Israel: Pilgrims from Around the World Visit Galilee
For centuries dating back to the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, the land around the Sea of Galilee was a crossroads between empires. Traders frequently passed through the region on the way to Damascus or Alexandria. As a result, the pleasant seaside village of Capernaum on the northwest side of the shore evolved into a caravan stop and a commercial center. After the Romans annexed greater Palestine, they designated a Jewish King, Herod the Great, to administer all of Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and several adjoining regions from 44 BC until his death in 4 BC. Thereafter, his son Herod Antipas was granted authority over Galilee and ruled there throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ.
Under Roman rule, Capernaum served as a trading place for merchants and housed a customs station and a small garrison of Roman soldiers. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote in the first century that Capernaum had a large fishing community with more than two hundred active vessels fishing on the Sea of Galilee. He also claimed that the region produced an abundance of prophets and rebels. Nevertheless, few would have predicted that this backwater of the Roman empire would give rise to the brief ministry of Jesus which changed the empire and impacted the development of western civilization.
The Sea of Galilee and the surrounding towns were the site of many events recorded in the Gospels of the Christian New Testament including miracles, sermons and teachings, discussions between Jesus and his apostles, and disputes with local religious authorities. Because of these incidents and Galilee’s proximity to Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, the area has been a prime destination for Christian pilgrims from around the world seeking to visit places described in the Bible and worship there for centuries.
Sites and Activities around Galilee
There are excursions to the Galilee region every day leaving from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and other locations around Israel. The primary destinations visited by travelers in the region are the following places:
Sea of Galilee – The Sea of Galilee is a major attraction and a beautiful body of water. Roughly thirteen miles long and eight miles wide, it is surrounded by hills and has the lowest elevation of any water body in the world except the Dead Sea. Its water is collected from underground springs and the southerly flow of the Jordan River. Use of the water and the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee has been a hotly contested issue since ancient times, and it remains a source of dispute between Israel and its neighbors. There are many locations around the Sea which provide an excellent view of the water.
Interesting thoughts come to mind when gazing out at the Sea of Galilee. First, the geography of the area provides a whole new perspective on notable events from ancient and modern times. The distances between various towns are slight. Israeli citizens, army patrols, and tourists can look across the water and see the Golan Heights and parts of Syria a few miles away. Similarly, two thousand years ago, Jesus and his disciples could see the palace on a nearby shore where Herod Antipas executed John the Baptist. Second, this location and its calm waters was an excellent place for fishing in an agrarian society. In fact, during the recent drought in 1986, an ancient fishing boat was uncovered on the shore which dated back to the first century AD. Fishing and swimming remain popular activities for locals today. Third, the Sea and its shoreline was the location of over a dozen key events presented in the Christian Gospels including Jesus’ recruitment of four Galilean fishermen to be his disciples, the miraculous catch of fish, and the Sermon on the Mount. Viewing the Sea of Galilee will mean different things to different people, but it will provide a memorable experience for all.
Tiberias – The Galilee area had over two hundred populated villages in 66 AD including Capernaum according to the historian Josephus. However, the Roman city of Tiberias built by Herod Antipas on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee emerged as the dominant city over time and today this city of 50,000 people remains a popular destination. People enjoy visiting the Old City which includes Jewish and Christian sites, a Crusader Fortress, the Yigal Alon Promenade boardwalk, restaurants, and nighttime activities. Tiberias is about ten miles from Capernaum. Its tourist hotels serve as a base of operations for people relaxing at one of the local hot springs after touring the religious sites or for outdoor enthusiasts who want to hike or bike a portion of the “Jesus Trail” from the Arbel Cliffs to Capernaum.
Capernaum - Jesus did more preaching and performed more miracles in the Capernaum area than in any other place according to the Gospels. However, he was not always well received by the community and admonished Capernaum and two other towns nearby for their lack of faith. Although visited by early pilgrims during the Middle Ages, Capernaum eventually fell into ruins around 1000 AD before being rediscovered in 1866 by a British archeologist. The ruins there today are revered by worshippers and administered by a Franciscan monastery.
There are many important sites to visit at Capernaum. The town was the home of the disciple Peter. Jesus was reported to have healed Peter’s mother and other sick people of the community on his trips there. A stone house believed to have belonged to Peter’s family and an early Byzantine church constructed were excavated and can be viewed through glass. Above this excavation is a modern church known as the Pilgrimage Church of St. Peter where services and prayers take place throughout the day for visitors. To see people from all over the world joining together in worship is a moving spiritual experience regardless of ones’ faith. On the day we visited the church, a large group of several hundred pilgrims from the Sudan were in the church all dressed in white to pray together after saving for years for a trip to the Holy Land. Another interesting site in Capernaum is the ruins of a synagogue built with a Roman style architecture in the third century AD on top of an earlier one.
Other locations - Many tours stop at Nazareth on the way to Galilee to see the thirty churches and monasteries there, some of which were built centuries ago by various Christian denominations such as the Roman Catholic Basilica of Annunciation. Other people enjoy traveling to the southern terminus of the Sea of Galilee where the River Jordan narrows to experience the Yardenit Baptismal site. At that location, pilgrims and visitors observe or participate in immersive baptisms commemorating the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.