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"Church of Peter's Primacy"
Tabgha, Israel

Thursday, ‎December ‎26, ‎2013

Sixth Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"Church of Peter's Primacy"

Tabgha, Israel

Reaching to Church of Peter’s Primacy,  Tabgha, Israel, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It commemorates Jesus' reinstatement of Peter as chief among the Apostles:

Tabgha (also spelled Tabhka) is not a city, but a small area on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, not far from Capernaum. In ancient times, Tabgha was known as Heptapegon - "Place of the Seven Springs." These seven springs produce warm water, which increases the production of algae in this part of the lake, which attracts more fish. Fishermen have thus flocked to Heptapegon for thousands of years.

Main Gate of the Church of Peter’s Primacy,  Tabgha, Israel, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It commemorates Jesus' reinstatement of Peter as chief among the Apostles:

By the 4th century AD, Heptapegon had become a popular place for Byzantine pilgrims to rest and have their picnics, thanks to its shady trees and excellent fishing. It is probably not coincidence that two of the three pilgrimage destinations in this relate to abundant food: the miracle of the loaves and fishes during Jesus' Galilean ministry and a lakeside fish breakfast after Jesus' resurrection

The way to the Church of Peter’s Primacy,  Tabgha, Israel, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It commemorates Jesus' reinstatement of Peter as chief among the Apostles:

A hill above the two lakeside churches is commemorated as the Mount of Beatitudes, from which Jesus spoke the most famous sermon in history. Tabgha is a beautiful area with many interesting things to see, and is a major stop for modern pilgrimages to the Christian sites of the Sea of Galilee. It is only a few miles from Capernaum (to the north) and the Galilee Boat (to the south).

Tranquil Tabgha, on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee, is best known for Christ’s miraculous multiplication of loaves and fish to feed a multitude

Tiberias church of St. Peter’s Primacy is built over a flat rock that the Mensa Christi where Jesus ate fish with his disciples after the resurrection, Tabgha, Israel:

But it is also remembered for Jesus’ third appearance to his disciples after his Resurrection, when he tested and commissioned St Peter as leader of his Church.

Two churches commemorate these events, and pilgrims find the place a serene location for meditation, prayer and study.

Tabgha is at the foot of the Mount of Beatitudes, about 3km south-west of Capernaum. The name is an Arab mispronunciation of the Greek Heptapegon (meaning “seven springs”). Several warm sulphurous springs enter the lake here, attracting fish especially in winter.

Mensa Christi Rock, inside the Church of St Peter's Primacy in Tabgha was built by the Franciscans in 1934 on the foundations of a Byzantine church housing:

This was a favorite spot for fishermen from nearby Capernaum, and its beach was familiar to Jesus and his disciples. It is easy to imagine Jesus speaking from a boat in one of the little bays, with crowds sitting around on the shore.

Mensa Christi Rock, inside the Church of St Peter's Primacy in Tabgha was built by the Franciscans in 1934 on the foundations of a Byzantine church housing:

 According to chapter 14 of Matthew’s Gospel, the miraculous feeding came after Jesus learnt that Herod Antipas had beheaded his cousin, John the Baptist.

Jesus “withdrew in a boat . . . to a deserted place by himself”. Crowds followed and he had compassion on them, curing their sick.

In the evening he told the multitude — 5000 men, plus women and children — to sit on the grass. Then he took five loaves and two fish, “looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves . . . and the disciples gave them to the crowds”. After they had eaten, the leftovers filled 12 baskets.

Mensa Christi Rock, inside the Church of St Peter's Primacy in Tabgha was built by the Franciscans in 1934 on the foundations of a Byzantine church housing:

After breakfast, Jesus challenged Peter three times with the question: “Do you love me?” Peter’s positive response to this three-fold challenge cancelled out his three-fold denial of Jesus the night before his crucifixion.

Then Jesus gave Peter a three-fold commission: “Feed my lambs . . . . Tend my sheep . . . Feed my sheep.” And he also indicated that Peter would die by martyrdom.

Mensa Christi Rock, inside the Church of St Peter's Primacy in Tabgha was built by the Franciscans in 1934 on the foundations of a Byzantine church housing:

After this event Peter’s primacy as head of the apostles was recognized.

Beside the church, in a garden setting, is an area designed for group worship. Between this and the lake stands a modern bronze statue of Jesus symbolically commissioning Peter with his shepherd’s crook.

Mensa Christi Rock, inside the Church of St Peter's Primacy in Tabgha was built by the Franciscans in 1934 on the foundations of a Byzantine church housing:

The Franciscan chapel is small and made of grey stone, with a modest tower in one corner. It is pleasantly located right on the northwest shoreline of the Sea of Galilee.

At the base of the chapel's walls on the west end, the walls of the late 4th-century church are clearly visible on three sides. Like the early church, the modern chapel incorporates a large portion of the stone "table of Christ" (Latin: Mensa Christi) at the altar. This is where Jesus is believed to have served his disciples a fish breakfast after they landed on shore (John 21:9).

Inside the Church of St Peter's Primacy in Tabgha was built by the Franciscans in 1934 on the foundations of a Byzantine church housing, Tabgha, Israel:

On the lake side of the church are the rock-cut steps mentioned by Egeria as the place "where the Lord stood." It is not known when they were carved, but it may have been in the 2nd or 3rd century when this area was quarried for limestone.

Below the steps are six heart-shaped double-column blocks known as the Twelve Thrones, which can be under water when the lake level is high. Originally designed for the angle of a colonnade, they were probably taken from disused buildings and placed here to commemorate the Twelve Apostles. The association likely derived from Luke 22:30: "You will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel."

Outside the Church of St Peter's Primacy in Tabgha was built by the Franciscans in 1934 on the foundations of a Byzantine church housing, Tabgha, Israel:

Just beside the church is a small Crusader building. Also nearby are Byzantine water towers that were designed to raise the water level of the powerful springs so that they flowed into a series of irrigation canals and mill-streams. The mills are modern.

A little further inland from the Church of the Primacy of Peter is the Church of the Loaves and Fishes, which is well worth a visit.

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"CAPHARNAUM"
Northern Shore of The Sea of Galilee, Israel

Thursday, ‎December ‎26, ‎2013

Sixth Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"CAPHARNAUM"

Northern Shore of The Sea of Galilee, Israel

New church of St Peter, built over Remains of Peter's house, Capernaum:

The Church and House of St. Peter

The church of Capernaum was founded on the traditional site of St. Peter's home. Closer to the shore than the synagogue, the house was in a poor area where the drystone basalt walls would have supported only a light roof (which suits the lowering of the paralytic in Mk 2:1-12) and could have no windows.

The floors of these houses and courtyards were made of black basalt cobbles, in which it would have been easy to lose a coin (Lk 15:8).

 In front of an Olive press, Capernaum:

By the mid-1st century AD, there is evidence that one room in this complex was singled out for public use: pottery and lamps replace utensils of normal family use, and there is ancient graffiti in the plastered walls, some of which mention Jesus as Lord and Christ.

The house was certainly a church by the time Egeria made her pilgrimage in 381, which she said included the original walls: "In Capernaum the house of the prince of the apostles has been made into a church, with its original walls still standing."

Inside the church of St Peter, built over Remains of Peter's house, Capernaum:

Archaeological excavations indicate it was indeed around this time that the room was given a more solid roof, which required the addition of a central arch, and two rooms were added on the two sides. This was probably the work of Count Joseph of Tiberius, a converted Jew, who obtained authority from Emperor Constantine to erect churches in Capernaum and other towns of Galilee.

In the 5th century, the site was razed to the ground and a grander church was built in its place, indicating increased Christian population and pilgrimage to Capernaum. The new church was octagonal in shape and had an ambulatory; this layout is identical to churches of the same type in Italy and Syria and similar to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (built later).

Inside the church of St Peter, built over Remains of Peter's house, Capernaum:

The central octagon enshrined the venerated room from Peter's house, which was given a floor mosaic featuring a peacock and a lotus-flower border. An apse with a baptistery was soon added on the east end. In 570, the Piacenza pilgrim reported that "the house of St. Peter is now a basilica."

Remains of ancient synagogue, Franciscan Monastery is in the background,  Capernaum:

Franciscan monastery in Capernaum is said to be the home of Saint Peter. When Jesus left Nazareth, he settled in Capernaum where he chose his first four disciples, James, John, Peter and Andrew:

Archaeology

In 1838, American explorer Edward Robinson discovered the ruins of ancient Capernaum. In 1866, British Captain Charles William Wilson identified the remains of the synagogue, and in 1894, Franciscan Friar Giuseppe Baldi of Naples, the Custodian of the Holy Land, was able to recover a good part of the ruins from the Bedouins. The Franciscans raised a fence to protect the ruins from frequent vandalism, and planted palms and eucalyptus trees brought from Australia to create a small oasis for pilgrims. They also built a small harbor. These labors were directed by Franciscan Virgilio Corbo.

The Church of the Seven Apostles at the shore of the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum, view from the location of St peter’s church, Israel:

The most important excavations began in 1905 under the direction of Germans. The excavations resulted in the discovery of two public buildings, the synagogue (which was partially restored by Fr. Orfali), and an octagonal church. Later, in 1968, excavation of the western portion of the site—the portion owned by the Franciscans—was restarted with the financial assistance of the Italian government. During this phase, the major discovery was of a house which is claimed to be St. Peter's house, in a neighborhood of the town from the 1st century AD.

The excavations revealed that the site was established at the beginning of the Hasmonean Dynasty, roughly in the 2nd century BC, and abandoned in the 11th century.

The Church of the Seven Apostles at the shore of the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum, view from the location of St peter’s church, Israel:

The eastern half of the site, where the Church of the Seven Apostles stands and owned by an Orthodox monastery, was surveyed and partially excavated under the direction of Vasilios Tzaferis. This section has uncovered the village from the Byzantine and Arab periods. Features include a pool apparently used for the processing of fish, and a hoard of gold coins. (Tzaferis, 1989).

The layout of the town was quite regular. On both sides of an ample north-south Main Street arose small districts bordered by small cross-sectional streets and no-exit side-streets. The walls were constructed with coarse basalt blocks and reinforced with stone and mud, but the stones (except for the thresholds) were not dressed and mortar was not used.

The Sea of Galilee, the view from behind the statue of St peter, St peter’s church, Capernaum, Israel:

The most extensive part of the typical house was the courtyard, where there was a circular furnace made of refractory earth, as well as grain mills and a set of stone stairs that led to the roof. The floors of the houses were cobbled. Around the open courtyard, modest cells were arranged which received light through a series of openings or low windows (Loffreda, 1984).

The Sea of Galilee, the view from behind the statue of St peter, St peter’s church, Capernaum:

Given the coarse construction of the walls, there was no second story to a typical home, and the roof would have been constructed of light wooden beams and thatch mixed with mud. This, along with the discovery of the stairs to the roof, recalls the biblical story of the Healing of the Paralytic: "And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay." (Mark 2:4) With the type of construction seen in Capernaum, it would not have been difficult to raise the ceiling by the courtyard stairs and to remove a part to allow the bed to be brought down to where Jesus stood.

The Sea of Galilee, the view from behind the statue of St peter, St peter’s church, Capernaum:

A study of the district located between the synagogue and the octagonal church showed that several families lived together in the patriarchal style, communally using the same courtyards and doorless internal passages. The houses had no hygienic facilities or drainage; the rooms were narrow. Most objects found were made of clay: pots, plates, amphoras, and lamps. Fish hooks, weights for fish nets, striker pins, weaving bobbins, and basalt mills for milling grain and pressing olives were also found (Loffreda, 1974).

The Sea of Galilee, the view from the main gate, St peter’s church, Capernaum, Israel:

As of the 4th century, the houses were constructed with good quality mortar and fine ceramics. This was about the time that the synagogue now visible was built. Differences in social class were not noticeable. Buildings constructed at the founding of the town continued to be in use until the time of the abandonment of the town.

The Sea of Galilee, the view from the main gate, St peter’s church, Capernaum, Israel:

The main gate of Capernaum, it is the location of healing of the paralytic lowered through the roof to reach Jesus:

The main gate of Capernaum, it is the location of healing of the paralytic lowered through the roof to reach Jesus:

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"CAPHARNAUM"
Northern Shore of The Sea of Galilee, Israel

Thursday, ‎December ‎26, ‎2013

Sixth Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"CAPHARNAUM"

Northern Shore of The Sea of Galilee, Israel

An prehistoric pillar of the synagogue where Jesus taught His disciples and public which is built on the ruins of ancient synagogue, Capernaum:

4. Jesus in the Synagogue

Only one public building, namely the synagogue built by the Roman centurion (Lk 7:5) is mentioned in the Gospels. Of course the synagogue was the hearth of the Jewish community and Jesus visited it several times. In that synagogue of Capharnaum Jesus preached and performed some miracles. We read in Mk 1:21-28: "They went as far as Capharnaum, and as soon as the sabbath came he went to the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority. "In their synagogue just then there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit and he shouted, `What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God'. But Jesus said sharply, `Be quiet! Come out of him!' and the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsion and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking each other what it all meant. “Here is teaching that is new' they said `and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him'. And his reputation rapidly spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside".

These are the ruins of a synagogue built on the remains of the synagogue where Jesus taught His disciples and public, Capernaum:

It was in the same synagogue that Jesus promised the Eucharist. The evangelist St. John devoted a long chapter to the discourse of Jesus on the bread of life (Jn 6:22-71). Let us read only some passages. "I tell you most solemnly, it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world... I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst... I am the living bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world... I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life and I shall raise him up on the last day... He taught this doctrine at Capharnaum, in the synagogue".

These are the ruins of ancient synagogue, Capernaum:

Some remains of the first century synagogue have been found in the same area where the Jewish community of the late fourth century A.D. built the monumental white synagogue. Strangely enough, only Egeria mentions the synagogue of Capharnaum; whereas Jewish sources are inexplicably silent about this splendid building which for sure is the queen of the Galilean synagogues.

These are the ruins of a synagogue built on the remains of the synagogue where Jesus taught His disciples and public, Capernaum:

Jesus was harsh with his adopted home when it proved unrepentant despite his many miracles. "And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the Day of Judgment than for you" (Mt 11:23-24).

These are the ruins of huge ancient synagogue, Capernaum:

Authenticity

It is actually quite likely the room enshrined within the church of Capernaum is the house of Peter where Jesus stayed. This is supported primarily by evidence for very early reverence and public use of the house (mid-1st century), which would be difficult to explain otherwise. Moreover, the identification is not contradicted by anything found in the excavations and the evidence actually conforms quite closely to the biblical descriptions. Read on for more details.

These are the ruins of a synagogue built on the remains of the synagogue where Jesus taught His disciples and public, Capernaum:

History

Now primarily an archaeological park, Capernaum was originally a fishing village inhabited continuously from the 1st century BC to the 13th century AD. As the first town encountered by travelers on the other side of the Jordan, it was equipped with a customs office and a small garrison overseen by a centurion.

Capernaum was a Jewish village in the time of the Christ. It was apparently poor, since it was a Gentile centurion that built the community's synagogue (Luke 7:5). The houses were humble and built of the local black basalt stone.

An prehistoric pillar of the synagogue where Jesus taught His disciples and public which is built on the ruins of ancient synagogue, Capernaum:

Christian presence is attested early in Capernaum and the village was predominantly Christian by the 4th century AD. Rabbinic texts from the 4th century imply considerable tension between the Jewish and Christian communities of the town.

Both the church and synagogue were destroyed prior to the Islamic conquest in 638. One possible scenario is that the Persian invasion of 614 gave the Jews the opportunity to act on their resentment of the now-powerful Christian community and demolish the church. In 629, the Byzantine emperor and his troops marched into Palestine, and under this protection the Christians may have destroyed the synagogue.

An Olive press near the ruins of ancient synagogue, Capernaum:

After the conquest, the village shifted east, where houses, a jetty, a fish market and a church dedicated to St. John Theologies existed until the mid-10th century. The town's prosperity was badly affected by an earthquake in 746 and never recovered.

In the Crusader period, Capernaum was all but abandoned. The site was too exposed for Crusaders to safely build there, despite their considerable interest in its religious importance. In the 13th century, a visitor reported that "the once renowned town of Capernaum is at present just despicable; it numbers only seven houses of poor fishermen."

An Olive press near the ruins of ancient synagogue, Capernaum:

The site remained virtually abandoned until the Franciscans bought the land in the late 19th century. They raised a fence to protect the site, planted palms and eucalyptus trees from Australia to create an oasis for pilgrims, and built a small harbor. Most of the early excavations (1905-26) and restorations were conducted by Franciscans. St. Peter's House was discovered in 1968.

In 1990, the Franciscans built an unusually-shaped modern church over the site of St. Peter’s house. Hexagonal in shape and rather spaceship-like in appearance, it is elevated on pillars and has a glass floor, so that visitors can still see the original church below.

The main sights at Capernaum today are the ruined synagogue and the church, which stand quite close to each other near the shore, with ruins of 1st-to-6th-century houses in between. Also on the site are finely carved stones that belong to the synagogue (included one with a Star of David), and a New Greek Orthodox church nearby.

Another type of Olive press near the ruins of ancient synagogue, Capernaum:

The Synagogue of Capernaum

The synagogue of Capernaum is located just inland from the shore with its facade facing Jerusalem. It has been difficult to date, with scholarly opinion ranging from the 2nd to 5th centuries. It stands on an elevated position, was richly decorated and was built of imported white limestone, which would have contrasted dramatically with the local black basalt of the rest of the village. All of this would have given the building great beauty and status.

Collected remains of ancient synagogue, Capernaum:

The "white synagogue" has a basilica-type plan, with a small terrace on the front (south) and a court on the east side. All three entrances are in the south wall; the other walls were lined with columns supporting the roof. A side door in the east wall leads to a courtyard used for community purposes.

Precise dating of the synagogue has proved problematic for several reasons. Aspects of its style suggest a date of c.200 AD and its orientation to Jerusalem also suggests an early date, yet coins and pottery were found under the floors that date from the 5th century. The diverse architectural elements found in the ruins make it difficult to reconstruct coherently. And unusually, it has 12 doors instead of the usual three or four.

Remains of Peter's house, below the new church, Capernaum:

One possibility is that it was built at an early date, and the 5th-century artifacts derive from later repair work. Another suggestion has been that up to four successive synagogues stood here in the 2nd-4th centuries, then dismantled in the 5th century by Christians who rebuilt a pilgrim shrine on the site. This would have occurred at around the same time that a prominent new church was built nearby.

Significant to this discussion is a layer of black basalt foundations beneath the white synagogue. The excavators believe this is the synagogue where Jesus taught and cast out demons (as indicated by the sign on the site, right).

Statue of St. Peter, Capernaum:

In 381, the pilgrim Egeria said she visited "the synagogue where the Lord cured a man possessed by a devil. The way is in up many stairs and it have made of dressed stone."

She clearly visited the white synagogue that post-dates Jesus, but this was perhaps built by Christians, or at least taken over by them, for veneration of the "synagogue of Jesus" that lay underneath. Local Christians seem to have preserved the house of St. Peter from an early date; it is reasonable they would have remembered the site of Jesus' synagogue as well.

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"CAPHARNAUM"
Northern Shore of The Sea of Galilee, Israel

Thursday, ‎December ‎26, ‎2013

Sixth Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"CAPHARNAUM"

Northern Shore of The Sea of Galilee, Israel

St Peter, after the Franciscan monastery, Capernaum, northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee:

Capernaum is an ancient fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. It is home to a celebrated Byzantine-era synagogue as well as the house where Jesus healed a paralytic and St. Peter's mother-in-law.

On the way to Caphernaum, the fishing village inhabited from mid 2nd century BC to 11th century AD. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee:

THE NAME

The original Semitic name of the settlement is Kefar Nahum, the village (kafar) of Nahum (personal name). It is not possible to identify this Nahum after whom the village was named. Some ancient writers bypassed the problem of identification since they took Nahum as a common noun. For instance, Origen interpreted Kefar Nahum as "the village of consolation" from the etymological meaning of the Hebrew root (consolation); whereas St. Jerome in some cases translated the same name as "the beautiful city", from the Hebrew root n'm (beauty).

The Lake of Galilee on whose shores lies Capharnaum languages as a single name, and the guttural h has been dropped altogether. In the Greek manuscripts of the Gospels two spellings occur, i.e. Capharnaum (Kafarnaouvm) and Capernaum (Kapernaouvm). The first transcription "Capharnaum", closely following the Hebrew pronunciation and adopted also by Josephus Flavius, is the right one, while the spelling "Capernaum" is rather an idiom of the district of Antioch

On the way to Caphernaum, the fishing village inhabited from mid 2nd century BC to 11th century AD. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee:

Capharnaum And The Gospels

1. Capharnaum "The Town of Jesus"

The rediscovered remains of Capharnaum help us to set several passages of the Gospels in the human and physical context of that site. We learn from the Gospels that Jesus left Nazareth and settled in Capharnaum (Mt 4:12) which in some way became "his own town" (Mt 9:1). Actually Capharnaum much more than Nazareth offered to Jesus a twofold advantage as far as his messianic activity were concerned

On the way to Caphernaum, the fishing village inhabited from mid 2nd century BC to 11th century AD. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee:

Firstly, Capharnaum was a crossroad of primary importance, being along the Beth-shan-Damascus highway; whereas Nazareth was a mountainous and isolated hamlet. Secondly, Capharnaum was sufficiently apart from the big centers and especially from Tiberius where Herod Antipas had set his capital. In that way Jesus was able to spread his messianic message to many persons without running too soon into trouble with the political and religious leaders.

On the way to Caphernaum, the fishing village inhabited from mid 2nd century BC to 11th century AD. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee:

In contrast to Nazareth, the population of Capharnaum was highly stratified: fishermen, farmers, artisans, merchants, publicans etc. lived in the same village, but apparently without any strident economical inequality. Even the relations between the inhabitants of Capharnaum and the Romans were surprisingly cordial.

It was a Roman centurion who built the synagogue for the Jewish community, while the elders of the village reciprocated in kindness and pleaded earnestly with Jesus asking him to heal the centurion's servant (Lk 7:1-10). All in all, the inhabitants of Capharnaum were hard workers, parsimonious and open-minded; to those people Jesus addressed himself while in Capharnaum and from the same community Jesus chose many of his apostles either among fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, John - Mt 4:12-22) or publicans (Matthew-Mk 2:13)

On the way to Caphernaum, the fishing village inhabited from mid 2nd century BC to 11th century AD. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee:

2. The house of Simon Peter

The Christian community of Capharnaum paid a special attention to the house of Simon Peter. That house became very soon "the house" of the followers of Jesus, i. e. a domus-ecclesia. As a matter of fact, the rediscovered house of Peter is the first example of a domus-ecclesia in the Christian world. The special reasons for this choice can be found in the Gospels. It was Jesus himself who had chosen that house as his home in Capharnaum. In the same way that Capharnaum became "the town of Jesus", Peter's house could be called rightly "the house of Jesus".

Reaching to Caphernaum, the Town of Jesus:

There are several details which recent archaeological discoveries can clarify in a concrete way. The house visited by Jesus was only some 30m south of the synagogue. It was a large house precisely in fact that it consisted of several roofed rooms clustering around a spacious courtyard. We are therefore not surprised when we read in the Gospels that the same house was shared by three families, namely by the families of Peter, of his brother Andrew and of Peter's mother-in-law. Actually this was the standard pattern of the private houses in the living quarters of Capharnaum. 

In front of the Town of Jesus; Capernaum was a fishing village inhabited from mid 2nd century BC to 11th century AD. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee:

We read that "the whole town came crowding round the door". This detail clearly suggests that a large space was available in front of the house. This is the case indeed. The rediscovered house was along the main NS Street of the village and an additional open space was between the spacious street and the doorway leading to the courtyard of the house.

St Peter, after the Franciscan monastery, Capernaum, northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee:

Peter and Jesus are put together in fact of taxes. Only Matthew, who was previously a tax collector, relates this event. Peter is described as the intermediary between the tax collectors and Jesus. Apparently he was ready to pay both for himself and for Jesus. It is Jesus however who solves the tribute for both. The whole passage hints that Jesus was a guest of Peter, and as such was considered as a member of Peter's family (Mt 17:24-27).

St Peter, after the Franciscan monastery, Capernaum, St Peter, after the Franciscan monastery, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee is in the background:

The mention of the people gathered even in front of the door is a literary reference to Mc 1:33. The Greek expression "en oikoi" can be translated either as in a house, or at home. The second rendering is here recommended. In other words, the healing of the paralytic took place in Peter's house where Jesus lived. The lowering of the paralytic from the stripped roof is not strange at all in the context of the rediscovered living quarters of Capharnaum, where indeed the one storey rooms were covered by light roofs reached through a flight of steps from the courtyard(Mk 2:1-4; cfr. Mt 9:1-18; Lk 5:17-26).

St Peter, after the Franciscan monastery, Capernaum, St Peter, after the Franciscan monastery, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee is in the background:

Another passage depicts two families of Jesus, i. e. his relatives waiting outside, and his followers sitting around him in the house. In the redaction stage of St. Marc the contrast between those who are outside and those who are inside the house, betrays ecclesial-Christological dimensions, meaning those who are inside or outside the Christian community. In some way the house of Jesus in Capharnaum i.e. the house of Peter, receives here the connotations of a Domus-ecclesia (Mk 3:20-21 and 31-35; cfr. Mt 12:46-50; Lk 8:10-21).

The new Church built over Peter's house, Capernaum, northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee:

3. Jairus and the Roman centurion

Besides the house of Simon Peter, three more houses are explicitly mentioned in the Gospels, namely the house of Matthew, where Jesus dined with many tax collectors (Mk 2:15-17); the house of the synagogue official Jairus, the little daughter of whom was brought to life by Jesus (Mk 5:21-23, 35-43); and the house of the Roman centurion (Lk 7:1-10). There is no way to tell where those houses can be found; and this remark applies also to the house of the apostles James and John who for sure were stationed in Capharnaum (Mk 1:19-20). Apparently their location did not concern the Christian community of Capharnaum or at most was soon forgotten. It is not impossible that some of these houses were indeed found by us in the large area so far excavated, but only the house of Peter has been identified.

These are the ruins of a synagogue built on the remains of the synagogue where Jesus taught His disciples and public, Capernaum: