Japhia
A stop on the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem in Galilee.
Description[edit | edit source]
In Nazareth, Jesus indicates to the Apostles their future journey:"From there, through Japhia and Shimron, we will go to Bethlehem in Galilee »[1].And a few days later, Maria Valtorta observes:
"They reached, crossed, passed the settlement of Japhia without any townsman expressing the desire to follow the Master or to detain him"[2].
Its name[edit | edit source]
Japhia, Yafia, Yaphia. The exact etymology of the name "Yafia" is not clearly established. "Yafia" could derive from a Hebrew root meaning "brightness" or "beauty".
Where is it mentioned in the work?[edit | edit source]
GRM 239 GRM 247.
Learn more about this place[edit | edit source]
Locality of the tribe of Zebulun, located about 3 km southwest of Nazareth, whose name appears only once in the Bible[3]. A tradition (which Maria Valtorta’s account does not confirm) places the birth house of Zebedee here. The historian Flavius Josephus lived there for a time.
Explore[edit | edit source]
- 32° 41’ 27’’ N / 35° 16’ 28’’ E /
- +310m
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
Note: Quotations from the work of Maria Valtorta on this page currently use machine-translated text and will gradually be replaced by the official English translation. Until then, the official translation may be consulted through the reference link provided with each quotation.
Article partially written based on the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel, by Jean-François Lavère.