Capernaum (Kefar Nahum)

Capernaum (Hebrew Kefar Nahum, the Village of Nahum; Arabic Tell Num), at the north end of the Sea of Galilee, is closely associated with Christ's ministry, for after leaving his home town of Nazareth he taught mostly in this fishing village and the surrounding area. The Franciscans of the monastery which was established here in 1894 have contributed, along with various archaeologists, to the investigation of this ancient site and the rebuilding of two important buildings, the House of Peter and the synagogue.

The Biblical story

Jesus left Nazareth and "came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim" (Matthew 4,13). Here he called his first disciples, who were all fishermen: Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John (Matthew 4,18-22). He preached in the synagogue, where he healed a man with an unclean spirit (Mark 1,23-26). He also healed many who were lame, blind, dumb and maimed (Matthew 15,29-31), cured the centurion's servant (Luke 7,1-10) and brought back Jairus's daughter from the dead (Mark 5,35-42). Near Capernaum he fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes (Matthew 14,13-21; Mark 6,35-44), and on another occasion fed four thousand people with seven loaves and a few little fishes (Matthew 15,32-39: see Tabgha). In Capernaum he formulated his teaching in parables - the parable of the sower, of the tares among the wheat, of the grain of mustard-seed, of the leaven, of the treasure hidden in a field, of the net cast into the sea, and so on (Matthew 13) - and above all in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

History

Finds of coins suggest that the town - which is not mentioned in the Old Testament - was established in the second century B.C. Capernaum was a small unfortified town which took no part in the uprisings against Rome in the first and second centuries and as a result remained unscathed.