tiberias Summary and Overview

a city, the modern Tubarich, on the western shore of the Sea of Tiberias. It is said to have been founded by Herod Antipas (A.D. 16), on the site of the ruins of an older city called Rakkath, and to have been thus named by him after the Emperor Tiberius. It is mentioned only three times in the history of our Lord (John 6:1,23; 21:1). In 1837 about one-half of the inhabitants perished by an earthquake. The population of the city is now about six thousand, nearly the one-half being Jews. "We do not read that our Lord ever entered this city. The reason of this is probably to be found in the fact that it was practically a heathen city, though standing upon Jewish soil. Herod, its founder, had brought together the arts of Greece, the idolatry of Rome, and the gross lewdness of Asia. There were in it a theatre for the performance of comedies, a forum, a stadium, a palace roofed with gold in imitation of those in Italy, statues of the Roman gods, and busts of the deified emperors. He who was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel might well hold himself aloof from such scenes as these" (Manning's Those Holy Fields). After the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), Tiberias became one of the chief residences of the Jews in Israel. It was for more than three hundred years their metropolis. From about A.D. 150 the Sanhedrin settled here, and established rabbinical schools, which rose to great celebrity. Here the Jerusalem (or Palestinian) Talmud was compiled about the beginning of the fifth century. To this same rabbinical school also we are indebted for the Masora, a "body of traditions which transmitted the readings of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, and preserved, by means of the vowel-system, the pronunciation of the Hebrew." In its original form, and in all manuscripts, the Hebrew is written without vowels; hence, when it ceased to be a spoken language, the importance of knowing what vowels to insert between the consonants. This is supplied by the Masora, and hence these vowels are called the "Masoretic vowel-points."

a city in the time of Christ, on the Sea of Galilee; first mentioned in the New Testament, #Joh 6:1,23; 21:1| and then by Josephus, who states that it was built by Herod Antipas, and was named by him in honor of the emperor Tiberius. Tiberias was the capital of Galilee from the time of its origin until the reign of Herod Agrippa II., who changed the seat of power back again to Sepphoris, where it had been before the founding of the new city. Many of the inhabitants were Greeks and Romans, and foreign customs prevailed there: to such an extent as to give offence to the stricter Jews. It is remarkable that the Gospels give us no information that the Saviour who spent so much of his public life in Galilee, ever visited Tiberias. The place is only mentioned in the New Testament in #Joh 6:23| History. --Tiberias has an interesting history apart from its strictly biblical associations. It bore a conspicuous part in the wars between the Jews and the Romans. The Sanhedrin, subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem, after a temporary sojourn at Jamnia and Sepphoris, became fixed there about the middle of the second century. Celebrated schools of Jewish learning flourished there through a succession of several centuries. The Mishna was compiled at this place by the great Rabbi Judah Hakkodesh, A.D. 190. The city has been possessed successively by Romans, Persians Arabs and Turks. It contains now, under the Turkish rule, a mixed population of Mohammedans, Jews and Christian, variously estimated at from two to four thousand. Present city. --The ancient name has survived in that of the modern Tubarieh, which occupies the original site. Near Tubarieh, about a mile farther south along the shore, are the celebrated warm baths, which the Roman naturalists reckoned among the greatest known curiosities of the world. Tiberias is described by Dr. Thomson as "a filthy place, fearfully hot in summer." It was nearly destroyed in 1837 by an earthquake, by which 800 persons lost their lives.

TIBE'RIAS , a town of Galilee, situated on the western bank of the Sea of Galilee, which is called "the Sea of Tiberias " only by John, who was the last of the N.T. writers. John 6:1; Jud 21:1. History. - The city is only once mentioned in the N.T. John 6:23. Although it was an important and busy town in Christ's time, there is no record that he ever visited it. It was then a new city, built by Herod Antipas, a.d. 16-22, and named in honor of the emperor Tiberias. Josephus, who mentions the city very frequently, says that Herod built it on a site where were ancient sepulchres belonging to an extinct and forgotten city. Thus it was unclean to the Jews, and Herod brought in many strangers, foreigners, and slaves. A palace was erected, with an amphitheatre, bathhouses, temples, and costly works of art. An aqueduct 9 miles long brought in fresh water. During the Jewish wars Josephus fortified Tiberias. After Jerusalem was destroyed the Sanhedrin settled here, and for many centuries it was one of the most celebrated seats of Jewish learning. The Jewish Mishna or ancient traditional law, and the Masorah were compiled here. Present Condition. - The modern city called Tubariyeh stands on the southwestern shore of the lake, some 4 miles from its southern extremity, in lat. 32? 46' 14". It occupies only a small portion of the ground covered by the ancient city, the remains of which stretch southward for a mile and a quarter, to the hot springs. Many of the old stones have been removed for use in the modern buildings, but some very fine specimens of polished marble and black basalt remain. For view, see Galilee, Sea of. The modern city is surrounded on the land-side by a wall much broken and not repaired. The great earthquake on New Year's day, 1837, overthrew the city and destroyed six hundred lives. A small church standing on the reputed site of St. Peter's house, and a mosque half in ruins, are the principal buildings to attract attention. Although the town is extremely picturesque as seen from the distance, with its wall, minaret, and palm trees, it is found on closer acquaintance to be in a state of filth which even in the East can be scarcely paralleled. This is aggravated by the excessive heat, the temperature often attaining 100 Fahr. Tiberias is still one of the four holy cities of the Jews, and more than one-half of the inhabitants are Jews of the poorer class, who live, in great measure, on the alms sent by their coreligionists in various parts of the world. Many of the Jews are immigrants from Poland. There are also Mohammedans and Christians. The population is some 3000 or 4000. The famous hot springs, to the south, are still much resorted to for medicinal purposes. The temperature ranges from 131 to 142 Fahr. On a slight eminence, 1 mile west of the town, lies the Jewish burial-ground, in which some of the most celebrated of the Jewish Talmudists are interred.

John 6:1-23; John 21:1. Josephus (Ant. 18, B.J. 2:9, section 1) says it was built by Herod Antipas, and named in honour of the emperor Tiberius. Capital of Galilee until the time of Herod Agrippa II, who transferred the seat of power again to Sepphoris. Antipas built in Tiberias a Roman stadium and palace adorned with images of animals which offended the Jews, as did also its site on an ancient burial ground. Now Tubarieh, a filthy wretched place. On the western shore toward the southern end of the sea of Galilee or Tiberias, as John alone calls the sea. John is the only New Testament writer who mentions Tiberias. His notice of its many "boats" (John 6:23) agrees with Josephus' account of its traffic. Tiberias stood on the strip of land, two miles long and a quarter of a mile broad, between the water and the steep hills which elsewhere come down to the water's edge. It occupied all the ground of the parallelogram, including Tubarieh at the northern end, and reaching toward the warm baths at the southern end (reckoned by Roman naturalists as one of the wonders of the world: Pliny, H. N. 5:15). A few palms still are to be seen, but the oleander abounds. The people, numbering 3,000 or 4,000, mostly live by fishing as of old. A strong wall guards the land side, but it is open toward the sea. The Jews, constituting one-fourth of the population, have their quarter in the middle of the town near the lake. Our Lord avoided Tiberias on account of the cunning and unscrupulous character of Herod Antipas whose headquarters were there (Luke 13:32); Herod never saw Him until just before the crucifixion (Luke 23:8). Christ chose the plain of Gennesaret at the head of the lake, where the population was at once dense and Jewish; and, as being sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, kept away from Tiberias. After Jerusalem's overthrow Tiberias was spared by the Romans because the people favored rather than opposed the conquerors' arms. The Sanhedrin, after temporarily sojourning at Jamnia and Sepphoris, fixed its seat there in the second century. The Mishna was compiled in Tiberias by Rabbi Judah Haqodesh, A.D. 190. The Masorah body of traditions, which transmitted the Old Testament text readings and preserved the Hebrew pronunciation and interpretation, originated there. Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, and Tiberias are the four holy places in which the Jews say if prayer without ceasing were not offered the world would fall into chaos. The Romans recognized the patriarch of Tiberias and empowered him to appoint his subordinate ministers who should visit all the distant colonies of Jews, and to receive contributions from the Jews of the whole Roman empire. The colony round Tiberias flourished under the emperors Antoninus Plus, Alexander Severus, and Julian, in the second and third centuries. The patriarchate of Tiberias finally ceased in 414 A.D. frontSYNAGOGUE on the Roman character of the existing remains of synagogues in Israel, due no doubt to the patronage of Antoninus Pius and Alexander Severus, the great builders and restorers of temples in Syria.) The eminent Maimonides laboured and was buried at Tiberias in 1204 A.D. The earthquake of 1837 shook the town mightily. A Jewish idea is that Messiah will emerge from the lake, proceed to Tiberias and Safed, then set His throne on the highest peak in Galilee.