Eleutheropolis
Encyclopedia
Eleutheropolis was the Greek name of a Roman city in Israel
, some 53 km southwest of Jerusalem. Its remains still straddle the ancient road to Gaza
. The site— already rendered as Baitogabra in Ptolemy
's Geography— was called Beit Guvrin and Bet Gubrin in the Talmud
. Edward Robinson's identification of the depopulated Palestinian
village of Beit Jibrin with the ancient city has been confirmed by archaeological excavations.
), Vespasian
— still a general— slaughtered or enslaved the inhabitants of Betaris. According to Josephus
:
The settlement was demolished once again during the Bar Kokhba revolt, 132–135.
In 200, Septimius Severus
, on his Syrian journey, changed its name to Eleutheropolis, and the refounded city, marking its founding era as January 1, 200 on its coins and inscriptions, soon became one of the most important of Roman Palestine. Seven routes met at Eleutheropolis, and Eusebius
in his Onomasticon adopted the Roman milestones that employed Eleutheropolis as a central point from which the distances of other towns were measured.
with the largest territory in Palestine: its first known bishop is Macrinus, who attended the Council of Nicaea
in 325.
Epiphanius of Salamis
, the bishop of Salamis in Cyprus
, was born at Eleutheropolis; at Ad nearby he established a monastery which is often mentioned in the polemics of Jerome
with Rufinus and John, Bishop of Jerusalem.
At Eleutheropolis, according to the hagiographies
, fifty soldiers of the garrison of Gaza who had refused to deny Christ were beheaded in 638: later a church was built in their honor. In 796 the city was again destroyed in civil warfare.
, the Knights of St John, to whose care it was committed, restored the Byzantine
church nearby at Sandahanna, ancient Maresha
. The citadel was taken in 1187 by Saladin
, recaptured in 1191 by Richard the Lionheart
, destroyed in 1264 by Sultan Bibars, and rebuilt in 1551 by the Ottoman Turks
.
In the early twentieth century the medieval fortress still stood, with remains of the walls, ruins of a cloister, and of a medieval church. The site has been excavated, including the remarkable grottoes that astonished Jerome.
visited Bayt Jibrin
and identified it with ancient Eleutheropolis. The Scottish painter David Roberts
visited Bayt Jibrin on March 19, 1839, and made a sketch there. The lithograph based on the drawing was published with the title Beit Jibrin, or Eleutheropolis, in his book Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia London 1842-1849.
Eleutheropolis remains a titular see
in the Roman Catholic Church
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, some 53 km southwest of Jerusalem. Its remains still straddle the ancient road to Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
. The site— already rendered as Baitogabra in Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
's Geography— was called Beit Guvrin and Bet Gubrin in the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
. Edward Robinson's identification of the depopulated Palestinian
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
village of Beit Jibrin with the ancient city has been confirmed by archaeological excavations.
Early history
In the Jewish War (AD 6868
Year 68 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asconius and Thraculus...
), Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
— still a general— slaughtered or enslaved the inhabitants of Betaris. According to Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
:
when he had seized upon two villages, which were in the very midst of Idumea, Betaris, and Caphartobas, he slew above ten thousand of the people, and carried into captivity above a thousand, and drove away the rest of the multitude, and placed no small part of his own forces in them, who overran and laid waste the whole mountainous country.
The settlement was demolished once again during the Bar Kokhba revolt, 132–135.
In 200, Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus , also known as Severus, was Roman Emperor from 193 to 211. Severus was born in Leptis Magna in the province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of...
, on his Syrian journey, changed its name to Eleutheropolis, and the refounded city, marking its founding era as January 1, 200 on its coins and inscriptions, soon became one of the most important of Roman Palestine. Seven routes met at Eleutheropolis, and Eusebius
Eusebius of Caesarea
Eusebius of Caesarea also called Eusebius Pamphili, was a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist. He became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the Biblical canon...
in his Onomasticon adopted the Roman milestones that employed Eleutheropolis as a central point from which the distances of other towns were measured.
Center of Christianity
The city was a "City of Excellence" in the fourth century and a Christian bishopricDiocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
with the largest territory in Palestine: its first known bishop is Macrinus, who attended the Council of Nicaea
First Council of Nicaea
The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325...
in 325.
Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis was bishop of Salamis at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He gained a reputation as a strong defender of orthodoxy...
, the bishop of Salamis in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, was born at Eleutheropolis; at Ad nearby he established a monastery which is often mentioned in the polemics of Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
with Rufinus and John, Bishop of Jerusalem.
At Eleutheropolis, according to the hagiographies
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
, fifty soldiers of the garrison of Gaza who had refused to deny Christ were beheaded in 638: later a church was built in their honor. In 796 the city was again destroyed in civil warfare.
In the middle ages
In 1134, under Fulco of Anjou, king of JerusalemFulk of Jerusalem
Fulk , also known as Fulk the Younger, was Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129, and King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death...
, the Knights of St John, to whose care it was committed, restored the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
church nearby at Sandahanna, ancient Maresha
Maresha
Tel Maresha , also Marissa, is an antiquity site in Israel's southern lowlands. The tel was first excavated by the British archaeologists Bliss and Macalister on behalf of the Palestine Exploration Fund...
. The citadel was taken in 1187 by Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, recaptured in 1191 by Richard the Lionheart
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
, destroyed in 1264 by Sultan Bibars, and rebuilt in 1551 by the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
.
In the early twentieth century the medieval fortress still stood, with remains of the walls, ruins of a cloister, and of a medieval church. The site has been excavated, including the remarkable grottoes that astonished Jerome.
19th century
In 1838, American scholar Edward RobinsonEdward Robinson (scholar)
Edward Robinson was an American biblical scholar, known as the “Father of Biblical Geography.” He has been referred to as the “founder of modern Palestinology.” -Biography:...
visited Bayt Jibrin
Bayt Jibrin
Bayt Jibrin was a Palestinian Arab village located northwest of the city of Hebron. The village had a total land area of 56,185 dunams or , of which were built-up while the rest remained farmland.The early inhabitants of Bayt Jibrin are the Canaanites...
and identified it with ancient Eleutheropolis. The Scottish painter David Roberts
David Roberts (painter)
David Roberts RA was a Scottish painter. He is especially known for a prolific series of detailed lithograph prints of Egypt and the Near East that he produced during the 1840s from sketches he made during long tours of the region . These, and his large oil paintings of similar subjects, made him...
visited Bayt Jibrin on March 19, 1839, and made a sketch there. The lithograph based on the drawing was published with the title Beit Jibrin, or Eleutheropolis, in his book Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia London 1842-1849.
Eleutheropolis remains a titular see
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
External links
- Edward RobinsonEdward Robinson (scholar)Edward Robinson was an American biblical scholar, known as the “Father of Biblical Geography.” He has been referred to as the “founder of modern Palestinology.” -Biography:...
: Biblical researches in Palestine, 1838-52. A journal of travels in the year 1838. (1856) p. 57ff: Eleutheropolis - Amos Kloner, 1999. "The City of Eleutheropolis": in The Madaba Map Centenary 1897-1997, (Jerusalem) pp 244–246. Eleutheropolis in the late Roman and Byzantine period
- Archaeological World: Eleutheropolis
- Catholic Encyclopedia 1908, s.v. "Eleutheropolis"
- Jewish Encyclopedia: "Eleutheropolis"
- pictures of Eleutheropolis
- Early pictures of mosaics at Eleutheropolis, many now in Istanbul:
- Mosaic of warrior, (approximately 1900 to 1926)
- Mosaic of tethered horse, (approximately 1900 to 1926)
- Another view of mosaic floor, (approximately 1900 to 1926)
- Mosaic of Greek inscription, (approximately 1900 to 1926)
- Mosaic of maiden with fruit, (approximately 1900 to 1926)
- Mosaic of maiden with fruit, (approximately 1900 to 1926)
