Chaspin; Khisfin - The Eastern Church
Church Name, type, function
Site Name:
Chaspin; Khisfin
Identification:
Ḥaspin. A Syrian village built on the remains of a Byzantine one. Identified with Casphor/Casphon, known from the time of Judas Maccabaeus (1 Macc. 5:2, 26, 36; II Macc. 12, 13 (Χασφω)) or as Hisfiya, a Jewish village in the administrative region of Hippos-Susita, which is mentioned in Baraita de-Teḥumin, Tosefta, Shevi'it 4:10). It is also mentioned in Rehov synagogue inscription (the Halakhic inscr. of Rehov, 1.10) and in Talmud (TJ Demai 22d). The absence of the Hellenistic pottery speak against the identification with Casphor/Casphon (in contrast with Tell edh-Dhahab, located about 1.5 km to the south-east of the site). Historical Haspin might have moved to a new location during the Roman period. This was the village of origin of Maximus the Confessor (late 6th c.).
Church name:
The Eastern Church
Functional Type:
Unknown
Dedication:
Church of Thomas
Church type:
Unknown
Location
Coordinates, ITM system:
277.00
751.00
Coordinates, ICS system:
227.00
1,251.00
Geographical region:
Golan Heights
Distance from Roman roads:
on the road leading from Beth-Shean to Fiq and Damascus
Provincial affiliation:
Palaestina II
Source of knowledge
Literary sources:
Literary sources
Epigraphy:
Archaeological remains
Surveyed site
Surveyors:
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
Schumacher | 1884 |
Syrians (?) | 1943-1967 |
Gutman, Urman, Barlev, Ben-Ari | 1967- |
Excavated site
Excavators:
| Name | Date |
|---|---|
Bar-Lev, S. | 1975 |
History:
In the Syriac vita of Maximus the Confessor it was mentioned that he was born to a family of a Samaritan father and a Persian slave of a Jew of Tiberias. The two moved to Haspin at the beginning of the end of the 6th c. CE (Vita Max. Conf. (syr.) 1, 2, 3, 5 (AB 91 [1973], p. 314). Arab sources also mentioned Haspin as a settlement in the vicinity of Damascus (el-Ya'aqubi, 9th century CE) or on the road to Damascus (Yaqut, 13th century CE).
Bibliograpy:
264-6 | |
184-6 | |
no. 97 | |
103 | |
279-280. | |
General description
State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:
Two mosaic floors, one on top of the other. Church approx. dimensions: 12.75 m. wide and at least 8.7 m. long. Only a limited tranch was excavated. Two sections of the upper mosaic floor were found;,one next to the unexcavated apse. 20 cm below was the lower mosaic. On top of the lower mosaic were masonary debris. A Greek inscription in the upper floors mentions the name of Abbot Thomas. Restored in 604 CE. Plenty of architectural members were found in the village houses reused as spolia. Among them elements of liturgical furniture and lintels.
Description
Lateral walls:
Can be seen in the trench section. made of stone curved on both sides with core of stone and white mortar.
Small finds
Small finds:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
Inscription - see under epigraphy | A five line inscription in Greek is located in the upper mosaic. A Date is mentioned: "The month of July, Indication VII, the year 687:. (ovadiah 1981). Other Greek inscriptions decorated the basalt slabs.
Inscription in upper pavement near apse: rectangular frame 3.5 X0.6 m. five lines of black on white separated by yellow. Date mentioned "…month of July, indication 7, year, 667". (di segni 1997) |
Other | According to Ma'oz (NEAEHL 1993: 586) some finds from Chispin are presented in the National Museum of Damascus: "a silver bowl, an elephant-shaped bronze juglet, a bronze figurine of Venus, bronze surgical instruments, an incense shovel, and several glass vessels, including bowls and trays of millefiori glass and light opaque glass amphoriskoi and juglets, gold earrings (ring bearing a disk), pearl pendants, ivory boxes (with three Graces on a pyramidal lid or Venus, Eros, and two animals)". SOm eof these finds might be of the ecclesiastical origin. |
Small finds illustrative material:
Architectural Evolution
| Dating material | Phase no. | Century | Within century |
|---|---|---|---|
Based on the pottery it seems that the church was built in the late 5th- early 6th century. Ma'oz suggests that the masonery debris might indicate that the church was dameged in an earth quake, specificly the earth quake of 551. | Phase 1 | 5th-6th c. | |
After an earthquake attributed to year 551, the church was restored. A Greek mosaic inscription is dated to the year 604 CE. | Phase 2 | 7th c. | Early |
Based on the pottery, the settlement came to an end in the seventh century. Yet the Western church (See Chaspin- Western Church) remines in use until the early 8th century and possibly more. | Abandonment | Unknown |