Historical Jesus ......... 6
Nazareth.
Rene Salm gathered a bunch of archaeological reports about the Hilltop believed to have been Nazareth and although it was found to have supported busy human activity in bronze and pre-bronze ages there was nothing but remains of a single building and oil lamp particles from that era to support any gospel accounts. If anybody demands a source for his opinions then please go buy his book 'The Myth of Nazareth'. The archaeology was sound, I expect, so let's go with the possibility of a building remains and those lamps, eh?
A two hour walk to the North or Nazareth is Sepphoris/Zippori.... Herod the Great had enjoyed his beautiful Ziporri (Birds-nest??), 7 acres of fine buildings and temples placed high of a 1000' hill-top. After Herod's death with the brigand Judas BarEzekiah invaded it and forced all inhabitants into loyalty for him. The acting Legate of Syria (Varus) sent a cohort and legions to retake and cleanse it by razing it all to the ground, selling all women and children from there in to slavery and forcing all male prisoners to carry out its destruction before being crucified.
And that was the situation when Herod Antipas was granted control of the Galilee and decided to rebuild that beautiful place for his own and visiting dignitaries' enjoyment. Thousands of labourers, hauliers, wood and stone workers, metal workers and all the support workers for those folks and their families must have poured in to the area for the work.
Zippori is a high hilltop on a very low lying plain and surrounded by many other small hilltops all around. Although these hilltops are too far away for daily travel to and from Zippori they were ideal centres for working men to keep their families. Simonias, Yafia, Nazareth, Traditional Cana, Khirbet Cana and about twenty other hills surrounding Zippori would have been inhabited. There would not have been enough space around the base of Zippori for all families, and high ground is more secure than the plain. And so Nazareth was populated with the families of working men.
So, why no building remains? Would you expect to find building remains, foundations etc upon Nazareth if there had been a busy community there in early 1st century CE?
I don't think that you would find any......... but how about your opinions?
Nazareth.
Rene Salm gathered a bunch of archaeological reports about the Hilltop believed to have been Nazareth and although it was found to have supported busy human activity in bronze and pre-bronze ages there was nothing but remains of a single building and oil lamp particles from that era to support any gospel accounts. If anybody demands a source for his opinions then please go buy his book 'The Myth of Nazareth'. The archaeology was sound, I expect, so let's go with the possibility of a building remains and those lamps, eh?
A two hour walk to the North or Nazareth is Sepphoris/Zippori.... Herod the Great had enjoyed his beautiful Ziporri (Birds-nest??), 7 acres of fine buildings and temples placed high of a 1000' hill-top. After Herod's death with the brigand Judas BarEzekiah invaded it and forced all inhabitants into loyalty for him. The acting Legate of Syria (Varus) sent a cohort and legions to retake and cleanse it by razing it all to the ground, selling all women and children from there in to slavery and forcing all male prisoners to carry out its destruction before being crucified.
And that was the situation when Herod Antipas was granted control of the Galilee and decided to rebuild that beautiful place for his own and visiting dignitaries' enjoyment. Thousands of labourers, hauliers, wood and stone workers, metal workers and all the support workers for those folks and their families must have poured in to the area for the work.
Zippori is a high hilltop on a very low lying plain and surrounded by many other small hilltops all around. Although these hilltops are too far away for daily travel to and from Zippori they were ideal centres for working men to keep their families. Simonias, Yafia, Nazareth, Traditional Cana, Khirbet Cana and about twenty other hills surrounding Zippori would have been inhabited. There would not have been enough space around the base of Zippori for all families, and high ground is more secure than the plain. And so Nazareth was populated with the families of working men.
So, why no building remains? Would you expect to find building remains, foundations etc upon Nazareth if there had been a busy community there in early 1st century CE?
I don't think that you would find any......... but how about your opinions?
