Chorazin
Encyclopedia
Chorazin was a village in northern Galilee
, two and a half miles from Capernaum
on a hill above the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee
.
and Capernaum, was named in the New Testament
gospel
s of Matthew
and Luke
as "cities" (more likely just villages) in which Jesus
performed "mighty works". However, because these towns rejected his work ("they had not changed their ways" -Matt11:20SV), they were subsequently cursed . Biblical scholars
who accept the two-source hypothesis
state that this story originally came from the Q document. Despite this textual evidence, archaeologists have not yet been successful in finding a settlement dating to the 1st century. Due to the condemnation of Jesus, some early Medieval writers believed that the Antichrist
would be born in Chorazin.
The Babylonian Talmud (Menahot, 85a) mentions that Chorazin was a town known for its grain. In the 16th century, Jewish fishermen used to reside here.
The site is an excavated ruin today, but was inhabited starting in the 1st century. It is associated with modern day Kerazeh
.
The majority of the structures are made from black basalt
, a volcanic rock found locally. The main settlement dates to the 3rd and 4th centuries. A mikvah
, or ritual bath, was also found at the site. The handful of olive millstone
s used in olive oil extraction
found suggest a reliance on the olive for economic purposes, like a number of other villages in ancient Galilee.
The town's ruins are spread over an area of 25 acres (101,171.5 m²), subdivided into five separate quarters, with a synagogue in the centre. The large, impressive Synagogue
which was built with black basalt stones and decorated with Jewish motifs is the most striking survival. Close by is a ritual bath, surrounded by public and residential buildings.
was built in the late 3rd century, destroyed in the 4th century, and rebuilt in the 6th century.
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 Kfar Bar'am
. Other carvings, which are thought to have originally been brightly painted, feature images of wine-making, animals, a Medusa, an armed soldier, and an eagle.
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
, two and a half miles from Capernaum
Capernaum
Capernaum was a fishing village in the time of the Hasmoneans. Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500. Archaeological excavations have revealed two ancient synagogues built one over the other...
on a hill above the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
.
Biblical references
Chorazin, along with BethsaidaBethsaida
Bethsaida is a place mentioned in the New Testament.- Bethsaida Julias :...
and Capernaum, was named in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s of Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
and Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
as "cities" (more likely just villages) in which Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
performed "mighty works". However, because these towns rejected his work ("they had not changed their ways" -Matt11:20SV), they were subsequently cursed . Biblical scholars
Biblical criticism
Biblical criticism is the scholarly "study and investigation of Biblical writings that seeks to make discerning judgments about these writings." It asks when and where a particular text originated; how, why, by whom, for whom, and in what circumstances it was produced; what influences were at work...
who accept the two-source hypothesis
Two-source hypothesis
The Two-Source Hypothesis is an explanation for the synoptic problem, the pattern of similarities and differences between the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It posits that the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke were based on the Gospel of Mark and a lost, hypothetical sayings...
state that this story originally came from the Q document. Despite this textual evidence, archaeologists have not yet been successful in finding a settlement dating to the 1st century. Due to the condemnation of Jesus, some early Medieval writers believed that the Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
would be born in Chorazin.
The Babylonian Talmud (Menahot, 85a) mentions that Chorazin was a town known for its grain. In the 16th century, Jewish fishermen used to reside here.
Archaeology
Korazim is now the site of a National Archaeological Park. Extensive excavations and a survey were carried out at in 1962-1964. Excavations at the site were resumed in 1980-1987.The site is an excavated ruin today, but was inhabited starting in the 1st century. It is associated with modern day Kerazeh
Karraza, Khirbat
Karraza, Khirbat was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 4, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 8.5 km southeast of Safad.-History:Khirbat Karraza was a...
.
The majority of the structures are made from black basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
, a volcanic rock found locally. The main settlement dates to the 3rd and 4th centuries. A mikvah
Mikvah
Mikveh is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism...
, or ritual bath, was also found at the site. The handful of olive millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s used in olive oil extraction
Olive oil extraction
Olive oil extraction is the process of extracting the oil present in the olive drupes for food use. The oil is produced in the mesocarp cells, and stored in a particular type of vacuole called a lipo vacuole, i.e., every cell contains a tiny olive oil droplet...
found suggest a reliance on the olive for economic purposes, like a number of other villages in ancient Galilee.
The town's ruins are spread over an area of 25 acres (101,171.5 m²), subdivided into five separate quarters, with a synagogue in the centre. The large, impressive Synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
which was built with black basalt stones and decorated with Jewish motifs is the most striking survival. Close by is a ritual bath, surrounded by public and residential buildings.
Synagogue
The synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
was built in the late 3rd century, destroyed in the 4th century, and rebuilt in the 6th century.
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 Kfar Bar'am
Kfar Bar'am
Kfar Baram , also Kafr Bir'im or Kafar Berem, is the site of an ancient Jewish village in Northern Israel, 3 kilometers from the Lebanese border...
. Other carvings, which are thought to have originally been brightly painted, feature images of wine-making, animals, a Medusa, an armed soldier, and an eagle.
Other Synagogue
J. Ory, who excavated the site in 1926, told that a second synagogye was found ca. 200 m west of the first one, and he described it very accurately. But such a building was never found by later excavations.Sources
- 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
- Strong's G5523
- Chorazin from bibleplaces.com
- Pictures of Chorazin
- The Ancient Synagogue of Chorazin from a Jewish tourism site
- Chorazin University of Notre Dame, New Testament Professor David E. Aune
- Korazin Christian tourism site
- Ancient Chorazin Comes Back to Life by Ze’ev Yeivin of the Biblical Archaeology Society.