AROUND THE SEA OF GALILEE

IsraelNovember 2008

We stayed at the Kibbutz Maagan which is by the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee

On the night that we arrived, we saw some Jews celebrating the Passover meal

The Sea of Galilee is also the Lake of Gennesaret, Sea of Kinnereth, or Sea of TiberiasIt is Israel’s largest freshwater lake

It is 53 km in circumference, 21 km long, & 13 km wideIts deepest depth is only 43 mAt 209 m below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake on earth

On the morning that we took a boat ride the winds were pretty strong

The strong winds prevented us from going over to Tiberias which is across the sea

After we boarded the boat, the seaman hoisted the flag of Singapore as we sang the anthem

At our request, he hoisted the Israeli flag & sang the anthem with the other crew members

Surprising, the boat was quite spacious

With such unpredictable sea conditions, it is no wonder swimming is forbidden

We had the famous St Peter’s fish (a tilapia) from the Sea of Galilee for lunch

These were some of the sights we saw as we drove to the Mount of Beatitudes, the place where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount

(Matt 5:1-8)

The Catholic chapel was built in 1939 & designed by the noted architect Antonio Barluzzi who dedicated his life to build churches in the Holy Land

The chapel is on a hill about 175 m above the north western shore of the Sea of Galilee

To bring out the significance of this sacred place, Antonio Barluzzi made the ceiling walls octagonal in shape, representing the 8 beatitudesEach window on the ceiling wall displays one of these beatitudesIts dome has gold mosaic

Inside the chapel Outside the chapel

Soft music greeted us at Tabgha, the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication of the fish & loaves (Mark 6:30-44)

The mosaic of the fish & loaves is laid next to a large rock which is believed to be where Jesus stood when he blessed the fish & loaves

The beautiful 5th-century mosaic floor depicting birds & plants

A tower marked with bands bearing Greek letters, probably for measuring the water level of the Sea of Galilee (i.e., a “nilometer”)

Other floor mosaics

The olive tree in the church courtyard

Also in the courtyard is a black basalt stone olive press to squeeze oil out from the olives,

& a black basalt stone olive oil separator—the oil will float on water & flow out of the grooves

A 5th-century baptismal fount in the shape of a crossApparently, they practised baptism by immersion

Our next stop was Capernaum—Jesus’ own city (Matt 9:1; Mark 2:1) & the place where he lived (Matt 4:13)

It was also the home of Jesus’ first converts—Peter & Andrew (Mark 1:21, 29)The plague before this statue of Peter reads, “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church” (Matt 16:18)

A modern Franciscan church lies above the stone house where Peter lived

Capernaum (“Nahum’s village”), situated on the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee, was a fishing village that existed only from150 BCE onwards (i.e., during the Hasmonean Dynasty)Black basalt stone seemed to be the main material used in construction during that timeHere, you can see a black basalt stone olive press within an olive mill

In later times, white limestone was used

A Roman milestone on the Via Maris (“Way of the Sea”) bearing an inscription from the period of the Emperor Hadrian (117-138 CE)

A column with Aramaic inscription that reads, “Alpheus, the son of Zebidah, the son of John, made this column. May he be blessed.”

The 4th- or 5th-century (Byzzntine-era) white limestone synagogueIts southern façade faces Jerusalem

This synagogue was built over a layer of black basalt foundation, very possibly the synagogue of Jesus’ days that was built by a Gentile centurion (Luke 7:5)

The columns in the prayer hall were placed on high pedestals & supported Corinthian capitals while stone benches were placed along the western & eastern walls

On a column in the prayer hall is a Greek inscription: “Herod, son of Mo[ni]mos, and Justus his son, together with (his) children, erected this column.”

The north-south main street

Houses lined both sides the north-south main street & the side streets

The walls of these houses were constructed with coarse basalt blocks & reinforced with stone & mud

Here, grinding mills for wheatCapernaum was devastated by an earthquake that took place in 746 CEIt was abandoned in the 11th century (Crusader Period) & its ruins were left untouched until it was discovered in the 19th centuryThink about this as you think about the authenticity of Peter’s house & the synagogue