Bethsaida
It was the birthplace of the apostles, a village
frequented by Jesus (and also cursed by him) – there is literally
no other example of an entire biblical era city, intact - anywhere.
And it took 17 centuries to definitively establish the exact location
of this Iron Age city of Bethsaida.
Known as a fishing village, it didn’t seem to
make sense that it would be located almost two miles from shore.
Additionally, Bethsaida is located in the Golan (i.e. east of the
Jordan River). But the Gospel of John identifies the village as being
in the Galilee (west of the Jordan River).
Solving the mystery of Bethsaida’s location
required coming to the realization that the Sea of Galilee’s
shoreline today – is not where it was in Jesus’ time. This is
most likely due to a significant earthquake in 363 CE. The site of
‘modern-day’ Bethsaida was in fact, at one time, situated right
on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
The city was founded in the tenth century BCE and
was apparently destroyed in 734 BCE, by the Assyrian,
Tiglath-pileser III and was later revived in the Hellenistic
period (332-37 BCE). It was during the first century CE that
Jesus’ ministry was apparently in this area.
Dr. Rami Arav, Director of Bethsaida Excavations
said, “The (Bethsaida) findings have bearing on the understanding
of Biblical archaeology and they help to establish the line of
history in the Bible.” According to Arav the findings are important
both in terms of the New
Testament and the Old
Testament.
Arav noted that the significance of the findings
at Bethsaida to the New
Testament is tremendous. It is the only site that is mentioned in
the Gospels, linked to Jesus and is accessible to archaeologists
today. Bethsaida is mentioned in the New
Testament more than any other city aside from Jerusalem and Capernaum.
The disciples Peter, Phillip and Andrew made their
home here, according to the Gospel
of John. Some of the events linked to Jesus and the Bethsaida
area include:
* Jesus’ famous walk on water (Mark
6:45-51).
* It was here that Jesus was said to have cured a blind man (Mark
8:22-25)
* The feeding of five thousand (Luke
9:12-17).
In Matthew
11:21 Jesus cursed Bethsaida and Chorazin, ‘Woe unto thee,
Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which
were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” Capernaum (also located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee) was cursed by
Jesus as well. “And thou, Capernaum,
which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if
the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in
Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” (Mathew
11:23).
It is within this 20-kilometer triangle formed by
the three ancient cities of Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum that most of Jesus’ teachings were said to have taken place. For
this reason it is often referred to as the Evangelical Triangle. In
terms of the Old Testament the finds at Bethsaida are important
because they demonstrate that this was apparently the capital city
Geshur, a kingdom that neighbored the kingdom of Israel, about which
very little was known outside of Biblical texts. King
David married Maccah, the daughter of Talmai one of the Geshurite
kings mentioned in the Bible. Maccah was also mother of Absalom and
grandmother to a younger Maccah – who was married to Rehoboam.
Bethsaida is located just three miles from
Chorazin. It seems that stones from Bethsaida’s temple to Julia-Livia,
the Roman emperor’s wife, were used, recycled as it were, in the
fifth-century CE synagogue at Chorazin.
The most significant find at Bethsaida to date, is
a ninth century BCE gate. A tenth-century gate apparently lies
beneath it. Excavating the gate will be the focus of the coming
season’s excavations according to Arav, who said, “There is no
place like Bethsaida. Come and see it.”
The Jewish National Fund maintains the site and
entry fees are per vehicle, 50 NIS per car and 150 NIS per bus. One
can park the car and walk roughly 16 yards (200 meters) to the
entrance. The Reserve is close to the Yahudia Junction at the
intersection of Routes 87 and 92.
Sources: Copyright Text � 2000
Gems
in Israel. Photo copyright Dr. Rami Arav,
Director of Bethsaida Excavations. All rights
reserved. Reprinted with Permission. |