Page 25 - Holyland Magazine - 2022 Edition

Intriguingly, the archaeological layers matched
what was known about Bethsaida from
historical and literary descriptions. Could this
be Bethsaida?

Professor Steven Notley of Nyack College, New
York City, is convinced it is. Notley, a historian,
has been co-leader of the research and
excavation at el-Araj. The excavations so far
have conclusively determined that a Byzantine
church is there, as expected from the historical The multicolored three-strand
record. Additionally, an electromagnetic band mosaic on the edge of the
nave of the Byzantine “Church of
imaging survey of the site done in 2019 shows the Apostles." Photo: courtesy
the ruins that still lie buried extend well north of of Zachary Wong
the church site, perhaps evidence the site was
indeed large enough to be a city. Furthermore,
exploratory pits have found Roman coins and Until then, the location of one of the most Museum of the Bible hosts a large archaeological
pottery beneath the Byzantine layer. familiar villages from the Gospels remains exhibition on its fifth floor. The People of the
slightly uncertain: two sites, a little over a mile Land, provided and curated by the Israel
Excavations at the site, partially sponsored from each other, lay claim to being the place Antiquities Authority, displays over 700 objects
by Museum of the Bible’s Scholars Initiative, where several of Jesus’s disciples grew up and from the Roman and Canaanite periods.
continue. The pandemic has limited work at the place near which the feeding of the 5,000
the site, just as it has prevented pilgrimage occurred (Luke 9). The more that is uncovered, It is the largest exhibit of archaeological
and tourism. the more we can understand with precision life materials from Israel in the United States and
in the first century and how these cities and provides an opportunity for guests to see the
The hope is that the 2022 excavations villages were interconnected. It even provides material culture of people from the time of the
will uncover the inscriptions that would sharper insight into how this region fits into the Bible. From Bronze Age weapons to Philistine
conclusively identify the church. Professors Gospel narratives and served as an important pottery, loom weights to arrowheads, storage
Notley and Aviam are scheduled to speak at location—at the mouth of the Jordan River as it jars to ossuaries, these everyday objects give
the museum next fall to give an update on their enters the Sea of Galilee—for Jewish, Roman, us a better sense of daily life in the places of
2022 excavations. and Christian history. the Bible.

2019 excavation team outlining
the Byzantine Church of the
Apostles with the apse in the
distance and six individuals
standing in the locations of the
pillar bases. Photo: courtesy of
Zachary Wong

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