Meaning of TIBERIAS

City built on the coast of the Sea of Galilee by Herod the tetrarch (John 6:23), naming it after Tiberius, the then reigning Roman emperor (Ant. 18:2, 3; Wars 2:9, 1).

Josephus fortified it during the war against Rome (Life 8; Wars 2:20, 6 and 3:10, 1-10). After the destruction of Jerusalem, there were Jews who received permission to settle in Tiberias.

In the middle of the 2nd century AD, the great Sanhedrin was established in this city, which became the residence of famous rabbis. The rabbinical school of Tiberias produced, between 190 and 220 AD, the Mishnah, a collection of commentaries on biblical texts.

Its complement, the Gemara, was codified in Tiberias around the 4th century. The Masora, the definitive text of the OT, was largely prepared in Tiberias.

The Gospels do not report that Jesus had visited this city. Before the destruction of Jerusalem, observant Jews considered this city impure; It was the residence of Herod, the murderer of John the Baptist (John 6:1, 23; 21:1; cf. Luke 23:6-8).