Archaeologists believe they’ve identified a lost city tied to Jesus Christ’s ministry after a decade of excavations, with the project’s academic director saying he’s “100%” certain about the discovery.
The El-Araj Excavation Project, led by Mordechai Aviam, has been digging at the archaeological site along the Sea of Galilee since 2016.
Bethsaida, close to Jesus’ ministry in Capernaum, was once the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip.
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The city was the setting of several of Jesus’ miracles, including the healing of a blind man.
Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 took place on Bethsaida’s outskirts, according to the Gospels.
Over the past decade, researchers have uncovered extensive evidence of an ancient Jewish fishing settlement and Roman-era city at the El-Araj site.
This year’s excavation opened new areas of the site, revealing additional Roman period remains and pottery, Steven Notley, a biblical scholar and academic director of the El-Araj Excavation Project, told Fox News Digital.
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Researchers have also recovered over 200 coins, which are being studied to help date the settlement.
Notley, dean of religious studies at Pillar College in New Jersey, said an unexpected wildfire last year helped researchers gain a better understanding of the size of the ancient settlement.
“We actually had a wildfire, which at first we thought was tragic,” Notley said. “But it actually cleared the underbrush and allowed us to do an extended survey to determine the size of the settlement. It’s at least 15 acres.”
The team has also uncovered Jewish stone vessels, a Roman bathhouse and a Byzantine basilica containing an inscription linked to the Apostle Peter.
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Notley indicated that researchers looking for Bethsaida would expect to find evidence of two things: a Jewish fishing village and its later transformation into a small Roman city.
Excavations at El-Araj have revealed evidence of both, he said, including thousands of lead fishing weights, stone vessels associated with Jewish settlement and the remains of a Roman bathhouse.
“The two things that we should be finding if we’re excavating that sort of coincide with that identification are a Jewish fishing village which, again, we’ve found ample evidence of that and evidence of a polis of urbanization,” Notley said.
After a decade of excavations, Notley is now “100%” confident that El-Araj is Bethsaida, he told Fox News Digital.
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Rather than a single discovery proving the site’s identity, Notley said the case for Bethsaida has been built over years of excavation.
“It’s [the] accumulation of evidence that you continually find,” he said.
“Since 2016, we have not uncovered a single thing that would challenge or question the identification of the site as Bethsaida,” Notley added. “Instead, everything we find each season, the evidence gets stronger and stronger and strong.”
In the Byzantine basilica, excavators found an inscription referencing “the Chief of the Apostles and the Keeper of the Keys of Heaven,” or the Apostle Peter.
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Researchers also found Roman-period homes beneath the church, which Notley said was traditionally believed to have been built over the home of Peter and Andrew.
“Can you be absolutely certain this is Peter’s home? No, I can’t say that,” Notley said.
“You’re not going to find a plaque that says, ‘Peter slept here, Peter lived here.’ But in archaeological terms, it’s about as good as you can get.”
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Bethsaida’s ties to Jesus are what make the find particularly significant.
“Of course, for Christians, there are a number of stories from the Gospels about Jesus being present in Bethsaida,” Notley said.
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“At least one quarter of Jesus’ disciples come from Bethsaida. So it’s an important site in his life, in his ministry,” he added.
And after a decade of digging, Notley said there is still more to uncover.
“I’m looking forward to what lies ahead,” he added.
