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

146 BElWEF.Nll".xTAND....RTIFACT

shiflsmallikelyaccompaniedthegrowthofthenewurbancenters., have
consistemlyfoundthatwhenstudentsareintroducedtothearchaeological
materialtheybecomeinterestedinreadingthesesayingsthroughthelens
oftheeconomicsetlingofRomanGalilee.Havingintegr<uedmaterialfrom
Reed,Edwards,Horsley,andAToal into!.hecoursefe'.ldinglist,information
abouttheshiftinthesocioeconomicsettingofGalileecanenlivenand
improveteachingabouttheGospelsandthehistoricalJesus.

CULllJRALANDREUGIOUSINFLUENCl-:SING"Ulf.E

Severalrecentstudiesprovidestudentsandteacherswithawealth

ofinformationaboutthepossibleethnicand religiousmakeupofthe

regionofGalileeduringthetimeofJesus.A llsefulsummaryisfoundin

a recentarticlebyFreyne)"Drawingprimarilyonthearchaeologie<llevi-

dence, he argues that an identifiable localized area ofGalilee was

predominantlyoccupiedbyJewishseulements.Thisincludedtheregion

aroundSepphoris,includingIheurbansiteitself,theareanorthofSep-

phoris(oflenreferred toas UpperGalilee),andmost ofthewestern

shoreofLakeKinneret.TheseareasarethemainplaceswhereJesusis

saidtohavelivedandtraveJed.35Otherlocalized regionssurrounding

thesesectionsofGaJiJee haveproducedmaterials thatindicateeilher

muchmun:ura lIIixlurt:urrdigiuuslnuJilionsorprimarilyanon-jewish

or"pagan"population.^36 However,oneshouldnotoverstateIheisolation

ofthevariouslocalizedregions;htheJewishandnon·Jewishareaswere

nothermeticallysealedfromoneanother."37ThepredominantlyJewish

areaswerewellconnectedtotheirlargerregions,especiallyastheroad

systemswereconlinuouslybeingexpandedandenhancedduringthe

Early Roman Period.Afler HerodhadthemajorP0rlcityofCaesarea

Maritimaestablished in the first century B.C.E., not onlywasa beller

systemofroadsconstructedinGalilee,butevenmoretrafficcrossedlhe

regionduetothelargeamountofcommercegoingtoandfromthenew

port.^38 InGalilee,accesstothelargerRomanworldwasnotonlyaccessi-

ble,butitwasoftenunavoidable.

34 Freyne,·ArchaeologyandlheHislOricalJesus.~132-38

35 Fora completesurveyofIheevidence.seeChancey.MJ1bofII GentileGa/ill'e

AllhoughIhisbookpr0b3blyconlainstoomuchdetailforuseasacbssroomlelttbook,IIis

aneltcellenlresourceforleache~inleresfedinlhearchat."Ologicalremainslhalhaveanybear-

inJtonlheethnicandreligiousidenuuesoftheinhab1l.anlSofGalilee

36 seeJurgenZ3ngenberg·sess:JyInlhisvolumefora discussionoflhetenn-pagan"

andanoverviewoftheeXbnl"pagan"m:l.lerialsInthert."gK>nofGali.ce.

37 Freyne."Archaeok>gyand(heHistoricalJesus: 137

38 SeeReed.Arc#Xl(.'ologylIml/1x!G£dilc(l1/JesllS, I·P.....qg