Lost Church of the Apostles in Bethsaida may have been hidden on purpose
A team of American and Israeli archaeologists unearthed a large doorless wall surrounding the remains of a large basilica on the northern shore of the Kinneret.
5th century Christian basilica in the Galilee. (photo credit: Mordechai Aviam)
Several centuries ago, a doorless wall might have been erected for the purpose of hiding a prominent fifth-century Christian
basilica, a team of Israeli and American archaeologists have
discovered. And while the reason behind the construction of the wall, as
well as the identity of the builders, remain a mystery, the researchers
say that now they can be sure that the basilica is to be identified as
the lost Church of the Apostles at Bethsaida, as mentioned in the
chronicles by Bavarian bishop Willibald who visited the area on a
pilgrimage in 724 CE.
The New Testament describes Bethsaida as the birthplace of three of
Jesus’ Apostles – Peter, Andrew and Philip – on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. According to the Gospels, Jesus performed some of his miracles there.
“On
their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them
with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the
crowds found out about it, they followed him, and he welcomed them, and
spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to
be cured,” reads a passage in the Gospel of Luke.
For over a century, researchers have offered several suggestions of
archaeological sites that could be identified as the lost town,
including a hill known as a-Tel in the Jordan Park excavated by Prof.
Rami Arav from the University of Omaha, Nebraska.
However,
another team of archaeologists from the Kinneret Institute for Galilee
Archeology at Kinneret College, and Nyack College, New York, led by
Prof. Mordechai Aviam and Prof. Steven Notley, have been exploring the
area known as Beit HaBek (al-Araj) on the northern shore of the
Kinneret, based on Willibald’s description.
5th century Christian basilica in the Galilee. (credit: Mordechai Aviam)
“And
thence they went to Bethsaida, the residence of Peter and Andrew, where
there is now a church on the site of their house,” the bishop wrote as
he was traveling along the shores of the Kinneret. “They remained there
that night, and the next morning went to Chorazin, where our Lord healed
the demoniacs, and sent the devil into a herd of swine.”
A
few decades later, a major earthquake hit the region and the Muslim
ruling dynasty changed. In the period that followed, many Christian
sites, and the memory of their exact location, were lost.
“At
the end of the 19th century, al-Araj was already known as a strong
candidate for Bethsaida,” Aviam said. “Five years ago, we decided to
check the site properly and we started to excavate it. Soon we
discovered the Roman layer dating back to the time of Jesus, unearthing
houses, pottery, coins and so on. Since the beginning, some finds
suggested us that there must be a church somewhere, such as pieces of
mosaics.”
AVIAM STRESSED that in consideration of the 8th century chronicle
they were familiar with, it was important for them to locate the church.
“We
wanted to prove the story,” he noted, adding that because al-Araj is on
the shores of the lake, while a-Tel is some two kilometers away, they
thought it was a more convincing site for the New Testament settlement.
Indeed, a large basilica was uncovered, about 27x16 meters.
“We
found mosaics, two inscriptions, the apses, all dating back to the
Byzantine period,” Aviam said. “The church was built at the end of the
fifth or beginning of the sixth century and probably remained in use
until the eighth century.”
During
the latest season of excavations – which ended last week – the
archaeologists unearthed what they presumed to be the outer walls of the
church. However, they were surprised to determine that although the
walls survived to a height of about one meter, not a single entrance was
uncovered.
“There
are only two explanations for this structure,” Aviam said. “It is
possible that the wall belonged to a later structure built on the same
frame of the church. We know that during the Crusaders period in the
13th century a sugar factory operated at the site. Maybe the wall was
connected to it.”
The second suggestion however opens up even further mysteries.
“It
could be that someone decided to build a wall around the remains of
this important church to commemorate it or maybe bury it,” Aviam noted.
According
to the archaeologist, after the earthquake destroyed the church and
since no Christian community was living in its proximity or visiting it,
it is possible that someone wanted to protect the remains of the
building.
Next
year, the archaeologists intend to excavate around the church to reach
the foundation, which will likely allow them to date the wall. And
possibly the answer to some of its mysteries.
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