Chorazin
Khirbat Karraza or Chorazin | |
---|---|
Village | |
Coordinates: 32°54′40″N 35°33′46″E / 32.91111°N 35.56278°E | |
Date of depopulation | May 4, 1948 |
Chorazin (Greek: Χοραζίν /koʊˈreɪzɪn/; also Chorazain) or Korazim (Hebrew: כורזים; also Chorizim) was an ancient village in the Roman and Byzantine periods, best known from the Christian Gospels. It stood on the Korazim Plateau in the Upper Galilee on a hill above the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, 2.5 mi (4.0 km) from Capernaum in what is now the territory of modern Israel.
Khirbat Karraza (also Karraza, Kh. Karazeh, Kerazeh) was a
The nearby Israeli town of Korazim is named for this location.
History
Ancient Korazim/Chorasin
Two settlement phases[
Bedouin Khirbat Karraza
The settlement of Khirbat Karraza subsequently developed on the site.[when?][citation needed]
During Ottoman control, Khirbat Karraza was populated by the Zanghariyya Bedouin tribe and the village contained a shrine for a local Muslim saint, al-Shaykh Ramadan. The villagers used to store grain close to the shrine, certain that nobody would steal it and thereby violate the sanctity of the shrine.[3]
The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the site in 1992: "Some village houses still stand, together with the remains of other houses. One of the old houses has been renovated. Also remaining is the tomb of Shaykh Ramadan, around which the village shrine had been built. The tomb is collapsing and the building in which it was housed no longer exists. It is surrounded by large carob trees."[3]
Archaeological excavations
Extensive excavations and a survey were carried out in 1962–1964. Excavations at the site were resumed in 1980–1987.
In 2004, a small-scale salvage excavation was conducted by the
Findings
The main settlement dates to the 3rd and 4th centuries. The majority of the structures found were made from
Synagogue
A synagogue whose ruins are still visible today was built in the late 3rd century, destroyed in the 4th century, and rebuilt in the 6th century.[6]
The large, impressive synagogue which was built of basalt stones and decorated with Jewish motifs is the most striking of the surviving structures. An unusual feature in an ancient synagogue is the presence of three-dimensional sculpture, a pair of stone lions. A similar pair of three-dimensional lions was found in the synagogue at
- Second synagogue?
Jacob Ory (born 1898 in Russia[9]), who excavated the site in 1926 on behalf of the British Mandate Department of Antiquities, wrote about a second synagogue ca. 200 m west of the first one, and he described it in detail. Later excavations, however, have not been able to find the remains noted by him and confirm the existence of such a building.[10]
Appearance in religious texts
New Testament
Chorazin, along with
Identification
Doubts
The English theologian
- What if, under this name, Cana be concluded, and some small country adjacent, which, from its situation in a wood, might be named "Chorazin", that is, 'the woody country'? Cana is famous for the frequent presence and miracles of Christ. But away with conjecture, when it grows too bold.[12]
In his Biblical Researches in Palestine in the mid-nineteenth century, Edward Robinson visited Khirbat Karraza, but concluded it was not the Biblical Chorazin, because the ruins were not significant enough and the site was not near the shore of the Sea of Galilee, as stated by Jerome (Lacum Genesareth, in cujus litore Capernaum et Tiberias et Bethsaida et Chorozaim sitæ sint):[13]
The ruins we had been told of lie on the west side of this same valley, a quarter of a mile southwest, near its entrance into the main Wady. They consist simply of a few foundations of black stones ; the remains evidently of a poor and inconsiderable village. They are known as Khirbet Kerâzeh. We did not go to them, as there was no path; and because they were in full view. Their distance from Tell Hùm must be reckoned at about three miles. We had come to this spot, because the name Kerázeh bears a degree of resemblance to the Chorazin of the New Testament; and we hoped to find, in the ruins or the situation, something which might determine the position of that ancient place. In this we felt ourselves disappointed. The remains are too trivial to have ever belonged to a place of any importance. Chorazin, too, according to Jerome, lay upon the shore of the lake; but this site is an hour distant. shut in among the hills, without any view of the lake, and remote from any public road whether ancient or modern.
In popular culture
The writer
See also
- Ancient synagogues in the Palestine region
- Archaeology of Israel
- Jesus trail
- National parks of Israel
- Oldest synagogues in the world
- Woes to the unrepentant cities, pronounced by Jesus and which included Chorazin
Former and current villages inhabited by the Zanghariyya Bedouin tribe:
References
- ^ Jews and Christians in the Holy Land: Palestine in the Fourth Century
- ^ Stemberger, 2000, pp.141-142
- ^ a b Khalidi, 1992, p. 462
- ^ Kh. Umm el-Kalkha
- ^ Hachlili, Rachel. Ancient Jewish Art and Archaeology in the Land of Israel
- ISBN 978-0-8264-8571-7. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-521-84491-8. Retrieved 15 May 2011. p.190
- ISBN 978-0-521-84491-8. Retrieved 15 May 2011. p.92
- ^ M. Stekelis, J. Perrot and M. Dothan. Notes and News, Israel Exploration Journal, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1957), pp. 124-129
- ISBN 978-90-04-16116-0.
- ISBN 0520049985.
- ^ Lightfoot, J., A Commentary on the New Testament From the Talmud and Hebraica: Matthew, accessed 6 January 2017
- ISBN 9780837002514.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
- ISBN 978-0-521-00967-6.
- Stemberger, Günter (2000). Jews and Christians in the Holy Land: Palestine in the fourth century. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-567-08699-0. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- Z. Yeivin, The Synagogue at Korazim; The 1962 - 1964, 1980 - 1987 Excavations, Israel Antiquities Authority Reports, Israel Antiquities Authority, 2000.
- New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land vols. 1–5. Ed. E. Stern; Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society and Carta (1993-2008).
External links
- Welcome To Khirbat Karraza
- Khirbat Karraza, Zochrot
- Karraza at Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
- Chorazin—Sitting in the Seat but Missing the Message from waynestiles.com
- Strong's G5523
- Pictures of Chorazin
- The Ancient Synagogue of Chorazin from a Jewish tourism site
- Chorazin University of Notre Dame, New Testament Professor David E. Aune
- Ancient Chorazin Comes Back to Life by Ze’ev Yeivin of the Biblical Archaeology Society.
- Korazim Ancient Synagogue – Historical Sites in Israel on YouTube