• Seek the City That Will Remain
    The Watchtower (Study)—2025 | May

    • 9. Why might Christians have wondered which mountains to flee to? (See also map.)

      9 Consider some of the mountains to which Christians could have fled: the mountains of Samaria, the mountains in Galilee, Mount Hermon and the mountains of Lebanon, and the mountains across the Jordan. (See map.) Some of the cities in those mountainous areas may have appeared to be safe havens. The city of Gamla, for example, was situated on the rough ridge of a high mountain and was extremely difficult to reach. Some Jews viewed that city as an ideal place of refuge. However, Gamla became the site of a vicious battle between the Jews and the Romans, and many of its inhabitants died.b

      A map showing some of the mountains and cities of Israel during the first century. North of Jerusalem are the mountains of Lebanon, Galilee, Samaria, and Gilead, as well as Mount Hermon and Mount Tabor. The cities north of Jerusalem are Gamla, Caesarea, and Pella. South of Jerusalem are the mountains of Judea and Abarim, as well as the city of Masada. The map also depicts the routes of the Roman campaigns and the areas lost by the Jews from 67 C.E. to 73 C.E.

      There were many mountains to which the early Christians could have fled, but not all proved to be safe (See paragraph 9)

      10-11. (a) How might Jehovah have provided guidance? (Hebrews 13:7, 17) (b) How did Christians benefit from obeying those taking the lead? (See also picture.)

      10 It appears that Jehovah guided the Christians by means of those who were taking the lead in the congregation. Historian Eusebius later wrote: “The people of the congregation in Jerusalem, by divine providence, received a revelation given to approved men; they were commanded . . . to migrate from the city before the war and to settle in a certain city of Perea called Pella.” Pella seems to have been an ideal choice. It was not far from Jerusalem, making it relatively easy to reach. It was primarily a Gentile city and for the most part unaffected by the fanatical Jewish freedom fighters and their battles with the Romans.​—See map.

  • Seek the City That Will Remain
    The Watchtower (Study)—2025 | May

    • 15. Why did the Hebrew Christians need to show brotherly love and hospitality after they fled?

      15 When the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem and then suddenly withdrew, Christians fled with relatively few belongings. (Matt. 24:17, 18) They had to depend on one another as they traveled to the mountains and as they settled in their new home. There were doubtless many “cases of urgent need,” and these would give Christians the opportunity to show genuine brotherly love and hospitality by supporting one another and sharing what they had.​—Titus 3:14.