Christian Sites of Galilee - Saturday, October 23

The Jewish sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and lasts until sundown on Saturday. Because today (Saturday) was the sabbath and many things are closed, we spent the day touring Christian sites around the Sea of Galilee.

First off this morning was a trip to the top of Mt. Arbel, which overlooks Tiberius and Migdal (formerly called Magdal).  The bus took is near the top of the mountain and then we hiked the remaining quarter mile to the top.  At one point there was a city on the top of this mountain and also homes built into the caves in the hillside.  As you can see from the pictures, the view of the valley is spectacular, with the Sea of Galilee off to the east.

Returning to lake level we travelled to area along the the sea where Jesus performed the miracle of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, and where he preached the Beatitudes in a natural amphitheatre along the lake front. These two holy sites are now administered by the Fransicans (since the time of Turkish rule 100 years ago) and there are churches and gardens built on both sites.  To me, they seemed more like tourist stops than did the road to Nazareth which we saw yesterday.  Yet we know that Jesus was in this area and that millions of pilgrims visit the area each year.

Next we visited Capernaum, which is where Jesus spent a substantial amount of time during his ministry.  At Capernaum is an ancient synagogue dating from the 3rd or 4th century, but it is built over the synagogue where Jesus preached. Also in Capernaum is the house of St. Peter's mother-in-law where Jesus probably stayed.  This site has a church built around it which dates from the 3rd or 4th century.  The church is in ruins but excavations have been carried out by the Franciscans and it is quite impressive.

Just a few miles away is Bet Saida, the fishing village home of the disciples Peter, Andrew and Phillip. The city, which was once along the Sea of Galilee, is now quite far away. The city has been moved by earthquakes and shifting of the tactonic plates, and the lake has also receded due to these geological changes. It was interesting to see that Bet Saida is being excavated by a team of mid-western colleges including University of Nebraska-Omaha, Wartburg College (in Iowa) and Truman State (in Missouri - where my nieces went to college)

Lunch today was at a kibbutz on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Fish was the special of the day, but I saw it wink at me  (the head and eyes were still on it) for we had the vegtable soup and salads. The fresh vegtables, especially cucumbers and tomatoes are terrific. Terri loves the hummus and flat bread which is served at most meals. The kibbutz has fields of banana trees, all covered by netting to keep out the birds and the bunches of bananas are also covered with blue bags. I assume this is to keep out insects, much like we cover apples with bags while they are still on the tree.

The final stop of the day was at Kinneret, where the Jordan river flows out of the Sea of Galilee. This is where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.  Today the area is run by a kibbutz which has built steps down to the river where many pilgrims are baptized.  We had a short service there and then had the chance to renew our baptism in the river, though I chose just to go wading, not for the "full dip."  It was interesting to have groups from all over the world in this area. We had a group from India join us in singing some hymns and then a group from Russia, I think, also join in signing in their own language.  It was very moving to hear the same hymn in languages from throughout the world.

We returned to the hotel in time to enjoy a beer on the patio before dinner.  Today had been about 100 degrees, so a cold beer was very refreshing.