Archaeology
Synagogue at Capernaum
- Era
- 1st-century basalt foundations; 4th-century limestone superstructure
- Location
- Capernaum, north shore of the Sea of Galilee
- Discovered
- excavations 1838 onward
The site where Jesus taught. Excavators have uncovered the black basalt foundations of a first-century synagogue directly beneath the later white limestone building — the earlier one Jesus almost certainly stood in.
The find
The visible white limestone synagogue dates to the 4th-5th century AD, but excavations exposed massive black basalt walls and floors beneath it — the foundations of an earlier 1st-century synagogue on the exact same footprint. The Gospels record Jesus teaching, healing, and being challenged in "the synagogue" at Capernaum.
Why it matters
It anchors the Gospel narratives of Jesus' Galilean ministry to a specific, visitable place. The Capernaum-based stories include several healings, the calling of Matthew, and the Bread of Life discourse.
Cross-linked Scripture
Doctrine check
Sources
- ·Strange, J.F. & Shanks, H. (1983). Has the House Where Jesus Stayed in Capernaum Been Found? BAR 9:6
- ·Loffreda, S. (2005). Recovering Capharnaum, 2nd ed.
- ·BAR: The House of Peter at Capernaum
- ·Capernaum (Wikipedia)
See also
