THE THEATER AT SEPPHORIS

The ruins of the Graeco-Roman theater at Sepphoris

Sepphoris is not named in the Bible, but it was a major town close to Nazareth, and Jesus must certainly have visited it.

Joseph  (probably a builder rather than a carpenter) and Jesus may have found work here, when the town was rebuilt after a revolt following the death of Herod the Great in 4BC. Herod's son, Herod Antipas, decided to rebuild the city as a showcase of Greek architecture and culture. Josephus described the rebuilt Sepphoris as the "ornament of all Galilee".

Excavations in Sepphoris confirm these high words of praise. Sepphoris was laid out in a grid with streets paved with crushed limestone. A Roman theater stood partially cut into the hillside. Citizens of Sepphoris could visit the theatre for an evening’s entertainment, probably of mimes, light comedy, or other fashionable amusements. 

Everything in Sepphoris speaks of conspicuous consumption. The villas are richly decorated, the architecture was ultra-modern and fashionable, houses had mosaic floors, frescoed walls and fluted columns.

All this, remember, was within walking distance of Nazareth, conspicuously poor where Sepphoris was flamboyantly affluent. The imbalance in wealth and the contrasting set of values must have made a profound impression on the young man Jesus. 

The 'Mona Lisa' of Sepphoris
Excavated mosaic