Isreal / Palestine Thursday, 24 February

at the Sea of Galilee

Along the shore of the Sea of Galilee

Today we continued our exploration of the Galilee. After driving to the Sea of Galilee from Nazareth, our first stops were near the northeast corner of the lake. Here are places dedicated to three events of Christ's ministry in the area. By the way, is it a sea or a lake? It's other names are Lake Tiberius or Lake Kinneret. It's either a big lake or a small sea. It was hazy and overcast when we arrived and did not completely clear off during the day .

Our first stop was the Mount of Beatitudes, or the Sermon on the Mount site. Next we stopped at the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. And finally the Church of the Primacy of Saint Peter. None of them can be confirmed as authentic, but are good commemorations of those events in Christ's life.

Lunch of Sea of Galilee Talapia

First Century foundation under
Second Century wall of synagogue

Reconstruction of Second Century Synagogue

We stopped for lunch at a lakeside restaurant where we ate on the patio overlooking to lake. We had typical middle eastern salads and talapia caught in the Sea of Galilee. It was fried and served whole, head, skin, fins, and tail still all there. That made it a bit of work to eat, but it was very good.

After lunch we proceeded to Capernaum. Here there is a partially reconstructed second century synagogue with the foundations of a first century synagogue under it. The structure of the building can be fairly clearly seen and is very interesting. Also in the town is St Peter's house, which has had four octagonal churches built over it over the centuries. Only some foundational stonework remains of the house. The rest of the town is filled with all the foundations of houses and other buildings. One can clearly see what the town was like, as well as the floor plans of the houses. It was a very interesting visit.

The First Century "Jesus Boat"

We continued around the north end and east side of the lake. When we reached the southwest corner, we stopped at the "new" baptismal sight. Since the more probably authentic sight of Jesus baptism by John happened far to the south now in the Palestinian Territories, this one was set up for people who want to be Baptized in the Jordan River in Israel. I will make no further comment.

From there we continued up the western side of the lake to Tiberias and on to Kibbutz Ginosar. In 1986 a wooden boat was discovered in the mud at the sea shore. It was very carefully extricated from the mud and is now on display in a preserved state. Carbon dating placed the boat in the first century, making it an authentic example of the kind of boat used by Jesus and his disciples. It is very interesting.

Fishing in the Sea of Galilee

Our last outing was a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. It was a wooden excursion boat made in the manner of the one found from the first century. The water was very calm and smooth, making for a relaxing boat ride.