Sarepta (near modern Sarafand, Lebanon) was a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast between Sidon and Tyre, also known biblically as Zarephath. It became a bishopric, which faded, and remains a double (Latin and Maronite) Catholic titular see. Most of the objects by which Phoenician culture is characterised are those that have been recovered scattered among Phoenician colonies and trading posts; such carefully excavated colonial sites are in Spain, Sicily, Sardinia and Tunisia. The sites of many Phoenician cities, like Sidon and Tyre, by contrast, are still occupied, unavailable to archaeology except in highly restricted chance sites, usually much disturbed. Sarepta is the exception, the one Phoenician city in the heartland of the culture that has been unearthed and thoroughly studied.

History

Sarepta April 27th 1839 - David Roberts, R

Sarepta is mentioned for the first time in the voyage of an Egyptian in the 14th century BCE. Obadiah says it was the northern boundary of Canaan: “And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel who are among the Canaanites as far as ''Zarephath'' (Heb. צרפת), and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the south.” The medieval lexicographer, David ben Abraham Al-Alfāsī, identifies ''Zarephath'' with the city of Ṣarfend (Judeo-Arabic: צרפנדה). Originally Sidonian, the town passed to the Tyrians after the invasion of Shalmaneser IV, 722 BCE. It fell to Sennacherib in 701. The first

Books of Kings The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of Israel also including the books ...

(17:8-24) describes the city as being subject to Sidon in the time of Ahab, and says that the prophet Elijah, after leaving the brook Cherith, multiplied the meal and oil of the widow of Zarephath (Sarepta) and raised her son from the dead there, an incident also referred to by Jesus in Luke's Gospel. Zarephath (צרפת ṣārĕfáṯ, tsarfát; Σάρεπτα, Sárepta) in Hebrew became the eponym for any

smelter Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including Silver mining#Ore processing, silver, iron-making, iron, copper extracti ...

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...

, or metalworking shop. In the 1st century CE, the Roman Sarepta, a port about a kilometer to the south is mentioned by Josephus and by Pliny the Elder. Sarepta is the location of a Shia shrine to Abu Dhar al-Ghifari, a Companion of Muhammad. The shrine is believed to have been built at least several centuries after Abu Dhar's death. After the Islamization of the area, in 1185, the Greek monk Phocas, making a gazetteer of the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

(''De locis sanctis'', 7), found the town almost in its ancient condition. A century later, according to

Burchard of Mount Sion Burchard of Mount Sion (, also misnamed ''Brocard'' or ''Bocard''; fl. late 13th century), was a German priest, Dominican friar, pilgrim and author probably from Magdeburg in northern Germany, who travelled to the Middle East at the end of the ...

, it was in ruins and contained only seven or eight houses. Even after the Crusaders' kingdoms had collapsed, the Roman Catholic Church continued to appoint purely titular bishops of Sarepta, the most noted being Thomas of Wroclaw who held the post from 1350 until 1378.

Ecclesiastical history

Sarepta as a Christian city was mentioned in the ''

Itinerarium Burdigalense The ''Itinerarium Burdigalense'' ("Bordeaux Itinerary"), also known as the ''Itinerarium Hierosolymitanum'' ("Jerusalem Itinerary"), is the oldest known Christian ''itinerarium''. It was written by the "Pilgrim of Bordeaux", an anonymous pilgrim ...

''; the ''Onomasticon'' of Eusebius and in Jerome; by Theodosius and Pseudo-Antoninus who, in the 6th century call it a small town but very Christian. It contained at that time a church dedicated to St. Elias (Elijah). The '' Notitia episcopatuum'', a list of bishoprics made in Antioch in the 6th century, speaks of Sarepta as a suffragan see of Tyre; all of its bishops are unknown.

Titular sees

The diocese was nominally restored as titular see, twice: in Latin and Maronite ( Eastern Catholic) traditions.

Sarepta of the Maronites

This titular bishopric was established in 1983. It has had the following incumbents of the fitting episcopal (lowest) rank: * Emile Eid (1982.12.20 – death 2009.11.30), in the Roman Curia : Vice-President of

Pontifical Commission for the Revision of Code of Oriental Canon Law A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Hol ...

(1982.12.20 – 1990.10.18) and on emeritate; previously Defender of the Bond of Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (1969? – 1974), Promoter of Justice of the same Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (1969 – 1980) * Hanna G. Alwan, Congregation of the Lebanese Maronite Missionaries (L.M.) (2011.08.13 – ...), Bishop of Curia of the Maronites at the Patriarchate of Antioc; previously

Prelate Auditor A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of Tribunal of the Roman Rota (1996.03.04 – 2011.08.13).

Sarepta of the Romans

It was established as titular bishopric no later than the 15th century. It has been vacant for decades, having had the following incumbents: * Theodorich, (around 1350), as Auxiliary Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Olomouc ( Moravia) *

Jaroslav of Bezmíře Jaroslav of Bezmíře, also known as Jaroslav of Benešov, was a Bohemian inquisitor and Bishop of Sarepta. Jaroslav was appointed Bishop of Sarepta by Pope Boniface IX on 15 July 1394. He was considered a very active Bishop, and likely began ...

, appointed Bishop of Sarepta on 1394.7.15 by Pope Boniface IX * Guillaume Vasseur, Dominican Order (O.P.) (1448.10.23 – death 1476?), no actual prelature * Gilles Barbier, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (1476.04.03 – death 1494.03.28) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Tournai ( Belgium) (1476.04.03 – 1494.03.28) * Nicolas Bureau, O.F.M. (1519.12.02 – death 1551) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Tournai (Belgium) (1519.12.02 – 1551) * Guillaume Hanwere (1552.04.27 – 1560) as Auxiliary Bishop of above Tournai (Belgium) (1552.04.27 – 1560) * Johannes Kaspar Stredele 'Austrian) (1631.12.15 – death 1642.12.28) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Passau ( Bavaria, Germany) (1631.12.15 – 1642.12.28) * Wojciech Ignacy Bardziński (1709.01.28 – death 1722?) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Kujawy–Pomorze (Poland) (1709.01.28 – 1722?) * Charles-Antoine de la Roche-Aymon (1725.06.11 – 1730.10.02) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Limoges (France) (1725.06.11 – 1730.10.02); later Bishop of Tarbes (France) (

729.12.27 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

1730.10.02 – 1740.11.11), Metropolitan Archbishop of Toulouse (France) (

740.01.10 74 may refer to: * 74 (number) * one of the years 74 BC, AD 74, 1974, 2074 * The 74, an American nonprofit news website * Seventy-four (ship), a type of two-decked sailing ship See also

* List of highways numbered * {{Numberdis ...

1740.11.11 – 1752.12.18), Metropolitan Archbishop of Narbonne (France) (

752.10.02 75 may refer to: * 75 (number) * one of the years 75 BC, AD 75, 1875 CE, 1975 CE, 2075 CE * ''75'' (album), an album by Joe Zawinul * M75 (disambiguation), including "Model 75" * Highway 75, see List of highways numbered 75 * Alfa Romeo 7 ...

1752.12.18 – 1763.01.24), Metropolitan Archbishop of

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

(France) ( 762.12.051763.01.24 – death 1777.10.27), created Cardinal-Priest with no Title assigned (1771.12.16 – 1777.10.27) * Johann Anton Wallreuther (1731.03.05 – 1734.01.16) as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Worms (Germany) (1731.03.05 – 1734.01.16) * Jean de Cairol de Madaillan (1760.01.28 – 1770.01.29) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Archdiocese of Narbonne The former Catholic diocese of Narbonne existed from early Christian times until the French Revolution. It was an archdiocese, with its see at Narbonne, from the year 445, and its influence ran over much of south-western France and into Cataloni ...

(France) (1760.01.28 – ?); later Bishop of Vence (France) (1770.01.29 – 1771.12.16), Bishop of Grenoble (France) (1771.12.16

772.01.23 77 may refer to: * 77 (number) * one of the years 77 BC, AD 77, 1977, 2077 Music * 77 (band), a Spanish hard rock band * ''77'' (Matt Kennon album) * '' Talking Heads: 77'', debut album by Talking Heads * ''77'' (Nude Beach album), an album ...

– 1779.12.10) * Jean-Denis de Vienne (1775.12.18 – death 1800) as Auxiliary Bishop of Lyon (France) (1775.12.18 – 1800) * Alois Jozef Krakowski von Kolowrat (1800.12.22 – 1815.03.15) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Olomouc (Olomütz, Moravia, now Czech Republic) (1800.12.22 – 1815.03.15), Bishop of Hradec Králové (now Czech Republic) (1815.03.15 – 1831.02.28), Metropolitan Archbishop of Archdiocese of Praha (Prague,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, now Czech Republic) (1831.02.28 – death 1833.03.28) * Johann Heinrich Milz (1825.12.19 – death 1833.04.29) as Auxiliary Bishop of Trier (Germany) (1825.12.19 – 1833.04.29) * Johann Stanislaus Kutowski (1836.02.01 – death 1848.12.29) as Auxiliary Bishop of

Diocese of Chełmno In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

(Kulm, Poland) (1836.02.01 – 1848.12.29) * Franz Xaver Zenner (1851.02.17 – death 1861.10.29) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Wien (Vienna, Austria) (1851.02.17 – 1861.10.29) * Nicholas Power (1865.04.30 – death 1871.04.05) as

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of Killaloe (Ireland) (1865.04.30 – 1871.04.05) * Jean-François Jamot (1874.02.03 – 1882.07.11) as only Apostolic Vicar of

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(Canada) (1874.02.03 – 1882.07.11); next (see) promoted first Bishop of Peterborough (Canada) (1882.07.11 – death 1886.05.04) * Antonio Scotti (1882.09.25 – 1886.01.15) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Benevento (Italy) (1882.09.25 – 1886.01.15); next Bishop of Alife (Italy) (1886.01.15 – retired 1898.03.24), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Tiberiopolis (1898.03.24 – death 1919.06.10) * Paulus Palásthy (1886.05.04 – death 1899.09.24) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Esztergom ( Hungary) (1886.05.04 – 1899.09.24) * Filippo Genovese (Italian) (1900.12.17 – death 1902.12.16), no actual prelature * Joseph Müller (1903.04.30 – death 1921.03.21) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Köln (Cologne, Germany) (1903.04.30 – 1921.03.21) * Edward Doorly (1923.04.05 – 1926.07.17) as Coadjutor Bishop of

Elphin Elphin may refer to: Places Canada * Elphin, Ontario, a hamlet in North Sherbrooke, Lanark County Ireland * Elphin, County Roscommon, Ireland * Diocese of Elphin, a diocese in Ireland * Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin Scotland * Elphin, Highl ...

(Ireland) (1923.04.05 – succession 1926.07.17); next Bishop of Elphin (1926.07.17 – 1950.04.05) * Petar Dujam Munzani (1926.08.13 – 1933.03.16) as Apostolic Administrator of

Archdiocese of Zadar The Archdiocese of Zadar ( hr, Zadarska nadbiskupija; la, Archidioecesis Iadrensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic church in Croatia.Croatia) (1926.08.13 – succession 1933.03.16); later Archbishop of Zadar ( Croatia) (1933.03.16 – retired 1948.12.11), emeritate as Titular Archbishop of Tyana (1948.12.11 – death 1951.01.28) * François-Louis Auvity (1933.06.02 – 1937.08.14) as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Bourges (France) (1933.06.02 – 1937.08.14); later Bishop of Mende (France) (1937.08.14 – retired 1945.09.11), emeritate as Titular Bishop of

Dionysiana The diocese of Dionysiana (in Latin: Dioecesis Dionysianensis) is a suppressed and titular see of the Roman Catholic Church. The Diocese of Dionysos, was centered on a Roman town of the Roman province of Byzacena ( in today's Tunisia) during lat ...

(1945.09.11 – death 1964.02.15) * Francesco Canessa (1937.09.04 – 1948.01.14) * John Francis Dearden (later Cardinal) (1948.03.13 – 1950.12.22) * Athanasios Cheriyan Polachirakal (1953.12.31 – 1955.01.27) * Luis Andrade Valderrama, Friars Minor (O.F.M.) (1955.03.09 – 1977.06.29)

Archaeology

A Heavy Neolithic archaeological site of the Qaraoun culture that pre-dated Sarepta by several thousand years was discovered at Sarafand by

Hajji Khalaf Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since i ...

. He made a collection of material and passed it to the National Museum of Beirut. It consisted of an assemblage of large flakes and bifaces in Eocene flint. Some piebald flint blades were also found along with hammerstones in Nummulitic limestone that resemble finds from

Aadloun II Aadloun, Adloun or Adlun ( ar, عدلون) is a coastal town in South Lebanon, south of Sidon famous for its cultivation of watermelons. It is also the site of a Phoenician necropolis and prehistoric caves where four archaeological sites have be ...

(Bezez Cave), which is located to the South. Khalaf also found a well-made adze and a narrow, slightly polished

chisel A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular grind) of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal by hand, stru ...

. A collection in the National Museum of Beirut marked "Jezzine ou Sarepta" consisted of around twelve neatly made discoid- and tortoise-cores in cherty flint of a cream colour with a tinge of red. The low tell on the seashore was excavated by James B. Pritchard over five years from 1969 to 1974. Civil war in Lebanon put an end to the excavations. The site of the ancient town is marked by the ruins on the shore to the south of the modern village, about eight miles to the south of Sidon, which extend along the shore for a mile or more. They are in two distinct groups, one on a headland to the west of a fountain called ‛Ain el-Ḳantara, which is not far from the shore. Here was the ancient harbor which still affords shelter for small craft. The other group of ruins, to the south, consists of columns, sarcophagi and marble slabs, indicating a city of considerable importance. Pritchard's excavations revealed many artifacts of daily life in the ancient Phoenician city of Sarepta: pottery workshops and kilns, artifacts of daily use and religious figurines, numerous inscriptions that included some in Ugaritic.

Pillar worship A ceremonial pole is a stake or post utilised or venerated as part of a ceremony or religious ritual. Ceremonial poles may symbolize a variety of concepts in different ceremonies and rituals practiced by a variety of cultures around the worl ...

is traceable from an 8th-century shrine of Tanit-Ashtart, and a seal with the city's name made the identification secure. The local Bronze Age-Iron Age stratigraphy was established in detail; absolute dating depends in part on correlations with Cypriote and Aegean stratigraphy. The climax of the Sarepta discoveries at Sarafand is the cult shrine of " Tanit/ Astart", who is identified in the site by an inscribed votive ivory plaque, the first identification of Tanit in her homeland. The site revealed figurines, further carved ivories,

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

s and a cultic mask.

Other uses of the name

In Hebrew after the

Diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

, the name צרפת, ts-r-f-t, Tsarfat (Zarephath) is used to mean France, perhaps because the Hebrew letters ts-r-f, if reversed, become f-r-ts. This hypothesis is from a French word-building tool called verlan. That usage is retained in daily use in contemporary Israel.

References

Sources

* Pritchard, James B. ''Recovering Sarepta, a Phoenician City: Excavations at Sarafund, 1969-1974, University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania '' (Princeton: Princeton University Press) 1978, *William P. Anderson, Sarepta I: The late bronze and Iron Age strata of area II.Y : the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania excavations at Sarafand, Lebanon (Publications de l'Universite libanaise), Département des publications de l'Universite Libanaise, 1988 *Issam A. Khalifeh, Sarepta II: The Late Bronze and Iron Age Periods of Area Ii.X, University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, 1988, *Robert Koehl, Sarepta III: the Imported Bronze & Iron Age, University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, 1985, *James B. Pritchard, Sarepta IV: The Objects from Area Ii.X, University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, 1988, *Lloyd W. Daly, A Greek-Syllabic Cypriot Inscription from Sarafand, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, Bd. 40, pp. 223–225, 1980 * Dimitri Baramki, A Late Bronze Age tomb at Sarafend, ancient Sarepta, Berytus, vol. 12, pp. 129–42, 1959 *Charles Cutler Torrey, The Exiled God of Sarepta, Berytus, vol. 9, pp. 45–49, 1949

External links

GCatholic - Latin titular see

''Catholic Encyclopedia''
Sarepta {{Authority control Sidon District Archaeological sites in Lebanon Phoenician cities Phoenician sites in Lebanon Hebrew Bible cities Coloniae (Roman) Populated places in Lebanon Mediterranean port cities and towns in Lebanon Populated coastal places in Lebanon Former populated places in Southwest Asia Tells (archaeology)