The Myth of Nazareth: The Invented Town of Jesus (88 page)

^[736]
 
Pan
. 30.11.1.           

^[737]
 
Pan
. 30.11.4.           

^[738]
  Such changes of faith were not rare in the fourth century. Modestus, the Christian praetorian prefect who oversaw the treason trials in Scythopolis (with which Joseph of Tiberias may have been associated—see below), rose to the rank of comes Orientis under the Emperor Constantius, also a Christian. When the pagan Julian became emperor Modestus was dismissed. However, he converted to paganism, regained favor, and was then promoted to prefect of Constantinople. When Valens assumed power, Modestus again converted to Christianity and was made praetorian prefect of all the East. (Jones:141.)       

^[739]
                
Pan
. 30.11.7.                  

^[740]
                
Pan
. 30.11.9.                  

^[741]
                 R. Pritz suggests that the Count enjoyed the personal friendship of Constantine for decades, and may have had something to do with two laws passed in 315 and 336. The latter reads in part: “Jews shall not be permitted to disturb any man who has been converted from Judaism to Christianity or to assail him with any outrage. Such contumely shall be punished according to the nature of the act which has been committed.” Pritz:1985:41–42. The law is cited in the
Theodosian Code
(
CT
168, 5: May 8, 336 CE).                      

^[742]
                
Pan
. 30.12.9.                  

^[743]
                 As one of the leading citizens of Scythopolis, it is likely that Count Joseph witnessed and also participated in the notorious treason trials held in that city in mid-IV CE. Many victims were accused of consulting oracles with disloyal intent and lost their lives. (Matthews:217–225; IDB 1:401.)

^[744]
                
Pan
. 30.11. 9; 30.12.9.                      

^[745]
                
MNM
17. In the 1930s L. Waterman excavated a building in Sepphoris which he termed a Christian basilica. “However, M. Avi-Yonah raised objections to this designation, which were confirmed by Strange’s excavations. It is now clear that the building’s plan is that of a typical Roman house…” (
NEAEHL
:1327.)   

^[746]
                
M. Rabbah Koheleth
I.8. On the
minim
of Capernaum see Taylor 1989–90:12–14. The claim is made that Joseph of Tiberias was responsible for the transformation of “Simon Peter’s house” into a church early in the fourth century (
DJBP
  1:113–114;
IDBS
:140).       

^[747]
                 Taylor (1993:228) offers a different interpretation, supposing that a “low-key approach” on the part of Count Joseph is the reason that “the Jewish population of Nazareth did not tear down the Christian shrine the moment Joseph left the town.” But in the political atmosphere of the newly-Christian Roman empire, such a course would have been suicidal for the little village. We recall that Constantine’s mother, Helena, was a devout Christian and personally interested in the Christian holy sites which she visited (see below). Behind Joseph’s activity were the very highest powers in the empire.

^[748]
                
Trier, Aquileia, Cirta in Numidia, Nicomedia, Antioch, Gaza, Alexandria,
etc
.

^[749]
                 Taylor: 255, 267, 337–38,            

^[750]
                
Cf
. Taylor 1993:265; Pritz 45; Goranson 339.                

^[751]
                 Kopp 1939–40:90.    

^[752]
                 Chapter 5, pp. 257
f
.   

^[753]
                 Kopp (1939–40) pp. 91–92.        

^[754]
                
Ibid
, p. 92.

^[755]
                 W. Wrede,
Das Messiasgeheimnis in den Evangelien
. English translation
The Messianic Secret
(1971).          

^[756]
                 Not all arguments from silence are invalid or inappropriate (
cf
. Zindler 1999).

^[757]
                
Cf
. Chapter 5, p. 227. 

^[758]
                
Cf
. Chapter 2, pp. 67
f
;  Chapter 5, pp. 217
ff
.                        

^[759]
                 These are discussed individually at Wenham 1985. English translations are in Stevenson 1957. Pliny, the imperial legate to Bithynia-Pontus in Asia Minor, writes for guidance regarding those being charged in his province as Christians. The Tacitus and Suetonius passages concern the Neronian persecution in July, 64 CE. (Tacitus,
Annals
, XV 44.2–8;
Suetonius Life of Nero
, XVI.2.). Suetonius also mentions the expulsion of Jews (under the leadership of Chrestus) from Rome by Claudius,
c
. 49 CE.

^[760]
  Zindler 2003:401n.1, notes that a late version of the
Sepher Toldoth Jeshu Ha Notzri
, published by J. Huldrich in 1705, depicts Joseph Pandera as settling in Nazareth. This element ultimately derives from the Gospel of Matthew.    

^[761]
 
b. Sotah
47a //
b. Sanh
107b;
b. Sanh
. 107b. The following are all variants:
t. Jul
. 2:24;
b. ‘Abod. Zar
. 16b;
m. Qoh. Rab. On
1:8;
Yal. Shim
. On Mic 1 and Prov 5:8. (See Wenham 323.)   

^[762]
 
See Cheyne in
EB
, “Nazareth,” col. 3361. Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE) mentions in passing a region in Syria which he calls
Nazerinorum
tetrarchia
(
Nat. Hist
. 81).       

^[763]
                
Onom
. 138.24–140.2. Eusebius writes: “Nazareth, from which the Christ is called
Nazorean
[
Nazôraios
] and we, who are now called Christians, were of old called
Nazarenes
[
Nazaraioi
]. Today it is still located in the Galilee opposite Legio [
Legeônos
] about 15 milestones to the east near Mt. Tabor.” 

^[764]
                 Taylor 1993:226; Kopp 1963:58.                   

^[765]
                 Taylor,
ibid
.                   

^[766]
                
Peter Diac. Lib. P4
and
Lib. T
. (
Cf
. Taylor 1993:226 and Wilkinson 1981:193.)

^[767]
                 Jerome,
Onom
. 139. Nazareth is also mentioned in the fanciful Life of John the Baptist, allegedly by Bishop Serapion of Thmuis (in the Nile delta),
c
. 390 CE. In a ‘modified’ southern tradition, the Holy Family is transported from Egypt to Nazareth (
cf
. Mt 2:23) on a cloud. (
NTA
I:468.)              

^[768]
                 Chapter 5, pp. 211–19.                    

^[769]
                 The
Protevangelium
is generally dated to II CE.
NTA
I:423.          

^[770]
                 The fourth-century
History of Joseph the Carpenter
also places Nazareth in Judea and within walking distance of the Jerusalem temple.

^[771]
ω͑̑ν ἐτύγχανον οι͑ προειρημένοι, δεσπόσυνοι καλούμενοι διὰ τὴν πρὸσ τὸ σωτήριον γένοσ συνάϕειαν α͗πό τε Ναζάρων και Κωχάβα κωμω̑ν ’Ιουδαϊκω̑ν. Africanus,
Epistle to Aristides
I.5, cited also in Eusebius,
Eccl. Hist
. 1.7.14.  

^[772]
                 Map at Taylor 1993:37, where she discusses various possible sites of Cochaba.

^[773]
                 It is in the Gospel of Matthew that the Holy Family flees to Egypt.                  

^[774]
                 This is supported by the fuller version of the meeting described in the writing of Philip of Sideto (
c
. 425 CE), also drawn from Hegesippus. Bagatti summarizes the conversation with the emperor: “Interrogated regarding Christ, and his kingdom, regarding the nature, time and place of his coming they [the grandsons of Jude] replied that the empire of Christ was not mundane and terrane, but celestial and angelic; that it would come into being at the end of time, when He will come in glory to judge the living and the dead, will render to each one according to his works. Having heard this, [Domitian] did not condemn them; on the contrary he despised their lowly condition, and he set them free and issued an edict halting the persecution of the church.” (Exc. 14.)

^[775]
                
Exc
. 12–14; Taylor 1993:225.

^[776]
 
Comment. In Joan
. Tomus X (PG 80:308–309).      

^[777]
                 Mk 1:9; Mt 2:22–23; 21:11; Lk 2:29,
etc
.
Origen Hom
. 6.3.             

^[778]
                
Hom
. 32.5.