[Update June 30 2021: I'm Abandoning this theory. I was quite confused about the Geography of Sepphoris, and now I've noticed that Jewish Tradition equates it with Kitron of Judges 1 which is a problem.]
[Update Setemper 2021: I have this new Theory instead.]
I'm really not overly concerned by that stuff. This is more me being concerned by the lack of Biblical references to Sepphoris, both in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament we never see a city named Sepphoris or Tsippori. And yet Josephus tells us this was the capital of Galilee during the time it was ruled by Herod Antipas.
Plenty of cities in antiquity were known by multiple names. Archeologically Sepphoris seems to have a massive discontinuity between it's Bronze/Iron Age and Greco-Roman era settlements, so if it has an Old Testament name at all it may not correlate to any name Sepphoris was known by in Classical sources.
The only New Testament support for the assumption that Nazareth was some really small obscure town are the disparaging things said about it, like in John 1:46 "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?". But that is kind of the same as what's said of Galilee as a whole in verses like John 7:41 "Shall Christ come out of Galilee?". In which context it makes sense to see Nazareth as the capital of Galilee, at a specific city almost treated as synonymous with the whole.
Sepphoris seems to have first been given the name that gets transliterated Sepphoris after Herod reclaimed it from the Parthian backed Matthias Antigonus in 37 BC. When Herod Antipas took over he renamed it Autocratros and was called by Josephus "The Jewel of the Galilee". Even though Antipas usually resided in Tiberias, Sepphoris was the administrative capital. One of the Hebrew words for Crown is Nezer Strongs Numbers 5145, so something derivative of that makes sense as the Hebrew equivalent for this new Greek name. The nativity narratives only refers to Nazareth in the narrative voice, so they could be calling the city by a name it didn't quite have yet but would soon. And it could be it's Antipas assigned names went into disuse after Antipas reign ended for everyone but Christians who were attached to it. But we also possibly don't know what name the Hasmoneans called it which could have remained the preferred name among locals who didn't like the Herodians.
Sepphoris was constantly a place where construction projects were happening, which is why some scholars already think Joseph and his sons likely spent a lot of time there anyway as "Carpenters" (the Greek Tekton could mean architect). Extra Biblical traditions say Sepphoris was the home town of Mary's parents and where she was born. So I think that is good evidence the two were once thought of as the same before some post Bar-Kochba distinction happened.
New Testament era Galilee, as one of the two Tetrarchies of Herod Antipas, included more then just what Old Testament Galilee refereed to, which was usually just the land allotted to Naphtali with one mention in Isaiah 9 possibly including Zebulun. That many maps agree New Testament Galilee included Megiddo, Tanaach, Tabor and Jezreel, show it included some of the region alluded to in Joshua 17:11-12 and Judges 1:27 as areas meant for Asher and Issachar but that Mansseites came to dwell in, but had trouble driving out the Canaanites, but it seems the Cananaite issue in this area was finally solved by Solomon with the help of Ph'ruh King of Mizraim in 1 Kings 9:15-17. This area also equates to that governed by Baana son of Alihud in 1 Kings 4:12. 1 Chronicles 7:29 further says this area was inhabited by the children of Manasseh.
Speaking of Issachar, I have come to reject most major theories on what Iscariot means and now think it probably means being of the region and/or tribe of Issachar.
The traditional site of Nazareth isn't in Naphtali either but is basically right next to Japhia of Joshua 19:12. If I wanted to keep defending the traditional site of Nazareth I could try identifying it as Zartanah of 1 Kings 4:12 with a Nun prefix added. But also either it or Sepphoris could be viable to try identifying with Sarid of Joshua 19:10-12.
If Sepphoris can be interpreted as being in Zebulun's Land, then it goes back to my hunch that Matthew 4:12-16's usage of Isaiah 9 might be saying Jesus left Zebulun for Naphtali when he left Nazareth for Capernum. The Babylonian Talmud's (Megillah 6a) identification of the city with Kitron of Judges 1:30 would also make it a city of Zebulun. Kitron could be a variation of Kattath in Joshua 19:15.
Or alternatively I could identify Nazareth with Jezreel or Japhia, which are also names that don't appear in the New Testament. And in Hosea Yahuah says he will avenge the Blood of Jezreel against the House of Jehu. The Avenger of Blood in Hebrew Law was supposed to be a Blood Kinsman.
Update Aprils 18th 2018: Natrona
I've lately taken an interest in looking into the Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus.
I find it interesting that Jewish revolts against Pagan Rome never got much support from the Galilee, but the two Jewish revolts against Christian Rome were primarily centered in Galilee in their beginning at least.
This one uniquely was centered in Sepphoris (also called Diosaesarea at the time). One of the leaders of the revolt was a person known as Patricius in Gentile sources, but to the Jews as Natrona. The Jewish Encyclopedia says that the name Natrona has a Messianic meaning. The basis for that is no doubt Netzer Strongs Numbers 5342, which is translated Branch in Isaiah 11. And many scholars have already argued that is the Messianic Prophecy being alluded to in Matthew 2:23 and thus as somehow etymologically related to the name of Nazareth.
In Nazareth Jesus talked about no Prophet being accepted in his home country. Thing is the Old Testament narratives he was alluding to were about in their lifetimes, all these Prophets were accepted sometime after they died.
So when I look at how during the 66-73 AD War and the Bar-Kochba Revolt the people of Galilee tried to stay out of it just like the Christians did. I can't help but wonder if more of this region became Christian then we generally think. After all Jewish Christians were called Nazarenes, and the Nazarenes did not engage in the Heresies the Ebonites did, the only reason some of the Greek Church Fathers wanted to reject them as being Orthodox were that they still to some extent followed The Torah, but they did not reject Paul.
One of the new names given to Sepphoris after 70 AD was Erinopolis, a Greek name with arguably the same meaning as Jerusalem. Of course it would be Amillenial to say that fulfilled the Prophecy of New Jerusalem so I'm not gonna do that, but it's interesting.
The revolt against Constantius Gallus was a reaction to persecutions of the Jewish Population that began under Constantius II. Constantine I did not persecute Jews or Pagans, there was true Freedom of Religion under his reign, but that changed under his sons.
Constantius II was an Arian, and Trinitarian Christians like Athanasius stopped just short of calling him The Antichrist. Now Anti-Semitic tendencies were creeping into the Church well before Constantine, and in time Nicene Christianity would get plenty of Jewish Blood on it's hands. But I find it interesting that the first time Christians used Caesar's Sword against The Jews it was an Arian Emperor.
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