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

140 1llrf\('EENTEXTANDARTIFACT

thefacl thattheGreekl:lnguageisusedinthiscontext.^13 Excavationsof
partsoftheancientcityarcnowbeginningthaiwillprovidemanymore
detailsaboutthesite.Fromwhatweh:wediscoveredthusfarabolllthe
typical Greco-Homan urban leatures, and in light of the location 01
Tiberias,itisdearthatHerodAntipaswasinterestedindevelopingand
controllingthelakeregiontoagreaterextentthanhispredecessors.The
conclusionofMarianneSawickimaybeoverlyconfident,butinthefol-
lowingstatement sheprovidesa provocativerationale forwhyAntipas
builtTiberiasandhowthecityaffectedthelakeregion.

Ineffect,wlu:nAntira.~builtTilx:riasasaportofwelcometothelandof

Israel,he";talianized"theLike.mdthelowerJordan.Theneedtotrans-

poneliteintern:uion:lltravelersovertheKinneret,andtoentenainthem

whiletheyrestedatTiberias,invitedtheestablishmentofa newkindof

industry:imperialtourism.Thismaywellh:lvebroughtmaterialdisrup-

tions of the fishing businesses; it cenainly changed the perceived

characterofthewater.^14

Additionally,regardingthepurposeofthesenewcities,Crossanand
IkedohservethatHerodAntipaswasfollowinginhisfather'sfootsteps
when it cametothe reason forpromotingurbanization in theregion.
"[Antip~lsJcoveredSepphorisandTiberiaswithaGreco-Romanarchitec·
(Uralveneer,whichmadethemnotonlythefirstlargecitiesinGalilee,but
completenoveltiesintheirstyle, inwhichtracesofthesameaesthetic-
architectural themes found at Cacsarca arcapparent."15JamesStrange
concluded, "This rebuildinglofSepphoris by HerodAntipasJ was his
opportunitytoredefine SepphorisasaRomanci[y forhispatrons,the
Romans,andtherebyabsorbSepphorisintotheRomanurbanoverlay.In
otherwords,nowAntipashadthechancetoachicvea classicRomansyn-
thesisofforeign innovalionsand local tradition."16Afterexamininglhe
majorreferencesintheGospelstourbanimagc!)'andmetaphorsandcom-
paringthoseimagestowhatcouldhavebeenknowinthemilieuofEarly
RomanGalilee,Str.mgenotesthat"wedonotneeda Paultourbanizeand

13 ShragaQedar,-Twolead\:'eighl1>ofHerodAntipasandAgrippaIIandtheEarly
HistoryofTiberias,·IsraelNum;smatlcjOlll"lllll9(1989):66-75.Similariy,seetheleadweight
fromSt:pphorisinscri1>t:dwiththesameGreektermtwic<:(agon/1/omoi)inEricMeyers.
-Sepphoris.TheOrnamentofallGalilce,-BII 49 (1986):4-19.
14 MarianneSawicki,Cro.'iSillgGalilee:ArchitecturesofCOlllactIntheOcCUPied£w/(Iof
jesus(Harrhburg.1':1.:TrinityPre:.:.International,2000).30.
I";CrossanandR(.--ecl,I'xawm;1I8jeslls,65.
16 J;lIll1:sF.Strange."SomeImplic:L1ionsofArch,lI:ologyforNewTestamentStudies,"in
Whm HasArchaeology 10 DowitbFaltb?(cd. J. H. Charleswonh,mdW. P. Weaver;
l'hiladt:lphb:TrinityPressInternational.1992).35.