Today we visit sites of Jesus ministry in Galilee: the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes, and Capernaum.
The Sea of Galilee is situated in Northeast Israel between the Golan Heights and the Galilee region. At 700 ft. below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake in the world and second lowest lake in the world (behind the Dead Sea). The lake is about 33 miles in circumference so its not very big.
We'll board a boat similar to what Jesus and his apostles did and take a short cruise on the calm waters of the sea (that note was for Ida since she is not a boat person).
We're actually looking forward to the experience.
Our next stop is the Mount of the Beatitudes which is on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was here that Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount.
One of the traditions here is eating St. Peter fish (tilapia) and that's what is on the menu for our lunch, but they serve it like in the picture so I don't know if we are going to be able to eat it.
Our next stop in Tabgha to see the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. All four gospels tell the story of how Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 men plus women and children with only five loaves of bread and two fish.
The exact site of this miracle is not known for sure, but on this site multiple churches have been erected over the centuries starting in the 4th century. A large Byzantine church was constructed in the 5th century with mosaics by Egyptian artists but this church was destroyed by fire. In 1933 a small church was built over the excavated ruins from the 5th century. The current church dates from 1984 and is operated by the Benedictines. It was damaged in 2015 by arson from Jewish extremists and was repaired two years later.
Our last stop in Galilee is the Church of the Primacy of Peter in Tabgha . This is a Franciscan church built in 1933 which contains part of a 4th century church which lasted until 1263.
The Tabgha beach was a popular fishing spot so it would have been very familiar to Jesus and his apostles. It's here that Jesus made his third appearance to the apostles after the resurrection. As described in the gospel of John, the apostles had been out fishing all night without catching anything. Jesus was waiting for them on the shore, but they did not recognize him. He told them to cast their net over the other side and they caught 153 fish!
When they returned with their catch, they found Jesus had made them breakfast on a charcoal fire, so the place was referred to as the Place of the Coals. The church was built on that very spot along the shores. There is a limestone rock in front of the altar venerated as Mensa Christi or the table of Christ where Christ is thought to have laid out that breakfast of bread and fish.
Once again we are following in the footsteps of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II who both traveled here on pilgrimage.
After breakfast, Jesus challenged Peter three times with the question: "Do you love me?" Jesus gave Peter the three-fold command: Feed my lambs, Tend my sheep, Feed my sheep. This was Jesus' way of forgiving Peter for denying him three times during the passion. After this event, Peter was recognized as the leader of the apostles, hence the term, primacy.
Outside of the church, there are six double heart-shaped, double-columned blocks known as the Twelve Thrones. They give homage to the twelve apostles, though these columns can be completely under water if the level is high in the Sea of Galilee
After dinner at our hotel in Nazareth, we return to the Basilica of the Annunciation for a candlelight procession with pilgrims from around the world. That should be an amazing experience! It's our last night in Nazareth, tomorrow night we will be in Jerusalem.
The Sea of Galilee is situated in Northeast Israel between the Golan Heights and the Galilee region. At 700 ft. below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake in the world and second lowest lake in the world (behind the Dead Sea). The lake is about 33 miles in circumference so its not very big.
The Sea of Galilee lies along an ancient road which linked Egypt with the northern empires. The Greeks, Hasmoneans, and Romans founded flourishing towns and settlements on the land-locked lake including Hippos and Tiberias. It was a thriving area for fishing. Archaeologists discovered one such boat, nicknamed the Jesus Boat, in 1986 which we will visit.
Much of the ministry of Jesus occurs on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In those days, there were settlements and villages around the lake and plenty of trade and ferrying by boat. The Gospels describe how Jesus recruited four of his apostles from the shores of the sea including Simon and his brother Andrew and John and his brother James. On this body of water he performed miracles including walking on water, calming the storm, directing the miraculous catch of fish and feeding 5,000 people.
In 135 CE, Bar Kokhba's revolt was put down. The Romans responded by banning all Jews from Jerusalem. The center of Jewish culture and learning shifted to the region of Galilee and the Kinneret, particularly the city of Tiberias. It was in this region that the Jerusalem Talmud was compiled.
On May 15, 1948, Syria invaded the newborn State of Israel, capturing territory along the Sea of Galilee. Under the 1949 armistice agreement between Israel and Syria, Syria occupied the northeast shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. Syria remained in possession of the lake's northeast shoreline until the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
We'll board a boat similar to what Jesus and his apostles did and take a short cruise on the calm waters of the sea (that note was for Ida since she is not a boat person).
Our next stop is the Mount of the Beatitudes which is on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was here that Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount.
A Byzantine church was erected lower down the slope from the current site in the 4th century, and it was used until the 7th century. The current Roman Catholic Franciscan chapel was built in 1937-38 following plans by Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi. The eight sides of the light and airy church represent the eight beatitudes, and these are also shown in Latin in the upper windows. The centrally placed altar is surmounted by a slender arch of alabaster and onyx. Around it, the seven virtues (justice, charity, prudence, faith, fortitude, hope and temperance) are depicted by symbols in the mosaic floor.
Inside the church hangs the stole from Pope Paul VI’s visit in 1964. Pope John Paul II celebrated a Mass at this site in March 2000.
Our next stop is Capernaum. In Biblical times Capernaum was one of the main trading villages in the Galilee area which was a vibrant populated and prosperous part of Palestine and was inhabited by about 1,500 people many of whom were fishermen. Many travelers, caravans and traders passed through Capernaum on the Via Maris, the main trade route connecting Damascus in the north and Egypt in the south. There remains a Via Maris highway mile stone in Capernaum today. The village was thought to have prospered from the 2nd century BC to the 13th century AD when it reverted to a simple fishing village until the 1800s.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, brought up in Nazareth and preached in Jerusalem but He spent His significant Galilean ministry years here. Matthew 4 tells us that Jesus left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum after being tempted in the wilderness.
"And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught."
Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum and healed a man who was possessed by an unclean spirit (Luke 4 and Mark 1). This story is notable as the only one that is common between the gospels of Mark and Luke, but not contained in the Gospel of Matthew. Afterward, Jesus healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law of a fever (Luke 4). According to Luke 7 and Matthew 8, this is also the place where Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion who had asked for his help. Capernaum is also the location of the healing of the paralytic lowered by friends through the roof to reach Jesus, as reported in Mark 2 and Luke 5.
The synagogue of Capernaum is located near the shore with its facade facing Jerusalem. It dates from around the 2nd to 5th centuries. It was richly decorated and was built of imported white limestone, which would have contrasted dramatically with the local black basalt of the rest of the village. The "white synagogue" has a basilica-type plan, with a small terrace on the front (south) and a court on the east side.
There is a layer of black basalt foundations beneath the white synagogue. The excavators believe this is the synagogue where Jesus taught and cast out demons.
Archaeologists uncovered an early Christian home in Capernaum thought to have been the home of Peter. Jesus is thought to have lived in this house while in Capernaum. This is the site where Christ cured a paralytic who was lowered in through the roof and where Peter's mother in law was healed. After Jesus’ death the home became a place of worship and several architectural changes were made. In the 5th century an octagonal church was built here to preserve the remains of the Insula Sacra or holy site. Many inscriptions in Greek, Armenian, Estrangelo and Latin were found on the ancient stones. Today there is a modern hexagonal Franciscan church over the spot thought to have been Peter’s house. There is a glass floor so that you can still see the ancient original church below.
Inside the church hangs the stole from Pope Paul VI’s visit in 1964. Pope John Paul II celebrated a Mass at this site in March 2000.
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| Aerial view of the archeological site of Capernaum |
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, brought up in Nazareth and preached in Jerusalem but He spent His significant Galilean ministry years here. Matthew 4 tells us that Jesus left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum after being tempted in the wilderness.
"And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught."
Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum and healed a man who was possessed by an unclean spirit (Luke 4 and Mark 1). This story is notable as the only one that is common between the gospels of Mark and Luke, but not contained in the Gospel of Matthew. Afterward, Jesus healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law of a fever (Luke 4). According to Luke 7 and Matthew 8, this is also the place where Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion who had asked for his help. Capernaum is also the location of the healing of the paralytic lowered by friends through the roof to reach Jesus, as reported in Mark 2 and Luke 5.
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| Synagogue |
The synagogue of Capernaum is located near the shore with its facade facing Jerusalem. It dates from around the 2nd to 5th centuries. It was richly decorated and was built of imported white limestone, which would have contrasted dramatically with the local black basalt of the rest of the village. The "white synagogue" has a basilica-type plan, with a small terrace on the front (south) and a court on the east side.
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| Black rock underneath current bldg. |
There is a layer of black basalt foundations beneath the white synagogue. The excavators believe this is the synagogue where Jesus taught and cast out demons.
Archaeologists uncovered an early Christian home in Capernaum thought to have been the home of Peter. Jesus is thought to have lived in this house while in Capernaum. This is the site where Christ cured a paralytic who was lowered in through the roof and where Peter's mother in law was healed. After Jesus’ death the home became a place of worship and several architectural changes were made. In the 5th century an octagonal church was built here to preserve the remains of the Insula Sacra or holy site. Many inscriptions in Greek, Armenian, Estrangelo and Latin were found on the ancient stones. Today there is a modern hexagonal Franciscan church over the spot thought to have been Peter’s house. There is a glass floor so that you can still see the ancient original church below.
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| Church of St. Peter |
Our next stop in Tabgha to see the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. All four gospels tell the story of how Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 men plus women and children with only five loaves of bread and two fish. |
| Church Interior |
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| Mosaic |
The exact site of this miracle is not known for sure, but on this site multiple churches have been erected over the centuries starting in the 4th century. A large Byzantine church was constructed in the 5th century with mosaics by Egyptian artists but this church was destroyed by fire. In 1933 a small church was built over the excavated ruins from the 5th century. The current church dates from 1984 and is operated by the Benedictines. It was damaged in 2015 by arson from Jewish extremists and was repaired two years later.
Our last stop in Galilee is the Church of the Primacy of Peter in Tabgha . This is a Franciscan church built in 1933 which contains part of a 4th century church which lasted until 1263. The Tabgha beach was a popular fishing spot so it would have been very familiar to Jesus and his apostles. It's here that Jesus made his third appearance to the apostles after the resurrection. As described in the gospel of John, the apostles had been out fishing all night without catching anything. Jesus was waiting for them on the shore, but they did not recognize him. He told them to cast their net over the other side and they caught 153 fish!
When they returned with their catch, they found Jesus had made them breakfast on a charcoal fire, so the place was referred to as the Place of the Coals. The church was built on that very spot along the shores. There is a limestone rock in front of the altar venerated as Mensa Christi or the table of Christ where Christ is thought to have laid out that breakfast of bread and fish.Once again we are following in the footsteps of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II who both traveled here on pilgrimage.
After breakfast, Jesus challenged Peter three times with the question: "Do you love me?" Jesus gave Peter the three-fold command: Feed my lambs, Tend my sheep, Feed my sheep. This was Jesus' way of forgiving Peter for denying him three times during the passion. After this event, Peter was recognized as the leader of the apostles, hence the term, primacy.
After dinner at our hotel in Nazareth, we return to the Basilica of the Annunciation for a candlelight procession with pilgrims from around the world. That should be an amazing experience! It's our last night in Nazareth, tomorrow night we will be in Jerusalem.
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