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.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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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. Later it grew in size: originally extending only between the synagogue and the sea, it was enlarged in the fourth century by the development of new districts to the east and north of the synagogue. The prosperity of the town is indicated by the fact that the synagogue was not built of the local black basalt but of imported limestone. About 450 an octagonal church dedicated to St Peter, who was believed to have had a house on this spot, was built to the south of the synagogue on the site of earlier houses. After the Arab invasion in the seventh century the town's decline began. A pilgrim called Burchardus noted in the 13th century that "the once famous city of Capernaum is now a sad sight to behold: it consists only of seven wretched fishermen's huts". A new phase began when Edward Robinson, an American, identified the site in 1838. The first soundings were carried out by Charles Wilson in 1866. In 1894 the Franciscans bought the site. In 1905 two German archaeologists, H. Kohl and C. Watzinger, brought to light the central and eastern aisles of the synagogue, which had collapsed in an earthquake; between then and 1914 Wendelin Hinterkeuser, a Franciscan, excavated the rest of the synagogue and the courtyard and investigated the surrounding area; and between 1921 and 1926 another Franciscan, Gaudentius Orfali, excavated the residential district, with the octagonal church of St Peter. Further work on the site began in 1968. Excavations carried out by Stanislao Loffreda showed that from apostolic times onwards Capernaum and the surrounding area were continuously inhabited by Jewish Christians. These passed on their knowledge of the holy places in the area to the pilgrims who began to come to the Holy Land from the West in the fourth century and took home with them stories of what they had seen.
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. Later it grew in size: originally extending only between the synagogue and the sea, it was enlarged in the fourth century by the development of new districts to the east and north of the synagogue. The prosperity of the town is indicated by the fact that the synagogue was not built of the local black basalt but of imported limestone. About 450 an octagonal church dedicated to St Peter, who was believed to have had a house on this spot, was built to the south of the synagogue on the site of earlier houses. After the Arab invasion in the seventh century the town's decline began. A pilgrim called Burchardus noted in the 13th century that "the once famous city of Capernaum is now a sad sight to behold: it consists only of seven wretched fishermen's huts". A new phase began when Edward Robinson, an American, identified the site in 1838. The first soundings were carried out by Charles Wilson in 1866. In 1894 the Franciscans bought the site. In 1905 two German archaeologists, H. Kohl and C. Watzinger, brought to light the central and eastern aisles of the synagogue, which had collapsed in an earthquake; between then and 1914 Wendelin Hinterkeuser, a Franciscan, excavated the rest of the synagogue and the courtyard and investigated the surrounding area; and between 1921 and 1926 another Franciscan, Gaudentius Orfali, excavated the residential district, with the octagonal church of St Peter. Further work on the site began in 1968. Excavations carried out by Stanislao Loffreda showed that from apostolic times onwards Capernaum and the surrounding area were continuously inhabited by Jewish Christians. These passed on their knowledge of the holy places in the area to the pilgrims who began to come to the Holy Land from the West in the fourth century and took home with them stories of what they had seen.
Related Attractions
Capernaum - Synagogue
On the north side of the second insula is the synagogue. A few steps lead up to an open porch, from which three doors give access to the aisles of the synagogue and two others to the courtyard on its east side. The original consoles, carved with palm-trees, have been restored to the central doorway. Rows of columns run down between the three aisles and along the far end. Along the left-hand side are stone benches. On one of the Corinthian columns at the far end is a Greek inscription: "Herod, son of Monimus, and his son Justus, with their children, erected this column". The synagogue presumably had an upper gallery for women. There is no recess for the Torah, which must have been set up during worship at the south end (ie. at the entrance), facing in the direction of Jerusalem. On the east side is the courtyard, which could be entered either from the synagogue itself or from the porch. Watzinger dated the building, on stylistic and historical grounds, to the second or early third century, but more recent research, based on coins and pottery found under the synagogue, suggests that it was built about 400. While the building in the older level of the Octagon of Peter may well be the house in which Jesus stayed and in which he healed Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8,14- 17; Mark 1,29-31; Luke 4,38-41), the synagogue is a much later building. It is hoped that further excavations may reveal the synagogue in which Jesus taught "as one that had authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1,22) and performed various miracles.
Capernaum - Octagon of Peter and insulae
Turning left and then right, we come to the "Insula Sacra", with the Octagon of Peter under its protective roof. The authenticity of this monument is established both by the literary sources and by archeological investigation. It is built over the remains of earlier houses, laid out in regular square blocks (insulae), the oldest of which date from the first century B.C. These were humble dwellings, with small rooms surrounding a courtyard in which was a hearth; the fishing hooks found in them suggest that they were occupied by fishermen. One of the houses was re-plastered at least three times, and on the remains of plaster were found 131 inscriptions in which the names of Christ and Peter frequently occur. It appears, therefore, that by the late first century the house was already revered as the house of the Apostle Peter. Around 350 the building was surrounded by an enclosure wall and was given a new roof supported on an arch. The pilgrim Aetheria noted in the late fourth century that the house of the Prince of the Apostles in Capernaum had become a church and that its walls remained unaltered. This indicates that it was then a domus-ecclesia, a private house used for Christian worship. Finally about 450 an octagonal church was built over the house (a round or octagonal building was the preferred form for a baptistery or - as here - a memoria). The mosaic pavement has a peacock, the symbol of immortality, in the center. The semicircular apse at the east end served as a baptistery. To the north of the Insula Sacra is another insula.
Capernaum - The Site
At the entrance to the site of Capernaum, between the Franciscan monastery and the gardens, is a kiosk selling tickets, slides and books, including Stanislao Loffreda's excellent guide "A Visit to Capernaum". Beyond this, in a kind of archeological park, are numerous carved architectural fragments and mosaics; to the rear, straight ahead, is the Octagon of Peter, under an unattractive modern concrete roof, and to the left the synagogue, which has been partly rebuilt.
Architectural fragments
Going round in an anti-clockwise direction, we come first, on the south side of the area, to a mosaic pavement from Cana and numerous carved stones from the synagogue, including columns from a window, a relief of vines, grapes and palm-fronds, a cornice carved with a sea- horse and two eagles bearing a garland, a column with an inscription in Aramaic "Alphaeus, son of Zebedee, son of John, made this column as a blessing unto himself", a relief of a wagon, probably the portable Ark of the Covenant, a cornice with grapes and figs, a shell surrounded by a garland (the keystone of an arch on the facade), stones with Greek key patterns and the star of David and another mosaic from Cana.
Architectural fragments
Going round in an anti-clockwise direction, we come first, on the south side of the area, to a mosaic pavement from Cana and numerous carved stones from the synagogue, including columns from a window, a relief of vines, grapes and palm-fronds, a cornice carved with a sea- horse and two eagles bearing a garland, a column with an inscription in Aramaic "Alphaeus, son of Zebedee, son of John, made this column as a blessing unto himself", a relief of a wagon, probably the portable Ark of the Covenant, a cornice with grapes and figs, a shell surrounded by a garland (the keystone of an arch on the facade), stones with Greek key patterns and the star of David and another mosaic from Cana.
