Paths of the Messiah: And Sites of the Early Church from Galilee to Jerusalem

by Bargil Pixner

Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, The places where Jesus lived and died and gathered his followers into a community are for Christians the most holy sites on earth. With reverence for the sites associated with the life of Christ, Bargil Pixner dedicated much of his life to archeological research in the Holy Land, becoming famous for his discovery of the Essene Gate in Jerusalem and the town of Bethsaida by the Sea of Galilee. Gathered into this one volume are the principal fruits of Father Pixner’s explanations of numerous archeological discoveries in the Holy Land accompanied by photos, illustrations and maps. Prepared in collaboration with Professor Rainer Riesner, a Scripture scholar from the University of Dortmund, the chapters bring to light not only those details of interest to the man of science but also the connections between these and early Christianity of interest to the man of faith. Having lived in Israel for much of his life the Tyrolean priest, scholar, teacher, and pilgrimage leader brought to his subject the depth and familiarity of a native son. Father Pixner’s particular interest in the first Jewish Christians runs like a thread through many of these chapters, helping to link the practices of modern believers with those of their ancient brothers and sisters in the faith.

502 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Paul H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dry and scholarly, and not very well-edited -- the compilers just tossed in every random article Pixner had ever written -- but there's a great deal of interesting material here for anyone with any interest in the Gospels. Paths of the Messiah is invaluable for getting a clear sense of the geographic context of Jesus's ministry -- Pixner refers to this sort of archaeological/geographical analysis as a "fifth Gospel," and this is not hyperbole. This book functions almost as a form of time travel, putting the reader into the rich context that the mid-first-century A.D. Christians would have known and taken for granted.

Briefly looking at New Testament maps can only do so much; Pixner immerses you in the fine details of every town around the Sea of Galilee, the major roads, precisely where Peter and Andrew were fishermen, where Matthew's tax house was, and so on, clarifying precisely why and where Jesus would have encountered them. Pixner also inadvertently provides yet more evidence (as if any more were needed) that the Gospel accounts were clearly written by people who knew Jesus and were strongly familiar with the circa-30s-A.D. geographical details of Judea/Samaria, rather than being a fanciful later invention.

One of the strongest chapters explains why the (very) early Christian Church was, in essence, a mystical/monastic cult and why it changed so rapidly; as evidenced by Sabbath dating and other archaeological evidence, the vast majority of early Christians were almost certainly Essenes (likely relatives/friends of John the Baptist and that broader community), which is key for understanding otherwise-confusing aspects of early Church history.

Easily the most surreal part of Paths of the Messiah is seeing how, to give just one example, the location of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount can be very clearly traced back to a specific hill on the west side of the Sea of Galilee, and how this physical location -- and the objects that Jesus would have literally seen in 32 A.D. from that precise vantage point -- gives more context to the beatitudes. Pixner explains:

In the spring the hill is a magnificent flower garden filled with irises, the 'lilies of the field' (Mt 6:28), and chirping 'birds of the air' (Mt 6:26) hop from limb to limb in the pricky sidr trees. The words about the 'city set on a hill' (Mt 5:14) refer to the Decapolis, city of Hippos, which in 32 A.D. shone from a rocky vantage point across the lake. Towering above the northeast corner of the lake was the rock fortress of the Jews, Gamala, the Zealots' place of origin with their militant messianism that in forty years would plunge all of Israel into ruin. This moved Jesus to bless the peacemakers and the meek (Mt 5:5, 9) . . .

[Christian Raab, OSB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, the book is a bit of a slog. Very scholarly. Very dry. But it is extremely informative and I found the last 100 pages quite gripping. The final section is about the very early Church, the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, and frankly I learned more from this book about Jewish Christians than I have from anything else I have ever read. Most fascinating to me was Pixner's well supported speculations about the important role of the family of Jesus (Mary, his 'brothers' and extended family) in very early Christianity.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had previously read Pixner's With Jesus Through Galilee According to the Fifth Gospel, and found it very helpful in understanding aspects of the Gospels better. So I was excited to read another book by Pixner. But this book is mostly archeology and history, with only a few references to passages in Scripture. It's interesting, to a point, but it took me a long time (over a year) to get through it. Perhaps it's better as a reference book than to be read from start to finish.

[Jan Militello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convincing historical insight into biblical Israel and Palestine not found elsewhere. Of special interest is the chronology of Jesus' public ministry based on the New Testament, climate, seasons, etc.