Vassilios Tzaferis (1 April 1936 – 1 January 2015) was a Greek–Israeli

biblical archaeologist ''Near Eastern Archaeology'' is an American journal covering art, archaeology, history, anthropology, literature, philology, and epigraphy of the Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds from the Palaeolithic through Ottoman periods. The journal is ...

and Orthodox monk, best known for his discovery of the remains of a crucified man at

Givat HaMivtar Givat HaMivtar () is an Israeli settlement and a neighborhood in East Jerusalem established in 1970 between Ramat Eshkol and French Hill. It is located on a hill where an important battle took place in the Six Day War. Archaeological excavation ...

. He was the director of surveys and excavations at the

Israel Antiquities Authority The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, he, רשות העתיקות ; ar, داﺌرة الآثار, before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of ...

(1999–2001) and the curator of the Patriarchal Museum in Jerusalem (1984–2004).

Early life and ecclesiastic career

Tzaferis was born on 1 April 1936 on the Greek island of

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate ...

. He began studying

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at the

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, el, Πατριαρχεῖον Ἱεροσολύμων, ''Patriarcheîon Hierosolýmōn;'' he, הפטריארכיה היוונית-אורתודוקסית של ירושלים; ar, كنيسة الرو� ...

in 1950. He took monastic vows and was ordained a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 1956 and a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1958. Considering leaving the priesthood to study in Athens, he instead obtained permission from

Benedict I of Jerusalem Patriarch Benedict of Jerusalem, also Benediktos I of Jerusalem, born Vasileios Papadopoulos ( grc-gre, Βασίλειος Παπαδόπουλος, 1892 – December 10, 1980) was the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusa ...

to study

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

whilst retaining his monastic habit. Tzaferis left the church in 1964, in order to marry. Now required to perform mandatory military service in Greece, he also renounced his Greek citizenship in order to remain in Israel. He continued his studies at the Hebrew University and began working as a field archaeologist for the Israel Department of Antiquities (now known as the

Archaeological career

Tzaferis went on to obtain an MA and PhD in classical archaeology from the Hebrew University. He was awarded his PhD in 1971, with a dissertation on the "development of the cross as a Christian symbol". He continued working at the Department of Antiquities for the rest of his career, being appointed first deputy director (1971) and then director (1999) of its Division for Surveys and Excavations, and retiring in 2001. He also served as the curator of the Patriarchal Museum in Jerusalem from 1984 to 2002 and was a member of the Supreme Archaeological Council of Israel. Tzaferis excavated at various sites in Jerusalem, as well as at

Ashkelon Ashkelon or Ashqelon (; Hebrew: , , ; Philistine: ), also known as Ascalon (; Ancient Greek: , ; Arabic: , ), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with ...

, Beth She'an,

Caesarea Philippi Banias or Banyas ( ar, بانياس الحولة; he, בניאס, label=Modern Hebrew; Judeo-Aramaic, Medieval Hebrew: פמייס, etc.; grc, Πανεάς) is a site in the Golan Heights near a natural spring, once associated with the Greek ...

Capernaum Capernaum ( ; he, כְּפַר נַחוּם, Kfar Naḥum, Nahum's village; ar, كفر ناحوم, Kafr Nāḥūm) was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It ...

, Kursi, and

Tel Dan Dan ( he, דן) is an ancient city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel, and belonging to the tribe of Dan. The city is identified with a tell located in Upper Galilee, northern Israel, know ...

. He made his best known discovery in 1968 at

: the remains of a

crucified Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

man named Yehohanan bar Hagkol, the only physical evidence of Roman crucifixion known to date. He also published research on

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

monasticism. Tzaferis died on 1 January 2015.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tzaferis, Vassilios 1936 births 2015 deaths People from Samos Greek archaeologists Israeli archaeologists Biblical archaeologists Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Israel Antiquities Authority Greek Orthodox clergy