Tiberias

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

Tiberias ( Τιβεριάς).—A city situated on the W. shore of the Sea of Galilee, founded by Herod Antipas, and named by him in honour of the Emperor Tiberius. The original inhabitants were foreigners, whom Herod either forced to reside in the new city or to whom he gave special inducements if they would. Our Lord, so far as is known, never visited Tiberias, it being His custom to avoid Gentile cities. The only reference to the city in the Nt is  John 6:23, in which it is stated that ‘there came boats from Tiberias unto the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks’ (cf.  John 6:1;  John 21:1).

1. Location. —The ancient city was situated directly on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and therefore approximately 682 feet below the level of the Mediterranean, at the north end of a narrow rectangular plain about two miles long, which was bounded by a rather steep ridge of hills rising abruptly to the west. From the ruins still to be found in the vicinity it is probable that the ancient city extended considerably farther south of the modern town. Josephus ( Ant. xviii. ii. 3; cf. Bj iv. i. 3) says that there were ‘warm baths a little distance from it in a village called Emmaus’ (Hammath?). According to the Talmud (Jerus. [Note: Jerusalem.] Megilla , i. 1), the city was built upon the ancient site of Rakkath of Naphtali; and it is further stated ( Sanhed . 12 a ) that in the 4th cent. the Jews had actually dropped the name Tiberias and reverted to the ancient name Rakkath. On the other hand, in the Bab. [Note: Babylonian.] Talmud, Tiberias is sometimes identified with Rakkath, sometimes with Hammath, and sometimes with Chinnereth (cf.  Joshua 19:35). Jerome ( Onom . 112. 28 ff.) identifies it with Chinnereth.

2. History. —Herod Antipas is supposed to have completed the building of Tiberias about a.d. 22. Ancient sepulchres were removed to make room for the new foundations, and accordingly the Jews regarded the new city as legally unclean (cf.  Numbers 19:11 ff.). Nevertheless the town grew with great rapidity, and, before the downfall of Jerusalem had become one of the chief cities of Palestine. Herod had made it the capital of Galilee, removing the seat of government from Sepphoris, the former capital. The city was fortified by Josephus when commander-in-chief of Galilee ( c. [Note: circa, about.] a.d. 66). During the struggle of the Jews with Rome, its inhabitants remained loyal to the national cause. When, however, Vespasian appeared before its walls with three legions, the citizens yielded without resistance. Vespasian restored it to Herod Agrippa Ii., who stripped it of its political prestige by transferring the capital again to Sepphoris. When Agrippa died (a.d. 100), it fell directly under Roman rule. Shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem (a.d. 70), Tiberias became the chief seat of the Jews and of Jewish learning. According to Epiphanius, it was not long before the city was inhabited exclusively by Jews. In the 2nd cent. the Sanhedrin, which had been shifted from Jerusalem to Jamnia and then to Sepphoris, was established at Tiberias under the presidency of the celebrated Rabbi Judah the Holy.

3. Present condition. —The modern town is called by the Arabs Tâbarîyeh . Traces still remain of the ancient city along the Lake, especially to the south of the present town. Heaps of stones, columns of grey granite, foundations of buildings, and of a thick wall which extended almost to the famous baths, all confirm the supposition that the ancient city extended at one time farther south. The present town is defended on the land side by a wall furnished with towers. There are the ruins of a once imposing castle at the N.W. corner. But castle, walls, and houses were seriously damaged by the earthquakes of 30th Oct. 1759 and of 1st Jan. 1837. Among the famous tombs of Tiberias are those of Maimonides, and Rabbis ‘Akiba and Jochanan. To-day Tiberias has a population of approximately 4000 souls, of whom about two-thirds are Jews and the other third Mohammedans and Christians of different sects. The Protestants have a well-equipped hospital, and are doing a good religious work under the United Free Church of Scotland. The Jews occupy a squalid quarter in the middle of the town, adjacent to the Lake. The city as a whole is ‘a picture of disgusting filth and frightful wretchedness.’ Of late, however, the place is improving somewhat, having become the seat of a Turkish kaimakan , or governor.

Tiberias is hot and fever-haunted. The breezes from the Mediterranean are prevented from striking the city by the hills which bound the plain on the west. The winters are mild, snow being very rarely known. The Lake furnishes the only supply of water. The view from the city embraces the whole extent of the Sea of Galilee except the S.W. extremity. Schürer speaks of Tiberias as ‘the most beautiful spot in Galilee,’ which, however, is an exaggeration. At present it is one of the four sacred cities of the Jews in Palestine, the others being Jerusalem, Hebron, and Safed. The study of the Talmud still flourishes in Tiberias.

Literature.—Robinson, Brp [Note: Rp Biblical Researches in Palestine.] iii. 254 ff.; Baedeker-Socin, Pal. [Note: Palestine, Palestinian.] 286 ff.; Guérin, Galilée , i. 250 ff.; Neubauer, Géog. du Talm. [Note: Talmud.] 208 ff.; Merrill, art. ‘Tiberias’ in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible: Buhl, Gap [Note: Ap Geographic des alten Palästina.] 226 f.; Reland, Pal. [Note: Palestine, Palestinian.] ii. 1036; G. A. Smith, Hghl [Note: Ghl Historical Geog. of Holy Land.] 447 ff.; Burckhardt, Travels , 320 ff.; Murray, Syria-Pal. [Note: Palestine, Palestinian.] 251; Schürer, Hjp [Note: Jp History of the Jewish People.] Ii. i. 143 ff.; Wilson, Lands of the Bible , ii. 116 ff.; Ritter, Geog. of Pal. [Note: Palestine, Palestinian.] ii. 256 ff.; art. ‘Tiberias’ in EBi [Note: Bi Encyclopaedia Biblica.] iv.

George L. Robinson.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

 John 6:1-23;  John 21:1. Josephus (Ant. 18, B.J. 2:9, section 1) says it was built by Herod Antipas, and named in honour of the emperor Tiberius. Capital of Galilee until the time of Herod Agrippa Ii, who transferred the seat of power again to Sepphoris. Antipas built in Tiberias a Roman stadium and palace adorned with images of animals which offended the Jews, as did also its site on an ancient burial ground. Now Tubarieh, a filthy wretched place. On the western shore toward the southern end of the sea of Galilee or Tiberias, as John alone calls the sea. John is the only New Testament writer who mentions Tiberias. His notice of its many "boats" ( John 6:23) agrees with Josephus' account of its traffic. Tiberias stood on the strip of land, two miles long and a quarter of a mile broad, between the water and the steep hills which elsewhere come down to the water's edge. It occupied all the ground of the parallelogram, including Tubarieh at the northern end, and reaching toward the warm baths at the southern end (reckoned by Roman naturalists as one of the wonders of the world: Pliny, H. N. 5:15).

A few palms still are to be seen, but the oleander abounds. The people, numbering 3,000 or 4,000, mostly live by fishing as of old. A strong wall guards the land side, but it is open toward the sea. The Jews, constituting one-fourth of the population, have their quarter in the middle of the town near the lake. Our Lord avoided Tiberias on account of the cunning and unscrupulous character of Herod Antipas whose headquarters were there ( Luke 13:32); Herod never saw Him until just before the crucifixion ( Luke 23:8). Christ chose the plain of Gennesaret at the head of the lake, where the population was at once dense and Jewish; and, as being sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, kept away from Tiberias. After Jerusalem's overthrow Tiberias was spared by the Romans because the people favored rather than opposed the conquerors' arms.

The Sanhedrin, after temporarily sojourning at Jamnia and Sepphoris, fixed its seat there in the second century. The Mishna was compiled in Tiberias by Rabbi Judah Haqodesh, A.D. 190. The Masorah body of traditions, which transmitted the Old Testament text readings and preserved the Hebrew pronunciation and interpretation, originated there. Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, and Tiberias are the four holy places in which the Jews say if prayer without ceasing were not offered the world would fall into chaos. The Romans recognized the patriarch of Tiberias and empowered him to appoint his subordinate ministers who should visit all the distant colonies of Jews, and to receive contributions from the Jews of the whole Roman empire.

The colony round Tiberias flourished under the emperors Antoninus Plus, Alexander Severus, and Julian, in the second and third centuries. The patriarchate of Tiberias finally ceased in 414 A.D. (See Synagogue on the Roman character of the existing remains of synagogues in Palestine, due no doubt to the patronage of Antoninus Pius and Alexander Severus, the great builders and restorers of temples in Syria.) The eminent Maimonides laboured and was buried at Tiberias in 1204 A.D. The earthquake of 1837 shook the town mightily. A Jewish idea is that Messiah will emerge from the lake, proceed to Tiberias and Safed, then set His throne on the highest peak in Galilee.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Tibe'rias. A city in the time of Christ , on the Sea of Galilee; first mentioned in the New Testament,  John 6:1;  John 6:23;  John 21:1, and then by Josephus, who states that it was built by Herod Antipas, and was named by him in honor of the emperor, Tiberius. Tiberias was the capital of Galilee , from the time of its origin, until the reign of Herod Agrippa Ii, who changed the seat of power back again to Sepphoris, where it had been before the founding of the new city.

Many of the inhabitants were Greeks and Romans, and foreign customs prevailed there: to such an extent as to give offence to the stricter Jews. It is remarkable that the Gospels give us no information that the Saviour, who spent so much of his public life in Galilee, ever visited Tiberias. The place is only mentioned in the New Testament in  John 6:23.

History. - Tiberias has an interesting history apart from its strictly biblical associations. It bore a conspicuous part in the wars between the Jews and the Romans. The Sanhedrin, subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem, after a temporary sojourn at Jamnia and Sepphoris, became fixed there, about the middle of the second century. Celebrated schools of Jewish learning flourished there, through a succession of several centuries. The Mishna was compiled at this place, by the great Rabbi, Judah Hakkodesh, A.D. 190.

The city has been possessed successively by Romans, Persians, Arabs and Turks. It contains now, under the Turkish rule, a mixed population of Mohammedans, Jews and Christian, variously estimated at from two to four thousand.

Present city. - The ancient name has survived in that of the modern Tubarieh , which occupies the original site. Near Tubarieh , about a mile farther south along the shore, are the celebrated warm baths, which the Roman naturalists reckoned among the greatest known curiosities of the world. Tiberias is described by Dr. Thomson as "a filthy place, fearfully hot in summer." It was nearly destroyed in 1837 by an earthquake, by which 800 persons lost their lives.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Tiberias . A town built by Herod (a.d. 16 22) on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (called the ‘Sea of Tiberias’ in   John 6:1;   John 21:1 , and in modern Arabic), and named in honour of the Roman Emperor. That it was erected over the site of an ancient graveyard (Jos. [Note: Josephus.] Ant. Xviii. ii. 3) in itself proves that no city had previously existed here. This circumstance made it an unclean place to the Jews, and Herod was obliged to use force in order to people it with any but the lowest of the nation. It was designed entirely on Greek models, and the fact that it was in spirit and civilization entirely foreign is perhaps the reason why it is hardly alluded to in the Gospels the sole reference being   John 6:23 . There is no evidence that it was ever visited by Christ. The city surrendered to Vespasian and by him was restored to Agrippa. After the fall of Jerusalem many of the Jews took up their abode in Tiberias, and by a strange reversal of fate this unclean city became a most important centre of Rabbinic teaching. Here lived Judah the Holy, editor of the Mishna. Here the ‘Jerusalem Talmud’ was compiled. In the neighbourhood are the tombs of ‘Aqiba and of Maimonides.

Constantine built a church and established a bishopric at Tiberias, but Christianity never flourished there. The Arabs seized it in a.d. 637; the Crusaders lost it to Saladin in 1187. The city was almost destroyed by a great earthquake in 1837. The principal objects of interest are the ruins of a large castle (possibly Herodian), a very ancient synagogue, and half an hour’s journey to the south the hot springs of Emmaus (the Hammath of   Joshua 19:35 ), mentioned by Josephus and Pliny. The city is dirty, and proverbial for its vermin. There is a population of about 4000, more than half of whom are Jews, principally refugees from Poland. There is here an important mission of the United Free Church of Scotland.

For the ‘ Sea of Tiberias ,’ see Galilee [Sea of].

R. A. S. Macalister.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 John 6:1,23 21:1

In 1837 about one-half of the inhabitants perished by an earthquake. The population of the city is now about six thousand, nearly the one-half being Jews. "We do not read that our Lord ever entered this city. The reason of this is probably to be found in the fact that it was practically a heathen city, though standing upon Jewish soil. Herod, its founder, had brought together the arts of Greece, the idolatry of Rome, and the gross lewdness of Asia. There were in it a theatre for the performance of comedies, a forum, a stadium, a palace roofed with gold in imitation of those in Italy, statues of the Roman gods, and busts of the deified emperors. He who was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel might well hold himself aloof from such scenes as these" (Manning's Those Holy Fields).

After the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), Tiberias became one of the chief residences of the Jews in Palestine. It was for more than three hundred years their metropolis. From about A.D. 150 the Sanhedrin settled here, and established rabbinical schools, which rose to great celebrity. Here the Jerusalem (or Palestinian) Talmud was compiled about the beginning of the fifth century. To this same rabbinical school also we are indebted for the Masora, a "body of traditions which transmitted the readings of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, and preserved, by means of the vowel-system, the pronunciation of the Hebrew." In its original form, and in all manuscripts, the Hebrew is written without vowels; hence, when it ceased to be a spoken language, the importance of knowing what vowels to insert between the consonants. This is supplied by the Masora, and hence these vowels are called the "Masoretic vowel-points."

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A city of Galilee, founded by Herod Antipas, and namely by him in honor of the emperor Tiberius. A more ancient and greater city, perhaps Chinneroth, seems previously to have flourished and gone to ruin near the same site, on the south. Tiberias was situated on the western shore of the lake of Gennesareth, about two hours' ride from the place where the Jordan issues from the lake. In the vicinity of the city were hot springs, which were much celebrated. The lake is also sometimes, called from the city, the sea of Tiberias,  John 6:1,23   21:1 . See Sea 4.

After the destruction of Jerusalem, Tiberias was celebrated as the seat of a flourishing school of Jewish learning. The crusaders held it for a time, and erected a church, in which the Arabs have since housed their cattle. Modern Tubariyeh lies on a narrow undulating plain between the high table-land and the sea. It was half destroyed by an earthquake in 1837, and has a population of only twenty-five hundred souls, nearly one-third of whom are Jews. The walls are little more than heaps of ruins, the castle is much shattered, and the place has an aspect of extreme wretchedness and filth. As the Arabs say, "The king of the fleas holds his court at Tubariyeh." South of the town are numerous remains of the ancient city or cities extending for a mile and a half, nearly to the hot springs. The waters of these springs are nauseous and salt, and too hot for immediate use, 136 degrees to 144 degrees; but the baths are much resorted to for the cure of rheumatic diseases, etc.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

City on the west of the Sea of Galilee: it was founded by Herod Antipas, and named after the emperor Tiberius. It became the capital of the province of Galilee, and in it were gathered the arts of Greece and the idolatry of Rome. Josephus states (Ant. xviii. 2,3) that to build Tiberias many tombs had to be taken away, which made it ceremonially an unclean place, so that no Jews would live there except those who were compelled, and others who were bribed by the founder. In later days, however, along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Safed, Tiberias was classed by the Jews as one of their four holy cities, renowned as seats of learning. We do not read of the Lord visiting the city.  John 6:23 . It is situate 32 47' N, 35 32' E .

Holman Bible Dictionary

 John 6:23  John 6:1 John 21:1 Megillah Erubin   Luke 3:1 Antiquities

Excavations by N. Slouschz in 1921 and M. Dothan in 1961 at Hammath-Tiberias, near the warm baths, revealed several superimposed synagogues dating from about 300 to 800, some having beautiful mosaic floors. In 1973,1974 G. Foerster, digging just south of this area, found the southern gate of the city, having two round towers and dating to the founding of Tiberias before A.D. 100.

John McRay

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Tiberias (tî-bç'ri-as ). A town in Galilee, on the western shore of the sea of Tiberias.  John 6:1;  John 6:23. Our Lord never visited it. He was often in the immediate neighborhood; but we never read of his entering Tiberias. It was the seat for centuries of a famous academy, and to the present day it is one of the four holy cities. Near to Tiberias are the celebrated hot baths of Hammam. The present city contains about 2000 inhabitants.

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

The town of Tiberias was on the western shore of Lake Galilee (also called the Sea of Galilee and the Sea of Tiberias) ( John 6:1;  John 6:23). Whereas towns on the northern shore were largely Jewish and were the scene of much of Jesus’ ministry, Tiberias was almost entirely Gentile. The Bible does not record that Jesus ever visited the town. (For map and other details see Palestine.)

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

a city situated in a small plain, surrounded by mountains, on the western coast of the sea of Galilee, which, from this city, was also called the sea of Tiberias. Tiberias was erected by Herod Antipas, and so called in honour of Tiberius Caesar. He is supposed to have chosen, for the erection of his new city, a spot where before stood a more obscure place called Chenereth or Cinnereth, which also gave its name to the adjoining lake or sea.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tı̄ - bē´ri - as ( Τιβεριάς , Tiberiás ,   John 6:23 ): About the middle of the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, the mountains fall back from the coast, and leave a roughly crescent-shaped plain, about 2 miles in length. The modern city of Tiberias ( Ṭabarı̄yeh ) stands at the northern extremity, where the ground begins to rise; and the Hot Baths ( Hammath ) at the south end. On the southern part of this plain Herod Antipas built a city (circa 26 Ad), calling it "Tiberias" in honor of the emperor who had befriended him. In clearing the ground and digging foundations certain tombs were disturbed ( Ant. , Xviii ii, 3). It may have been the graveyard of old Hammath. The palace, the famous "Golden House," was built on the top of a rocky hill which rises on the West to a height of some 500 ft. The ruin is known today as Ḳasr bint el - Melek , "Palace of the King's Daughter" The strong walls of the city can be traced in almost their entire length on the landward side. Parts are also to be seen along the shore, with towers at intervals which guarded against attack by sea. The ruins cover a considerable area. There is nothing above ground older than Herod's city. Only excavation can show whether or not the Talmud is fight in saying that Tiberias was built on the site of Rakkath and Chinnereth (Neubauer, Geog. du Talmud , 208). The Jews were shy of settling in a city built over an old cemetery; and Herod had trouble in finding occupants for it. A strange company it was that he ultimately gathered of the "poorer people," foreigners, and others "not quite freemen"; and these were drawn by the prospect of good houses and land which he freely promised them. With its stadium, its palace "with figures of living things" and its senate, it may be properly described as a Greek city, although it also contained a proseuchḗ , or place of prayer, for the Jews ( Bj , Ii, xxi, 6; Vita , Xii , 54, etc.). This accounts for it figuring so little in the Gospels. In his anxiety to win the favor of the Jews, Herod built for them "the finest synagogue in Galilee"; but many years were to elapse before it should become a really Jewish city.

Superseding Sepphoris, Tiberias was the capital of Galilee under Agrippa I and the Roman procurators. It surrendered to Vespasian, and was given by Nero to Agrippa Ii, Sepphoris again becoming the capital. During the Jewish war its inhabitants were mainly Jewish, somewhat turbulent and difficult to manage. In 100 Ad, at Agrippa's death, the Romans assumed direct control. After the fall of Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin retreated to Galilee, first to Sepphoris, and then to Tiberias. Here, some time before 220 Ad, under supervision of the famous Rabbi Jehuda ha - Nāsı̄' , "Judah the Prince," or, as he is also called ha - ḳādhōsh , "the Holy," the civil and ritual laws, decrees, customs, etc., held to be of binding obligation, handed down by tradition, but not having Scriptural authority, were codified and written down, under the title of "Mishna." Here also later was compiled the Jerusalem Talmud ( Yerūshalmı̄ ), as distinguished from that compiled in Babylon ( Babhlı̄ ). The city thus became a great center of Jewish learning. Maimonides' tomb is shown near the town, and that of Aqiba on the slope of the mountain, where it is said 24,000 of his disciples are buried with him.

In Christian times Tiberias was the seat of a bishop. It fell to the Moslems in 637. It changed hands several times as between the Crusaders and the Saracens. It was finally taken by the Moslems in 1247.

The enclosing walls of the modern city, and the castle, now swiftly going to ruin, were built by Tancred and repaired by Daher el -'Omar in 1730. There are over 5,000 inhabitants, mostly Jews, in whose hands mainly is the trade of the place. The fishing in the lake, in which some 20 boats are occupied, is carried on by Moslems and Christians. Tiberias is the chief inhabited place on the lake, to which as in ancient days it gives its name, Baḥr Ṭabarı̄yeh , "Sea of Tiberias" (  John 6:1;  John 21:1 ). It is the market town for a wide district. The opening of the Haifa-Damascus Railway has quickened the pulse of life considerably. A steamer and motor boat ply between the town and the station at Semach , bringing the place into easy touch with the outside world. The water of the lake is largely used for all purposes, although there are cisterns for rain water under some of the houses.

After a residence of over five years in the city, the present writer can say that it does not deserve the evil reputation which casual travelers have given it. In matters of cleanliness and health it stands comparison very well with other oriental towns. Sometimes, in east wind; it is very hot, thermometer registering over 114 Degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. The worst time is just at the beginning of the rainy season, when the impurities that have gathered in the drought of summer are washed into the sea, contaminating the water.

The United Free Church of Scotland has here a well-equipped mission to the Jews.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Copyright StatementThese files are public domain. Bibliography InformationMcClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Tiberias'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/t/tiberias.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Tibe´rias is a small town situated about the middle of the western bank of the Lake of Gennesareth; according to Joliffe, about twenty English miles from Nazareth and ninety from Jerusalem. Tiberias was chiefly built by the tetrarch Herodes Antipas, and called by him after the Emperor Tiberius.

From the time of Herodes Antipas to the commencement of the reign of Herodes Agrippa Ii, Tiberias was the principal city of the province. It was one of the four cities which Nero added to the kingdom of Agrippa. Sepphoris and Tiberias were the largest cities of Galilee. In the last Jewish war the fortifications of Tiberias were an important military station.

According to Josephus, the inhabitants of Tiberias derived their maintenance chiefly from the navigation of the Lake of Gennesareth, and from its fisheries. After the destruction of Jerusalem Tiberias was celebrated during several centuries for its famous Rabbinical academy.

Not far from Tiberias, in the immediate neighborhood of the town of Emmaus, were warm mineral springs, whose celebrated baths are sometimes spoken of as belonging to Tiberias itself. These springs contain sulfur, salt, and iron; and were employed for medicinal purposes.

According to Joliffe (Travels, pp. 48-49, sq.), the modern Tabaria has about four thousand inhabitants, a considerable part of whom are Jews.