Inside BAR

If you think “nave” is an insult and “narthex” sounds like a disease, you had better read Yoram Tsafrir’s “Ancient Churches in the Holy Land,” which explains and illustrates these and other parts of church architecture. Far from being a dry architectural glossary, however, Tsafrir’s article explores the reasons and meanings behind the development of Byzantine churches. We see how the form of these churches reflected the rise of Christianity and its special needs. And we learn the answers to some mystifying questions: Why did churches change from humble housechurches to grand basilicas? Why do they have an apse? Why are some churches oblong and others, round?

A professor of archaeology at Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology, Tsafrir headed the institute from 1989 through 1992. In addition, serves on the Archaeological Council of Israel’s Ministry of Education and as a member of the editorial board of the Hebrew journal Qadmoniot. Tsafrir currently directs the excavation of the Roman-Byzantine remains at Beth-Shean. He has also directed numerous other excavations, including Rehovot-in-the-Negev and Horvat Berachot, and has served as an area supervisor at Arad, Masada and Megiddo.