Experiencing the home of the 'Men of Galillee'

On our first full day in Tiberias, we drove around the Sea of Galilee stopping at as many historic places as time (and Lily) would permit. Some were more interesting than others. Our first stop was a kibbutz at Ginosaur, where a boat from Jesus' time had been preserved and put on display. A few decades ago during a particularly dry period, the lake receded and revealed timbers from a fishing boat, later dated right to the time of Jesus' ministry. While it may not have been boat He walked on water to reach, it was likely very similar and sailed the same waters.

Most interesting was the displays which showed the work done by the kibbutz members to preserve the boat and place it on display. At one point the boat was preserved with spray polyurethane foam, floated to its present site, and soaked in preserving resins for over a year.

The site was typical of Israel. A modern, functional building with gift shop, guided tour, multimedia show, display panels, modest entry fee. The boat was interesting enough, but for me it held no particular spiritual importance. We had an elderly retiree as our guide. We watched the film, but he insisted he tell us the story himself again. It turned out he was one of the kibbutz founders and an imigrant from Europe at the end of the war. He was probably a pretty tough guy at the time of Israel's independance.

Our next stop was the Church of the Beatitudes, located on a pleasant hillside. You can really understand the peaceful and pastoral nature of the land where Jesus spent much of his life. The church was modern, 1920s perhaps. A woman in front of us was scolded by an elderly nun for not having her shoulder's covered. After handing her a shawl, the nun wagged her finger and stated, with steely eyes, 'it is written!'

She was, I believe, referring to the sign at the entrance.

On the drive we passed Magdala (or Migdal), Mary's home town, and Tabgha, the location of the feeding of the loaves and fishes and the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter. The church has, under glass, the rock where Jesus is said to have broken bread for the occasion. It occured to me that finding the specific locations of these events is unimportant. Instead, it's seeing the larger pictrure that is spiritually inspiring.

Next was Capernaum. This was Peter's home town and a church has been built over excavated ruins of the biblical town, and perhaps the actual home of Peter. There is also a synogogue (sp?) from that era nearby, which is quite impressive.

Above, directly, the synogogue at Capernaum; atop this post is a picture of the Church of the Beatitudes.