Mount Beatitudes

View of Sea of Galilee from inside the church

Mount Beatitudes is located on a low hill on the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee. It offers a spectacular view over the Sea of Galilee, on clear days all the way to the south end, as well as the surrounding mountains of Galilee and Golan.

We can only call the site traditional, as more than four hundred years passed between the original event and the building of the first church there in the 4th century. Only very few ruins remain of this early church in the vicinity of the modern site.

The Sermon on the Mount

Church of Mt. Beatitudes

Modern Mount Beatitudes is located within easy walk of Capernaum. In fact Capernaum can be seen from the balcony of the modern church.

This is the place where traditionally the Sermon of the Mount (Luke 5: 3-11) (Revised Standard Version) took place. The Sermon of the Mount is the longest of all the teachings of Jesus, and starts with the 8 Beatitudes:

Three Beatitudes in higher windows of the Church

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth
Blessed are those who hunder and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God

Inside the Church

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs the the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are you when men rvile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely
on my account …

Luke 5: 3-11 (Revised Standard Version)

The western slope of Mount Beatitude has a unique feature. It is almost like a Roman style theater. If someone stands or sits on the lower slope and talks, the talk can be heard higher up and quite clearly. Maybe this was the reason the Byzatines chose this hill rather than any of the other hills around.

A Little Sister on the steps to the Church

Mount Beatitudes has for the last app. 150 years belonged to the Fransiscan Order and is administered by The Little Sisters Order. In 1938 they commissioned the Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi to build a church.

Barluzzi decided to use an octagonal outlay, so that when standing inside the church looking out, the view is slightly different. Each side in the octagonal represents one of the Beatitudes. He may also have chosen the octagonal shape, as that was a very popular shape in the Byzantine period.
The Church on Mount Beatitudes is one of 11 churches that Barluzzi built in Palestine.

The new hostel

For many years the monastery not only served the White Sisters. It was also used as a hostel. A few years ago, a new building was erected for this purpose, with all modern facilities. This may be the place to say for anyone in need of quiet time with spectacular view over the Sea of Galilee.

Even if you don’t stay here, take time to enjoy the gardens, with small groves and seating spaces. The seating areas have been designed for groups to hold service or time for teaching. Most of them offer spectacular views over the Sea of Galilee.

For all its fame the Jordan River is not really a river. At least not when compared to the really great rivers of the world, and even the Middle East, such as the Mississippi, the Nile and the Euphrates. And still it is known my more people than most of the great rivers.

Songs have been written, stories are told, traditions and important events are told again and again. And against this there are other aspects to this venerated old river.

No one today will see it in its whole length, but only snatches and bits and pieces. In some places you may see fast flowing waters where modern water fun can be entertained. In other places a slowly meandering old river venerated for its religious importance.

The Upper Jordan River

The Jordan River runs from its sources Dan, Banias and Hazbani at the foot of the Hermon Mountain via the Sea of Galilee and empties out in the Dead Sea, for a total length of 320 km. The first part from the sources to the Sea of Galilee is also known as the Upper Jordan River. This part is some 80 km in length and has a steep drop from app. 343 m above sea level (near Banias) to 214 m below sea level (Sea of Galilee).

The Banias

Dan and Banias are nature reserves as well as historical site. They both have hikes of varying lengths and difficulty to suit all. Within the Dan reserve is the ancient mound of Tel Dan, where one of the best preserved horned alters can still be seen, as well as the impressive Canaanite and Israelite city gates. It was here that the famous stelae was found carrying the words Beit David, House of David.

Banias , or  Caesarea Phillipi, is known for its Roman and Greek temples to Pan, but more so for being the place of Peter’s Confession (Matt 16:16; Mark 8:29).

On the upper river there are several places where rafting, kayaking or inner tubing can be done. Following good winters with much rain and snow the water rushes in places over boulders, creating decent rapids for the more adventurous spirits. In other places the water always run more placidly, and is therefore suitable for the whole family.

The Sea of Galilee

After some 80 km the Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee not far from the ancient town of Beit Saida.  The Kinneret as it is known in Hebrew is app. 21 km long and 13 km across at its widest and goes down to a depth of 43 m. It is the only freshwater lake in Israel, and serves as an attraction to local and foreign tourism, as a holiday area, as well as supplying some 50% of fresh water to Israel.

The Lower Jordan River

The Jordan River runs out of the the Sea of Galilee on the south western edge, and runs for another app. 250 km till it reaches the Dead Sea. This part is known as the Lower Jordan River, and the flow here is much slower as the drop is from -214 to -420 over the longer distance. Almost the full length of the Lower River also serves as border between Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan.

On the lower river, very close to the exit out of the Sea of Galilee, is the place most visited by Christian tourists. At the Yardenit Baptismal Site it is possible for any visitor to truly see and touch the waters of the Jordan River. The place offers facilities for baptizing, and for many pilgrims this becomes one of the highlights of their tour in Israel.

Baptism

This is not the place where Jesus was baptized (Matt 3:13). The traditional site of the baptism of Jesus is some 5 km north of the Dead Sea. This site is not approachable from the Israeli side, only from the Jordanian side.

Best known as the place of the baptism of Jesus, the Jordan River offers the visitor many exciting moments from its headwaters near the Hermon Mountain until its end in the Dead Sea.

Entry to Church House of St. Peter

On the south side of Capernaum stands the large modern church of  The House of St. Peter. It hovers over the ruins of the 5th century octagonal church, also known by the same name. This church had been built over the remains of even earlier buildings.

To begin with the earliest from the first century. Remains of the insula can still be seen beneath the later buildings. According to some archaeologists one room or courtyard within this insula received special status in the latter parts of the first century, becoming a place of assembly. The floor was covered with plaster, and the wall reworked, some even say with inscriptions. This is contested by other archeologists. No household ceramics were found in this room, only a very large amount of oil lamps.

This late 1st century structure may have been used as a domus-ecclesia or house church by the early Christians of Capernaum.

Across insula to House of St. Peter

In the 4th century this structure underwent a major transformation. Walls were added as well as archways  to support the roof and new entrances. It is possible that the remainder of the insula continued in its original function, as living quarters.

In the 5th century the whole insula was dismantled as well as the early house of prayer. On top was built a large octagonal church, to become known as the Church of the House of St. Peter. The Byzantines took great care to locate this church directly above the early house. Mosaics covered the floors of plants and animals. The mosaic in the central octagon in addition had schools of fish and in the center a circle with a peacock, an early Christian symbol for immortality.

Although there are only ruins to be seen today, the place may hold special significance for the Christian visitor.

Is this really the House of St. Peter?

There is no doubt about the identification of Capernaum. There is however debate on whether the House of St. Peter really is that.

Jesus chose Capernaum as the place of his ministry. (Mtt. 4: 13) Many of his disciples were from Capernaum. Simon, later known as Peter, lived in Capernaum with his family, worked as a fisherman (Matt. 4:18) and was one of the first to be  chosen by Jesus.

Peter and his house is mentioned a number of times in the gospels. In fact one of the first healings is of Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:30). This means that Peter was married, as was the norm of those days. There is no information on Peter’s family, except that he also had a brother, Andrew, who most likely lived in the same insula as Peter.

Whenever considering if a 5th century church was really built over Peter’s house, a number of things should be taken into consideration.

1. The insula at the time would house extended families
2. Oral tradition

Is it possible that the family of Peter would remember where he lived? Is it possible even that he had descendants, children? Quite likely, as he was married. Would they have followed in his footsteps and followed Jesus, and became the foundation for the Christian community in Capernaum.

There is an additional question to consider. Where did Jesus stay while in Capernaum? He would not have slept outside in the open. If we take the stand that he was not married, he most likely did not have his own household. Is it possible that he would stay with Simon Peter, his best friend?
At least some of the time?

Sculpture of St. Peter

After the death of Jesus, Peter, together with the disciples, returned to the Galilee, to their homes in Capernaum. They would have come back and told all that had happened in Jerusalem. They would have continued to stay there, especially Peter, until he fully began his apostolic work.

Taking all of the above into consideration there is a very high likelihood that the church is truly built over the house of Peter.

I have told you the way I see it. It is up to you now to consider this. But maybe when you visit Capernaum you will actually walk where Jesus and the disciples lived, worked and walked.

Today most of us think of olives and olive oil primarily as foods. And for very good reasons. Olive oil is considered to be one of the healthiest oils to use in food and food production.

In ancient times olives and olive oil had a much greater use. It was used in food. One of the greatest uses of the oil was for lighting in the oil lamps. It was used for offerings in the Temple in Jerusalem, as anointing oil of kings and priests, in cosmetics and in medicine. What was left over after extraction of the oil was used as fuel and as fertilizer. No wonder that the olive became one of the prestigious ‘Seven Species’ of Deuteronomy (8:8).

The Olive Tree

There are still many wild olives in Israel, but it is the domesticated varieties that are seen throughout the country from the southernmost parts of the Hills of Judea to the high mountains of the Galilee.

The tree flowers in May, small inconspicuous flowers. The fruit ripens in late fall, and harvest goes on from late October through November, sometimes into December. The traditional way of harvesting is to shake the branches and allow the fruit to fall unto burlap spread underneath.

Even at this stage when the fruit is ripe, don’t do what I once did – eat the fruit straight from the tree. As I said at the time: I ate the fruit three times – the first, the last and never again. The fruit is so bitter as to be inedible.

But take the time to crush the olive, or place it in a lime solution for a couple of days, and then marinate it in water with garlic, lemon or other spices, and you get the wonderful fruit that many of us like to eat.

Olive Oil Press and Production

Harvesting the olive and producing olive oil is extremely labor intensive. Once the fruit has been harvested the farmer now brings it to the press. In some occasions the biblical farmer had his own press, but usually a privately owned or community press would serve a large area. We are fortunate that many of these presses have survived till today and been found in archaeological excavations. In a few places they have been restored to show the visitor the full process.

Today we are advised to buy only cold press oil. When heated the olive and the oil looses some of its nutritional value. This was also known in ancient times, though occasionally the farmer would heat the fruit at home, in order to get a larger quantity of oil.

"Crusher" in Capernaum

In the olive press the olive must first be crushed. This was done in large “crushers” consisting of a container and the round upper stone, the crusher. The two were connected with an upright pole and a horizontal beam running through the crusher. This stone would be pulled either by people, or in the lucky cases by donkeys.

After running the crusher over the olives for app. half hour, the crushing was completed. This mass was now scooped up and placed in large baskets to be placed on the press. Before this process began the baskets were soaked in water, so that all the oil could be retrieved.

The baskets were now stacked over the press-bed, either with a basin underneath, or a rim around it, to catch the liquid being pressed out. The liquid would run into the catching basin where it would be left, so that the water and oil would separate, the light oil on the top, which would then be ladled off into storage jars.

Presser in Nazareth Village

The earliest form of presses was through a weight system, with three 600 pound weights hung from the cross beam. These weights could be lowered to apply more pressure as needed. In the first century BCE a screw system came into being, making the pressing somewhat easier.

Pressure would be applied at different stages to get the maximum amount of oil out. The time needed for full pressing was 24 hours, and so there would usually be two presses to one crusher. In this way while one press was pressing, the other would either be emptied or filled up again.

The Olive Oil

This production process gave three separate qualities of oil. The first, the purest and most expensive, was the only one used for tithing to the Temple. All three qualities were used for food, for fuel, in cosmetics and medicine, to allow all to be able to buy it.

Ancient oil lamp

By far the most common use of olive oil was for lighting. It is so easy for us to forget how blessed we are that all we have to do when it gets dark is to flip the switch. Until not that long ago, if you wanted see in the dark you had to have candles, or as in the case of the Middle East and Southern Europe – oil.

The olives and the oil could and was exported long distances. The oil from Israel was considered one of the finest, and was much sought after. For Israel the olive oil was the golden oil of biblical times.

The Left-overs

The ancient world did not waste. Everything could and was used, and so also with the pulp left over from the pressing. The pips still contained a great amount of oil was excellent for burning in cooking or heating ovens.

The pulp could be used as fertilizer around growing trees and vines. It was often also used in the plaster mixture painted on the walls of houses. This helped to keep away insects. It was also poured over grain to protect it from mice and insects. This as well as lower quality oil was also used eventually for making soaps.

The tree needs to be trimmed occasionally. The wood lends itself beautifully for carving with its soft undulating lines in different hues of brown, and was therefore much in demand for furniture and doors. In the First Temple in Jerusalem the doors to the inner sanctuary were made of olive wood.

Some Places to see Oil Presses
One of the easiest places to see an olive press in its original location is within the grounds of Capernaum.
For the slightly more off the beaten track traveler, Tel Maresha in the Beit Guvrin area has a beautiful example of a restored olive press. In the Talmudic town of Katzrin on the Golan Heights there is also a fine restored olive press.

There are things that can only be experienced at certain times of the year in Israel. You have to know when and where to go for these special experiences.

Nahal Saar is one of those experiences. Nahal Saar flows between the Hermon Mountain and the Golan Heights in the north of the Israel. The word nahal means stream, and as with many streams in Israel water can only been seen in late winter and early spring. This on condition that there has been a good amount of rain through the winter, and hopefully also some snow on the Hermon Mountain and the northern Golan Heights.

This year has been like this. I was fortunate that the other day I was touring up in that part of the country with my tourists, and I had the time and they had the interest to stop for this special experience. The day was glorious, way too warm for this time of the year, but we made the most of it. So we stopped at Nahal Saar, where it has created a fairly large waterfall.

I have to tell you that we were not the only ones there. Though I did not film it, I could hardly find parking place on the other side of the road. Some people even hiked up for an even better view, but we made do with the low view. This is what I am sharing with you here.

View of Sea of Galilee from Capernaum

On the north shore of the Sea of Galilee lie the ruins of the town of Capernaum. This town has in modern times become known as the Town of Jesus, because this is where he spent the greater part of the three years of his ministry.

Capernaum has been in ruins and forgotten since the 7th century. It was rediscovered in the middle of the 19th century by the American explorer Edward Robinson, mainly the synagogue. His findings were confirmed by later explorers as well as archaeological excavations.

Almost nothing about Capernaum is known from written sources outside the New Testament, which means we can’t say much about the origin of its name. Capernaum is a contraction of two Hebrew words: Kfar = village and Nahum, an ordinary Jewish name then and now. There is most likely no connection to the prophet Nahum.

Excavations show that the town, or maybe rather village, was founded in the early Hashmonean period, around 150 BCE, and that it was and stayed primarily a Jewish village, even through the Roman period. But already in the later parts of the first century CE there seems to be the beginnings of a group of followers of Jesus, an early Christian community in the Holy Land.

Who Lived in Capernaum?
We can’t say how large Capernaum was at the time of Jesus. It would not have been a significant place, as no defensive walls have been discovered. With ample supply of fresh water, either from the springs nearby or from the Sea of Galilee, the town could have been large, but it is estimated that no more than 5000 people lived there at the time.

The main occupations of the people would have been as fishermen, as farmers, or involved in the further production of the agricultural products. This can be seen from the olive press and large industrial wheat grinders that have been found.

But Capernaum would also have generated income from the route that passed through it, an ancient route connecting the Galilee with Damascus, and part of a large road system.

Although a small place and quite poor, it was built along the traditional lines of towns at the time. This consisted of a main street running north-south, and smaller side streets coming off, creating a grid-like system and different neighborhoods. Each square within this system was known as an insula (Latin) or agora (Greek).

All of the houses were built of rough basalt stones – the most common stone in the area. They were built along the typical lines of houses in the first century, two or three small rooms around a larger central courtyard. In this courtyard was the oven for the preparation of food. Staircases were found, showing that the roofs were used. The roofs were constructed of wooden beams with thatch and mud in between.

Being a small village none of the houses were more than the ground floor. But the roofs were in important part of the house, where the people might have preferred to sleep, especially in the hot summer months.

As was common in those days families lived together, meaning that an insula would house several generations of the same family, each within its own small house, but in close proximity to be of help to each other.

Further history of Capernaum
It seems that Capernaum did not take part in any of the Jewish Rebellions against the Romans, not The First Rebellion (66-70) that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, nor in the second, the Bar Kochba Rebellion (132-135).

Capernaum continued to thrive in the following centuries. This can be seen from the construction that took place there in late fourth or early fifth century. The central part of the town was torn down to make a town square. On the north side was built a large synagogue, today known as the White Synagogue, on the south side a church, to become known as the House of St. Peter.

Capernaum was partly destroyed during the 7th century with the Persian invasion (614) and the Arab Conquest (636). Remains of an Arab village have been found nearby. It was finally abandoned in the 11the century, probably due to the Crusader conquest (1099) and left forgotten till modern times.

In the late 19th century the Franciscans took over the site, built a protective wall around the remains of the town. They also undertook complete investigation of the site as well as archaeological excavations that have revealed the White Synagogue, the remains of the early churches of the House of St. Peter, the oil press and other agricultural implements, the agora, and more.

This is a definite must for any visitor to Israel traveling in the footsteps of Jesus.

Things of special importance in Capernaum:
The Oil Press
The Synagogue
The Insula
St. Peter’s House
The remains of the panels, with rolling ark and star

® Copyright to Birte Edwards, Your Tour Guide to Israel

I just love it, when new experiences are added to the map of exploring Israel and the Holy Land. That is what this latest development is all about.

The Jesus Trail is a hiking tour through the Galilee that Jesus would have known. The moving force behind the development of the trail are Maoz Inon, an Israeli entrepreneur, and David Landis, a Mennonite from the US. The idea behind the trail is to allow visitors to Israel the opportunity to experience the Galilee scenery in a new way, as well as helping businesses in out-of-the way places to make more money.

But there is more to it than that. As reported in StarTribune.com | Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota:

Though the venture is called the Jesus Trail, the appeal is meant to be broad. Nazareth and the Galilee are important to Christians, who regard the area as the setting of Jesus’s boyhood, adult ministry and initial miracles. However, the route is a layer cake of “narratives,” covering Christian holy sites, small Arab towns typical of northern Israel, the remnants of Palestinian villages empty since Israel’s 1948 war of independence, ancient Jewish sites, modern kibbutzim, Crusader battlefields and Muslim shrines.

The Jesus Trail is still in its infancy, but is constantly being improved. From the website of the Jesus Trail:

The Jesus Trail offers an alternative for travelers and pilgrims to experience the steps of Jesus in a way that is authentic, adventurous and educational by trekking through the rugged and beautiful landscape of the Galilee.The main Jesus Trail route is 65 km and begins in Nazareth and passes through Sepphoris, Cana, Kibbutz Lavi, Arbel Cliffs, Tabgha, Capernaum, and the Mount of Beatitudes. An optional return loop to Nazareth passes through Tiberias, the Jordan River, Mount Tabor, and Mount Precipice.

The trail is made up of several journeys that can be hiked individually or in full. The organizers will rent out GPS, organize guides and more.

At present only the first section is guided by volunteer guides. There are daily tours that start at 8 am from the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, except Sunday.

For full article on The Jesus Trail – A Spiritual Journey By Howard Schneider, Washington Post

For the Jesus Trail Website.

Despite the name the Sea of Galilee is not a sea, but a lake, being all fresh water. It is about 28 km long and 10 km wide on the widest. When seen from above it seems to have the shape of the ancient lyre, which in ancient Hebrew was “kinor”. This may be the origin of its Hebrew name – Kinneret.

If it is not, then nobody knows where the Hebrew name stems from. Not that it really matter to the average Israeli, who on holidays or Saturdays will stream to the shores of the Sea of Galilee to bathe, water jetting or visit one of the water slide sites, nor to the tens of thousand of Christian or Jewish visitors to the area.

And it is not just the Kinneret itself that attracts. The mountains around – to the west the mountains of the Galilee, to the east the Golan Heights – are strewn with historical sites and great hiking trails for all ages.

If you should happen to be hungry, there are no lack of eating places. Some are a little away, maybe up in the mountains on either side offering not only excellent foot but often a stunning night view of the Sea. Others are nearer the shoreline or on the shoreline itself. The majority of eating places are in Tiberias, the only town at the Sea of Galiee.

Certain parts of the population prefer the eating places in Tiberias, whether down on the promenade or in one of the small side streets. One thing is for certain – a lack of restaurants is not the reason for you to go hungry.

But the Sea of Galilee is much more than the fun  place for Israelis. On the north shore are some of the most important places to the Christian visitor.

Capernaum – where Jesus spent the greater part of his ministry
Mt. Beatitudes – the place where tradition says that Jesus gave his longest sermon, The Sermon on the mount.
Tabgha or Church of the Multiplication – just below Mt.Beatitudes, the place where Jesus fed the four thousand
Primacy of St. Peter – where Jesus appears to his disciples for the third and last time

Other places important to the Christian visitor are at some distance from the lake, such as Caesarea Philippi and Nazareth. Also within reach are places like Safed and Beit Shean.

There are many hotels in Tiberias of various levels of comfort. But around the Sea of Galilee are kibbutzim who have established hotels as part of their industries.

There is no lack of anything in this beautiful corner of Israel, and to make a long story short a visit to the area of the Sea of Galilee, the pearl of Israel, is a must for anyone visiting Israel.

Actually, there is a lack of something – water. For the last 10 years or so the area has been in a drought. As The Sea of Galilee is also Israel’s main fresh water reservoir, the results have been that the level of the lakes has dropped substantially. Measures are being taken throughout Israel to minimize damage. The questions hovers all the time … Is it too late? Will next winter bring good rain?

Israel will pray for rain as will many around the world. While waiting for the rain Israelis as well as visitors from all over the world will continue to flock to the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

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Nazareth, Church of Annunciation

Based on a few passages in the New Testament, Nazareth became known as the town, where Jesus spent his childhood and youth. From quite early in the development of Christianity it became a center for Christian worship and has over the centuries attracted thousands of pilgrims.

The site most visited is the Catholic Church of the Announciation. It is built over a grotto, the place where tradition has it that the Angel Gabriel visited Mary. The church is one of the largest churches in the Middle East. It was built in the 1960′s, replacing the previous small, crumbling building, and dedicated by Pope Paul VI during his historical visit to The Holy Land.

Adjoining The Church of the Announciation is the Church of Joseph. This church is also built over a grotto where tradition tells that this was the workshop (carpentry) of Joseph.

An additional place to visit is the Greek Orthodox Church of The Angel Gabriel. A great part of this Church dates back to the Crusaders. It is built over an outflow of the original spring in Nazareth, which is known as Mary’s Well. According to the Greek Orthodox tradition, this is where the meeting between Mary and Gabriel took place.

Nazareth is today the largest Arab town in Israel with a population of more than 60.000, and one of the few places where Christians are still a large minority, some 30%.

On the eastern and northern hills of Arab Nazareth is Nazareth Illit, a separate Jewish Israeli municipality.

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