — including a wool worker and a woodworking or carpentry demonstrator.
• James Strange — biblical archaeologist who discusses Sepphoris and its economy.
• Tova Dix — culinary historian discussing food in ancient Israel.
• Runit Mayos — specialist in ancient Israel studies discussing farmers and herders; the name is as rendered in the subtitles.
• Haim — fisherman from the Sea of Galilee.
• Barrett Gross — restaurant operator who demonstrates preparing fish.
• Susan Weinerten — historian of biblical food who explains garum production; the name is as rendered in the subtitles.
• Unnamed Bethsaida archaeological guide or expert — discusses evidence for fishermen’s homes and wealth.
• Unnamed expert at Beth-Shean — discusses Roman taxation and public construction.
• “Ununice Abraa” (name uncertain in the subtitles) — camel driver in the Negev.
• Unnamed Jerusalem market seller — discusses frankincense.
• Shimon Gibson (rendered as “Shimone Gibson” in the subtitles) — biblical archaeologist discussing Jerusalem, priestly homes, and ritual baths.
• Historical and textual sources: the Gospels and other biblical passages; the first-century historian Josephus; and archaeological finds, including buildings, tools, fish bones, coins, and ritual baths.