Nazareth to become site of biblical 'theme park'
The Times, November 27 1998
AN AMBITIOUS project has been launched in Nazareth
to construct a living village showing how the area would
have appeared in the time Jesus Christ lived there.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held this week on the
20-acre site and organisers have begun a fundraising drive
for the estimated $60 million (#35 million) needed to
complete the work. About 200 volunteers, including
Christians of different denominations and Muslims from
Nazareth, took part.
The Nazareth Village will operate from 2000, but
construction will continue for several more years. It is
being built using the archaeological remains of stone
watchtowers, a terraced farming landscape and a wine
press, fitting the images used by Jesus in the Par-able of
the Tenants in Mark xxii, 1: "A certain man planted a
vineyard, and set a hedge about it and digged a place for
the winevat and built a tower and let it out to
husbandmen."
Although little is known about Jesus's early years, it is
believed that he spent most of his life in Nazareth before
starting his missionary work. The Scriptures say Christ
was born in Bethlehem, and fled with his family to Egypt
to escape King Herod.
He then returned to Nazareth in Galilee, where he worked
as a builder or carpenter until he was about 30. That Jesus
might have once walked the very land on which the
project is being built seems probable, given that during his
lifetime there were only 300 villagers in Nazareth and all
would have worked together at harvest time.
Ross Joseph Voss, the archaeologist at the site, said
locals from present-day Nazareth will dress in 1st-century
attire and perform tasks such as weaving and farming in
the village. "We want this to be a living village, people on
the land are actually going to be working, not acting,
pruning the olive trees, pruning the vineyards, pressing the
oil," said Michael Hostetler, the project's director.
The staff will also assume the role of storytellers and
explain the early life of Jesus. "We want storytellers, who
will take on the role of a sandalmaker for example, a
farmer, or a homemaker," said Mr Hostetler.
Visitors could be given the option of wearing robes (wool
in winter and linen in summer) and sandals, and joining in
activities such as treading grapes to produce wine.Mr
Voss said the aim was to reproduce biblical life. "It was a
little dirty, a little smelly and a little rough," he said.
"People today are insulated from the rural lifestyle and
they have really no awareness of what it might have been
like."
A diverse group of Christians, including Jimmy Carter, the
former US President, and Pat Boone, the American
entertainer, are helping in the effort to raise funds for the
Nazareth Village, which will be run by a non-profit,
non-denominational organisation. There are also plans for
a study centre, an interactive educational museum and a
restaurant.
Modern Nazareth is a predominantly Muslim city of
60,000, jammed with buildings and traffic. Stephen Pfann,
director of the Centre for the Study of Early Christianity in
Jerusalem, said the village project could boost tourism and
provide work and revenue for the local people. "I
suppose you could also call it a theme park," he said.
"Here you have a piece of property that is nearly
contiguous with the original village and it just happens by
chance or by miracle that it has not been developed.
Everything else is covered with concrete and dug up and
covered over." The restoration work is being conducted
under the supervision of Mark Goodman, an Israeli
architectural conservationist, who has worked with the
Israeli Antiquities Authority. "We take very much care to
continue the original technique, the original materials and
style, so that it is an authentic restoration," he said.
Mr Goodman said the village would have widespread
appeal. "It is essentially a Jewish village from biblical
times, in a modern Arab town and it is most meaningful for
Christians," he said.
Copyright 1998 Times Newspapers Ltd.
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