Bethsaida
What Was Found
Bethsaida is a biblical town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee identified in the Gospel of John (1:44) as the hometown of the apostles Peter, Andrew, and Philip. Jesus performed miracles near Bethsaida, including healing a blind man (Mark 8:22) and feeding the five thousand (Luke 9:10). In the first century CE, the tetrarch Herod Philip elevated the village to the status of a polis and renamed it Julias in honor of Julia, the daughter of Emperor Augustus. The primary archaeological candidate is et-Tell, a large mound northeast of the Sea of Galilee, where the Bethsaida Excavations Project directed by Rami Arav of the University of Nebraska at Omaha has conducted excavations since 1987. The site has yielded significant Iron Age II remains, including a monumental city gate complex with a high place containing a stela depicting a bull-headed figure, as well as Hellenistic and Early Roman period domestic structures, fishing implements, and a Roman-era temple. A second candidate site, el-Araj (also called Beit HaBek), located closer to the lakeshore, has been excavated since 2016 by Mordechai Aviam and R. Steven Notley. El-Araj has produced Roman-period remains, a Byzantine basilica tentatively identified as the Church of the Apostles reportedly built over the house of Peter and Andrew, and a Greek mosaic inscription.
Why This Matters
The excavations at both candidate sites illuminate the settlement patterns around the Sea of Galilee during the time of Jesus and provide important context for Gospel narratives set near Bethsaida, including the feeding of the five thousand and the healing of a blind man.
Acceptance Assessment
Debated Among Scholars
The identification of biblical Bethsaida is actively debated between et-Tell and el-Araj. Both sites have produced significant archaeological remains from relevant periods.
What Scholars Debate
The core debate is over which site is biblical Bethsaida-Julias. Supporters of et-Tell point to its extensive Roman-period finds and argue the Sea of Galilee's shoreline has receded. Supporters of el-Araj note its proximity to the current lakeshore, the discovery of the Byzantine basilica (suggesting early Christian veneration), and Roman-period occupation layers.