The Visits of St. Sabas to Beth Shean by Gabriel Mazor

The Visits of St. Sabas to Beth Shean by gabriel mazor

Palladius Street in ancient Nysa-Scythopolis. Gabriel Mazor

www.penn.museum/expedition 43 Aerial view of Nysa-Scythopolis or Beth Shean.

What did Beth Shean look like in Late Antiquity? yril of scythopolis (ca. 525–559 ce), the distinguished historian of the Judean Desert We have a much more complete image of the city monastic movement, was a native of Beth following the Israeli excavations at the civic center Shean. The leader of the movement, Sabas, beneath the tell (1986–2000). For a tour of the was a friend of the family, and he subsequently adoptedC young Cyril and arranged for his religious instruc- Late Antique city, Gabriel Mazor, Director of the tion. At the age of 18, Cyril became a monk and he eventu- Bet She’an Archaeological Project, leads us in the ally moved to the community at the New Laura, founded by footsteps of St. Sabas the Sanctified, a venerable Sabas, where he completed his Lives of the Monks of Palestine, in which he provided biographies of the main figures of the monk who paid official visits to Beth Shean twice monastic movement. in the early 6th century CE. As Mazor notes, In his narrative of the Life of Sabas, Cyril reports two vis- while the city was largely Christianized by that its by the venerable monk to Beth Shean. In 518 CE, Sabas came by way of Caesarea Maritima, accompanied by a group time, it nevertheless clung to its Hellenic roots. of abbots from the Judean Desert monasteries, to publish a letter from Emperor Justin and to end the religious policies of Severus of Antioch and Emperor Anastasius. The second visit in 532 CE followed the Samaritan Revolt of 529 CE; Sabas Gabriel Mazor

44 volume 55, number 1 expedition came in part to inspect the damages from the revolt in both provinces of Palestine and determine payment for rebuilding. Many of the sites he visited have been identified in the recent beth shean plan excavations. What did Beth Shean look like when Sabas visited? Plan of Roman-Byzantine city of Beth Shean Scythopolis (its Greek name) was the largest city of the or ancient Nysa-Scythopolis. After Mazor and Decapolis, ten city-states in eastern Palestine. It celebrated Najjar, 2007, Plan 1.1. Dionysos as its founder, and throughout the Byzantine period (330–638 CE) it enjoyed immense economic resources, political influence, a monumental urban landscape, and a growing population of mixed ethnicity and religious beliefs that nevertheless coexisted harmoniously. The city had been damaged in a devastating earthquake followed by fires in 363 CE, the effects of which may still be seen in the civic center: at the forum, the porticoes, basilica, and temples were damaged; at the theater, part of the stage and upper rows of seats collapsed; and damage can also be observed at the odeum, the nymphaeum (shrine dedicated to water nymphs), the northeastern bridge, and elsewhere. The wide-scale restoration that followed is attested in two inscriptions. The first, found near the theater but perhaps originally from the forum, reads: “In the days of Flavius Ablabius, the most magnificent Metropolitan [governor], the city was renewed.” The second, carved on the nymphaeum, states: “In the days of Flavius Artemidorus, the most magnificent and spectabilis, comes [companion] and governor, all the fabric of the nymphaeum was rebuilt from foundation.” 1 Civic center 13 Hellenistic city As a result of the restorations, the civic 2 Tell Beth Shean 14 Eastern bridge (Jiser el-Maktu’a) center was gradually reshaped. Both 3 Northeast (Damascus) city gate 15 Western bridge public baths were significantly 4 Northwest (Caesarea) 16 Eastern cemetery enlarged and turned into monu- city gate (Tell el-Hammam) mental thermae. The forum, now 5 Southwest (Neapolis) 17 Monastery city gate 18 House of Kyrios stripped of its political and reli- 6 South (Jerusalem) Leontis gious functions, was remodeled city gate 19 Circular piazza 7 Southeast (Gerasa) 20 Bathhouse into a social and economic quadri- city gate 21 Mosque porticus or quadrangle. Old monu- 8 Samaritan synagogue 22 Crusader fortress ments in the civic center were re-erected 9 Church of Andreas 23 Turkish serai 10 Church of the Martyr or new monuments constructed out of 24 Amphitheater 11 Monastery of (hippodrome) spolia, earlier building material. Finally, in Lady Mary 25 Extra muros quarter the early 5th century CE, a wall was built 12 Northern cemetery (Tell Naharon) encircling the city. By the 6th century

the process of renewal and redefinition Left, Dionysos, the founder (ktistes) of Nysa-Scythopolis. reached its climax. The city, by then a powerful and wealthy administrative and Gabriel Mazor

www.penn.museum/expedition 45 Byzantine period. This drawingshowstheextentoftellormoundduring Plan oftheciviccenteratBethSheanduringByzantineperiod. 46 volume 55,number1 expedition numerous churchesandcathedrals wererevealed. the region,suchasGerasa,Pella, Gadara,andHippos,inwhich within thecitycenterstandsinsharpcontrasttoothercities in Christians bythemid-6th century CE.Theabsenceofchurches population ofca.40,000citizens,mostwhomwerenodoubt was the seat of a bishop andthe capital of a province, with a or a cathedral in the center, as one might expect. Beth Shean the city.Curiously,thereisnoevidenceofaChristianbasilica Except fortheRoundChurch,allwerelocatedatedge of the tell,amedium-sizebasilica,and two othersmallchapels. ies withinthecityincludedacentralizedmemorialchurch on Pella, Madaba,andMountNebo.Churchesofthemonaster- other monasticcenterseastoftheJordanRiver—Gadara, strong tieswiththeJudeanDesertmonasticmovementand the city’spublicandreligiouslife.Themonksmaintained century wasamonasticpresence,whichgreatlyinfluenced vations, andTheodosiusII’s(402–450)administrativedivision. reforms, Constantine’s(307–337)religiousandpoliticalreno- nomic conditionsgrantedbyDiocletian’s(284–305)widescale 5th centuriesCEoccurredduetothestablepoliticalandeco- ated adensely settled region. This evolution during the 4th to well asnumerousprosperingvillagesofthecountrysidecre- Byzantine period.Thesignificantincreaseinurbancentersas the RomanEmpiretohighlyveneratedHolyLandof regional changeofstatusfromaremoteeasternprovince its peakinthe5thand6thcenturiesCE.Itwaslinkedwith ity and a great increase in population, a process that reached remarkably peacefulera—reflectedsignificanturbanprosper- magnificence. hardly alternated. Thus the citynever lost its monumental Roman imperialarchitecturalheritage,anditsurbanplanwas the extendedrenovationcityremainedfaithfultoits some ofthecolonnaded streets of the civic center. Throughout sides. The forum was once again renovated, along with a nymphaeumencircleditsnorthernandnortheastern given anewportico,andvastpavedplazaequippedwith structed alongitswesternportico.Thetheaterfaçadewas able sigma—asemicircularexedraorareawithseating—con- to oneofthecolonnadedstreets(PalladiusStreet)aremark- in parttostablepoliticalconditions. saw anincreaseinurbancentersandprosperousvillagesdue economic center,flourished,asdidthewholeregionwhich A new element in the Roman city beginning in the late 4th A newelementintheRomancitybeginninglate4th The region(PalaestinaandArabia)inLateAntiquity—a In 506/7,Theosevius,thegovernorofprovince,added

Gabriel Mazor Gabriel Mazor

Gabriel Mazor monastery ofLadyMary. Above left,thispanelofmosaicfloorwasrecoveredfromtheBasiliusChurch.right,centralmedallionHallA rise ofChristianitydidnot cause the“Christianization”of secular imperialessenceand Hellenic culturaltradition.The theistic beliefsbutdiffering dogmas. And the city retainedits significant JewishandSamaritancommunities,sharingmono - tic center,andforthemostpartitcoexistedpeacefullywith replaced byChristianmonotheism,itwasprimarilyamonas - the grapeharvest,withOrpheusinacentralmedallion. Another hadavinescrollpopulatedwithfiguresengaged in floor depictedazodiacwithHeliosandSelenaatitscenter. Mary, discussed ina previous article in this issue, one mosaic “Odyssey” and a Nilotic landscape. At themonasteryofLady able mosaic floorsdepicting,forexample, a scene from the villa ofaJewishorJudeo-Christianmerchanthadremark- may beoneofherlastappearancesinByzantineart.Aspacious depicting Tyche(Fortuna)initscentralmedallion,what erected byTheoseviushadinoneofitsroomsamosaicfloor monuments longafterthearrivalofChristianity.Thesigma literary Greekphrases,suchasquotationsfromtheOdyssey. as thefounderoftheircity.Otherinscriptionsusedarchaicor As inscriptionsattest,itscitizenscontinuedtohonorDionysos 6th centuriesCEremaineddeeplyrootedinHellenicculture. and VenusatBaalbekbearwitness.BethSheanofthe5th and ArtemisatGerasathetemplesofBacchus,Jupiter, by no means complete in the region, as the temples of Zeus the earlyByzantineperiod.Yeteliminationoftempleswas Although BethShean’spaganpolytheismwasgradually Elements ofHellenic culture continued to appearin public The pagantemplesofBethSheanhadbeenclearedduring John” hemetin the “western the “so-calledApseofSaint of theNorthernStreet.Passing entered theciviccenterbyway named Enthemaneith,Sabas and withinthecitywall. a churchwaserectednexttoit larger monasteryincorporating chapel wasdestroyedandanew the ensuingSamaritanrevolt of theholymartyrBasil.During celebrated in the ancient chapel with psalms,andtheliturgywas Thomas. Theymadetheirentry Theodosius attheshrineofSaint led bytheholymetropolitan met bytheChristiancommunity gate, theCaesareaGate,Sabaswas arrived inthecity. political, religious,andculturallandscapein518whenSabas have changedtheircultbutnotculture.Thatwasthe to Christianitythroughout the 4th to 6th centuries CEmight Scythopolis butratheritssecularization.Pagansconverting breastplate thatprotectshisbody. at Nysa-Scythopoliswearsacuirass or The emperordepictedinthisstatuefound On hiswaytoamonastery Arriving at the northwestern city www.penn.museum/expedition

47 church ofSaintJohn. Above left,anartisticreconstructiondepictsthePalladiusStreetPropylaeum.right,NorthernPropylaeum,withthe“arch”leadingto the MetropolitanTheodosius. Thegreatoldmanwasthen from Caesarea,Sabaswas met bythecongregationand Cyril wassevenyearsold.Asheenteredthecityon his way in theyear522CE. Justin ApocrisariusbyanofferingoftheScholasticusAnoisius tion mentions thededicationof the Monasteryof Abbot been onaterraceoverlookingtheHarodStream.Theinscrip - and an inscriptionfound by Fitzgerald,itslocation may have Street totheMonasteryofEnthemaneith.Basedonasurvey bishop’s palaceinitscenter. that theentiremoundwasanecclesiasticaldomainwith Procopius, Clarence Fisher made the interesting suggestion palace asbeingwithintheMonasteryofHolyMartyr Byzantine period.InspiteofCyril’sreferencetothebishop’s the easternterrace,agroupofspacioushousesdatedto dition uncoveredtheremainsofamonasteryand,along the accountofAnthonyPiacenza. which maybeidentifiedasthechurchofSaintJohn,basedon opened ontoawidestaircasetotheRoundChurchontell, during excavationatthefootoftell.Itsarchedentrance propylaeum onthecolonnadedNorthernStreet,wasrevealed miraculously cured. The apse or gate (arcus ), a monumental colonnade ofthestreet”awomanwithhemorrhagewhomhe 48

Sabas’s secondvisittoBethSheancamein532CE,when Encircling themoundSabascontinuedbywayofValley Southwest oftheRoundChurch,PennMuseumexpe- volume 55,number1 expedition 299. Göttingen:DeGruyter,2010. Cult–One Nation,editedbyR.G.KratzandH.Spieckermann, pp.273- Mazor G.“Nysa-Scythopolis:EthnicityandReligion.”InOneGod–One 33, 2007. Odeum, BetShe'anI,Jerusalem:IsraelAntiquitiesAuthorityReport Mazor G.andA.Najjar.Nysa-Scythopolis:TheCaesareumthe Stern, pp.1616-1644.Jerusalem,2008. Archaeological ExcavationsintheHolyLand,Vol.5,editedbyE. J. Seligman.“BethShean.”InTheNewEncyclopediaof Mazar, A.,G.Mazor,B.Arubas,Foerster,Y.Tsafrir,and Gruyter, 2010. edited byR.G.KratzandH.Spieckermann,pp.301-337,Göttingen:De Culture, ContinuityandChange.”InOneGod–OneCult–OneNation , Heyden, K.“BethShean/ScythopolisinLateAntiquity:Cultand For FurtherReading beloved hometown. Shean foralifeofmonasticism,andheneverreturnedtohis ticism. Adecadelater,properlyinstructed,CyrilleftBeth Metropolitan, urgingthemtodedicateyoungCyrilmonas- Holy MartyrProcopius,wherehemetCyril’sfatherandthe escorted totheepiscopalpalaceinmonasteryof She’an ArchaeologicalProject. He isDirectorandSeniorResearcheroftheBet working fortheIsraelAntiquitiesAuthority. gabriel mazor is anIsraeliarchaeologist

Gabriel Mazor