Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§9.9 The Historical Context
in Herod Antipas's territory on the road running northeast, across the Jordan and
through Herod Philip's territory (Gaulinitis) to Damascus. Hence it served also
as a customs post. The Gospels name Matthew/Levi as (the) toll-collector at the
time of Jesus (Mark 2.14 pars.). The presence of a military officer ('centurion'),
presumably appointed by Herod Antipas, with some (personal?) staff (Matt. 8.9/
Luke 7.8), suggests also that Capernaum had some strategic importance. 312 Tollcollector
and royal official require only a small revision of the picture emerging
from the archaeological evidence to include a thin layer of provincial
bureauocracy. 313
Why did Jesus make his base there? It is quite possible that he was given
room in a house there by one of his early followers. 314 Although on the border of
Galilee, Capernaum gave ready access to the Jewish settlements in the Golan as
well as the Galilean heartland. Worthy of consideration also is its proximity to
Gentile areas to the north 315 and across the lake to the villages attached to the cities
of the Decapolis. 316 This does not necessarily imply a concern on Jesus' part
to include Gentile areas within his mission (see further below §9.9f). Reed speculates
that Capernaum, so close to the edge of Herod Antipas's territory and on
the lake, also allowed Jesus to slip out of Herod's jurisdiction when the need
arose, 317 a factor worth bearing in mind in view of the short shrift given to Jesus'
mentor John the Baptist by Antipas (Mark 6.14-29 pars.).
e. Relation with Sepphoris and Tiberias
As Nazareth was oriented to Sepphoris (§9.6b), so the villages on the northwestern
quadrant of the lake would probably be in at least some degree oriented to
312. See above chapter 8 nn. 200-201 and chapter 9 n. 256.
313. Reed, Archaeology 165. But the Gospels do envisage Matthew's guests dining ('reclining')
at a meal in Matthew/Levi's house (Mark 2.15 pars.), which implies a fairly substantial
dwelling and Hellenistic etiquette. If Jairus was archisynagögos of Capernaum (Mark 5.22-
43 pars.), it could indicate that all three(?) of the most important local personages (chairman of
the village assembly, toll-collector, and royal official/centurion) were attracted to or had favourable
dealings with Jesus.
314. Does the oikos mentioned by Mark on several occasions (2.1; 3.20; cf. 7.17) refer
to Jesus' own house or to Peter's house? See also n. 302 above.
315. 'Kedesh, a key Tyrian site on its border with Upper Galilee, was only 25 km north
of Capernaum, and archaeological evidence of Syro-Phoenician settlements has been uncovered
at several sites in the Huleh Valley . . .' (Reed, Archaeology 163).
316. Mark makes a point of recording Jesus' criss-crossing of the lake (Mark 4.35-5.43;
6.30-56; 8.1-26).
317. Reed, Archaeology 166 — 'the cat-and-mouse game with Antipas (Luke 13.31-
33)'.
319