Hebrew: Kfar Nachum / Arabic Name: Talhum

Coordinates 32°52′52″N 35°34′30″E / Elevation

Capernaum, which means “town of Nahum” in Hebrew, figures prominently in the New Testament, being the base of operation for Jesus following His rejection in Nazareth.  Archaeology has shown that the town had been occupied from about 150BCE to around 750CE.  The current site was identified as Capernaum of the New Testament in 1838.  Further excavations in 1866 uncovered a 3^rd – 4^th century synagogue.  The site was purchased by the Franciscans from local Bedouins in 1894.  Subsequent excavations in the early 1900’s and again in 1960’s uncovered the foundations of an early Roman era synagogue beneath the foundations of 4^th century building; these excavations also revealed an early Roman era house over which a chapel from the Byzantine era had been built.  Consensus opinion is that this house has high probability of being the home of Peter’s mother-in-law, written about in Matthew 8:14.

Capernaum in the Bible:  Capernaum is not mentioned in the Old Testament.  It is best known in the New Testament as the home of Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14), Jesus’ main base of operation (Matthew 4:13), the place where Jesus taught in the synagogue (John 6:35-39), healed a demonized man (Mark 1:21-27) and healed the paralytic who had been lowered through a ceiling of a house (Mark 2:4; Luke 5:19).  The town is where James, John, Peter and Simon lived, and perhaps Matthew (Levi), who did tax collection in or near the town (Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:14).  It was at Capernaum that Jesus paid taxes with money miraculously recovered from a fish (Matthew 17:27).  The early Roman synagogue whose foundations are still visible, was said to have been built by a Roman centurion whose child Jesus healed (Luke 7:3) and who was commended by Jesus for having great faith (Matthew 8:5).  The town is also one of three in the region that Jesus ultimately curses for having a lack of faith (Matthew 11:23)

Why we stopped:  The rich connection with Jesus, as well as the splendid ruins, highly commends this site as a “must see” place for pilgrims to the Holy Land.

View the gallery of Capernaum below: