Friday, October 14
Zippori
We hopped this bus in Netanya, just north of Tel Aviv, to begin our journey with Kira, our guide.
Our first stop was Zippori, the Roman administrative center in the time of Jesus. It is less than four miles from Nazareth, which today is a large, bustling Arab and Jewish town, but at the time of Jesus was tiny, with perhaps a few hundred residents. There is a good probability that this is where Joseph and Jesus worked as carpenters or construction workers, as the town was built and expanded.
It contains a main road (a cardo), which had stores on either side with covered sidewalks to protect from the sun and rain. Some of these stores contain large, extensive and stunning mosaic floors. This could have been decoration for the store, or they might have been sample floors, showrooms, for people planning to build or expand their villas.
At the top of the city is the local governor’s home, with a beautiful mosaic floor in the living room, and indoor bathroom facilities with running water. Below that is an amphitheater for performances, and a synagogue. Though the existing synagogue is dated later (perhaps 4th century) it is likely built on top of the one there at the time of Jesus. Some historians believe Mary’s family was from Zippori, and that her father was the local rabbi.
These pictures are from the amphitheater:
