Scythopolis had a Christian community headed by a bishop even before the Edict of Milan of 313 legalized profession of Christianity in the Roman Empire. When the Roman province of Palaestina Secunda was set up in the 4th century, with Scythopolis as its capital, the bishopric became the metropolitan see of the province. It was part of what was called the Decapolis. one of the Decapolis cities, a group of cities founded by retired veterans of Alexander the Great, in this case probably a Scythian unit. Under Emperor Diocletian, Saint Procopius of Scythopolis died as a martyr on 7 July 303. In the fourth century the bishopric was strongly Arian. When it became a metropolitan see, it had Pella as one of its suffragans. Copious archaeological remains were found dating to the Byzantine period and were excavated by the University of Pennsylvania Museum from 1921–23. A rotunda church was constructed on top of the tell and the entire city was enclosed in a wall. Textual sources mention several other churches in the town. Beit She'an was primarily Christian, as attested to by the large number of churches, but evidence of Jewish habitation and a Samaritansynagogue indicate established communities of these minorities. The pagan temple in the city centre was destroyed, but the nymphaeum and Roman baths were restored. Many of the buildings of Scythopolis were damaged in the Galilee earthquake of 363. It became the capital of the new province of Palaestina Secunda established in 390. Dedicatory inscriptions indicate a preference for donations to religious buildings, and many colourful mosaics, such as that featuring the zodiac in the Monastery of Lady Mary, or the one picturing a menorah and shalom in the House of Leontius' Jewish synagogue, were preserved. A Samaritan synagogue's mosaic was unique in abstaining from human or animal images, instead utilising floral and geometrical motifs. Elaborate decorations were also found in the settlement's many luxurious villas, and in the 6th century especially, the city reached its maximum size of 40,000 and spread beyond its period city walls. The city was taken by Muslim armies in AD 634 and the city was devastated by the Golan earthquake of 749. The city was taken by the Crusaders. Under their rule, the Latin see was moved to Nazareth, but the Eastern Orthodox Church continued for a long time further to maintain two separate sees.
Bishopric moved to Nazareth by crusaders in the 11th century.
Other notable Christians of Scythopolis
In the 6th century there were four churches at Scythopolis, dedicated to the Apostles St Thomas and John the Evangelist, SaintProcopius and St Basil, another local martyr. Many monks lived in the town and its environs, occupied in making baskets and fans from the palms in the neighbouring forests ; with them the four Tall Brothers took refuge when expelled from Egypt by Patriarch Theophilus for so called Origenist ideas. Furthermore:
Asterius, 4th-century commentator of the Psalms, cited with praise by Saint Jerome
Cyril, charming historian of monastic life in Palestine, who wrote seven lives of saints.
Since its nominal restoration in 1621, the Latin Metropolitan see of Scythopolis is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees. It is currently vacant, having had the following incumbents:
