Beth-Anath


Beth-Anath was mentioned in the Bible Book of Joshua and the Book of Judges as a land given to Naphtali.

Early history

Beth-Anath continued to be settled by the native Canaanites, even after Israel's conquest of the land during the early Iron Age. The Zenon Papyri mentions a certain estate belonging to Apollonius in Βαιτανατα, a way-stop along the route traveled by the Zenon party as it passed through ancient Palestine. In the 2nd-century CE, Beth-Anath was considered a borderline village, inhabited by both Jews and Gentiles.

Identification

Several places have been identified with Beth-Anath.

Ain Aata

Ain Aata in Lebanon was suggested by Charles William Meredith van de Velde and Victor Guérin to be the ancient site of Beth-Anath. The same view was held by historical geographer Georg Kampffmeyer.

Bi'ina

Bi'ina in the Beit HaKerem Valley which divides Upper Galilee from the Lower Galilee was suggested by Ze'ev Safrai. This view is accepted by a host of archaeologists and historical geographers: W.F. Albright, ; Neubauer ; Abel ; Alt ; :fi:Aapeli Saarisalo|Saarisalo ; Rafael Frankel, et al. ; Aviam ; Reeg. The site dates back to the Iron Age. Initially, Albright thought that Beth-Anath might be Tell Belat, but later changed his mind for the site at Bi'ina, based on the name given for the village in the Jerusalem Talmud, and which more closely resembles the site's present name.

Safed el-Battikh

held the view that Beth-Anath was to be identified with Safed el-Battikh, in the Bint Jbeil District. Aharoni cites Eusebius' Onomasticon and his mention of Batanaia being distant 15 miles from Caesarea, a place thought by Aharoni to refer to Cesarea Philippi. According to him, this would put Batanaia in the vicinity of Safed el-Battikh.

Hinah

Historical geographer Samuel Klein placed Beth-Anath in Hinah, a town on the southeast side of Mount Hermon. His view is supported by Grintz, who cites Josephus as corroborating Klein's view, insofar that Naphtali's territory is said to have extended as far as Damascus in the east.