Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

TIBERIAS

(Gk. Tiberiás)

Located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (201242), a city founded by Herod Antipas between 18 and 20 c.e. as his new Galilean capital and named in honor of his patron and then emperor Tiberias.

Since it was built atop an ancient cemetery, many Jews refused to settle there; only financial inducement or compulsion on the part of Antipas filled the city with Jewish and Greek inhabitants (Josephus Ant. 18.36-38). Josephus also tells of a sumptuous palace in Tiberias, with gilded ceilings and representations of animals that broke aniconic Jewish traditions (Vita 65-66). Coinage minted at Tiberias, however, contained neither Antipas’ nor human or pagan images; instead coins were often imprinted with a reed, a local plant that grew along the Sea of Galilee. After the two Jewish-Roman wars, Tiberias became one of the most important centers of Jewish learning, and hence holds a prominent place in rabbinic literature. Rabbi Yohanan led one of the largest study houses in 2nd-century Tiberias. In the Middle Ages the Masoretes developed the Tiberian vowel pointing of the Hebrew Bible there.

Archaeological excavations have been restricted to isolated probes and salvage operations since the ancient site stands beneath a modern city. A city gate, protected by two massive circular towers, was uncovered, which might date to Antipas’ founding of the city. This gate, coupled with evidence for a cardo, or north-south axis road (whose remains date best to the Byzantine period), indicates that the original city was likely laid out in an orthogonal grid pattern. The Byzantine wall of the city encompasses an area of 185 ha. (457 a.) and encircles Mt. Bernice to the west and the hot springs of Tiberias to the south. Excavations at the latter site of Hammat (Heb. “hot springs”) Tiberias, where travelers since the Roman period have enjoyed its curative powers, have unveiled a 4th-century synagogue mosaic depicting a spectacular zodiac.

In the NT only the Gospel of John mentions Tiberias, in reference to “the sea of Tiberias” (John 6:1; 21:1) and indicating the city as the locale from which many come on boats to see Jesus (6:23). Like Herod Antipas’ other major city Sepphoris, no activity of Jesus is recorded or associated with Tiberias. Perhaps Jesus avoided Tiberias as the seat of Antipas’ political power.

Bibliography. Y. Hirschfeld, G. Foerster, and F. Vitto, “Tiberias,” NEAEHL 4:1464-73; G. Theissen, The Gospels in Context (Minneapolis, 1991).

Jonathan Reed

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

TIBERIAS

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)