Holy Travel

The people of Israel traveled to special holy places such as Shiloh, Dan, Bethel, and Jerusalem to worship and celebrate religious festivals (1 Sam 1; 1 Kgs 12.26-33; 2 Kgs 10.18-24; Amos 5.4,5). Joshua called the people of Israel together at Shechem (Josh 24). And King Solomon gathered the people in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Shelters and to dedicate the temple they had built for the Lord there (1 Kgs 8.1-13, 62-65).

Pilgrimage Festivals

At the time of Jesus, it was the custom for the people of Israel to travel to Jerusalem three times each year to celebrate the major pilgrimage festivals--Passover, the Harvest Festival (Pentecost), and the Festival of Shelters. In Acts, Luke describes how the early apostles of Jesus traveled around preaching and teaching the good news. More than half of the book tells about Paul's many travels by land and sea. In addition to the travel undertaken by Jews and Christians, the followers of pagan gods also made pilgrimages to holy places, shrines, and temples.

Wars

A major reason for travel concerned the movement of military forces. Israel's armies often traveled outside their boundaries to battle with unfriendly neighbors (see 2 Sam 8.1-12). Israel itself was attacked by invaders from other lands including Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia. In 331 B.C., Alexander the Great passed through Palestine on his way to invade Egypt. His army was said to have traveled as far as forty-five miles in one day. Later, when the Roman army became the most powerful army in the world, they could conquer large areas partly because they had built good roads that made it possible for their troops and supplies to move quickly and easily.

Communication

Land or sea travel was the means of sending messages to different places. The Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) mentions messengers who carried news, orders, and other messages from the king to his own military commanders or to rulers in neighboring countries (2 Sam 2.5; 3.14; 11.19).

Messages

The Roman imperial post carried messages important to the Roman Empire. A messenger would journey by carriage, changing horses at staging posts along the way. In the New Testament, Paul and other church leaders communicated with groups of Christians living in various parts of the Mediterranean world by sending letters that messengers delivered by hand. As civilization became more connected by trading, the Christian message of hope traveled throughout the ancient world.