Ep. 63 - Professor Ken Dark - The Archaeology of Jesus' Nazareth

Professor Ken Dark is a British archeologist with honorary professorships from several European and American universities, has written over 11 books and multiple academic articles, and has directed and co-directed many excavations and survey projects on the 1st millennium AD. From Roman and post-Roman Britain and the Byzantine Middle East to the Archeology of early Christian Israel, Ken is a global expert on all these matters.  In his most recent book, The Archaeology of Jesus’s Nazareth, Ken puts forward a popular account of what the town of Nazareth would have been like in the time of Jesus. He asks if Jesus was really a carpenter, or if it is a mistranslation. Ken discovered what many believe was Jesus’s childhood home, but was it?  We also discuss if the Empress Helena actually found the Cross, what was we learn from Jesus’s youth, the Christian Pilgrimage, why Nazareth was so different to it’s surrounding areas in that time, if the lack of certainty frustrates Ken, and why we still use BC/ AD given that most of the archaeology work undertaken is secular.  All that, and so much more. Enjoy the episode and please do give the show a five-star review.  BUY The Archaeology of Jesus’s Nazareth: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Archaeology-Jesus-Nazareth-Ken-Dark/dp/0192865390  More About Ken: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/ken-dark  Find me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/joe.reilly/?hl=en Watch the episode on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JoeReillyPodcast 0:00 - 0:54 - Intro  0:54 - 4:33 - Why Dig In Nazareth?  4:33 - 7:54 - Did Empress Helena Really Find The Cross & Nails?  7:54 - 12:41 - Frustrated At Lack Of Historical Certainty  12:41 - 23:29 - Archeology Of Nazareth  23:29 - 30:40 - Why Is First Century Roman History So Popular? 30:40 - 32:20 - Is Nazareth’s Rocky Nature Why Jesus Said To Build Your House Upon The Rock?  32:20 - 37:21 - Tektōn: Jesus Isn’t A Carpenter?  37:21 - 44:32 - Jesus The Construction Worker?  44:35 - 55:24 - Jesus’ Youth From An Archaeological Perspective  55:25 - 58:59 - Why Do We Use BC/ AD