tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18301677132138209862024-03-13T00:13:23.408-07:00NazarethAlso known as En Nasira, Japhia, Mash-had, en-Nasirah, Nazerat, Nazareth of Galilee, Nazareth in Galilee, Yafti en Nasrajburketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11706934788162129142noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830167713213820986.post-5254492038494830582010-02-08T20:23:00.000-08:002010-07-23T14:26:47.443-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99V62Du2SbaMFYsu2fjm2ckcxw9lMzAiha6R1a_HiidbF6ABqQHncAsLHGaOciJq96bsrYDXcrdH972_Orv-Wyb4zqD02HxbCgrXzmGEf1JdpDH2bhrxs_vPQrCVe4_QMN-PjIbJYzU9I/s1600-h/ChristwithChildren_CarlBloch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 413px; height: 470px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99V62Du2SbaMFYsu2fjm2ckcxw9lMzAiha6R1a_HiidbF6ABqQHncAsLHGaOciJq96bsrYDXcrdH972_Orv-Wyb4zqD02HxbCgrXzmGEf1JdpDH2bhrxs_vPQrCVe4_QMN-PjIbJYzU9I/s320/ChristwithChildren_CarlBloch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436094831513271250" border="0" /></a>jburketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11706934788162129142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830167713213820986.post-27367528801130119112010-01-23T08:19:00.001-08:002010-07-23T14:30:57.728-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTo9PM9uAaPUoekNvx2FD51xez7PY7T4L94K9u7DajN56Iu59pI4EojlIX8gly9iGs9T2YBY55lASfDCsJ2RVuufczdinrat_EiP4yabQx8spWcTGpoWJRXtC26sCl2hkhAAnHXQ37ymn/s1600-h/Beit_Alpha.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 449px; height: 456px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTo9PM9uAaPUoekNvx2FD51xez7PY7T4L94K9u7DajN56Iu59pI4EojlIX8gly9iGs9T2YBY55lASfDCsJ2RVuufczdinrat_EiP4yabQx8spWcTGpoWJRXtC26sCl2hkhAAnHXQ37ymn/s320/Beit_Alpha.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429792313823116354" border="0" /></a><br />Note:<br />This is a Mosaic pavement of a 6th century synagogue at Beit Alpha, Jezreel Valley, in Northern Israel. It was discovered in 1928. Signs of the zodiac surround the central chariot of the Sun (a Greek motif). The corners depict the 4 "turning points" ("tekufot") of the year, solstices and equinoxes, each named for the month in which it occurs--tequfah of Tishrei, (tequfah of Tevet), tequfah of Ni(san), tequfah of Tamuz. Created by NASAjburketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11706934788162129142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830167713213820986.post-25906921677043860062010-01-23T08:17:00.000-08:002010-01-23T08:18:33.616-08:00A dwelling in Nazareth? Very interestingIsrael: First Jesus-Era House Found in Nazareth<br />Monday, December 21, 2009<br />By Diaa Hadid, Associated Press<br /><br />Nazareth, Israel (AP) - Days before Christmas, archeologists on Monday unveiled<br />what they said were the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth that can be<br />dated back to the time of Jesus -- a find that could shed new light on what the<br />hamlet was like during the period the New Testament says Jesus lived there as a<br />boy.<br /><br />The dwelling and older discoveries of nearby tombs in burial caves suggest that<br />Nazareth was an out-of-the-way hamlet of around 50 houses on a patch of about<br />four acres (1.6 hectares). It was evidently populated by Jews of modest means<br />who kept camouflaged grottos to hide from Roman invaders, said archaeologist<br />Yardena Alexandre, excavations director at the Israel Antiquities Authority.<br /><br />Based on clay and chalk shards found at the site, the dwelling appeared to house<br />a "simple Jewish family," Alexandre added, as workers at the site carefully<br />chipped away at mud with small pickaxes to reveal stone walls.<br /><br />Nazareth holds a cherished place in Christianity. It is believed to be the town<br />where Christian tradition says Jesus grew up and where an angel told Mary she<br />would bear the child of God.<br /><br />"This may well have been a place that Jesus and his contemporaries were familiar<br />with," Alexandre said. A young Jesus may have played around the house with his<br />cousins and friends, she said. "It's a logical suggestion."<br /><br />The discovery so close to Christmas has pleased local Christians.<br /><br />"They say if the people do not speak, the stones will speak," said a smiling<br />Father Jack Karam of the nearby Basilica of the Annunciation, the site where<br />Christian tradition says Mary received the angel's word.<br /><br />Alexandre's team found remains of a wall, a hideout, a courtyard and a water<br />system that appeared to collect water from the roof and supply it to the home.<br />The discovery was made when builders dug up the courtyard of a former convent to<br />make room for a new Christian center, just yards (meters) away from the<br />Basilica.<br /><br />It is not clear how big the dwelling is -- Alexandre's team have uncovered about<br />900 square feet (85 square meters) of the house, but it may have been for an<br />extended family and could be much larger, she said.<br /><br />Alexandre said her team also found a camouflaged entry way into a grotto, which<br />she believes was used by Jews at the time to hide from Roman soldiers who were<br />battling Jewish rebels at the time for control of the area.<br /><br />The grotto would have hid around six people for a few hours, she said.<br /><br />However, Roman soldiers did not end up battling Nazareth's Jews because the<br />hamlet had little strategic value at the time. The Roman army was more<br />interested in larger towns and strategic hilltop communities, she said.<br /><br />Alexandre said similar camouflaged grottos were found in other ancient Jewish<br />communities of the lower Galilee such as the nearby Biblical village of Cana,<br />which did witness battle between Jews and Romans.<br /><br />At the site, Alexandre told reporters that archaeologists also found clay and<br />chalk vessels which were likely used by Galilean Jews of the time. The<br />scientists concluded a Jewish family lived there because of the chalk, which was<br />used by Jews at the time to ensure the purity of the food and water kept inside<br />the vessels.<br /><br />The shards also date back to the time of Jesus, which includes the late<br />Hellenic, early Roman period that ranges from around 100 B.C. to 100 A.D.,<br />Alexandre said.<br /><br />The absence of any remains of glass vessels or imported products suggested the<br />family who lived in the dwelling were "simple," but Alexandre said the remains<br />did not indicate whether they were traders or farmers.<br /><br />The only other artifacts that archeologists have found in the Nazareth area from<br />the time of Jesus are ancient burial caves outside the hamlet, providing a rough<br />idea of the village's population at the time, Alexandre said.<br /><br />Work is now taking place to clear newer ruins built above the dwelling, which<br />will be preserved. The dwelling will become a part of a new international<br />Christian center being constructed close to the site and funded by a French<br />Roman Catholic group, said Marc Hodara of the Chemin Neuf Community overseeing<br />construction.<br /><br />Alexandre said limited space and population density in Nazareth means it is<br />unlikely that archeologists can carry out any further excavations in the area,<br />leaving this dwelling to tell the story of what Jesus' boyhood home may have<br />looked like.<br /><br />The discovery at "this time, this period, is very interesting, especially as a<br />Christian," Karam said. "For me it is a great gift."<br /><br />(I got this from a person that enjoys history and especially things "archeological")jburketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11706934788162129142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830167713213820986.post-10753932069107967672010-01-23T07:58:00.000-08:002010-01-23T08:16:46.662-08:00Some information about NazarethJesus spent his boyhood years in Nazareth before beginning his ministry when he was about 30. After moving his home to Capernaum, Jesus returned to teach in the synagogue of Nazareth twice more, but was rejected both times. One time, the townspeople were so outraged at Jesus that they tried to throw him off a cliff to his death. What could he have been teaching that was so enraging? We have an idea the more you get to know Jesus through the scriptures... He was very bold in bringing the message he did, but many believed him because of the acts he performed. He had proof he wasn't just making things up, but had stamp of God with him.<br /><br /><br />Now, we find a Byzantine church that was built over the place where it is believed that the angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary. In 1966 the Roman Catholic Church began constructing a new basilica over these remains and today this church is the largest church building in the Middle East. The Greek Orthodox Church nearby is built over the town's water source. We see churches and different things built over older ruins in much of that region in the world. We saw some places like that in Greece also just this last summer when I went there. In different places, newer buildings, sometimes whole towns are built on top of others. We know this happened in Italy too in some places, etc.<br /><br /><br />As far as ancient sources go, we know little about Nazareth. For now, its limited to the New Testament which is a great ancient source, but there is some dispute over this of course. I have not seen good reasons to disregard it as an ancient source, just because it seems to conflict with what many would like to believe about history. Nazareth is mentioned in the Byzantine period, 4th Century A.D. Archaeological excavations have confirmed that the city was only a small agricultural village during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. <br /> <br /><br />Nazareth was a relatively isolated village in the time of Jesus, with a population of less than two hundred. Its location was inside a "bowl" atop the Nazareth ridge north of the Jezreel valley. Now, the location of upper Nazareth is home to thousands of Jewish residents. Over 60,000 Israeli Arabs live in Nazareth area today. <br /><br />I found it interesting that Nazareth is also known as En Nasira, Japhia, Mash-had, en-Nasirah, Nazerat, Nazareth of Galilee, Nazareth in Galilee, Yafti en Nasra. This will help in the researching of Nazareth. So keep that in mind as you are learning and reading more.jburketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11706934788162129142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830167713213820986.post-43339494836536660782010-01-23T07:46:00.000-08:002010-01-23T07:48:27.961-08:00Find out more about Nazareth<a href="//http://www.bibleplaces.com/nazareth.htm">Click this link, to find some great information out about Nazareth, then and now.</a><br /><br />On that site, are many more links to study up more about Nazareth.jburketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11706934788162129142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830167713213820986.post-58067816109308226072010-01-22T20:29:00.000-08:002010-07-23T14:32:25.434-07:00Nazareth<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Was there ever such a town, as told in the Bible, named Nazareth?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I am putting up information here on Nazareth because I have heard some interesting things about it lately, while hearing from others that it may not have ever even existed? Truth being the goal, see what I see as more information comes forward. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thank you for stopping by, and please feel free to leave any comments or thoughts.</span></span>jburketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11706934788162129142noreply@blogger.com