Sepphoris (Tzippori)
The 'ornament of all Galilee' rebuilt by Antipas an hour's walk from Nazareth
Found 1931 — Leroy Waterman (University of Michigan, 1931); James Strange (University of South Florida, 1983–); Eric and Carol Meyers (Duke, 1985–); Ehud Netzer and Zeev Weiss (Hebrew University, 1990–)
Where Tzippori National Park, Lower Galilee, 6 km northwest of Nazareth (Israel)
Dates from Rebuilt by Antipas from 4 BCE; theater 1st–2nd century CE; mosaics 3rd–5th century · Early Roman to Byzantine · Youth of Yeshua; Galilee of Antipas
Now at In place; Tzippori National Park
How Sepphoris (Tzippori) was found
Waterman uncovered the theater; later teams exposed the Roman street grid, a residential quarter with mikvaot and stone vessels, the 'Dionysus mosaic' villa with the 'Mona Lisa of the Galilee', the Nile Festival building, a 5th-century synagogue mosaic and the water system.
What it is
A hilltop city with a 4,500-seat theater, colonnaded streets, a Roman villa with a famous Dionysus mosaic, a synagogue with zodiac mosaic, and Jewish houses of the Early Roman period with ritual baths and chalk vessels. Josephus calls it 'the ornament of all Galilee'; Antipas made it his capital before founding Tiberias.
Why it matters for the Bible
Sepphoris was being rebuilt by Antipas during Yeshua's youth, and many scholars think Yosef and Yeshua, as builders (tekton), could have worked there. It is never named in the Gospels, which raises questions about why Yeshua avoided the cities. The Jewish character of its 1st-century houses shows that Galilee's 'Hellenistic' cities were still Jewish, and its theater has fueled debate on whether Yeshua's word 'hypocrite' (stage actor) came from seeing plays. The theater's date (Herodian or later 1st century) is disputed.
The Hebrew word: cha-RASH
חָרָשׁ
חָרָשׁ is pronounced cha-RASH and means craftsman, builder — Hebrew behind Greek tekton (G5045), 'carpenter' (Strong's H2796).
People this discovery connects to
- Herod Antipas — הוֹרְדוֹס אַנְטִיפַּס (Hor-DOS An-TEE-pas) — tetrarch of Galilee
- Yosef (Joseph) — יוֹסֵף (Yo-SEF) — may He add; the tekton of Nazareth
Places
- Sepphoris — צִפּוֹרִי (Tsee-po-REE) — bird (perched like a bird on the hill)
Events
Antipas' rebuilding of Galilee · Yeshua's hidden years in Nazareth
Sepphoris (Tzippori) in Scripture
Mark 6:3 'Is not this the tekton?' — a builder in Nazareth would have found work in nearby Sepphoris.
Matthew 6:2 'Hypocrites' — Greek for stage actors; Sepphoris' theater is the nearest one to Nazareth.
Matthew 5:14 'A city set on a hill cannot be hidden' — Sepphoris on its hill is visible from the ridge above Nazareth.
Questions people ask
What is Sepphoris (Tzippori)?
A hilltop city with a 4,500-seat theater, colonnaded streets, a Roman villa with a famous Dionysus mosaic, a synagogue with zodiac mosaic, and Jewish houses of the Early Roman period with ritual baths and chalk vessels. Josephus calls it 'the ornament of all Galilee'; Antipas made it his capital before founding Tiberias.
When was Sepphoris (Tzippori) discovered?
It was found in 1931 by Leroy Waterman (University of Michigan, 1931); James Strange (University of South Florida, 1983–); Eric and Carol Meyers (Duke, 1985–); Ehud Netzer and Zeev Weiss (Hebrew University, 1990–), at Tzippori National Park, Lower Galilee, 6 km northwest of Nazareth.
Where is Sepphoris (Tzippori) today?
In place; Tzippori National Park.
Which Bible verses does Sepphoris (Tzippori) relate to?
Mark 6:3, Matthew 6:2, Matthew 5:14.
Related discoveries
- טֶטְרַרְךְCoins of Herod Antipas and Herod Agrippa IBronze coins of the Gospel-era Herods — Tiberias palms and Agrippa's canopy
- טָבַלMachaerusHerod Antipas' fortress east of the Dead Sea where John the Baptist was beheaded
- סֶלַעPetra: Nabataean Capital of Aretas IVThe rock-cut city ruled by the king whose governor tried to arrest Paul, and the 1993 church papyri
- נֵצֶרNazareth 1st-Century HouseSimple dwellings showing Nazareth was a small Jewish village in Yeshua's day
- קֶבֶרNazareth Inscription (Decree of Caesar)Greek edict threatening death for tomb-robbing — once tied to the empty tomb, now traced to Kos
- צַיִדBethsaida: et-Tell and el-ArajTwo rival sites for the fishing village of Peter, Andrew and Philip
Sources
- Meyers, Netzer & Meyers, Sepphoris (1992); Weiss, 'Sepphoris', New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land 5 (2008)
- Wikipedia: Sepphoris