Nazareth

On winter solstice, 2009, four days before Christmas and twenty months after publication of my first book, The Myth of Nazareth (http://www.nazarethmyth.info/) archeologist Yardenna of the Israel Antiquities Authority gave a press conference in Nazareth, Israel, at newly excavated ground across the street from the Church of the Annunciation. International news agencies were present, including AP, UPI, Reuters, and Agence France Presse. Enigmatic advance notices had already alerted the general public that news of major religious significance was imminent.
    When Dr. Alexandre stepped up to the microphone on that blustery morning, she announced that incontrovertible evidence of a village from “the time of Jesus” had been found for the very first time. The evidence, she explained, was in front of their eyes: remains of a dwelling which—in all likelihood—Jesus himself knew as a child.
    But the claim is bogus, as this chapter from my recent second book NazarethGate (http://www.mythicistpapers.com/2015/11/15/the-book-nazarethgate/) shows. The site was obviously a wine producing complex beginning in the Byzantine era, with clear remains of low walls, a sloping treading floor, collecting vat, and storage cellars.

The Church of the Annunciation is built on one of the most sacred
places for the Catholic world. According to the New Testament, this is
where the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would
bear the son of God (Luke 1:26–38). In 1969, an Italian architect,
Giovanni Muzio, built the modern church on the site, and this monumental
Christian symbol stimulates political struggles to the present
day. This article analyzes the various tensions and decisions pertaining
to the Church of the Annunciation, including attempts to thwart its
construction and to limit its size, as well as the political interests that
enabled the largest Franciscan church in the Middle East to be built.

Jesus’ inaugural speech in the synagogue in Nazareth opens an important part of the Gospel of Luke, i.e., the ministry of Jesus in Galilee (Luke 4:14–9:50). It serves as a temporal marker that opens a new part of the gospel that sets into motion a chain of events. It also functions as the exposé of the program which Jesus will carry out during his mission starting in Galilee and leading him up to the cross on Calvary. The present study contends that inaugural speech in the synagogue of Nazareth gives also a glimpse into Luke’s own writing skills and his intention to present an orderly account of “what happened among us” (Luke 1:1-4). Thus, the story in the synagogue of Nazareth not only presents the program of Jesus’ mission, it also familiarizes the reader with different kind of rhetorical strategies and techniques employed by the author of the Third Gospel aiming to persuade the implied reader / listener of the solidity and certainty of the teaching received.

This paper aims to review the various attempts to create a permanent Jewish presence in Nazareth, during the first half of the twentieth century:  From Haim Kalvarisky and the jca`s activity in the city at the turn of the century; Through the local Jewish presence which was established during WW1; And up to the limited yet stable Jewish settlement – of clear national character - that existed in the city during the first half of the British Mandate period.
Besides reviewing  the various attempts, as well as their characteristics and scope, this paper also aims to define the different ideological positions that were the basis for the attempts of several Jewish national institutions to act in the city; to portray the character of local Jewish/Arab relations during those years; and to determine the various factors that eventually led to the disappearance of permanent Jewish presence in Nazareth, since the mid 1930`s.
The case of the Jewish presence in Nazareth is presented against the background of similar events that took place in a large number of Arab cities throughout the country, in the late Ottoman period and during the British Mandate period.

The paper discusses the legendary transfer of the Holy House from Nazareth (Palestine), via Croatian coast to the town of Loreto in Italy. According to legend, the transfer took place at the end of the 13th century, and it was depicted on several maps, including the cartographic representation from Loreto called Descriptio translationis Sanctæ Domus Beatissimæ Virginis e Nazareth in Dalmatiam et inde Lavretv[m] which was probably made at the end of the 16th century. Regardless of the authenticity of the relic, the fact that the content of the legendary transfer was depicted cartographically on one of the most valuable works of art of the Loreto Marian shrine witnesses the need for spatial identification of imaginary geography, but it also indicates the importance and influence of cartography of that time, because maps were important sources of spatial data and means of geographic expression.

The paper discusses the legendary transfer of the Holy House from Nazareth (Palestine), via Croatian coast to the town of Loreto in Italy. According to legend, the transfer took place at the end of the 13th century, and it was depicted on several maps, including the cartographic representation from Loreto called Descriptio translationis Sanctae Domus Beatissimae Virginis e Nazareth in Dalmati-am et inde Lavretv[m] which was probably made at the end of the 16th century. Regardless of the authenticity of the relic, the fact that the content of the legendary transfer was depicted cartographically on one of the most valuable works of art of the Loreto Marian shrine witnesses the need for spatial identification of imaginary geography, but it also indicates the importance and influence of cartography of that time, because maps were important sources of spatial data and means of geographic expression.

El presente ensayo tiene dos objetivos primordiales: 1) Partiendo de que por las condiciones del orden social la responsabilidad fundamental del filósofo requiere también la acción transformadora del mundo para que devenga uno equitativo e incluyente, el autor propone al lector un texto que muestre una breve manera, dentro de las muchas posibles, de vincular el discurso de la razón práctica ilustrada, aclamada novedad de la modernidad, con aquel de la razón simbólica, frecuentemente denostada por el discurso de las comunidades científicas y académicas pero vivida diariamente por los pueblos del mundo; y 2) presentar una interpretación de la noción de Justicia que se encuentra en los textos considerados sagrados para las comunidades judías y cristianas en contraste con la tradicional manera de definir dicha noción, la manera romana de Ulpiano, que es en la que se fundamenta la normatividad de los pueblos auto-proclamados modernos.


Publicado en el Vol. 6, No 1 (2014): Páginas de Filosofia; Curso de Filosofia da Faculdade de Humanidades e Direito da Universidade Metodista de São Paulo
ISSN: 2175-7747

Mixed Towns, Trapped Communities: Historical Narratives, Spatial Dynamics, Gender Relations and Cultural Encounters in Palestinian-Israeli Towns

Editors: Daniel Monterescu and Dan Rabinowitz

Modern urban spaces are, by definition, mixed socio-spatial configurations. In many ways, their enduring success and vitality lie in the richness of their ethnic texture and ongoing exchange of economic goods, cultural practices, political ideas and social movements. This mixture, however, is rarely harmonious and has often led to violent conflict over land and identity. Focusing on mixed towns in Israel/Palestine, this insightful volume theorizes the relationship between modernity and nationalism and the social dynamics which engender and characterize the growth of urban spaces and the emergence therein of inter-communal relations.

For more than a century, Arabs and Jews have been interacting in the workplaces, residential areas, commercial enterprises, cultural arenas and political theatres of mixed towns. Defying prevailing Manichean oppositions, these towns both exemplify and resist the forces of nationalist segregation. In this interdisciplinary volume, a new generation of Israeli and Palestinian scholars come together to explore ways in which these towns have been perceived as utopian or dystopian and whether they are best conceptualized as divided, dual or colonial. Identifying ethnically mixed towns as a historically specific analytic category, this volume calls for further research, comparison and debate.

Contents: Preface; Introduction: the transformation of urban mix in Palestine/Israel in the modern era, Dan Rabinowitz and Daniel Monterescu; Part 1 History, Representation and Collective Memory: Bourgeois nostalgia and the abandoned city, Salim Tamari; 'The Arabs just left': othering and the construction of self amongst Jews in Haifa before and after 1948, Dan Rabinowitz; 'We were living in a different country': Palestinian nostalgia and the future past, Jasmin Habib; Cross-national collective action in Palestine's mixed towns: the 1946 civil servants strike, David de Vries; How is a mixed town to be administered? Haifa's municipal council, 1940–1947, Tamir Goren. Part 2 Spatial Dynamics: Ethnic Urban Mix and its Contradictions: Planning, control and spatial protest: the case of the Jewish-Arab town od Lydd/Lod, Haim Yacobi; Heteronomy: the cultural logic of urban space and sociality in Jaffa, Daniel Monterescu; A nixed, not mixed, city: mapping obstacles to democracy in the Nazareth/Nazerat Illit conurbation, Laurie King-Irani; Exit from the scene: reflections on the public space of the Palestinians in Israel, Raef Zreik. Part 3 Gendered Perspectives on Mixed Spaces: Contested contact: proximity and social control in pre-1948 Jaffa and Tel-Aviv, Deborah S. Bernstein; Mixed cities as a place of choice: the Palestinian women's perspective, Hanna Herzog. Part 4 Cultural Encounters and Civil Society: ECooperation and conflict in the zone of civil society: Arab-Jewish activism in Jaffa, Amalia Sa'ar; Nationalism, religion and urban politics in Israel: struggles over modernity and identity in 'global' Jaffa, Mark LeVine; Mixed as in pidgin: the vanishing Arabic of a 'bilingual' city, Anton Shammas; Index

We’ve all heard from Biblical teachings that Jesus was raised in a town called Nazareth; he’s specifically called “Jesus of Nazareth” in the KJV version of the New Testament 17 times, 12 times in the Gospels and 5 times in the Book of Acts.

So, lets take a look at where the word “Nazareth” and its vocabulary cousins, “Nazarene” and “Nazirite”, come from and why it is important.  First off, there is a very important verse in Matthew, that suggests that Jesus must be “from Nazareth” to fulfill a specific messianic prophecy.

Aquí van 10 textos más del "Libro de Cielo" de Luisa Piccarreta sobre el Rey, su Reino y su Reinado.  Estos nuevos textos serán agregados y consolidados a la primera versión que fue publicada al finalizar la sesión en Academia.edu.  Sigan participando enviando sus comentarios y propuestas de textos. Gracias y bendiciones en la Divina Voluntad. FIAT.

Matt 2:23 says that Jesus dwelt in Nazareth and this fulfilled prophecies. Some critics says there was no prophecy in the Hebrew scriptures about Nazareth. Is this true? In fact the prophecy is the most significant promise in all the Bible. The critics miss the historical context of these times and get lost in literalism.

In areas that are characterized by political, national, cultural and religious conflicts, issues concerning conservation and development become particularly complex. One prominent example of this tension can be seen in events that have taken place over the last decade in the city of Nazareth, which hosts some of Christianity's holiest sites. Until the mid-twentieth century most of the city's residents were Christian. In the past several decades however, Muslims have come to form the majority of the population. Against this backdrop, Nazareth began to prepare for the millennium year, including the formulation of the ‘Nazareth 2000’ plan for tourism development in the city. Unfortunately, the city's numerous complexities rapidly surfaced, with one of the most prominent examples being the bitter struggle around the city's newly planned main square. This paper examines tourism development for the city in conditions of such cultural conflict.Les questions liées à la conservation et au développement sont d'une grande complexité dans les régions marquées par des conflits d'ordre politique, national, culturel ou religieux. L'un des exemples les plus frappants de cette tension est visible dans les événements qui se sont succédés au cours des dix dernières années à Nazareth, ville abritant les plus grands lieux sacrés de la chrétienté. La plupart des résidents de la ville étaient jusqu'au milieu du vingtième siècle de confession chrétienne. Toutefois, dans les dernières décennies, la majorité de la population est composé de Musulmans. C'est dans ce contexte que Nazareth préparait les célébrations marquant l'arrivée du nouveau millénaire, dont l'élaboration de son plan de développement touristique «Nazareth 2000». Les nombreuses complexités qui caractérisent la ville sont malheureusement apparues, parmi les plus frappantes est le cas de l'aménagement de la place centrale qui a suscité un âpre conflit. Cet article étudie le développement du tourisme par une ville en prise avec un conflit cultureEn zonas caracterizadas por sus conflictos políticos, nacionales, culturales y religiosos, cuestiones de conservación y desarrollo quedan muy compejas. Un ejemplo de esta tensión es evidente en los acontecimientos que han tenido lugar durante la última decada en la ciudad de Nazaret, lugar de algunos de los sitios más sagrados del cristianismo. Hasta mediados del siglo veinte, la mayor parte de los habitantes de la ciudad eran cristianos. Sin embargo, durante las últimas décadas, los musulmanes han llegado a constituir la mayoría de la población. Contra este escenario, la ciudad de Nazaret empezó a prepararse para el año milenario, planes que incluyeron la formulación del plan ‘Nazaret 2000’ para el desarrollo turístico de la ciudad. Desafortunadamente, las muchas complejidades de la ciudad surgieron rápidamente, uno de los más importantes ejemplos siendo la lucha sobre la nueva plaza mayor planeada para la ciudad. Este papel examina el desarrollo de turismo para la ciudad dentro de estas condiciones de conflicto cultural.

One of the critical issues when pursuing historical Jesus research has been to distinguish the ‘voice print’ of one man (Jesus) from the larger crowd (Second Temple Judaism) at the time. Historians always find it easier to describe movements than individuals, places rather than events, technologies rather than artifacts. For that reason, searching for the historical Nazareth may be an easier task than the quest for the historical Jesus.

ABSTRACT This study specifically examines the potential for heritage tourism development to promote cross-cultural dialog in the historic old city of Nazareth (Israel). The paper focuses on a case study of a small-scale heritage tourism venture that seeks to influence tourism development in Nazareth's old city. This is an exploratory case study that uses qualitative research methods including extensive participant observation and in-depth interviews with the venture's senior management group and selected employees. Study findings indicate a model of the relationship between community-based tourism development, heritage, and peace-building in a city that has experienced a wide range of cross-cultural conflicts. This model represents an alternative view to the notion that heritage serves to enhance differences and dissonance between different cultural groups. In contrast, findings from this study suggest that heritage in the form of tourism can help create shared interests between different communities in settings characterized by cross-cultural conflict.

In the book Thus Zarathustra could, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche talks about the death of God and the explanation with several metaphors, revealing the important terms that are developed in this work, such as Death, God as a concept, nihilism, the eternal return, the Super man and the will to power. These words and the topics they deal with will be well explained. Nietzsche with his ideas shows us so many things, but unfortunately sometimes we misunderstand him, so we try to give a good interpretation to the ideas of this author, and finally we will give a conclusion based on our question ¿Where is God? according to the ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche, and we will clarify that question better as we refer to it.

Mixed Towns, Trapped Communities: Historical Narratives, Spatial Dynamics, Gender Relations and Cultural Encounters in Palestinian-Israeli Towns Editors: Daniel Monterescu and Dan Rabinowitz Modern urban spaces are, by definition, mixed socio-spatial configurations. In many ways, their enduring success and vitality lie in the richness of their ethnic texture and ongoing exchange of economic goods, cultural practices, political ideas and social movements. This mixture, however, is rarely harmonious and has often led to violent conflict over land and identity. Focusing on mixed towns in Israel/Palestine, this insightful volume theorizes the relationship between modernity and nationalism and the social dynamics which engender and characterize the growth of urban spaces and the emergence therein of inter-communal relations. For more than a century, Arabs and Jews have been interacting in the workplaces, residential areas, commercial enterprises, cultural arenas and political theatres of...

قراءة في كتاب كارل صباغ "فلسطين: تاريخ شخصي"، حيث يستعرض تاريخ فلسطين بموازاة تاريخ عائلته وعلاقتها بفلسطين وتطور هذه العلاقة. في تطرقه لتاريخ فلسطين يؤكد وجود شعب هو الشعب الفلسطيني في فلسطين منذ فجر التاريخ، كما انه يكشف اللثام عن الاساليب التي انتهجتها القيادات الصهيونية في طريقها نحو الاستيلاء على فلسطين وترحيل سكانها بهدف إقامة دولة يهودية.

The sculptural capitals in the church of the Annunciation in Nazareth are among the finest examples of the Crusader era. It is obvious they have never been placed into position, probably because events in the year 1187 interrupted the church building activities. It is still controversial as to what type of building the capitals were created. Until today no attention has been paid to scratches on the top and lower part of the capitals, scratches which clearly indicate the exact geometric construction of the capitals. After analysing these scratches it seems likely the capitals were designed for a four-sided Ciborium on top of the Cubiculum Mariae. A similar Ciborium (six sided) was built on top of the Holy Sepulchre in the Church of the Anastasis in Jerusalem. The Ciborium represents an important building type in the Holy Land.

“By proving scientifically that Nazareth was uninhabited at the time Jesus of Nazareth and his family were supposed to be living there, Salm strikes the Achilles’ heel of a very popular god.”—Frank R. Zindler (author of THE JESUS THE JEWS NEVER KNEW, American Atheist Press, 2003).

Sure to upset biblical inerrantists and conservative pundits alike, THE MYTH OF NAZARETH presents convincing archaeological evidence that the town of Nazareth was not settled until after the First Jewish War—around 70 CE. In this book researcher René Salm proves that a core element of the Jesus story was an invention of the evangelists who wrote their gospels towards the end of the first century CE—as it turns out, at the same time the village of Nazareth was coming into being. Requiring eight years of painstaking research, THE MYTH OF NAZARETH surveys the archaeological record of the Nazareth basin from the Stone Age until modern times. It guides the reader through a stunning odyssey of discovery—one which exposes not only the true history of the site but also a scandalous history of evidentiary suppression reaching back into Early Christian times.

Publisher: American Atheist Press.
Publication Date: 2008

More Info:
- Review by Robert M. Price, Ph.D, Th.D, at: http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/reviews/salm_myth_nazereth.htm.

- Review by  Neil Godfrey (Vridar) at: http://vridar.org/2009/05/31/reviewing-a-scholarly-review-of-rene-salms-the-myth-of-nazareth/

International Conference: Contemporary Research in Tourism and Hospitality: Theory, and Pitfalls. Organized by: Pondicherry University and Bournemouth University, Pondicherry, India, 18-21 Feb 2014.
Paper Presentation: Gelbman, A. and Laven, D. Reconciliation and Development: A Case Study of a Small-scale Tourism Venture in Nazareth.

Tourism has been mentioned as a social force that can contribute and promote international understanding, cooperation, and global good will in establishing and keeping world peace. This connection between tourism and peace has been investigated by researchers who have debated the role of tourism in promoting peace in countries around the world. The State of Israel, most of whose citizens are Jewish, includes an Arab minority accounting for some 20 per cent of the country’s total population.  This cross-cultural dynamic is connected to a range of geopolitical challenges within the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Nazareth is the country’s largest Arab city and is considered the capital of Israel’s Arab population. Despite its rich heritage, Nazareth suffers from tensions associated with its various cultural and religious groups.
Increasingly, research on topic areas such as sustainable tourism and heritage development suggest that community-based, heritage tourism efforts can help ease tensions and promote cross-cultural dialogue and reconciliation. Previous research has examined this effect in places characterized by a range of social-cultural trauma (e.g., slavery, extreme environmental pollution, natural disasters). While the settings differ, these studies tend to conclude that heritage development (i.e., understanding the factors that shape human experience in a specific place) can empower disenfranchised communities in ways that also attract visitors.
Within this theoretical context, this exploratory study examines the potential for tourism development to promote cross-cultural dialog while catalyzing renewal of the historic old city of Nazareth. The paper offers preliminary findings from a qualitative case study of an alternative, small-scale tourism venture that seeks to dramatically influence tourism development in Nazareth’s old city. The paper’s theoretical context lies at the intersection of contemporary theories associated with heritage development, the sustainability paradigm, and peace tourism. Study findings suggest that this type of “bottom-up” tourism development can help create shared interests across different cultural groups while catalyzing new tourism development activities in historic old city of Nazareth. Implications of this experience are also discussed in the context of other regions characterized by cross-cultural developmental challenges.

The 6th Kinneret International Tourism Conference: Winning Tourism Destination Image: Fantasy or reality? Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, Leonardo Plaza Hotel, Tiberias, 9th December, 2013.
Paper Presentation: Laven, D. and A. Gelbman, Community Based Tourism and Sustainability: The Case of a Hostel in the Old City of Nazareth.

Tourism has been mentioned as a social force that can contribute and promote international understanding, cooperation, and global good will in establishing and keeping world peace. This connection between tourism and peace has been investigated by researchers who have debated the role of tourism in promoting peace in countries around the world. The State of Israel, most of whose citizens are Jewish, includes an Arab minority accounting for some 20 per cent of the country’s total population.  This cross-cultural dynamic is connected to a range of geopolitical challenges within the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Nazareth is the country’s largest Arab city and is considered the capital of Israel’s Arab population. Despite its rich heritage, Nazareth suffers from tensions associated with its various cultural and religious groups.
Increasingly, research on topic areas such as sustainable tourism and heritage development suggest that community-based, heritage tourism efforts can help ease tensions and promote cross-cultural dialogue and reconciliation. Previous research has examined this effect in places characterized by a range of social-cultural trauma (e.g., slavery, extreme environmental pollution, natural disasters). While the settings differ, these studies tend to conclude that heritage development (i.e., understanding the factors that shape human experience in a specific place) can empower disenfranchised communities in ways that also attract visitors.
Within this theoretical context, this exploratory study examines the potential for tourism development to promote cross-cultural dialog while catalyzing renewal of the historic old city of Nazareth. The paper offers preliminary findings from a qualitative case study of an alternative, small-scale tourism venture that seeks to dramatically influence tourism development in Nazareth’s old city. The paper’s theoretical context lies at the intersection of contemporary theories associated with heritage development, the sustainability paradigm, and peace tourism. Study findings suggest that this type of “bottom-up” tourism development can help create shared interests across different cultural groups while catalyzing new tourism development activities in historic old city of Nazareth. Implications of this experience are also discussed in the context of other regions characterized by cross-cultural developmental challenges.
Keywords: Heritage Development, Sustainable Tourism, Peace, Community Based Tourism, Nazareth