Sea of Galilee and Shore
In ministering throughout Galilee, one morning “while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon Peter and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, `Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, `Let us go on to the neighboring towns so that I may proclaim the message there also for that is what I came out to do’.” (NRSV Mark 1: 35-38) “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity.” (NRSV Matthew 9: 35)
SEA OF GALILEE: Fed by melting snow from Mt. Hermon and the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee is approximately 27 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea and some 60 miles northeast of Jerusalem, pear shaped, about 13 miles long and ranging from 4-to-8 miles wide, 80-to-157 ft. deep, and 680 ft. below sea level. Three types of fish have thrived in this freshwater lake: sardines (possibly used by Jesus to feed the 5,000), barbels (catfish family), and musht (tilapia, St. Peter’s fish). At one of our stops, the chef served whole tilapia, a dish also popular in the United States raised in holding ponds. In the United States, tilapia also keep lakes clean of unwanted growth.
Our tour group sailed across the choppy Sea of Galilee on January 23. The boat captain recalled how suddenly the lake transforms from one of tranquility to violence. Even on our ride the waves splashed against the windows of the boat. Because of being well below sea level and surrounded in part by hills, contrasting air temperatures drive strong winds onto the Sea and boats. Consequently, the Sea is subject to sudden violent storms. I took the picture below of the choppy Sea of Galilee from our tour boat
Sea of Galilee
Jesus prayed, healed, and taught from the hill sides, along the shore, and from a boat on the Sea of Galilee. “Jesus went out again beside the sea; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them.” (NRSV Mark 2: 13) “Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered round him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.” (NRSV Mark 4: 1) “When evening had come, Jesus said to them, `Let us go across to the other side’,” (NRSV Mark 4: 35) not an easy or quick trip we found, even on a relatively calm sea in a tour boat driven by a large motor.
“And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, `Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, `Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, `Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’” (NRSV Mark 4: 36-40) “When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him, and
he was by the sea.” (NRSV Mark 5: 21)
THE SALVAGED BOAT: In 1986, during a severe drought, when water was pumped from the Sea of Galilee to irrigate parched fields, the level of the water dropped, revealing widespread mud flats. Two brothers, second generation fishermen, discovered the remains of a boat that, according to Carbon 14 dating and methods of construction, was built about 40 years before Jesus and maybe still in use during his ministry.
The boat was 27 ft. long, 7 1/ ft. wide with a preserved height of 4 1/3 feet. The boat could be sailed or rowed. While designed for a crew of 5, skeletal remains from Galilee from this period indicate that males averaged 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed about 140 lbs.; so, a boat like this one might have accommodated Jesus and his 12 disciples. Below is a picture of the remains of the boat found in the Sea of Galilee, exhibited at Yigal Alon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar, of Tiberius.
Boat Constructed at Time of Jesus
CAPERNAUM: Capernaum was the base from which Jesus often ministered to a diverse population scattered throughout the region of Galilee, shown on the map. “Now when Jesus heard that John [the Baptizer] had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea....” (NRSV Matthew 4: 12-13). When returning from teaching and preaching, he got “into a boat ... crossed the sea and came to his own town.” (NRSV Matthew 9: 1) Others who lived in Capernaum were Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Capernaum was mostly Christian by the 4th century after Jesus.
Although the town of Capernaum is not mentioned in the Old Testament and apparently was unoccupied during the Israelite period before Christ, excavations indicate it was settled much earlier. A poor Jewish fishing village located below sea level, Capernaum stretched more than five football fields along the sea. This busy crossroad trading center was located 10 miles from Tiberius and 2 1/ miles from the Jordan River where caravans stopped to resupply with produce and dried fish. Primarily only remains of Capernaum exist today, an archaeological park. Archaeologists discovered a pool in which fish were kept and cleaned, 2 meters wide, 5 meters long in the form of two semicircles with a platform in the middle from which fishermen could work. Also found was an ancient olive press, shown in the picture below.
Ancient Olive Press
In Capernaum Jesus explained how one could have eternal life. (NRSV John 6: 25-27) He also called Levi from the booth where he was collecting toll tax from people traveling from Damascus to Caesarea, and Tyre to Egypt. (NRSV Mark 2: 13-17; Matthew 9: 9) Being the first town travelers came to when they crossed the Jordan River from east to west, Capernaum housed a customs office. There was also a small garrison overseen by a centurion. Here Jesus healed a centurion’s servant without seeing him (NRSV Matthew 8: 5; Luke 7: 1) and others brought to him (NRSV Matthew 8: 23-27; Mark 29-34).
SYNAGOGUES IN CAPERNAUM: Built upon the highest point in Capernaum, the original synagogue where Jesus taught was destroyed along with the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans around 69 or 70 years after Christ’s ministry. The original synagogue was built by the centurion stationed there, some indication that the citizens of Capernaum were probably generally poor. (NRSV Luke 7: 4-5)
Between 250 and 300 years after Jesus, a white limestone synagogue was built upon the site. A considerable section of this more recent limestone synagogue stands. Archaeologists may have also found remains of what could be the original synagogue in which Jesus taught; I am not certain. Even on a sometimes-hurried tour, however, one is inspired when standing on ground where Jesus read and interpreted prophesy from Isaiah.
The picture below shows a wall and a large column from the more recently constructed synagogue. In the upper right corner of the picture beyond the small picture of the tree is the Sea of Galilee. There are basalt stones on the floor beyond the fence from what could have been the original synagogue in Capernaum where Jesus taught and preached. Mary Jo Logue hooded from the cold walks among the sacred ruins.
Remains of Synagogue
After Jesus recruited Simon Peter and his brother Andrew “from casting a net into the sea” and James son of Zebedee and his brother John “mending the nets,” together “they went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority. There was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, `What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, `Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.” (NRSV Mark 1: 16-22)
“One of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw Jesus, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, `My little daughter (`about 12 years old’) is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.’ So, Jesus went with him. And a large crowd followed Jesus and pressed in on him.” (NRSV Mark 5: 21-24; Luke 8: 40-42)
Jesus was not only rejected by some citizens in Nazareth, but also in Capernaum. Tension between the Old Covenant and the New spread to his new residence. “Jesus ... came to his adopted hometown [of Capernaum], and his disciples followed him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded…. ‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’.... And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, `Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.” (NRSV Mark 6: 1-6)
Jesus “reproach[ed] the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent,” including Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum: “And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down in Hades.” (NRSV Matthew 11: 20-23) “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (NRSV Luke 10: 13-16) In response to a question by Simon Peter, Jesus replied: “From everyone to whom much has been given much will be required ....” (NRSV Luke 12: 48).
REMAINS OF HOME FROM THE TIME OF SIMON PETER: When Jesus recruited Andrew, Simon Peter, James, and John, as noted, they often resided in Capernaum. Although Jesus explained that he had “nowhere to lay his head” (NRSV Matthew 8: 20), apparently he often resided at Simon Peter’s home. “As soon as they left the synagogue [in Capernaum], they entered the house of Simon Peter and Andrew .... Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever” and Jesus healed her. (NRSV Mark 1: 29) “That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word and cured all who were sick.” (NRSV Matthew 8: 14)
In Capernaum by the sea on our tour we saw foundational remains of a home some associate with Simon Peter, near the remains of the synagogue where Jesus taught and preached. Reportedly what is generally referred to as Peter’s house “stands out from the others,” has 130 inscriptions in four languages, the name of Jesus appearing several times, reference to Jesus as the Christ, the Lord, and the Most High God, forms of crosses and a boat, a monogram of Jesus, Saint Peter’s name twice, floral crosses, figs, stylized flowers, and geometric designs.
Houses at the time in Capernaum were modest and built of black basalt formed by solidification of magna rock. The dry-stone basalt walls at the site of Peter’s home would have supported only a light roof, making it easier to lower a paralyzed man for Jesus to heal, one of the memorable Bible stories I heard growing up in Methodist Sunday Schools in Alabama.
“When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, `Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, `Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ Jesus said to them, `Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven or to say stand up and take your mat and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ he said to the paralytic, `I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.’ And he stood up and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God.” (NRSV Mark 2: 1-12)
Excavations at Peter’s house help one understand Jesus’ parable of the lost coin. The floor of Peter’s home was made of black basalt cobbles in which one could easily lose a coin. Jesus taught, “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (NRSV Luke 15: 8-10)
At the beginning of the 5thcentury after Christ’s ministry, remains of Peter’s house were still standing, but changed into a church. Eteria, a Spanish pilgrim, wrote in her diary: “In Capernaum, the house of the Prince of the Apostles, St. Peter, became a church; the walls, however of that house have remained unchanged to the present day.”
In the 1990s the Franciscans built a modern church whose floor shields the site of the remains of Peter’s house. This new church, hexagonally in shape, hosts worshipers today who can view the partial walls of Peter’s home through a section of glass in the floor. This modern Franciscan church was designed to represent the image of a boat, with wall decorations inside of stylized fish, waves, and fishing nets. The picture below shows the foundation of the Peter’s home in Capernaum protected above by the floor of the modern Franciscan church.
Remains of Peter’s Home in Capernaum
TABGHA: We stopped at Tabgha on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication, where Jesus fed the 5,000. This event is commemorated by the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. Founded around 350 after Christ by the Order of the Benedictines, the present church was built in 1982. In this sacred place, on our trip some of us lit candles for a moment of meditation and in remembrance of friends who were ill, as evidenced in the picture below.
Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes
At Tabgha we also visited the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, a modest Franciscan chapel constructed in 1933 on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. After his Resurrection, Jesus appeared near this site for a breakfast of freshly caught fish with Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, James, John, and two other disciples. From their fishing boat, "that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, `It is the Lord!' When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat ...." Three times Christ asked Peter, “Do you love me?,” with Peter responding, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” In reply, Jesus instructed, “Feed my lambs.” (NRSV John 21: 1-19). The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter commemorates Jesus’ reconfirmation of Peter, and is pictured below.
Church of the Primacy of St. Peter
MOUNT OF BEATITUDES: Roman Catholic Franciscans constructed the Church of Beatitudes on a hillside in 1938 to memorialize Jesus Sermon on the Mount. It is located between the remains of Capernaum and Tabgha overlooking the Sea of Galilee. The church’s octagonal shape represents the beatitudes, a New Covenant of the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, a desire for righteousness, being merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and withstanding persecution for righteousness sake. (NRSV Matthew 5: 1-10)
Church of Beatitudes
(Picture reprinted with permission of www.1000pictures.com)
As evident in the aerial picture below, also of the Church of Beatitudes and its sea setting, this site would accommodate many persons listening to Jesus teach, a locale commemorated for more than 1,600 years as the place where Jesus addressed the crowds.
Aerial View of the Church of Beatitudes Overlooking the Sea of Galilee
(Picture reprinted with permission of www.1000pictures.com)
NAZARETH: Leaving Tabgha we drove westward to Nazareth, Megiddo, and Mount Carmel, overlooking the fertile Jezreel valley. Nazareth is presently the capital and largest town in the North District of Israel, about 80 miles from Jerusalem and 14 miles southwest of the Sea of Galilee. It is the largest Arab city of Israel. Nazareth is located among hills that reach to 1,600 feet, off of which some attempted to throw Christ. Some 60,000 persons lived in Nazareth at the time of our tour. Our tour guide, a resident of Jerusalem, noted that Arab citizens of Israel made up the majority at that time in Nazareth, with approximately one-third of those being Christian and two-thirds being Muslim. Our guide observed that the number of Christians in Israel at the time of our tour was decreasing. Nazareth benefits from being a regional market, tourism, and light manufacturing. Although Nazareth today has typical stores for shopping, one also finds small marketplaces as exemplified in the picture below.
Market Place in Nazareth
Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament and, at the time of Jesus, apparently was an obscure village of approximately 500 persons. Travelers from other regions, however, likely passed nearby. At Nazareth the angel Gabriel said to Mary: “`Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But Mary was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, `Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High’.” (NRSV Luke 1: 32) To commemorate Gabriel’s prophecy to Mary, in Nazareth the Roman Catholic Church built the Basilica of the Annunciation pictured below.
Basilica of the Annunciation
In the Gospel of John, Philip said to Nathaniel, “‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathaniel responded, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip answered: ‘Come and see’.” (NRSV 1: 43-46)
After teaching and healing throughout Galilee, Jesus returned to his original home, Nazareth, and “the crowd came together again so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him .... And Jesus called them to him and spoke in parables.... `If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand’.” (NRSV Mark 3: 19-24)
Because of his claims, Jesus was rejected by some members of synagogues in Galilee. For example, in Nazareth, when Jesus read from the prophesy of Isaiah, concluding that, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” some members who heard this “got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.” (NRSV Luke 4: 16-29) Below is a picture of a small relief from the bottom of the door of the Basilica of the Annunciation, of Joseph and apprentice Jesus with tools at the carpenter’s bench.
Young Jesus and Joseph at Work Bench
Although we did not search for Cana, because of its close proximity to Nazareth, its general locale was noted on our tour. While the precise location of this town is unknown, tradition suggests that Cana, by the modern name of Kafr Kanna, is about five miles northeast of Nazareth. Jesus and his disciples attended a wedding there. “When the wine gave out, Mother Mary said to Jesus, `They have no wine.’ After discussing the problem with his Mother, Jesus finally obliged by changing water to wine.
“Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there a few days.” (NRSV John 2: 1-12)
MEGIDDO: From the Sea of Galilee and Nazareth, we drove to Megiddo. On a hill overlooking the Jezreel valley from the west, in ancient times Megiddo was significant because of its strategic location on a trade route between Egypt and Assyria. The Romans traveled through that pass. Important events have taken place in the area. “By the waters of Megiddo,” prophetess and Judge Deborah’s forces defeated Sisera, commander of a Canaanite army that controlled northern Israel. (NRSV Judges 5: 19) King Solomon used “forced labor ... to build the house of the Lord ... wall of Jerusalem” and Megiddo. (NRSV Kings 9: 15) In 1918, during World War I, British Empire-led troops defeated the Ottoman (Turkish) army at Megiddo. The book of Revelation predicts that ultimately a battle between good and evil will take place at Megiddo. (NRSV 16: 16)
Excavations have uncovered some twenty layers of life at Megiddo. For example, an archaeologist discovered remains of a church from the third century after Christ. Pictured below is the archaeological site of Megiddo.
Megiddo
Wikipedia
Below is a picture of a public grain silo in Megiddo from the time of King Jeroboam II, 8th century before Christ. This silo, dug in the ground and walled with rocks, held 450 cubic meters of grain.
Grain Silo in Megiddo
MOUNT CARMEL: From Megiddo we continued to Mount Carmel, a range about 4 1/ miles wide, forming a ridge to the northeast 1,700 feet high. Because the mountain has numerous caves on the steep side, over the centuries criminals and others have hidden there. Through Amos, God warned: “Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search out and take them ....” (NRSV Amos 9: 3) Josephus, the Jewish historian, noted that Essenes, discussed further below, found refuge on Mount Carmel.
In a contest of miracles arranged by Elijah on Mount Carmel, the prophets and people of God defeated the prophets of Baal. Elijah admonished his people: “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” (NRSV 1 Kings 18: 20-40). We visited the Carmelite Monastery where, outside, we saw a tall statue depicting Elijah’s victory.
In the 12th century after Christ, Roman Catholics founded the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Carmelites), an Order that has increased in numbers significantly, including men, nuns, and monasteries worldwide. The pale relief below is an artist’s representation of the prophets of the God of Abraham in competition with the prophets of Baal, displayed in a facility on Mount Carmel.
