Trip includes places of miracles and worship
(Tiberius, Tagba, Caesarea Philippi, Mount of Beatitudes, & Capernaum)Our second and third nights in Israel were spent at a hotel in the town of Tiberius, which is located along the west side of the Sea of Galilee. The town of Tiberius was built by Herod Antipas during Christ's lifetime (A.D. 16-22), and was named for the Roman emperor of the time.
Our first stop on the third day was at a place called Tagba, at what might be termed the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. it is believed that this is the place where took place the incident in which Jesus fed the multitude with just a few loaves and fishes. A modern church has been constructed over lovely mosaics which honor the loaves and fishes story, in addition to depicting water birds and plants of the area.
Our bus then took us up into the far northern corner of Israel, where we could see the hills of Lebanon on the north and west. Then, as the road climbed and twisted to the east we drove up onto the Golan Heights, which is now in Israeli hands. It was easy to understand why the area has been fought over so bitterly, for it has a commanding military value. The rocky, wooded slopes of the Golan Heights could hide battalions of troops, while giving the soldiers a clear view of each farmer working the fields in the low lands to the west. The Golan Heights has almost no fields, but is used as grazing land and supports a moderate population of evergreen trees.
Having come down from the Golan Heights. we stopped at the ruins of Caesarea Philippi which lie some 30 miles north and a little east of the Sea of Galilee. It was here that Jesus began to prepare his disciples for his coming death, and where Peter made the declaration of his belief that Jesus was God's son (Matthew 16:13-16). The site offers little for the modern Bible scholar to see, other than the stream which flows from the area to become one of the three sources of the Jordan River.
More Caesarea Philippi ruinsOf far greater interest were the remains of Capernaum, where Jesus lived for some time (Matthew 2:1), where he called several of his apostles to follow him, and which was the hometown of Peter and Andrew, the fishermen who became disciples (Mark 1:29). Capernaum was also the place where many of Jesus' miracles were performed.
At Capernaum, under the ruins of an ancient synagogue which may itself date to the fourth century A.D, excavators have found and exposed a small section of flooring which they believe is part of the floor of the synagogue which existed in Christ's day, and to which Christ undoubtedly went to worship each Sabbath day.
Nearby, archaeologists have within the past few years discovered what they believe was the actual home of the Apostle Peter. Ruins of the house, which was previously buried under a layer of sand and dust, are now open to view. A modernistic, round Roman Catholic church has been constructed on pylons above part of the ruins, but travelers still can go below, to the ruins.
Leaving Capernaum, we went to the nearby Mount of Beatitudes, on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. A modern chapel and a lovely garden grace the upper slopes of the mount. Visitors standing on the porch of the chapel have a commanding view of the slope down to the Sea of Galilee. The visitor can know that, while the chapel and garden are modern, the mountainside and the water of the Sea of Galilee are substantially the same as when Jesus walked there with his disciples. 2 garden pictures
After our time at the Mount of Beatitudes, our bus took us to a place on the seashore where we could board a boat for a trip across part of the Sea. The boat on which we rode was a modern version,.complete with motor and "roof," and much larger than the fishing boats of Jesus' day. But there is on display in a museum at that:spot an ancient fishing boat recently discovered in the mud along the seashore. This ancient boat is believed to date to the time of Jesus. It is eight feet wide and 27 feet long, and made of wood.
Day 2 Return to Israel start page Day 4
