8 Archaeological Sites

That Jesus May have

Visited
By Owen Jarus April 21, 2019

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Jesus travels
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The Gospels claim that Jesus visited numerous
sites across modern-day Israel,
Palestine, Egypt and Lebanon. But how can we
tell which accounts are real versus legend? To
find out, archaeologists have excavated areas at
various religious sites. Their discoveries provide
valuable information about what these sites
were like in ancient times, and whether or not
Jesus could have visited them. Here's a look at
some of the more interesting places the
historical Jesus may have set foot in, and what
he was doing there.
Temple Mount
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In Jesus' time, the Temple Mount was the
location of the Second Temple, the holiest place
in Judaism. According to the Gospel of
Matthew, Jesus was furious when he saw money
changers (people who exchange coins) and
merchants working on the Temple Mount. He
overturned their tables, declaring that they were
turning a house of prayer into a den of robbers,
the Gospel says.
In A.D. 70 during a Jewish revolt against the
Roman Empire, the Roman Army destroyed the
Second Temple. The Western Wall (sometimes
called the Wailing Wall) is one of the most
important parts of the Second Temple that still
stands.
Today, the Temple Mount is a holy place for
both Jews and Muslims (who call it Al-Haram
ash-Sharif, which means "noble sanctuary" in
Arabic), and is a source of conflict between the
Israelis and Palestinians. Because of its religious
importance and the ongoing conflict, little
archaeological work has been done on the site;
even so, excavations conducted nearby have
revealed some interesting remains, such as a
3,000-year-old inscription engraved on pottery.

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Nazareth
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
The Gospels say that although Jesus was born in
Bethlehem, he spent much of his early life in
Nazareth, in northern Israel. Recent
archaeological research reveals that during the
first century A.D., Nazareth was a Jewish
settlement whose inhabitants appear to have
rejected the spread of Roman culture.
Archaeological work has also revealed that
centuries after Jesus' death, people began to
venerate a house at Nazareth as the one that
Jesus grew up in. The leaders of the Byzantine
Empire (which controlled Nazareth up until the
seventh century A.D.) had the house decorated
with mosaics and built the Church of the
Nutrition over the house to protect it.
A study of artifacts found within the house show
that it was in use during the first century A.D.,
the time that Jesus lived. Whether it was really
the house where Jesus grew up is unknown.
Archaeologists have since found two other first
century houses in Nazareth.
Sea of Galilee
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Several stories in the Gospels took place on or
beside the Sea of Galilee (also called Yam
[lake] Kinneret in Hebrew). The story of Jesus
walking on water took place on that sea, and
some of Jesus' disciples worked as fishermen
there. Whether or not these stories are real is
unknown.
Even so, numerous archaeological remains have
been found around the Sea of Galilee, including
an immense stone structure that weighs 60,000
tons and may be more than 4,000 years old.
Found beneath the sea's surface, the cone-
shaped structure is made of basalt cobbles and
boulders, resembling other sites that mark
burials.
The remains of a 2,000-year-old fishing boat
was found deep in the mud along the Sea of
Galilee in 1986. At 27 feet (8.2 meters) long and
7.5 feet (2.3 m) wide, the boat likely carried a
crew of five people. Made of cedar planks built
on an oak frame, the vessel provides a glimpse
into how fishing was conducted at the time that
Jesus lived; the artifact resides in the Yigal
Allon Center in Kibbutz Ginosar.

Bethlehem
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The Gospels claim that Jesus was born around
A.D. 1 in the town of Bethlehem, located in
what is now the West Bank. Excavations in
Bethlehem and its environs reveal that the town
has been inhabited for thousands of years.
A necropolis reported in 2016 is scattered with
tombs that date back more than 4,000 years.
Bethlehem's fame as the site of Jesus' birthplace
has made it an important place for Christian
pilgrimages. The Church of the Nativity was
constructed there during the sixth century and is
now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Looters have destroyed many archaeological
sites in Bethlehem due to a mix of factors,
including poor economic conditions, a lack of
resources for Palestine's antiquities service,
demand from collectors of looted artifacts, and
problems stemming from the ongoing Israel-
Palestinian conflict, which has created an
environment that encourages looting. A study
published in the Journal of Mediterranean
Archaeology, found that some looters in the
Bethlehem area have even turned to spirit
possession in hopes of finding gold artifacts.
Jericho
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
The Gospels describe how Jesus visited Jericho
and performed a miracle by restoring a blind
man's sight. Huge crowds followed him around
the city; Jesus stayed at the house of a tax
collector named Zacchaeus, who was so
desperate to see Jesus that he climbed a tree to
spot him over a crowd.
Archaeological excavations have shown that
Jericho, also known as Tell es-Sultan and
located on the West Bank, has been inhabited
for over 10,000 years, making it one of the
oldest towns on Earth. Although Jericho was
destroyed several times, it has always been
rebuilt and is still inhabited today.
King Herod, a king of Judea who ruled with the
support of Rome, constructed three palaces near
Jericho, where he lived during the winters. The
palace he lived in changed over time.
Archaeological excavations suggest that these
palaces may have ceased being used after
Herod's death in 4 B.C. However, Jericho
continued to be inhabited through Roman times
up to the present day.
Capernaum
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Jesus reportedly spent some time in Capernaum,
a town located near the Sea of Galilee,
according to the Gospels. There, the Gospels
say, he performed several miracles, including
healing the paralyzed servant of a centurion (a
Roman military officer).
Jesus also spent some time teaching in
Capernaum's synagogue, the Gospels say.
Archaeologists discovered Capernaum and
excavated its synagogue several decades ago,
finding that the synagogue had been rebuilt and
modified during ancient times. Much of the
synagogue dates to centuries after Jesus' life.
However, the foundations of a first-century
synagogue, where Jesus likely taught, were
found beneath the remains of the more recent
synagogue.
Archaeologists have also found homes in
Capernaum that date back around 2,000 years,
to the time that Jesus lived. One of the houses
appears to have been venerated in ancient times
as the home of Peter, one of Jesus' disciples.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus
visited this home and healed Peter's mother-in-
law, who was suffering from a fever.

Pool of Bethesda
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
The Gospel of John says that when Jesus was in
Jerusalem, he went to a pool called Bethesda,
which people believed had healing powers. He
talked to a man who had been an invalid for 38
years and wasn't able to get into the pool. When
Jesus heard the man's story, he told him "Get
up! Pick up your mat and walk," according to
the Gospel. The story goes that the man did just
that, his mobility having been restored by Jesus.
So, according to the Gospel, while the pool
didn't necessarily have the power to cure people,
Jesus did have that power.
Archaeologists have excavated two pools that
were venerated in ancient times as being the
Pool of Bethesda. A fifth-century church had
been constructed over them. Whether these
pools were in use during the time of Jesus, and
whether either of them is really the Pool of
Bethesda, is unclear, but people who lived
centuries after Jesus' time believed that they
were.