12840 - At-Taiyibe (Apharaema/Ephraim) - Greek Orthodox Church of St. George

At-Taiyibe (Apharaema/Ephraim) - Greek Orthodox Church of St. George

Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

At-Taiyibe (Apharaema/Ephraim)

Identification:

At-Tayyibe, at-Taiyibe, eț-Țayibe; eț-Țaijibe; Taiyibeh (abbreviation from et-Tayibet el-Ism, meaning "the nice name" (probably, given to the village by Saladin in the 12th century CE). Effraim, Effraon, castrum sancti Helye, Castiel Saint Elyes/Helyes; Med. Ar. 'Afrā The site is identified with the village of Apharaema/Ephraim (Ophrah or Ephron) mentioned by Josephus and in Eusebius' Onomasticon. Headquarters of toparchy in southern Samaria. Added to Judaea in 145 B.C.E. Large village. I Macc. 11, 34 (’Αφεραιμα); Ev. Jo., 11, 54; Jos., Ant. XIII, 127 (’Αφαιρεμα); Bell. IV, 551; Eus., On. 28, 4; 86, 1; Ephin., Haer. 30, 9 (GCS 25, p. 344); De mens. (syr.) 67-74a, pp. 72-73; MM 41 (’Εφρων ή ’Εφραία) In the 9th century a famous exegete named Isho'dad of Hadatha in Assyria noted: It is still a large town 5 stages east of Bethel" (I. 255, M.D. Gibson ed., Cambridge 1911 [Horae Semiticae V]; cf. F. Nau, ROC16 1911, [435]; by Bagatti 2002: 39) Concerning the identification, see: Thomsen 1907: 19, 29, 63; Abel 1938; 318-319, 402; Möller and Schmit 1976: 90-91; Avi-Yonah 1976: 29, 56; Tabula: 64

Church name:

Greek Orthodox Church of St. George

Functional Type:

Parochial

Dedication:

St. George (?)

Church type:

Basilical

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

228.42

651.26

Coordinates, ICS system:

178.42

1,151.30

Geographical region:

Samaria Hills

Topographical location:

On a hill.

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 20 km northeast of Jerusalem.

Distance from nearest settlement:

ca. 2.5 km south of Kafr Rammun.

Distance from Roman roads:

On the road between Antipatris (Aphek) and Jericho.

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Source of knowledge

Literary sources:

Literary sources

Epigraphy:

Epigraphy

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Guerin	1860s
Conder and Kitchener	ca. 1880
Peters	1904
A.M. Schneider	1930/1
Bagatti	1970s
Finkelstein, Lederman and Bunimovitz	1990s

History:

The basilica was firstly mentioned by Guerin: "The Greek church - especially its lower courses - was partly built of ancient materials. among them several column shafts that are found encased in the masonry. The church presents no noteworthy features". However, after some works had been done in the building, in 1931 A. Schneider could observe the remains of Byzantine mosaics pavement in the choir. It had a pattern of knotted circles surrounding crosses. He also saw fragments of columns and published a drawing of a base. While Schneider's notes were in press, the church was destroyed and rebuilt, as appears from an inscription over the south door. Modern church is dedicated to St. George. The mosaic is no longer to be seen, but two fragments of an inscription made in block tesserae were left in view (near the altar). In the Corpus of churches of Ovadiah 1970 the card for the church at El-Khudr under the no. 49 is actually describes the church in Taiyibe village. This mistake, most probably, appeared after Conder and Kitchener, who drawn the plan and described the basilica at Taiyibe village under the title El-Khudr. He described this church location as two km to the east from the village Taiyibe.

Bibliograpy:

Robinson, E. and Smith, E., 1841
Guérin, V., 1869
Guérin, V., 1875
Conder, C. R. and Kitchener, H. H., 1882
Thomsen, P., 1907
Schneider, A. M., 1931
Abel, F. M., 1938
Avi-Yonah, M., 1976
Ovadiah, A., 1970
Tsafrir, Y., Di Segni, L. and Green, J., 1994
Finkelstein, I., Bunimvitz, S. and Lederman, Z., 1997
Bagatti, B., 2002	40-41, Pl. 7:3
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	213-14 (no. 92)

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The parochial Greek Orthodox church was built in 1927, after the destruction of an earlier church of the 18th century. It was suggested also (Ovadiah 1970: 61), that Crusaders partly restored the church and erected their church within the nave of the Byzantine basilica (this phase was indicated by Guerin, who saw the church before the Greek Orthodox church was built there; cf. similar phenomenon in the church of St. Anna at Tel Maresha). But according to Denis Pringle, "there is no evidence to indicate that there was a church in use on this site in the twelfth century" (p.340). Numerous Byzantine architectural ‎elements were discovered during the rebuilding in 1927, including three chancel screen posts, two baptismal ‎fonts (not available during the visit in 2018, ST), columns, bases, and two Corinthian and one Ionic capitals, parts of north colonnade and segments of colorful ‎mosaic floors with traces of Greek inscription (all these members were ‎incorporated into the modern church and sacristy). General dimensions of the church: 22 x 27.5 m. approx. According to Conder and Kitchener gave the size of the complex was 112 x 83 feet and of the basilica 83 x 67 feet. The plan of it was never drawn (ST).

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Atrium:

The is a small rectangular atrium on the western side of the church. In the atrium, columns were found which to all appearances once constituted a peristyle. Some of them are still in situ. No measurements are given. According to the description of Conder and Kitchener, some pillars of the atrium and its east and west walls remained.

Narthex:

The is a small rectangular narthex on the western side of the church, between the hall and the atrium. No measurements are given.

Façade and entries:

The entrances from the atrium to the church are not identified yet and not marked on the plan. Just one entrance, leading from the narthex to the southern aisle of the church is revealed. According to Conder and Kitchener, this door was opposite the south apse and had a large lintel in situ in their days.

Lateral walls:

Conder and Kitchener still were able to see the Byzantine masonry in some parts. They described it as: "The masonry of the old building is of good size, with many drafted stones with rude bosses, one having two bosses on a single block. In the south-west angle, the stones vary from 10 inches to 2 1/2 feet in length, and 1 foot to 1 1/2 feet in height. The drafts are 5 inches wide, and 3 inches deep; the mortar is old and crumbling".

Nave:

Most, probably, the basilica was three-aisles, with the nave and two aisles.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

There are 2 apses from the eastern side, central and southern, both semicircular and external. Depth of the south apse -- 2.50 m, chord -- 6 m approx. According to Conder and Kitchener the south apse was 18 feet in diameter. Also they have noted, that "in the south-east angle only traces of the apse were visible". The rest measurements are not given. The segment of the mosaic decorated with a winding band forming medallions was found on the bema (Schneider 1931a: 20, Fig. 8). It bore traces of a Greek inscription in its carpet (Bagatti 2002: 41, Pl. 9:1).

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Oil lamps	Conder and Kitchener described that votive offerings and lamps were placed in the ruins of the church. They saw small lamp lighting still burning by nights while visiting the site.

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Atrium:

Yes

Narthex:

Yes

Aisles:

Colonnades / Arcades:

Colonnade

Capital types:

Corinthian

East end:

External apses, round

Church Head/Chevet:

second apse on the s

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Altar remains:

no remains

Baptism

Baptism photos and plans:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Loci:

The church also yielded a rounded cruciform (four-lobe) basin (ca. 0.8 m in both diameter and height). It has a drain hole in the middle, but this is no longer used since a smaller metal basin is in use today in the Greek Orthodox church. In the small square in front of the church, near the western rooms, there is concave stone with a vine planted in it, which seems to be a smaller baptismal font (0.8 m in diameter; 0.5 m high) (Bagatti 2002: 41, Pl. 7:3).‎

Font structure:

Monolithic

External shape:

circular

Internal shape:

cruciform

Ben-Pechat type:

Architectural Evolution

Phase name (as published)	General outline	Phase no.	Century
Byzantine	Schneider according to the architectural features and style of the members have dated the church to the 6th century. Late fifth or early sixth century on basis of the style of the mosaic floor and the inscription.	Phase 1	5th-6th c.
		Abandonment	Unknown

Conclusions:

The site was settled probably in the Second Temple period, as there is number of cisterns and burial graves around the church. It was resettled in the Early-Byzantine period, several churches were built, including this one. There is at least one Christian burial cave in the vicinity of the church. The exact date of the deterioration is not revealed. In some sources (Conder and Kitchener) it is said that the Crusaders church was built within the central nave. In the other (Ovadiah) the building is dated to the 18 century. Probably, both of them existed before the building of the modern Greek Orthodox church in 1927. Further history is unknown.