also mentioned as part of the “Jewish triangle” in Jesus’ time, along with Capernaum and Korazin, the focus of Jewish life and culture of which Jesus said: “Woe unto thee, Korazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” (Matthew 11:21). Much serious archeological work remains to be done at the site. Nevertheless, its having been discovered, along with its location relatively far away from the shores of the Sea of Galilee, up on a hill, can tell us much about the way Jesus’ fishermen disciples lived and worked and went about their weekly routine. Kursi, the biblical Gergesenes, where the remains of a beautiful Byzantine monastery mark the traditional spot of the Miracle of the Gaderene Swine (Matthew, 8:28-34), is
far as to claim that statistically, there is a slight chance that Jesus Himself sailed in this very vessel. In any case, viewing the boat takes pilgrims back in time and places them face to face with a reality that was very much a part of Jesus’ world. And then there’s the Sea of Galilee itself. No trip to the region can be considered complete without a Sea of Galilee cruise, preferably in a wooden boat constructed after a 2000-year old sailing vessel and accompanied by a reenactment of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes and dining on Sea of Galilee St. Peter’s fish, and for those so inclined, wedding ceremonies on a boat in the midst of the Sea of Galilee can be arranged.
another significant site on the Sea of Galilee’s eastern side. The Galilee abounds with any number of Christian sites. Near Mt. Tabor, in what now is the Arab village of Doburiyah, Jesus cured the epileptic boy (Luke 9, 37-43). Banias, also known as Caesarea Phillipi, is the Golan Heights site of Peter’s confession (Matthew 16:13). Not all the sites in the Galilee that are significant to Christians are enriched with their uniqueness or “holiness” as a result of Jesus having preached, or
HIPPOS (SUSSITA) The city of Hippos (Sussita) is another fascinating site to visit as it was the central city of the Golan during the Hellenistic and Roman/Byzantine periods and contains a number of churches. It is located on a diamond (or horse) shaped mountain which rises 350M (1148 feet) above the Sea of Galilee. Recent excavations revealed the impressive plan and structures of the city. Some 15 years ago, while on the trail of an elusive Byzantine-era synagogue, archaeologists at the ongoing Hippos-Sussita Excavations Project began excavating what appeared to be a public building that had been burned to the ground, but then moved on to other work. This summer,
performed miracles there. At Kibbutz Ginosar, the remains of a first-century boat are on display. This 2000-year-old trireme was discovered in the mud banks of the Sea of Galilee, when the lake receded during a drought in the 1980s, and it may well have been associated with the life of Jesus and the fishermen disciples. “The same day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat: and the whole multitude stood on the shore” (Matthew 13:1-2). Evidence shows that the boat was constructed of a strange combination of various types of wood - probably recycled timber - proof that it was a poor man’s ship, very likely similar to those used by Jesus and His fishermen disciples. There are even those who go so
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