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BYZANTINE
ISRAEL
390 AD - 634 AD
390 AD
484 AD
574 AD
614 AD
617 AD
634 AD
Map showing the different provinces Palaestina I,II and III
PART 5: BYZANTINE RENEWAL
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Before the 6th century AD, Palaestina secunda largely included Jews that since the Bar Kochba revolt (in the second century) had made the Galilee as their cultural centre. The city of Tiberias became the chief seat of Jewish learning and a famous centre of study of the Hebrew languague and of the Massora (works of the Masoretes or scribes to establish a uniform and fixed version of the Hebrew Bible). Tiberias remained the centre of biblical study until the 11th century even long after the Palestinian Academy had moved to Jerusalem.
The population in the Diocese of the East (with the regions of Palaestina I, II & II) consisted of a mixed Greek and Aramaic-speaking population, who were mostly practicing Christians and Christian Arab Ghassanids. The last group migrated to the province from Yemen in around 4th and 5th centuries and settled the Gaulanitis near the North-Eastern border of Palaestina Secunda. Both Jewish and Christian groups flourished through the 4th and 5th centuries, as Byzantine control of the area dimmed, providing a great deal of autonomy for local populations. This golden age of Judiasm can be seen in beautiful decorated Jewish synagogues and the very important achievement of the newly compiled Jerusalem Talmud (see link). In Tiberias the primary Jewish authority, the Sanhedrin was seated until the early 5th century when the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius did not allow for a successor when the president of the Sanhedrin Gamaliel V died. This ended the Sanhedrin in 429 AD. By the 5th century, the Jews were also still banished from Jerusalem. Emperor Justinian further marginalized their status in the 6th century.
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For Christians Israel was a holy land ever since Christianity spread, but few Christians lived in Israel until the 4th century. This changed when the Byzantine government responded to Christian interest in the Holy Land by starting with building of churches and encouraged Christians to move to the province of Palaestina Secunda. Also the imperial policy was to try to encourage Jews to convert to Christianity by offering protection and rewards but this proved not successful. In the 6th century the growth of Christianity can also been seen in the Council of Jerusalem (536 AD). This Council of Jerusalem was a meeting of representatives of the church of the Three Palestines (Prima, Secunda and Tertia) that influenced the shape of the future church. Some Jewish Christians had wanted Gentile converts to be circumcised and obey all the complex ritual and purity laws of the Jews. The council called this a heresy and choose to step away from Jewish law perhaps also because these laws were locally important but outside of Israel, where the church was growing fast, not easily acceptable.
The Byzantine Empire started with having its own emperor Valens apart form the Emperor of the western Roman empire. But only after the fall of Rome in 476 AD when the Western Roman empire collapsed, Byzantium is seen as a true separate empire. The name 'Byzantine' empire was only used centuries later and the people called themselves Romans. Greek language became more and more important but many Roman ideas and influences remained. In the Byzantine period the area of Israel was mainly the area of the Byzantine province Palaestina Prima and Secunda (see map below). The most important cities of Palaestina Secunda were Scythopolis (Beth She-an), Capernaum and Nazareth. Caesarea Maritima was the capital of Palaestina Prima that also encompassed the coastal plain and area of Judah and Samaria. Palaestina Tertia to the south, with Petra as major city included the Negev but more important also the Sinai Peninsula, Jordan and Red Sea coast of Arabia.
In the Galilee Jewish lived also flourished but the result of Christian settlement was that the Galilee lost its Jewish majority. In many places both religions lived side by side for example in the area of Nazareth and Capernaum (where a synagogue and a church lie close together) just like in Tabgha. According to the traditional picture, the Christianization of Israel since Constantine led to a rapid deterioration of the position of the Jews already during the Byzantine period. Michael Avi-Yonah entitles his chapter dealing with the years 363-439 “The Great Assault on the Jews and Judaism.” If one reconstructs the history of the period, mainly on the basis of the Christian legislation and of some church fathers, this looks reasonable. However, if one takes into account a wider range of sources, the vast Jewish literature from these centuries and the rich harvest of the archaeological excavations made during the last decades, one discovers a quite different picture: most excavated synagogues were constructed after the prohibition of new synagogues; their architecture and decoration is closely parallel to that of contemporaneous churches; sometimes churches and synagogues stood side by side and mutually influenced each other.
This shows for long periods a peaceful coexistence and a vigorous and self-conscious Jewish community. This can also been seen in the recently found Ophel treasure near Temple mount. This golden necklace depicts a Torah scroll (symbol of Judaism) and shows a glimpse of Jewish life that was rich and growing at the foot of Temple Mount. Both the Jewish and Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem seems to have flourished in the late Byzantine period. Many ceremonial glass bottles with Jewish, Christian and other symbols were found, in the regions of Syria and Palestine, dating to the 6th and 7th century (see picture).
Glass bottle with Jewish symbols for pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem, Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden
SAMARITAN REVOLTS & TRAGEDY
The Samaritans believe that Mount Gerizim was the original holiest place an true temple mount for the Israelites from the time that Joshua conquered Canaan. Samaritans therefore dissent from Jews regarding the holiest place to worship God: the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Samaritans also claim to hold the original Torah, the Samaritan Pentateuch (see link) without corruptions or changes made in later times in the Masoretic Old testament. After the Roman Jew Wars which ended in the second century a golden age started for the Samaritan community. The Temple of Gerizim was rebuilt after the Bar Kochba revolt and with the withdrawal of Roman army, Samaria enjoyed a limited kind of independence during the 3rd and 4th centuries. In the 4th century, the leader of the Samaritans, Baba Rabba appointed local rulers out of aristocratic Samaritan families. He started with reforms, influenced Samaritan liturgy and created some form of state institutions. During the 4th century the Samaritans constructed beautiful synagogues on top of mount Gerizim, at Shechem (the most prominent city of the Samaritans) and the surrounding area.
A Samaritan Biblical inscription. British Museum photo: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
This period of local independence was short and Byzantine forces conquered Samaria and Baba Rabba died in prison. The growing autonomy in the 4th and 5th century maybe eventually have led to a number of revolts in the 5th and 6th century. These revolts and the violent reactions of Byzantine rulers led to mass killings in both sides. The civilians of Caesarea for example were massacred by the Samaritans and many churches (for example the Church of Nativity) were burned or looted. During the Ben Sabar revolt, in 529 until 531 the Samaritans reached a shortlived independence but eventually the Samaritans lost and most of them were killed. Once a large community, the Samaritan population appears to have shrunk significantly in the wake of the bloody suppression of the Samaritan revolts (mainly in 525 and 555) against the Byzantine Empire. Conversion to Christianity and later to Islam reduced their numbers even more. By the mid–Middle Ages, the famous Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela estimated that only around 1,900 Samaritans remained in Israel. Up until today the religious group is in danger of extinction.
HOPE FOR RESTORING JEWISH RULE & THE PERSIAN CONQUEST
The Jews in Babylon began to show support for the fight of the Persian Sassanians against the Byzantine Empire. Although the Jews were also persecuted by the Persians, the Exilarch, the leader of the Jews supported the Persian King Kosrow II in his aim to conquer the Middle East. Nehemiah , the son of Exilarch Hushiel was appointed leader of the Jewish armed forces. In the Galilee the wealthy Benjamin of Tiberias joined these forces and without any resistance the combined army conquered Jerusalem in 614 AD. Nehemiah Ben Hushiel became governor of Jerusalem and he made arrangements to rebuild the third Temple on Temple Mount. Many Jews felt the hope for restoring Jewish selfgovernance and Ben Hushiel began to receive a messianic status among the them. A few months later a Christian revolt in Jerusalem made the Jews flee to the encampment of the Persian army in Caesarea. Only 19 days later the Persian Army commanded by Shahrbaraz, breached the walls and burned the city. According the account of the Armenian Bishop and historian Sebeos 17.000 Christians were massacred and 35.000 (Christians (including Patriarch Zacharias) were deported to Mesopotamia. This war came as shock to the Christians in the region, as many of its churches were destroyed according to Christian sources of that period. Some research confirm this period as a time of violence and destruction (see for example the 'Mass Grave Mosaic'). However many monasteries and churches continued to function and Christians seems to have continued to live in Jerusalem and other centres. Historians therefor are divided on the extent of the Persian destruction and massmurder of the Christians and whether the Jews played a major role in it.
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In 617 the Persians changed their policies and sided with the Christians. The Jews were betrayed and Nehemiah ben Hushiel and his 'council of the righteous' were killed. Perhaps they Persians feared his messianic pretensions or they attributed a greater value to the support of the much larger Christian population in the region. After executing the Jewish governor and ending the Jewish rule of the city, the Persians forbade Jews from settling within a three-mile radius of Jerusalem. The Persian army withdrew and the local Jewish rebels surrendered when the Byzantine army retook the region. Byzantine control ended only a few years later when in 628 AD Arab armies would conquer all of Middle East.
Photo: Smuliko
ARMENIANS & THEIR FRIENDSHIP WITH PROPHET MUHAMMAD
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Door to Armenian sacristy in Church of the Holy Sepulchre (photo Fallaner)
Little known is the fact that the first recorded Armenian presence in Israel dates back to the 1st century BC, when the Armenian king Tigranes the Great made Acre and part of the north of Judea a vassal of the Kingdom of Armenia. The first recorded Armenian pilgrimage to the Holy Land was an Armenian delegation of priests in the early 4th century AD. Also the Armenian Church became active in Israel since the 4th century just after Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as state religion (in 301 AD). Furthermore in 433 shortly after the invention of the Armenian alphabet, the Bible was translated into Armenian. The Armenians build the famous Armenian Quarter of the Old city of Jerusalem and many old buildings in this quarter are of great historic value to the city of Jerusalem.
Remarkable are the stories of the Armenians becoming afraid of the growing danger of Arab Islamic expansion and conquest in the middle East. In 626 AD, the Armenian Patriarch Apraham of Jerusalem, went to the Holy Islamic city of Mecca with a delegation of 40 prominent Armenians to meet with Prophet Muhammad to secure his protection. As reported the Prophet had welcomed the Armenian guests with respect and kindness and listened to Patriarch Apraham’s suggestions. The Armenian delegation seeking protection, expressed its submission to the Prophet and readiness to cooperate. Prophet Muhammad issued a decree that granted protection to the Armenians but also the Ethiopians, Copts, Assyrians and their churches and monasteries in the Arab regions, Jerusalem and Damascus. (See more on the remarkable story).
Byzantine control of the province was finally lost in 636, with the Muslim conquest of Syria. The Byzantine province was later roughly reorganised as the Jund al Urdunn military district of Bilad al Shan (Syria), province of the Rashidun Caliphate. The Muslim armies caused the flight of a significant portion of the Christians to the north (into territories of northern Syria and Anatolia that were still ruled by the Byzantines). Due to these wars in the early 7th century the area experienced a significant demographic collapse.
Armenian Quarter - Jerusalem. photo Deror Avi
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Pelagia of Antioch with St.Nonnus
WOMEN IN BYZANTINE EMPIRE
In the Byzantine era the role of women was not a simple picture and is an important subject for more historical research. (See also this link)
In the early Byzantine Church in Israel women could hold an important role in baptising women, preaching to female converts, officiating certain rites and serving the poor. The orthodox church calls this role Diakonos and in later times this role was mostly eliminated (recently the Greek Orthodox has reinstated this role). The 'church of the deaconesss' in Ashdod is a very important witness of this role of women in early byzantine Israel. Some other fascinating women had their influence on Byzantine history:
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In 438 AD, Empress Aelia Eudocia, also known as Saint Eudocia, embarked on a journey to the Holy Land. Her pilgrimage to Jerusalem not only showcased her faith but also resulted in her bringing back holy relics. This act served as a testament to her devotion. During the same year, Eudocia made a significant decision by lifting the Byzantine ban that restricted Jews from accessing Jerusalem. Throughout the reign of her husband Theodosius II, she wielded considerable influence over state policies concerning pagans and Jews. Eudocia utilized her power to shield the Jewish community from persecution, demonstrating her commitment to religious tolerance. Eudocia passed away as an Orthodox Christian in Jerusalem on October 20, 460. In her final years, she dedicated herself to literature. She was laid to rest in Jerusalem at the Church of Saint Stephen, a place of worship she had personally contributed to building. Today, the modern St. Stephen's Basilica stands at the same location, commemorating her legacy.
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St. Pelagia the Penitent was converted to Christianity by St. Nonnus, Bishop of Edessa (see picture) somewhere in the 4th or 5th century. Before her conversion she was a dancer and actress and often being a dancer or actress was seen a form of prostitution. After being baptised, she gave away al her valuables and Bishop Nonnus distributed them amongst the poor saying: "these riches gained by sin may become a wealth of righteousness.” After this, St. Pelagia journeyed to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. She lived there in a cell, disguised as the monk Pelagius, living in ascetic seclusion, and attaining great spiritual gifts. When she died, she was buried in her cell. According to tradition in the Chapel of Ascension.
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Interesting is the story of Theodora, the Byzantine Empress (between 527-548 AD) and wife of Justinian I. As a former actress she could not marry Justinian since and old law from Constantine barred such a marriage. Justinian changed the law and not much later Justinian married Theodora. She was famous for her strong influence on Justinian and her contributions for harmony and acceptance of some small sects within Christianity (The Monophysites and Chalcedonian Christians). Byzantine empresses just like in Roman days where mainly the wifes of the Emperor however in later times there were many examples of Empress who were in control and even had the choice to choose a new husband when an emperor died. As such a woman on the throne became more or less accepted.