Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching (Archaeology and Biblical Studies)

MORELA:"n:ARCHAEOl.OGYINNEWH:'<;TAMEj\'TCOUR~I:''i 137

secondissueregardsthereligiousandculturalinfluencesinGalileeinthe

firstcentury.TowhatextentwastheenvironmentofPalestinejewish?Was

GalileekHellenized"? Howhasrecentarchaeologyhelpedtodefinethe

typesofreligionsinthecontextofGalilee?Thethirdissueistherelation-

ship between Galilee and jerusalem. What role did the jerusalem

authoritieshaveinGalilee,andtowhatextentwastheG~llilceinfluenced

bythe Phariseeb?Althoughthearchaeologicalclaw provideus with no

enchantedrealmofknowledgewhereallourquestionsaresuddenlyand

conclusivelyanswered,whenappropriatelyusedthedatacanrecommend

anautonomousexplanationoftheperiodthatoftenfillsinthegaps.

URBANANDRURAl.SE'ITI;-':G",INGAl.lLEE

Sincethe Ilrstarcheological investigations in Palestine in thenine-
teenthcentury, therehasbeena tendencytoexcavatecitiesthat were
directlyreferencedintheBible.Therefore,itmightseemoddthatoneof
the most impol1ant excavationsfor studentsofChristianorigins is the
RomancityofSepphoris,a sitenotmentionedintheBible.AlthoughSep-
phoriswaslocated onlya fewmilesnOl1hofNazarethandwasdearly
visiblefromtheNazarethRidge,theGospelauthorsnevermentionjesusin
thismajorHerodianadministrativecenter.Similarly,thecityofTiberiasis
nOlmentionedintheGospelseventhoughthecitywasestablishedinthe
lifeofjesusjustafewmiles 10 thesouthofCapernaulll,Althoughnotyet
asthoroughlyexcavated,thereshouldhe nodoubt thatTiberiashada
majorimpactontheinhabitanlsaroundtheSeaofGalilee(LakeKinnerel),
wherejesusis saidtohavespentmuchofhistime.[ havefoundthatmany
fmitful discussions have been launched by asking students why the
authorsoftheGospelsdonotmentionthesecities.Thequestionnotonly
providesanopportunitytodiscussthere,lsonswhytheGospelswerewrit-
ten-why cert~lin information was included and other material left
out-butitalsosuggestsaniruereslingdilemmainthequestforthehistor-
icaljesus.Didjesusvisitthesecities?If so,whyaretheynotmentioned?If
not,whatarethepossiblereasons?Werethecitiesintentionallyavoided,
unsupportiveofjesusandhisfollowers,ursimplynotontheiritinerary?
Although nodefinitiveanswerscan besuppliedfor thesequestions,in
whatfollowsJwillaHempttoclarifywhatwecanknowaboutlheimpact
ofthesecitiesonearliestChristianity,~
Theextentto which lhe I-IerodiancitiesofSepphorisandTiberias
shiftedtheeconomicandpoliticalenvironmentofGalileeisslilldebated

5 Au"CfuJ.-;umm;Lr)'(Ifsi~nifk:alllS(:holarl)'fl:nC<.:1ion~onthi.~suhi("...·\i~foundinihid_.

127-32.