Capernaum
The town of Capernaum, located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, appears in all four of the Gospel narratives as the home of several of the disciples and the temporary home of Jesus during His public ministry. In 1883, the explorer and historian Edward Robinson rediscovered and identified the ruins of Capernaum, with the identification of the ancient synagogue coming soon after. Over the course of the 20th century, many years of excavations were done at the site, revealing much of the Roman period town and demonstrating that Capernaum was inhabited from about the 2nd century BC to the 10th century AD, then abandoned. In addition to being mentioned in the Gospel accounts, the town is referred to in the writings of 1st century AD Roman-Judean historian Flavius Josephus as a village on the Sea of Galilee, near Tabgha and in the same area as Magdala. Its location on the Sea of Galilee and major roads, plus the industries of fishing, agriculture, trade, and Roman administration made the town an important commercial center (Mark 2:14; Matthew 8:5, 9:18, 17:24; Acts 21:7). Excavations demonstrate that it was a 1st century AD fishing village. The synagogue at Capernaum is specifically mentioned in the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John, and in fact remains of two synagogues from antiquity were excavated in the town (Mark 1:21; Luke 4:31-33; John 6:59). Standing today is a 4th to 5th century AD synagogue, characterized by white limestone construction. However, directly underneath the white synagogue in Capernaum are the remains of a 1st century AD synagogue constructed from black basalt and dated by pottery and coins underneath the floor (Luke 7:1-5).
These black basalt walls are about 4 feet thick, with some walls preserved to about 3 feet high, and the building was rectangular, measuring about 22 meters by 16.5 meters. Near the ancient synagogue, just down the street to the south, a large octagon shaped church was built in the 5th century AD. Yet, underneath this structure, remains of an earlier church were discovered which had been modified from a house originally built in the 1st century BC. This house had changed into a house church in the second half of the 1st century AD. Excavations of the house, measuring about 7.5 meters long and wide, show that it had been modified around 50 AD. Inside the building, plaster walls with Christian graffiti from about 200 AD and later was discovered. The inscriptions mentioned “Lord Jesus Christ” and “Peter,” along with symbols of the cross, the names of pilgrims who visited, the Eucharist, and various blessings and prayers were discovered. In the 4th century, the pilgrim Egeria recorded that the house of Peter had been changed into this church, and therefore this building has been identified as the house of Peter which was close to the synagogue (Matthew 8:5-15; Mark 1:29).
Capernaum
Dr. Titus Kennedy is a field archaeologist working primarily with sites and materials related to the Bible. He works with ColdWater Media and Drive Thru History® to maintain historical accuracy throughout their scripts and locations. Many of the archaeology blog posts are based on his publications, including Unearthing the Bible, Excavating the Evidence for Jesus, and The Essential Archaeological Guide to Bible Lands.
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