Proving Biblical Nazareth

CONTENTS
Forewords vi
Preface and Introduction ix

SECTION A: THE MYSTERY OF NAZARETH CITY  1
Chapter 1: The controversial city of Jesus 3
1.1 Nazareth: the lost city 5
1.2 The Galilee and the Nazarenes 13
1.3 The intriguing explanation 18

Chapter 2: Nazareth city at Tel Yafia 23
2.1 Defining Nazareth city-polis 24
2.2 Yafia’s story in the archaeology 30

Chapter 3: Traditional Nazareth hamlet–village 35
3.1 The town built by theology 36
3.2 The sites of Mary and Joseph 41
3.3 The devout Christian village of Nazara 47

Chapter 4: Two Nazareths: the evidence 53
4.1 Persecutions and preserving the name 54
4.2 How Nazareth city was lost in time 60
4.3 How Nazareth city became Yafia 63
Conclusion to Section A 65

SECTION B: WHERE JESUS DECLARED HIS GOSPEL OF LIBERTY... 67
Chapter 5: The early years of Jesus 69
5.1 At school in Nazareth city 70
5.2 Jesus the apprentice and carpenter 73
5.3 Teaching parables by experience 75

Chapter 6: Locating Nazareth city synagogue 79
6.1 No synagogue in the hamlet 80
6.2 Nazareth Synagogue: spiritual and physical factors 83
6.3 The proposed locality 88

Chapter 7: Jubilee Declaration of Liberty 91
7.1 Joshua’s altar and Jesus’ synagogue 92
7.2 The Jubilee and Gospel declaration 94

Chapter 8: The Nazareth plot to kill Jesus 97
8.1 The hometown rejection of a prophet 99
8.2 The execution site: a proposal 101
8.3 The premature attempt to kill Jesus 104

Chapter 9: Christian synagogue in Jewish Nazareth 107
9.1 Yafia’s Jewish synagogue or Byzantine church? 108
9.2 Count Joseph’s testimony and his Nazareth church 110
9.3 The workshop of Joseph the carpenter? 119
Conclusion to Section B 121

SECTION C: HOW NAZARETH UNLOCKS LOWER GALILEE ..... 123
Chapter 10: Bible site mapping and Zebulun 125
10.1 Bible sites: nomination and mapping 126
10.2 Zebulun’s boundaries and the Galilee 130
10.3 Did Jacob and Moses make false prophecies? 132

Chapter 11: The Roman–Jewish War evidence 137
11.1 Jewish fortifications and the Roman strategy 138
11.2 Jotapata: the ‘Masada’ of Galilee 141

Chapter 12: Identifying biblical Japhia 145
12.1 Tel Yafia is not biblical Japhia 146
12.2 Joshua’s Japhia 149
12.3 Josephus’ Japhia 151
Conclusion to Section C 153

SECTION D: FOUR SITES OF THE MESSIAH ...... 155
Chapter 13: Prophetic mountain near Nazareth 157
13.1 Bible site mapping 158
13.2 Sarid: key set-out point 158
13.3 Reclaiming Mount Kedumim for Jesus 162

Chapter 14: A Levite city that points to Jesus 167
14.1 Unique city layout of the Levite priests 169
14.2 Daberath and ‘The Word’ 172

Chapter 15: Cana of Galilee 175
15.1 The miracle at a Jewish wedding 176
15.2 Tel Yodfat is Cana of Galilee 180
15.3 The Cana wedding site: a proposal 182

Chapter 16: Locating the Transfiguration 187
16.1 Which holy mountain? 189
16.2 St. Elias Orthodox Church 192
16.3 Jesus’ transfiguration: a site proposal 194
Conclusion to Section D 196

GEOGRAPHIC SPATIAL SUMMARY 197
SUMMARY  203
1. The Story of Nazareth 204
2. Some reflections 206
3. Afterword 207
4. Conclusions 208