TSIPPORI & THE MISHNA.

MY ISRAEL :

TSIPPORI & THE MISHNA :

Located in the lower Galilee, halfway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), the city was founded during the Hellinistic period (332 B.C.E – 167 B.C.E.). During the mid 1st century B.C.E., it served as the administrative capitol of the Galilee overseen by the Roman governor Gabinius.

The Parthians, a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran, wanted to install a pro-Parthian government in the Ho;yland & invaded the country in 40 B.C.E. They had the support of the local Jewish population who shared the same hatred towards both the Romans & Herod. Tzippori fell into Parthian hands for a brief period of time.

Herod had been governor of the Galilee, & with the advent of the invasion fled to Rome. Whilst in Rome he managed to obtain the support of the senate, who equipped him with an army, enabling him to evict the Parthians from the country. As a reward, the Romans conferred on Herod the title, king of Judea, which he ruled from 37 B.C.E. until his death in 4 B.C.E.

Unrest ensued in the city after his death & in response, Varus, the new Roman governor destroyed the city. Herod Antipas (20 B.C.E. – 39 C.E.), the son of Herod became the tetrarch of the Galilee & rebuilt the city which remained the capitol of the Galilee.

Tzippori did not partake in the Jewish revolt againts Rome (66 C.E. – 73 C.E.) & was therefore not destroyed by the Romans. The city was initialy renamed Eironopolis (city of peace), but later changed to DioCaesaria by the Roman emperor Hadrian (117 C.E. – 138 C.E.).By the late Roman period (63 B.C.E – 324 C.E.), the population of Tzippori comprised of both Jews, who constituted the majority, & pagans.

The Byzantine period (324 C.E. – 640 C.E.) witnessed Tzippori evolving into a Christian city, & In 351 C.E. Galus the ruler of the eastern provinces of the Roman empire from 351 C.E. to 354 C.E., attempted to impose Christianity on the populace. This imposition was rejected by the people & the resultant revolt was suppressed. It appears that the Jews were banished from the city & only reappeared towards the end of the Byzantine period. An earthquake in 363 C.E., destroyed the city which was however rebuilt soon afterwards.

The early Arab period (640 C.E. – 1099 C.E.), saw the city renamed to Tirza & Jews were part of its inhabitants. The Crusaders (1099 C.E.– 1291 C.E.) renamed the city Le Sephoria. During this period the city was devoid of Jews, as was the case during the Mamluk (1291 – 1516), Ottoman (1516 – 1917,) & British mandate (1917 – 1948) periods.

Defying the Ottoman's, the bedouin sheik Dahir el 'Amr conquered the galilee in 1740 & established a kingdom which lasted until 1775 making Tsippori the kingdoms administrative capitol.

Preceeding the 1948 War of Independence, Arab forces occupied the village until it was captured by the I.D.F. in operation Deqel. Jews consequently returned to the area & in 1949 established Moshav Tsippori adjacent to the ancient settlement.

THE MISHNA & its appearance in TSIPPORI :

Jewish law is comprised of the written law known as the Torah (the 5 books of Moses), and the oral law known as the Talmud which is made up of the Mishna & Gemara. The Mishnah supplements, complements, clarifies and systematizes the commandments of the Torah, & the Gemara is a rabbinical commentary on the Mishna.

In order to trace how the Oral law emerged in written form, one must go back in time to the period just prior to the destruction of the 2nd Temple In the year 70 C.E. Jerusalem was on the verge of falling into Roman hands. Yohanan ben Zakkai, a prominant Jewish sage & resident of Jerusalem forsaw the city's destruction. He instructed his disciples to place him in a coffin and take him out of the beseiged city so he could meet with Vespasian, the Roman military commander at the time. There appears to have been a mutual respect between the two men & Vespasian asked Yohanan ben Zakkai what he wanted. In response Yohanan ben Zakkai asked that he be permitted to open a rabbinical school (a yeshiva) in Yavne & re-establish the Sanhedrin, to which Vespasian agreed. In addition he predicted that Vespasian would one day become emperor, a prediction that came to fruition between the years 69 C.E. to 79 C.E.

The Sanhedrin was an assembly of 71 elders known as rabbis who were appointed to sit as a tribunal in every city. It was primarily a religious legilative body with certain political & judicial functions.

After the Bar Kochba Jewish revolt againts Rome (132 C.E. – 135 C.E.), the Sanhedrin relocated from Yavne to a number of cities, starting with Usha & continuing to Shefaram, Bet Shearim, TSIPPORI & finaly ending up in Tiberius.

The most important personage during the Bet Shearim & TSIPPORI locations was undoubtably Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi (135 C.E. - 217 C.E.). He forsaw that the Jewish exile could result in the Oral law being forgotten, which until this point was handed down by word of mouth. Whilst in Bet Shearim he began to gather all the laws and write them down in what is called the MISHNA. Due to health reasons Rabbi Yehudah ha-Nasi moved to TSIPPORI were he spent 17 years of his life and continued compiling the Mishna.

There are many stories related in the Talmud of the friendship that existed between Yehuda ha-Nasi and the Roman Emperor, Antoninus (138 C.E.-161 C.E.). Some sources believe it was a friendship between Yehudah ha-Nasi & the emperor Marcus Aurelius (161 C.E. – 180 C.E.).

Note : According to some Christian theologians, TSIPPORI was the birthplace of the virgin Mary's mother Ann.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS :

The Roman Theatre : Built at the end of the 1st century C.E., & could accommodate 4500 people.

The Jewish Quarter : A residential quarter from the Mishnaic & Talmudic periods.

The Crusader Castle : Built on the remains of a previous structure. The roof of the castle offers an impressive view of the surrounding area.

The Nile Festival House : A public area from the Byzantine period containing mosaics in celebration of the Nile.

Dionysus House : An example of the opulant lifestyle of the Roman elite. The mosaic floor consists of scenes from the life of Dionyses, the god of wine in Greek mythology. The mosaic also includes a woman nicknamed " The Mona Lisa of the Galilee ", which I think, compares favourably with Mr da Vinci's rendition.

An Ancient resevoir : An underground water facility, constructed by the Romans & operational until the 7th century. It includes aqueducts, reservoirs & a tunnel.

A Synagogue : Houses a mosaic floor which depicts the Sacrifice of Isaac, the signs of the Zodiac, a description of the Tarbernacle during the desert wanderings & the Arc of the Covenant in Jerusalem.

Roman streets : Herein lies my most favored archaeological remain. As with all Roman cities throughout the empire, all building placements related to the north-south road known as the Cardo & the east-west road known as the Decumanus. Usually paved with basalt, a hard volcanic rock, but in this case paved in limestone, a sedimentary & much softer rock. As a consequence the grooves created by chariot or cart wheels can be clearly seen.

Ron Traub ( Tour Guide & Architect ). Website : rontraub-tours.com Photo's : Rimonah Traub.