iBIBLE Life of Christ: Purple Dyes
Researchers and readers have often held the common view that purple dyes during the time of the Bible were out of reach for most people. Purple fabrics were thought to be incredibly expensive and only worn by kings because of how rare the materials and the factories to make them were. However, new research completed by archaeologists as well as findings from a team of iBIBLE researchers have shown that purple dyes may have been more accessible than was formerly believed.
Previously, it was thought that purple dye factories only existed in the cultural and political centers of the Roman world. However, new archaeological evidence has emerged, showing that there was a purple dye factory on the coast of Israel at Tel Shiqmona, south of modern-day Haifa. This changes some of the preconceived notions that purple dyes could only be purchased from major cities like Rome.
iBIBLE researchers studied purple dyes and wealth in Jesus’ time to understand how and when they were used in Bible times. This research is similar to the studies done for other elements of iBIBLE, including iBIBLE Genesis, The Real Story of Jesus, and other episodes. Research is a key element of iBIBLE used to provide accuracy and authenticity to the Grand Narrative of Scripture. Below is a scene from iBIBLE Life of Christ Episode 2, that shows the top half of Elizabeth’s purple robe.
The robe that Elizabeth wears in iBIBLE Life of Christ Episode 1 and Episode 2 is a light purple color. There are several reasons for a non-royal character to wear a purple color. First, the purple is a light hue—the less saturation, the less expensive it would have been. Second, Zechariah and Elizabeth would have been wealthier than many others in their area and time. As Levites, Zechariah served in the priesthood, and priests had a special inheritance. For this reason alone, they would have had more money than others, though not as much as a noble person, hence the lighter hue and shorter length of Elizabeth’s robe.
The image below shows Elizabeth’s robe with the light-purple hue. Notice the shorter length and the colors of the accessories around it. This purple would have been indicative of wealth, though most likely not nobility since the saturation of the purple was lower than what most nobles would wear. It is now known that this color and length of robe would have been accurate for the time period and the Biblical figures because of the purple dye factory in the area as well as the relative wealth of Zechariah and Elizabeth.
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