Beth-Anath Explained

Beth-Anath was mentioned in the Bible as "one of the fenced cities that fell to the lot of Naphtali (Joshua 19:38), and from which the Canaanites were not driven out (Judges 1:33)."[1]

Early history

Among the place names found in a list of Ramses II, Beth-anath remains the only name that clearly refers to the Galilee according to Judges 1:33.[2]

Beth-Anath has been translated to mean "temple of Anat", a Canaanite goddess linked to a Sumerian predecessor called Ninhursag.[3]

Beth-Anath continued to be settled by the native Canaanites, even after Israel's conquest of the land during the early Iron Age.[4] The Zenon Papyri (mid 3rd-century BCE) mentions a certain estate belonging to Apollonius in Βαιτανατα (Beth-anath), a way-stop along the route traveled by the Zenon party as it passed through ancient Palestine.[5] [6] [7] In the 2nd-century CE, Beth-Anath was considered a borderline village, inhabited by both Jews and Gentiles.[8]

Identification

Several places have been identified with Beth-Anath.

'Anin

See main article: 'Anin. It has been suggested than 'Anin is the site of ancient Beth Anath, or Greek: Batanaia, mentioned in Eusebius' Onomasticon and in the Tosefta.[9]

Aynata

See main article: Aynata. Aynata in Lebanon was suggested by van de Velde in 1854,[10] by W.M. Thomson in 1859,[11] and later Victor Guérin[12] to be the ancient site of Beth-Anath. The same view was held by historical geographer Georg Kampffmeyer (1892).[13]

Bi'ina

See main article: Bi'ina. Bi'ina in the Beit HaKerem Valley which divides Upper Galilee from the Lower Galilee was suggested by Ze'ev Safrai as being the biblical Beth-Anath,[14] [15] a view that had been established long before him, by a host of archaeologists and historical geographers: W.F. Albright, (1921/1922: 19–20); Neubauer (1868: 235–ff.); Abel (1928, pp. 409–415; 1938: 266); Alt (PJB 22, 1926, pp. 55–ff.; 24, 1928, p. 87); Saarisalo ("Boundary", p. 189); Rafael Frankel, et al. (2001:136); Aviam (2004:53); Reeg (1989:72–73). The site dates back to the Iron Age.[16] Initially, Albright thought that Beth-Anath might be Tell Belat,[17] but later changed his mind for the site at Bi'ina (Dayr al Ba'ana), based on the name given for the village in the Jerusalem Talmud (Orlah 3:7), and which more closely resembles the site's present name.[18]

Albright conjectured that the ancient site of Beth-Anath was probably situated at the mound of Jelamet el-Bi'ina, less than a mile southeast of the present site of Bi'ina, a place surrounded by fertile fields. The word jelameh, meaning "hill" or "mound," is sometimes employed instead of tell.[19] Israeli archaeologist Yoram Tsafrir remained undecided where to place Beth-anath, saying that it could have either been where is now Bi'ina, or where is now Bu'eine.[20]

Bu'eine Nujeidat

See main article: Bu'eine Nujeidat. Tsafrir et al. suggested that Beth-Anath could be at Bu'eine Nujeidat, or Bi'ina.[20]

Hinah

See main article: Hinah. Historical geographer Samuel Klein (1934:18–34) placed Beth-Anath in Hinah, a town on the southeast side of Mount Hermon. His view is supported by Grintz (1964:67), who cites Josephus (Antiquities 5.1.22) as corroborating Klein's view, insofar that Naphtali's territory is said to have extended as far as Damascus in the east.

Safad el-Battikh

See main article: Safad El Battikh.

Aharoni (1957:70-74) held the view that Beth-Anath was to be identified with Safed el-Battikh, in the Bint Jbeil District. Aharoni cites Eusebius' Onomasticon and his mention of Batanaia being distant 15 miles from Caesarea, a place thought by Aharoni to refer to Cesarea Philippi (1957:73). According to him, this would put Batanaia (=Beth-Anath) in the vicinity of Safed el-Battikh.

See also

Bibliography

. Victor Guérin. Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine. 3: Galilee, pt. 2. 1880. L'Imprimerie Nationale. Paris. French.

. Charles William Meredith van de Velde . Narrative of a journey through Syria and Palestine in 1851 and 1852. 1 . 1854. William Blackwood and son .

External links

Notes and References

  1. [William Lindsay Alexander|W.L.A.]
  2. See p. 82 in: Gal . Zvi . The Late Bronze Age in Galilee: A Reassessment . Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research . 272 . Nov . 79–84. 1988. 1356788 . 10.2307/1356788 . 164010807 ., and where the copyist erroneously cited Joshua 1:33, instead of Judges 1:33.
  3. Naʼaman, 2005, pp.248 ff
  4. 1:33 HE
  5. Jack Pastor, Land and Economy in Ancient Palestine, London 2013, note 47.
  6. Stephen G. Wilson & Michel Desjardins, Text and Artifact in the Religions of Mediterranean Antiquity: Essays in honour of Peter Richardson, Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Waterloo Ontario 2000, p. 121, .
  7. [Victor Tcherikover|Tcherikover]
  8. [Tosefta]
  9. Avi-Yonah . M.. Michael Avi-Yonah . 1976 . Gazetteer of Roman Palestine . Qedem . 5 . 37 . 43587090 . 0333-5844.
  10. Van de Velde, 1854, I, 170
  11. Thomson, 1859, p. 315
  12. Guérin, 1880, p. 374
  13. Kampffmeyer, 1892, p. 71
  14. Safrai, 1985, p. 62
  15. Safrai & Safrai, 1976, pp. 18–34
  16. Frankel, R., et al. (2001), p. 22
  17. https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00000665/00003/67x Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society
  18. [William F. Albright|Albright, W. F.]
  19. [William F. Albright|Albright]
  20. [Yoram Tsafrir|Tsafrir]

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