The Sea of Galilee (“Kinneret” in Hebrew) has great importance in Christian history. This was the area where Jesus did most of his preaching and is considered the cradle of Christianity. Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem and grew up in the Galilean town of Nazareth, most of his activity centered around the Sea of Galilee and the surrounding villages, where he gathered his disciples from among the Jewish fishermen. He called them from their fishing nets and said: “Come with me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18). Four of them left their nets and became his disciples, influencing others and spreading his teachings.
Three of Jesus’ disciples—Peter, Andrew and Philip—were from the Jewish fishing village Beit Tsaida, on the banks of the Kinneret. For many years, an archeological tel in Jordan Park was identified as the site of Beit Tsaida, an important city in the early Christian era. In recent years, excavations have been carried out in another location, closer to the lake, called Hurvat Beit Habak (al-Araj), and some archeologists believe that this is the site of the Biblical Beit Tsaida.
Capernaum (Kfar Nahum) was another place central to Jesus’ activities. This was the home of Shimon (Simon) Bar Yona, who, as the apostle Peter, continued Jesus’ work. According to Christian tradition, Jesus bestowed on Peter the shepherd’s staff and the keys to heaven. Catholic tradition considers Peter to be the first Pope; the Vatican in Rome is built on his grave. We recall that Peter—Shimon Bar Yona—originally came from Beit Tsaida, on the shores of the Kinneret.
According to Christian tradition, the Sea of Galilee basin was the scene of many miracles:
- The miracle of the loaves and the fishes—Tradition identifies Tabgha, on the banks of the lake, as the site where Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fishes to feed 5,000 people. A church built on the site contains an ancient mosaic floor that depicts this miracle.
- Miraculous catch of fish—The disciples were night fishing but, after hours of efforts, had not caught any fish. Jesus appears and tells them to “go to the depths.” The boat fills to overflowing with fish; they have to bring another boat to contain the bounty. The expression “go to the depths” can be understood in a spiritual way—urging believers to look beyond the material and superficial.
- The miracle of walking on water—While the disciples, caught in a storm, attempt to row their boat to shore, Jesus appears to them, walking on the surface of the lake.
- Miracle of the swine—Jesus goes in a boat to the other side of the lake and meets a man possessed by demons. He exorcises the demons from the man, transferring them to a herd of pigs. The demon-possessed pigs rush into the lake and drown.
Many churches and sites holy to Christianity are located around the Sea of Galilee, attracting close to a million Christian tourists annually:
- The Church of the Beatitudes—On this hilltop, according to Christian tradition, Jesus preached the “Sermon on the Mount” that contains eight expressions of the word “happy” or blessed:” blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are those who mourn; blessed are the meek; etc. In this sermon, Jesus addresses the weaker levels of society.
- The ancient synagogue at Migdal—In the course of building a hotel for Christian pilgrims at Migdal, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, the remains of a synagogue dating from the Second Temple period were found. A stone table with a bas relief of a menorah was found inside the synagogue. The discovery of a synagogue from the time and place of Jesus’ ministry caused great excitement in the Christian world.
- The ancient boat at Ginosar—In the Yigal Alon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar is a 2000-year-old boat of the type used by Jewish fishermen at the turn of the previous millennium. It was discovered by chance in the Sea of Galilee, when the lake waters had receded from the shore. The boat underwent a complex preservation process and is on display at the museum, to the excitement of the many tourists who can imagine that Jesus and his disciples fished from this very boat.
