Sepphoris – where Herod Antipas lived

Herod the Great built a palace in a town on top of an isolated hill in a Galilean plain and called it Zippori, “my little bird” for its view. The Romans called it Sepphoris.

Sepphoris - a view over the countryside

After Herod died in 4 BC it was captured by Zealots under Judas of Galilee, and recaptured and destroyed by the Romans. Herod’s son Herod Antipas rebuilt the palace and city as his capital in Galilee. There was a lot of work for local stonemasons and carpenters – Joseph and the young Jesus would have walked over daily from the village of Nazareth, four miles away. The wood has gone, but the stone remains.

The Cardo (main north-south street) in Sepphoris, rutted by wagons

The sidewalk along the Cardo in Sepphoris

Herod Antipas was subsequently present at Jesus’ trial.

One comment on “Sepphoris – where Herod Antipas lived

  1. Harish says:

    That’s an amusing repnosse, thank you! But there is actual evidence for the existence of Joseph and Jesus. The evidence is from multiple mentions of Jesus recorded within a hundred years of his death by serious historians (Tacitus, Josephus) as well as by the propagators of the Christian offshoot of Judaism, and also by Jewish detractors of Christianity. There is less direct evidence for Joseph, but the descriptions of his relationship to Jesus and silence regarding his death also support his reality more than fictional alternatives: an appropriately mythic role invented for him, and an explained and edifying death.

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