Why “Israel” and “Jordan” Did Not Exist in Jesus’ Day (and Why That Matters for Reading the Gospels)
Purpose and argument
A recurring source of confusion in biblical reading is map anachronism—projecting modern nation-states and borders back onto the first century. This episode clarifies how the lands later associated with modern Israel and Jordan moved from imperial provinces (Ottoman, then British mandate arrangements) into 20th-century states, and why that historical shift matters for interpreting the Gospels’ political tensions (including the Triumphal Entry).
1. Empires, not nation-states: the long Ottoman frame (c. 1516/1517–1917/18)
For centuries, the region was administered as part of the Ottoman Empire, organised through shifting provincial divisions rather than modern national borders. In this framework, “Palestine” functioned as a set of administrative linkages (often tied to Damascus and other provincial centres), not an independent nation-state in the modern sense. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Implication for Gospel reading: when we discuss Judea, Galilee, Perea, the Decapolis, and the Jordan corridor, we are dealing with districts, client territories, and city networks—not “countries” with hard borders.
2. World War I as the administrative rupture: Jerusalem and the end of Ottoman control
The First World War decisively disrupted Ottoman governance in the Levant. A key symbolic moment in the public imagination is General Allenby’s entry into Jerusalem on 11 December 1917, which signalled the British military transition in the city. (Imperial War Museums)
Alongside the military transition, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration (2 November 1917)—a policy statement that became a major reference-point in subsequent mandate-era politics. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
3. The mandate framework: Palestine as an administrative territory (1920–1948)
After the war, the region was placed under the British Mandate for Palestine, which created a specific administrative entity (again, not a nation-state in the modern sense) and reshaped governance, institutions, and demographic politics. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
A technically crucial feature was how the mandate framework handled territories east of the Jordan River. Article 25 provided legal and administrative mechanisms that enabled Britain to apply the mandate differently east of the river—one of the steps that contributed to later political divergence between the two banks. (PalQuest)
4. Transjordan: administrative separation and the road to independence (1921–1946)
During the mandate period, Britain effectively severed Transjordan from western Palestine (1921) and established it under Abdullah’s rule; Amman developed as the capital of this new political unit. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Britannica’s overview further notes Britain’s recognition of Transjordan’s position under Abdullah (with continued British control in key areas) and then full independence after World War II via a London treaty (March 22, 1946). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Core point: the modern state trajectory east of the river is tied to mandate-era administrative design, not to a first-century “Jordan” country.
5. 1948: the end of the mandate and the emergence of the State of Israel
As the mandate ended, Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, shortly before the British withdrawal was completed, and this became a watershed moment in the region’s modern state formation. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
6. Why this matters for the Triumphal Entry and the Passion narrative
6.1 Avoiding anachronism: “Israel vs Jordan” is not the Gospel map
In Jesus’ time, the Jordan corridor functioned as a connected political-cultural landscape, not an international border between two nation-states. Our earlier discussion about mixed jurisdictions (Roman provincial authority, Herodian client rule, Greek-influenced city networks) is precisely the sort of governance environment that empires create—and mandates later reconfigure. The modern Israel–Jordan border is a much later political product of 20th-century administrative decisions and state formation trajectories. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
6.2 Reading “political threat” correctly
When the Gospels portray the Triumphal Entry as politically sensitive, the threat is not framed in modern nationalist terms. It is about imperial stability, public order, and rival claims to authority under occupation—concerns that make sense in imperial systems (Rome then; Ottoman and British structures later, in different ways). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
7. Contemporary lessons drawn from this episode
Secular (historical literacy): Administrative decisions outlast empires; “borders” are often products of governance design, not timeless facts.
Biblical (interpretive discipline): Read place-names as first-century jurisdictions and networks, not modern countries.
Spiritual (discernment): Jesus’ kingship confronts power systems without mirroring them—so discipleship must resist importing modern political categories uncritically into the Gospel text.
Meditative prompt: Where have I been reading the Bible through today’s map rather than the Bible’s own political world?
Suggested discussion questions (study / sermon preparation)
- What changes in your reading when you treat the Jordan as a corridor rather than a border?
- How does understanding imperial administration sharpen the meaning of “king” language in the Triumphal Entry?
- Where do modern political categories help clarity, and where do they distort the Gospel’s claims?
References
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025a) Palestine: World War I and after. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025b) Palestine: The Crusades — Ottoman rule. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025c) Ottoman Empire. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025d) Palestine mandate. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025e) Israel: Establishment of Israel. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025f) 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025g) Amman. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2026a) Jordan: Transjordan, the Hashemite Kingdom and the Palestine war. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia. 1914–1918 Online (n.d.) British Mandate for Palestine. Available at: 1914–1918 Online (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (1914-1918-Online (WW1) Encyclopedia)
House of Commons Library (2016) Balfour Declaration (Briefing Paper CBP-7766). Available at: UK Parliament (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (House of Commons Library)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2026b) Balfour Declaration. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Imperial War Museums (n.d.) General Allenby’s Entry into Jerusalem (11 December 1917). Available at: IWM Collections (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Imperial War Museums)
Palestinian Journeys (Palquest) (1922) Council of the League of Nations: Article 25 of the Palestine Mandate (Exclusion of Transjordan territory…). Available at: Palquest (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (PalQuest)