Mt. Carmel Moments: Exploring the Galillee

The Galilee is by far my favorite spot in Israel! It is not hard to see why our Savior spent a great deal of His time there and often slipped away to spend time alone with His Father on its hills. Among my lost posts were posts on Nazareth Village, the childhood home of Jesus, and the Ancient Boat Museum, not far from where I am today, (and I may try to recreate them some day). But my goal now is to show you a few more places where Jesus would have walked.

Looking Over the Ruins of Capernaum Toward the
Octagonal Church

Although Jesus grew up in Nazareth, his center of ministry was in Capernaum. Capernaum or Kfar Nahum (meaning "Nahum's village") was a fishing village established in the time of the Hasmoneans (between 140 and 116 B.C.) and is located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is mentioned in the Gospels as a place where many miracles occurred such as the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, the raising of the paralytic who was lowered through the roof of a house, and where the Roman centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. It also is assumed to have been the home of Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, as well as Matthew the tax collector.

Ruins of the Basalt Houses of First Century Capernaum

The houses of Capernaum were constructed of black basalt which is a different stone from other areas of the country and is native to that area. One house in Capernaum, in particular, appears to have undergone significant alterations over the centuries following the time of Jesus. Inscriptions found on the walls seem to indicate that it was the house of Simon Peter which later was used by early Christians as a church. It was expanded and changed into an octagonal shape over the centuries, and today, it is covered and protected by an Octagonal Church run by the Franciscans, who have also surrounded the area with lovely and peaceful gardens.

The Second Century Synagogue as Seen Over Ruins
of Basalt Houses from the Time of Christ

Tagbha - Remembering the Loaves and Fishes

And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in

Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of

Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was

spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be

fulfilled.

Matthew 4:13,14

When I first visited these historical sites I found the tendency to build churches everywhere a bit troubling. However, those churches do protect and maintain these historical areas that were so crucial to our Lord's ministry, so I now look at them as wonderful places of peace and beauty and am grateful for the care that is taken to preserve them. When I next write I will show you the Mt. of the Beatitudes, a church with one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen.