Foraging in the World of Jesus
I don’t recall hearing or reading anyone make the case that Jesus and his disciples survived during their time of itinerant ministry by foraging. But it’s an idea that makes a good bit of sense and there is some evidence for it in the Gospels. In this post I explain why it seems to make sense; I’ll deal with some of the evidence in the next post. Let me say I’ve only started thinking and reading about all this – so this is my first attempt to articulate my thoughts (at this point). In most developed countries today, foraging is a hobby that outdoorsy and environmentally minded people pick up through books and live instruction, practiced more as a pastime or a social statement than as a mode of survival. In large part that’s because we live in capitalist societies, principally in cities and towns, and most of us can purchase about anything we want from a store. Those who do need or choose to scavenge tend not to do so in isolated [...]