In his illuminating, well-researched book examining the site of Et-Tell, also known as Bethsaida, Carl E. Savage explores archaeological evidence to offer readers a portrait of the religious beliefs and practices of the community living near the north shore of the Sea of Galilee during the first century CE. In the study of the cultural and social matrix of the first century in the Galilee, scholars have commonly prioritized written sources over archaeological evidence because written sources seem to contribute more directly to an understanding of the religious beliefs and practices of a community. However, there exist many competing views of the landscape during that time due to the varying interpretations of the textual sources. Using archaeological data from Bethsaida itself, Savage investigates the material practices of Bethsaida's ancient inhabitants, describing these practices as significant indicators of their sense of place both ideologically and geographically. He evaluates the historical plausibility of various social reconstructions for the region, and finds that the image that emerges of first-century Bethsaida is one similar to those of other Jewish communities in the Galilee.

This volume is an archaeological analysis, history, and description of a key excavation of the site of biblical Bethsaida, the most important Holy Land location in the narrative of Jesus’ life. This volume presents some of the pre-eminent biblical archaeological scholars in the field, all of whom were associated with Professor John T. Greene, either in the process of decades of archaeological exploration of the ancient site of Bethsaida, or in some other related activity in the field of biblical studies and religion. Professor Greene has been a leading scholar in the excavation and publication of field reports and historical and biblical analysis of the rich lode of discoveries that Bethsaida has revealed to us. This volume will be the highly sought-after summary of the historical-biblical information now available about ancient Bethsaida, the location at which Jesus vacationed, taught, healed, and announced his self-perception as the promised Jewish Messiah who became a new kind of Christian Messiah after his death by crucifixion on a Roman cross in approximately 30 CE in Jerusalem. Bethsaida in Archaeology, History, and Ancient Culture: A Festschrift in Honor of John T. Greene, describes the operational life of the ordinary people, religious communities, military movements, and socio-political hierarchy, from a ground-level perspective of the centuries before and during the lifetimes of Philo Judaeus, Jesus of Nazareth, and Flavius Josephus. It is unique in its popular presentation of this key era for scholarly research, appealing to both scholars in the field and informed non-professional readers, as well as scholars in corollary disciplines. This volume will be immensely sought after by a wide range of those persons who expect interesting, important, and highly readable works from municipal and academic libraries, as well as the popular book stores throughout the English speaking world.

Biblical Bethsaida: A Study of the First Century CE in the Galilee enters the process of constructing a portrait of the First Century CE in the Galilee by drawing primarily upon the archaeological data from et-Tell (Bethsaida) itself and suggesting its relevance for the reconstruction of the first century CE cultural context. It views the material practices of the ancient inhabitants of the site as significant indicators of their sense of "place" both ideologically and geographically.

Where was Golgotha? Was Peter’s house in Capernaum? Was Mary from the town of Magdala? Where was Bethsaida? We’ve all heard the arguments, but what do the archaeological finds tell us? This book pulls together archaeological information, scattered in journals and final reports, relating to the Gospel of Luke with appealing photography, instructive illustrations, and fascinating recent finds. It uses archaeology to reconstruct the social, religious, historical, geographical, and pathological context for the story of Jesus and the Jesus-movement. The book not only features the “shiny objects” from the excavations (the beautiful pottery, buildings, and entertainment facilities) but also items that are not usually handled in glossy magazines, namely, the human, skeletal remains. Yet, these bones are an important window into the biblical world indicating lifespan, morbidity, socioeconomic standing, violence, and stature. The work will employ four areas of archaeological finds and investigations, including inscriptions, large finds (of buildings), small finds (jewelry, pottery, coins), and human remains, to help interpret and illustrate the Gospel of Luke. Along the way, it assesses several archaeological controversies, giving care to be fair to all sides but leaving the reader with the information to make up his or her own mind.

Die Publikation macht es möglich, insbesondere für die hellenistisch-frührömische Zeit die ersten ca. 25 Jahre der am Nordende des Sees Gennesaret seit 1987 durchgeführten Ausgrabung von et-Tell nachzuvollziehen, und sie lässt für diesen Zeitraum den letzten Stand der auch für die neutestamentliche Forschung wichtigen Grabung erkennen. Die Grabung wird von dem israelischen Archäologen Prof. Dr. Rami Arav geleitet; der Verfasser ist Professor für Neues Testament und Kodirektor des Bethsaida Excavations Project. Die Grabung hat gezeigt, dass et-Tell gleichzusetzen ist mit Betsaida/Julias, das z. B. im Neuen Testament (siebenmal), bei dem jüdischen Historiker Josephus und in der rabbinischen Literatur erwähnt wird. Der Band, der weit über 100 Abbildungen, zu einem großen Teil in Farbe, enthält, verfolgt also ein doppeltes Ziel: Zum einen kann aufgrund der 15 gesammelten Aufsätze in Deutsch und Englisch und der fortlaufenden Münchner Ausgrabungspläne der entdeckten Schichten von Eisenzeit IIA und hellenistisch-römischer Zeit der Verlauf der Grabung von Anfang an verfolgt werden (die gefalzten Pläne in doppeltem Seitenformat), zum anderen geben die Nachträge zu den veröffentlichten Aufsätzen sowie der letzte unveröffentlichte Aufsatz den jüngsten Stand der Grabung wieder. Der Verfasser richtet den Blick öfter speziell auf die erste Hälfte des 1. Jh. n.Chr. und das historisch-kritisch nachweisbare Wirken Jesu in Betsaida (gemäß Mt 11,21–23 parallel Lk 10,13–15).

"Bethsaida, located on the Sea of Galilee, is mentioned more frequently than any other town in the New Testament except for Jerusalem and Capernaum. It was the home of Jesus' closest friends, possibly nine of the apostles and his aunt Salome. The name means "house of fishermen", and it was renowned as a place of healing. Many of the "mighty works" of Jesus were performed here (one text mentions fifty three). It was to Galilee that the apostles returned after his execution and here Christianity was spawned. Galilee was destroyed by an earthquake in the early second century, which had a major impact on the topography of the area. Bethsaida, originally located on the shore, was now a mile and a half from the Sea of Galilee. This made fishing impractical and the town was not rebuilt, unlike other towns associated with Jesus. It was a pile of rubble for nearly 2000 years. There are twenty-nine extant journals of pilgrims who attempted unsuccessfully to find it. In 1987, a probe by Dr Rami Arav verified that this site did go back to Roman times and beyond. It is the only archaeological site that goes directly back to the time of Jesus. Here, his words and actions come alive, and, as such, the town has to be taken into account in the search for the historical Jesus.

An encyclopedic guide to the interpretation and understanding of biblical literature. Though written by members of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, the 1,450 original entries by some 225 contributors are diverse in viewpoint and devoid of theological prescription. They're