Garis (Galilee) Explained

Garis,^[1] (Γαρεις; Γάρις),^[2] alternative spellings Garsis; Garisme, was a Jewish village in Lower Galilee, situated ca. 4 km. from Sepphoris. The village, although now a ruin, features prominently in the writings of Josephus,^[3] where it served temporarily as the place of residence for Josephus during the First Jewish Revolt.^[4] In the early stages of the war, Josephus, with the Galileans who were put under his command, cast up a bank around the village, in anticipation of a Roman assault upon the town.^[5]

And indeed this sight of the general (Vespasian) brought many to repent at their revolt, and put them all into a consternation; for those that were in Josephus's camp, which was at the city called Garis, not far from Sepphoris, when they heard that the war was come near them, and that the Romans would suddenly fight them hand to hand, dispersed themselves and fled....^[6]

Etymology

The Hebrew name of the village is said to have been ʻAris (עריס), having the connotation of "trellised vine;" "grape arbor;" "espalier."^[7] The Greek word used in this toponym is Γαρεις, the Gamma said to be of the same ancient usage as found in Greek transliterations of the Hebrew words Gaza = עזה and Gabara = ערב.^{[8] [9]}

Identification

Historical geographers are divided as to the site's location. Samuel Klein thought that the ancient village of Garis was to be identified with Khirbet Cana, a ruin about east of Sepphoris and which now bears the same name as the adjacent village of Cana (Kafr Kanna), although intrinsically different.^{[10] [11]} Klein was the first to identify its Hebrew name with Kefar ʻArīs (כפר עריס) mentioned in the Tosefta (Kelim Baba-Metsia 11:2). Victor Guérin thought that the site of Garis was to be identified with Tell Bedeiwîyeh ("the mound of the Bedouins"), now a large mound with ruins of a small Khân and a well at its foot, located ca. northwest of Sepphoris.^[12] Likewise, the historian and archaeologist, Nikos Kokkinos, surmised that it may have been the ruin Tel Hannaton, being the same place as described by Guérin under its Arabic name, Tell Bedeiwîyeh.^[13] William F. Albright held a differing view, thinking that Tell Bedeiwîyeh was the ancient town of Asochis.^[14]

Near Kafr Kanna, archaeologists have identified the remains of a Roman-period settlement now known as Karm er-Rās (Arabic: كرم الراس) immediately joining the western edge of Kafr Kanna.^{[15] [16]} Karm in Arabic denotes "vineyard," and is derived from the Aramaic word karma,^[17] a name which may have been connected with the above-mentioned site of "Garis" = "trellised vine."

Bibliography

• Book: Abramsky. Y. . Yehezkel Abramsky . Tosefta with the Commentary Ḥazon Yeḥezḳel . Bene ha-meḥaber. 6 (Seder Tohorot). 180 . 2002. Jerusalem . 741496655 . he ., s.v. Kelim Baba-Metsia 11:1 (published post-mortem)
• Albright. W.F.. William F. Albright. Contribution to the Historical Geography of Palestine. The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research. Yale University Press. New Haven . 2-3 . 1921–22. 1–46. 10.2307/3768450 . 3768450 . en .
• Avi-Yonah . M. . Michael Avi-Yonah. Gazetteer of Roman Palestine. Qedem . 5 . 3–112 . Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem . 43587090 . 1976 .
• Book: Guérin, V.. Victor Guérin. Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine. 1: Galilée, pt. 1. 1880. L'Imprimerie Nationale. Paris. fr.
  • Book: Josephus . The Jewish War . Josephus . Harvard University Press / William Heinemann Ltd.. 3 . Cambridge, Mass. / London . Henry St. John Thackeray . Henry St. John Thackeray . 1957 . 715796270 ., s.v. War 3.6.3 (3.129) (Loeb Classical Library)
• Book: Josephus . Vita . Josephus . William Heinemann / G.P. Putnam's Sons . 1 . 151 . London - New York . Henry St. John Thackeray . Henry St. John Thackeray . 1926 . 645232360 . (Loeb Classical Library
• Klein . Samuel . Samuel Klein (scholar) . Notes on Topography . . Mandel Institute for Jewish Studies . 127–131 . 23580527 . 1930 . he.
• Kokkinos . Nikos. The Location of Tarichaea: North or South of Tiberias?. Palestine Exploration Quarterly. 142 . 1 . 2010. 7–23. 10.1179/003103209X12483454548167. 161794831.
• Rofé . A. . Alexander Rofe . Segal. M. . Talmon . S. . Shemaryahu Talmon . Talshir. Z. . Krašovec. Jože . Phonetic Factors in Transliteration of Biblical Proper Names into Greek and Latin . Textus - Studies of the Hebrew University Bible Project . The Hebrew University, Magnes Press . 24 . 25–26. 2009. 761216587 . en.

Notes and References

1. Hebrew name based on Klein's identification, which follows the version of the Tosefta Codex Vienna. For a copy of this version, see Abramsky, Y., ed. (2002), vol. 6 (Seder Tohorot), p. 180. In the Zuckermandel edition of the Tosefta (based on the Erfurt Codex), the word is corrupted and reads כפר עדים. In Jacob Neusner's English translation of the Tosefta, he follows the Erfurt Codex, and writes there "Kefar ʻAdim" (sic).
2. [Josephus]
3. [Josephus]
4. [Josephus]
5. [Josephus]
6. [Josephus]
7. [Marcus Jastrow|Jastrow, M.]
8. [Samuel Klein (scholar)|Klein, S.]
9. For a discussion on Greek and Latin transliterations of Hebrew place names beginning with ʻayin (ע), but transliterated with a "G", see the chapter The Guttural Letter Ayin in Krašovec, Jože (2009), pp. 25–26
10. [Samuel Klein (scholar)|Klein, S.]
11. Klein's view was, tentatively, accepted by archaeologist and historian, Michael Avi-Yonah. See Avi-Yonah, M. (1976), p. 46
12. [Victor Guérin|Guérin, V.]
13. Kokkinos, Nikos (2010), p. 11
14. [William F. Albright|Albright, W.F.]
15. Alexandre. Yardenna. Karm er-Ras (Areas AB, AC): Final Report . Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel . Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) . 129 . 2017 . 26693775 . en .
16. Bible Walks, Karm er-Ras
17. Karm, Wiktionary, Karm (Etymology 2)