Monthly Archives: October 2013

St Peters House

As I have stated earlier, Capernaum was also the home of  Peter, Andrew, James and John who were fishermen living in the village.  Matthew the tax collector also dwelt there. Excavations revealed one residence that stood out from the others.  This house was the object of early Christian attention with 2nd century graffiti and a 4th century house church built above it.  In the 5th century a large octagonal Byzantine church was erected above this, complete with a baptistery.  Pilgrims referred to this as the house of the apostle Peter.

Synagogue at Capernaum

Synagogue at Capernaum

In Capernaum are the remains of an old synagogue.

The town is reported to have been near the hometown of the apostles Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, as well as the tax collector Matthew. One Sabbath, Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum and healed a man who had the spirit of an unclean devil.

The dating of this synagogue is debated, but it is clearly later than the first century.  Excavations have revealed a synagogue from the time of Jesus with walls made of worked stone and 4 feet thick.

These earlier walls were preserved up to 3 feet high and the entire western wall still exists and was used as the foundation for the later synagogue.

Synagogue at Capernaum

St Peter Statue at Capernaum

In existence from the 2nd c. B.C. to the 7th c. A.D., Capernaum was built along the edge of the Sea of Galilee and had up to 1500 residents.

Today the ruins are owned by two churches: the Franciscans control the western portion with the synagogue and the Greek Orthodox’s property is marked by the white church with red domes.

Jesus made Capernaum his home during the years of his ministry: “Leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum” (Matt 4:13).

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen living in the village.  Matthew the tax collector also dwelt here.

Capernaum is one of the three cities cursed by Jesus for its lack of faith.

Sign at the entrance of the old Town

Church at the Mount of Beatitudes

The Mount of Beatitudes is an interesting location just to the north of the Sea of Galilee – just up from Tabgha where Jesus is said to have fed the 5000 with 5 fish and 2 loaves.

The mountain is topped by a Catholic chapel built in 1939 by the Franciscan Sisters with the support of the Italian ruler Mussolini.  The building which was constructed by the noted architect Antonio Barluzzi is full of numerical symbolism.  In front of the church, the symbols on the pavement represent Justice, Prudence, Fortitude, Charity, Faith and Temperance.  Inside the church hangs the cloak from Pope Paul VI’s visit in 1964.

View from the Mount of Beatitudes

The Mt. of Beatitudes overlooks the four-mile long Plain of Gennesaret, an area famed for its fertility.  Josephus said this plain was the location of “nature’s crowning achievement.”  Several times the New Testament records that Jesus was in this area including when he healed the multitudes here and faced Pharisaic condemnation for ritual impurity (Mark 6-7).

Geoff Bullock reading from the Beatitudes in Matthew

Our tour group leaders was Geoff Bullock above is a photo of Geoff as he spoke on his reflections of the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5:1-10

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said: