Day 4

Yesterday morning we made an early start toward the archaeological ruins of Capernaum. In full dress code compliance, password and counter-sign in hand, we were easily able to gain access! It was here in Capernaum that Jesus made his headquarters.(Matt. 4:12-17)  Capernaum was the home of Peter, and It was in Capernaum that Jesus' taught in the Synagogue (Mk 1:21-28), healed, the Centurion's servant and Peter's mother-in-law. As well as many others. (Matt. 8:5-17)  Patty made friends of some of the resident Capernaum cats and took some pictures! It was amazing to be able to see the remains of the 1st then 4th century synagogue where Jesus taught, then walk down the same street to the remains of the Peter's house, where Jesus lived. One's imagination can run wild knowing you are seeing, smelling and touching the place Jesus and his disciples did every day.


Next we went to the Church of the Beatitudes. Not much to see here except for a great view of the Sea of Galilee and some amazing gardens. The Catholic Church owns a beautiful old church on the traditional site of where Jesus spoke the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5, though there is no archaeological evidence to support this location.

Our next stop was the archaeological ruins of the city of Korazin. It is located only a few miles up hill from Capernaum. It's synagogue ruins and architecture are quite impressive, but all the stones are cut from black basalt, giving the appearance of everything being burnt. Not only that, but the black stone attracts the heat making the summer heat even more unbearable. It is hard to imagine a hotter dryer place to try and live in the first century. Korazim was one of the cities cursed by Jesus for their lack of repentance in spite of the many miracle performed there. (Matt 11: 20-24)

Around noon, we went to see the “Ancient Galilee Boat” exhibit at Kibbutz Ginosar. Here a real 1st century Galilee fishing boat is on display. It was discovered and excavated from the mud of the Sea of Galilee in 1986 during a drought year. It is 26.9 feet long, made of several different woods and is amazingly still in tact! The kibbutz has a beautiful modern museum, gift store and cafe dedicated solely to the boat. Patty and I ate our lunch there before seeing the exhibit.

Our last biblical site of the day was a trip to the Jordan river. We were able to find an “off the path” location and took some great pictures of the Jordan and some of the locals recreating in it. Patty also took pictures of the Date Palm groves in the area of the river. We then headed back to the hotel to change, relax and get ready for dinner. On the way back, daredevil Patty talked me into four wheelin' up the side of some mountain, on a dirt goat trail so she could get some pretty crazy pictures of the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias.

After a full day of sight seeing, we took in dinner at a local restaurant. The food and service was great and it capped off what had been a really good day. Patty was particularly amused by the children in the restaurant. This morning, Yerushalayim! : )