Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Elusa (Haluza)
The ancient city of Halasa or Chellous (Greek: Χελλοὺς), Elusa (Ελουϲα) in the Byzantine period, was a city in the Negev near present-day Kibbutz Mash'abei Sadeh that was once part of the Nabataean Incense Route. It lay on the route from Petra to Gaza. Today it is known as Haluza (Hebrew: חלוצה), and during periods of Arab habitation it was known as al-Khalūṣ (Arabic: الخلوص; Early Muslim period) and Al-Khalasa (الخلصة; 20th century).
In the 5th century it was surrounded by vineyards and was famous for its wines.
Due to its historic importance, UNESCO declared Haluza a World Heritage Site along with Mamshit, Avdat and Shivta.
The city is called 'Chellous' (Χελλοὺς) in the Greek text of Judith, i, 9 (see Jdt 1:9 in NABRE), a work probably dating to the 1st century BCE. It is also mentioned in the 2nd century CE by Ptolemy, Peutinger's Table, Stephanus Byzantius (fl. 6th century; as being formerly in the province of Arabia Petraea, but "now" in Palaestina Tertia), Jerome (c. 342–47 – 420),[full citation needed] the pilgrim Theodosius (early 6th century), the anonymous pilgrim of Piacenza (around 570), and Joannes Moschus (c. 550 – 619).[full citation needed] On the 6th-century Madaba Map the town appears as ΕΛΟΥϹΑ, "Elusa".
In Saadia Gaon's 10th-century Judeo-Arabic translation of the Pentateuch, the biblical town of Gerar is associated with Haluza, whom he calls al-Khalūṣ (Judeo-Arabic: 'אלכ'לוץ).
The ancient site was founded by the Nabateans, probably in the late 4th or early 3rd century BCE. Roman historian Ptolemy (d. c. 150 CE) identifies Elusa as a town in Idumea west of the Jordan River.
After the Roman annexation of Nabataea in 106 CE, Elusa grew to become the principal city of the central Negev, at the time part of the western Arabia Petraea province.
Elusa became one of the first Negev towns to have a large Christian population, and Christians and pagans lived side by side. While the bishops of Elusa participated in the church councils 431 and 451 CE, tombstones found in the local cemetery indicate that there were pagans living in Elusa as late as the early 5th century, when the city belonged to Palaestina Tertia. It was the birthplace of Zenobius, a prominent 4th-century rhetorician in Antioch and a teacher of the influential pagan sophist, Libanius. Jerome mentions in his life of St. Hilarion a great temple of Aphrodite in 4th-century Elusa. Hilarion is supposed to have introduced Christianity to Elusa in the fourth century.[full citation needed]
Hub AI
Elusa (Haluza) AI simulator
(@Elusa (Haluza)_simulator)
Elusa (Haluza)
The ancient city of Halasa or Chellous (Greek: Χελλοὺς), Elusa (Ελουϲα) in the Byzantine period, was a city in the Negev near present-day Kibbutz Mash'abei Sadeh that was once part of the Nabataean Incense Route. It lay on the route from Petra to Gaza. Today it is known as Haluza (Hebrew: חלוצה), and during periods of Arab habitation it was known as al-Khalūṣ (Arabic: الخلوص; Early Muslim period) and Al-Khalasa (الخلصة; 20th century).
In the 5th century it was surrounded by vineyards and was famous for its wines.
Due to its historic importance, UNESCO declared Haluza a World Heritage Site along with Mamshit, Avdat and Shivta.
The city is called 'Chellous' (Χελλοὺς) in the Greek text of Judith, i, 9 (see Jdt 1:9 in NABRE), a work probably dating to the 1st century BCE. It is also mentioned in the 2nd century CE by Ptolemy, Peutinger's Table, Stephanus Byzantius (fl. 6th century; as being formerly in the province of Arabia Petraea, but "now" in Palaestina Tertia), Jerome (c. 342–47 – 420),[full citation needed] the pilgrim Theodosius (early 6th century), the anonymous pilgrim of Piacenza (around 570), and Joannes Moschus (c. 550 – 619).[full citation needed] On the 6th-century Madaba Map the town appears as ΕΛΟΥϹΑ, "Elusa".
In Saadia Gaon's 10th-century Judeo-Arabic translation of the Pentateuch, the biblical town of Gerar is associated with Haluza, whom he calls al-Khalūṣ (Judeo-Arabic: 'אלכ'לוץ).
The ancient site was founded by the Nabateans, probably in the late 4th or early 3rd century BCE. Roman historian Ptolemy (d. c. 150 CE) identifies Elusa as a town in Idumea west of the Jordan River.
After the Roman annexation of Nabataea in 106 CE, Elusa grew to become the principal city of the central Negev, at the time part of the western Arabia Petraea province.
Elusa became one of the first Negev towns to have a large Christian population, and Christians and pagans lived side by side. While the bishops of Elusa participated in the church councils 431 and 451 CE, tombstones found in the local cemetery indicate that there were pagans living in Elusa as late as the early 5th century, when the city belonged to Palaestina Tertia. It was the birthplace of Zenobius, a prominent 4th-century rhetorician in Antioch and a teacher of the influential pagan sophist, Libanius. Jerome mentions in his life of St. Hilarion a great temple of Aphrodite in 4th-century Elusa. Hilarion is supposed to have introduced Christianity to Elusa in the fourth century.[full citation needed]