Lipscomb alum reveals secrets of Sepphoris at Summer Hostel
Janel Shoun |
Richard A. Batey, the former W.J. Millard Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis and a 1955 Lipscomb University alumni, served as project administrator for digs in the 1980s at Sepphoris, a Greco-Roman city just four miles from Nazareth, Jesus’ childhood home. His book, Jesus and the Forgotten City, based on the findings at Sepphoris, is well-known among Bibical historians and academics.
Batey will hold a five-day seminar based on his experiences at the Sepphoris digs for Lipscomb’s Summer Hostel program, a week-long program for seniors over 50, held June 3-8.
Around 50 seniors have enrolled in this year’s program, which will also feature a class on portrait painting by Lipscomb alumni Michael Shane Neal and a class on the Golden Age of Hollywood by Bill Proctor, associate professor of communications. Participants will also go on various field trips including a tour of the Schermerhorn Symphony hall, a theme dinner and local performances.
In the wake of exciting archeological discoveries such as King Herod’s tomb earlier this month, Batey’s research and theories about Sepphoris at the time of Christ seem even more relevant to Biblical history. His research and theories have had a major impact on how theologians view the early life of Christ.
Whereas theologians once held the general view that Jesus had a small-town, rural upbringing in Nazareth, the findings in Sepphoris have opened up the possibility that Jesus could have been exposed to Roman culture and politics far earlier in his life, said Mark Black, professor at Lipscomb’s College of Bible.
“It’s the sort of thing that helps us understand the world that Jesus lived in,” said Black. “There were some huge cities up there where he traveled.”
Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great and the king famous for beheading John the Baptist, rebuilt Sepphoris as his capital during the early years of Jesus’ life, filling the city with a theater, ritual baths, fountains, a colonnaded main street and markets.
Ehud Netzer, archeologist for Hebrew University, who recently discovered the tomb of Herod the Great at Herodium, also worked at Sepphoris, said Batey.
One way that Sepphoris’ Roman culture could have influenced Jesus is evidenced by his frequent discussion of hypocrites in the New Testament, says Batey. As “hypocrites” is the word for actor in Greek, his use of the word later in life could indicate he had attended the theater at Sepphoris as he grew up, Batey posits.
Other theologians (and Batey) have suggested that as a carpenter, Jesus could have worked on the many construction projects ongoing at Sepphoris during his early life.
During the seminar, Batey will discuss the contribution archeology makes to the study of the Bible; the life of Herod the Great, the king who built the world Jesus was born into; the accomplishments of Herod Antipas, the king who made Sepphoris the capital of Galilee; the economic system at the time of Jesus’ early life; and the theater in Sepphoris, the dispute over its historical timeline and how it could have influenced Jesus’ early life.
If you are interested in receiving information for next year’s Summer Hostel program, contact Amy Hamer at 966-6216 or e-mail her at amy.hamer@lipscomb.edu.