View source for Bethsaida

{{Short description|Ancient Jewish settlement in the Golan Heights}}
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{{distinguish|Bethesda (disambiguation){{!}}Bethesda}}
{{other uses}}
{{About||the Julias in Transjordan|Livias}}
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{{Infobox ancient site
|name           = Bethsaida
|native_name    = {{native name|he|בית צידה}}
|alternate_name = {{native name|ar|بيت صيدا}}
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|map_type       = Israel
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|location       = [[Golan Heights]] 
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|coordinates    = {{coord|32|54|37|N|35|37|50|E|type:city_region:SY|display=inline,title}} 
|type           = 
|area           = 
|built          = 1st century BC
|abandoned      = 65 AD
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}}

'''Bethsaida''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɛ|θ|ˈ|s|eɪ|.|ɪ|d|ə}} {{respell|beth|SAY|id|ə}};<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bethsaida|title=Definition of Bethsaida|website=Dictionary.com|access-date=2017-12-22}}</ref> from {{langx|grc-x-koine|Βηθσαϊδά|Bēthsaïdá}}; from [[Aramaic]] and {{langx|he|בֵּית צַידָה|Bēṯ Ṣayḏā|House of Fishing or the Hunt}}, from the [[Semitic root|Hebrew root]] {{lang|he|צ-י-ד}};<ref name=Case>{{cite news |title= Where Is Biblical Bethsaida, Where Jesus Walked on Water? The Case of This Jordan River Mound |location= Ruth Schuster for [[Haaretz]] |date= 19 August 2020 |url= https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium-where-is-biblical-bethsaida-where-jesus-walked-on-water-the-case-of-e-tell-1.9082557 |access-date= 24 January 2022}}</ref><ref name=Franz>{{cite web |last= Franz |first= Gordon |title= Text and Tell: The Excavations at Bethsaida |website= PlymouthBrethren.org |date= 10 November 2007 |edition= 2nd, revised and updated from the one published in ''Archaeology in the Biblical World'', (1995) 3/1: 6-11 |url= http://plymouthbrethren.org/article/5091 |access-date= 24 January 2022}}</ref> {{langx|ar|بيت صيدا|Bayt Ṣaydā}}), also known as '''Julias''' or '''Julia''' ({{langx|grc|Ἰουλία|Ioulía|links=no}}), is a place mentioned in the [[New Testament]]. Julias lay in an administrative district known as [[Gaulonitis]], now the Golan Heights. 

Historians have suggested that the name is also referenced in [[rabbinic literature]] under the epithet {{Transliteration|he|Ṣayḏān}} ({{Langx|he|צַידָן|links=no}}).{{efn|1=Historical geographer [[Samuel Klein (scholar)|Samuel Klein]] opines that this place is to be recognised in the name {{Transliteration|he|Ṣaidan}} of [[Mishnah]] ''Gittin'' 7:5, Mishnah ''Avodah Zarah'' 3:7, Mishnah ''Gittin'' 4:7 ([[Babylonian Talmud|BT]] ''Gittin'' 46a), and [[Jerusalem Talmud]] (''Sheḳalim'' 6:2). Klein wrote: "`Bethsaida = Julias at the confluence of the Jordan in the lake, [a place] not proven in Jewish tradition.` (Sch.) – However, I suspect that Bethsaida occurs in the Talmudic literature called {{Transliteration|he|Ṣaidan}}. ...The fact that the name {{Transliteration|he|Ṣaidan}} ({{lang|he|ציידן}}) is not preceded by the word 'Beth' ({{lang|he|בית}}) presents no difficulty in explaining the two names as being identical, since similar things are more common among Galilean names (e.g. ''Maon'' and ''Meron''; ''Beth-Maon'' and ''Beth-Meron'')" (Klein 1915:167–168). [[Herbert Danby]], in his English translation of the Mishnah, erroneously transliterated the proper name {{lang|he|צידן}} in all places as "[[Sidon]]" in Phoenicia, even though Sidon is almost always spelt in Hebrew as {{lang|he|צִידוֹן}}, with a ''[[waw (letter)|waw]]'' ({{lang|he|ו}}). [[Marcus Jastrow]] also follows the general view that {{lang|he|צידן}} is none other than Sidon of Phoenicia. Conversely, the Yemenite [[Babylonian Talmud]], punctuated by Yosef Amir, has distinguished between the two sites, assigning the vowels [[Patach|pataḥ]] and [[Kamatz|qamaṣ]] for {{Transliteration|he|Ṣaidan}} = {{lang|he|צַידָן}}, but [[Hiriq|ḥiraq]] and [[Holam|ḥolam]] for the Phoenician city Sidon = {{lang|he|צִידוֹן}}. German theologian [[:de:Heinz-Wolfgang Kuhn|H.W. Kuhn]], citing archaeologist Richard A. Freund (Freund 1995:267–311), further supports this view, and writes: "The Rabbinic literature in which Bethsaida appears, as already mentioned, is never called 'Julias', but rather speaks of '(Beth-)saida' ({{lang|he|ציידן}} = {{Transliteration|he|Ṣaidan}}, etc.; [whereas] {{lang|he|בית ציידן}} = ''Beth ṣaidan'', or anything similar, also does not appear in rabbinic texts), so like the canonical gospels, it uses this name for the village. From these texts I refer merely to one [village] presumably" (Kuhn 2015:[https://books.google.com/books?id=x_HUBgAAQBAJ&dq=%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA+%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%99%D7%93%D7%9F&pg=PA153 153]). An anecdote has been passed down in the [[Midrash Rabba]] (''Kohelet Rabba'' 2:11), where [[Hadrian]] asked Rabbi Yehoshua b. Hananiah about the preeminence of the Land of Israel over other lands, particularly where the Scripture (Deuteronomy 8:9) imputes of the country that it is "a land wherein you shall eat bread without scarceness, [and] you shall not lack any thing therein." When asked whether or not the country could produce for him three things: [[Black pepper|peppercorns]], [[Common pheasant|pheasants]] (''phasianum'') and [[silk]], the rabbi brought for him peppercorns from Nasḥana, pheasants from Ṣaidan and silk from [[Gush Halav]], – meaning, the place was reckoned as in the Land of Israel proper.}}{{efn|In the [[Jerusalem Talmud]] (''Sheḳalim'' 6:2), after mentioning [[Lake Hulah]] and the [[Sea of Galilee]], Saidan is then mentioned as a place where there was an abundance of different kinds of fish, as alluded to in Ezekiel [https://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1247.htm#10 47:8–10], and where it was said of a certain river that "their fish shall be after their kinds." [[Samuel Klein (scholar)|Klein]] has speculated that this Saidan refers to Bethsaida along the Jordan River (Klein 1915:167–168).<ref>[[Ishtori Haparchi]], ''Kaftor wa-Ferach'' vol. 2, (3rd edition, published by ed. Avraham Yosef Havatzelet), chapter 11, Jerusalem 2007, p. 54 (note 30) (Hebrew).</ref>}}

==History==
===New Testament===

According to {{bibleverse|John|1:44}}, Bethsaida was the hometown of the apostles [[Saint Peter|Peter]], [[Andrew the Apostle|Andrew]], and [[Philip the Apostle|Philip]]. Jörg Frey finds this attribution credible.<ref name="john JH">{{cite book |last=Frey |first=Jörg |title=The Jesus Handbook |date=2022 |publisher=William. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company |isbn=9780802876928 |pages=245}}</ref> In [[Mark 8]]:22–26, Jesus restored a blind man's sight at a place just outside the ancient village of Bethsaida. In the [[Gospel of Luke]], Jesus [[feeding the multitude|miraculously fed a multitude of people]] near Bethsaida.

[[Pliny the Elder]], in his ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'', places Bethsaida on the eastern side of the [[Sea of Galilee]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Pliny the Elder |author-link= Pliny the Elder |title=Natural History |publisher= Harvard University Press |editor= H. Rackham |volume=2|date= 1947 |location= Cambridge|page=275 (book v, chapter xv, section 71) |language=en }}</ref> The Jewish historian [[Josephus]] says Bethsaida, at that time called Julia, was situated 120 [[Stadion (unit)|stadia]] from the lake of Semechonitis, which is now the much drier [[Hula Valley]] not far from the [[Jordan River]] as it passes into the middle of the Sea of Galilee.<ref>Josephus, ''[[The Jewish War]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148%3Abook%3D3%3Awhiston+chapter%3D10%3Awhiston+section%3D7 3.10.7]</ref> 

The much later ''[[De situ terrae sanctae]]'', a 6th-century Christian [[itinerarium]], describes Bethsaida's location in relation to [[Capernaum]], saying that it was {{convert|6|mi|abbr=on}} distant from Capernaum.<ref>Rami Arav & Richard Freund (eds.), ''Bethsaida: A City by the North Shore of the Sea of Galilee'', vol. 3, Truman State University 2004, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=_KIKUyQHJNQC&pg=PR12 xii], {{ISBN|1-931112-38-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Tsafrir |first=Yoram |title=The Maps Used by Theodosius: On the Pilgrim Maps of the Holy Land and Jerusalem in the Sixth Century C.E. |journal=Dumbarton Oaks Papers |volume=40|pages=129–145 |date=1986|jstor=1291534 |doi=10.2307/1291534 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The distance between Bethsaida and [[Paneas]] is said to have been {{convert|50|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book |last= Theodosius the archdeacon |title=On the Topography of the Holy Land |publisher= Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society |translator= J.H. Bernard|date= 1893 |location= London |page=8 |language= en }}</ref>

Although Bethsaida is believed to be located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, within the [[Bethsaida Valley]], there is disagreement among scholars as to precisely where. Since the nineteenth century, three places have been considered as the possible location of Biblical Betsaida: the [[Bedouin]] village of '''Messadiye'''; the small, deserted settlement of '''el-Araj''' (Beit HaBek, "House of the [[Bey]]"); and the [[tell (archaeology)|tel]], referred to as '''et-Tell''', a term for an artificial hill that is an archaeological site.<ref name=Haaretz/> Over time, the latter two locations have come to appear more likely. While Messadiye and el-Araj are closer to the Sea of Galilee, Et-Tell shows significant archaeological remains, including fragments of fishing equipment.

==Archaeology==
* '''Et-Tell''', a site on the east bank of the Jordan River, is promoted by the Bethsaida Excavations Project, led by Rami Arav.
* '''El-Araj''' ({{Coord|32.893322|N|35.619139|E}}) is proposed by a second group, led by Mordechai Aviam, under the auspices of the Center for [[Holy Land]] Studies (CHLS).<ref>Pfister, Samuel DeWitt. [https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/where-is-biblical-bethsaida/ "Where Is Biblical Bethsaida?"], ''Bible History Daily'', Biblical Archaeological Society, June 16, 2019.</ref>

==Et-Tell==
Archaeologists tend to agree that the capital of the kingdom of [[Geshur]] was situated at et-Tell, a place also inhabited on a lesser scale during the first centuries BCE and CE and sometimes identified with the town of Bethsaida of [[New Testament]] fame.<ref name="Tell2016"/>

The first excavations of the site were conducted in 1987–1989 by the Golan Research Institute. In 2008–2010, and in 2014, archaeological excavations of the site were conducted by Rami Arav on behalf of the [[University of Nebraska Omaha|University of Nebraska]] of [[Omaha, Nebraska]].<ref>[[Israel Antiquities Authority]], [http://www.antiquities.org.il/m_digs_eng.aspx?shana=2008 Excavators and Excavations Permit for Year 2008], Survey Permit # G-31; [http://www.antiquities.org.il/m_digs_eng.aspx?shana=2009 Excavators and Excavations Permit for Year 2009], Survey Permit # G-45; [http://www.antiquities.org.il/m_digs_eng.aspx?shana=2010 Excavators and Excavations Permit for Year 2010], Survey Permit # G-42; [http://www.antiquities.org.il/m_digs_eng.aspx?shana=2014 Excavators and Excavations Permit for Year 2014], Survey Permit # G-46</ref> According to Arav, the ruin of ''et-Tell'' is said to be Bethsaida, a ruined site on the east side of the Jordan on rising ground, {{convert|2|km|abbr=on}} from the sea. However, this distance poses a problem, as a [[fishing village]] situated far from the shore of the Sea of Galilee would be problematic. In an attempt to rectify the problem, the following [[hypotheses]] have been devised:

#[[rift|Tectonic rift]] activity has uplifted et-Tell; the site is located at the [[West Asia]]n end of the active and massive [[Great Rift Valley]] of Africa.
#The water level has dropped due to increased population usage and land [[irrigation]]. In fact, the excavation of [[Magdala]]'s harbour has proven that the ancient water level was much higher than it is today.<ref>F. D. Troche, "Ancient Fishing Methods and Fishing Grounds in the Lake of Galilee" ''Palestine Exploration Quarterly'', 148:4 (2016) 290–291.</ref>
#The [[Jordan River]] [[river delta|delta]] has been extended by [[sedimentation]].<ref>[https://embassies.gov.il/MFA/IsraelExperience/history/Pages/Bethsaida-%20An%20Ancient%20Fishing%20Village%20on%20the%20shore.aspx "Bethsaida- An Ancient Fishing Village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee", Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar 2000]</ref>

=== Bronze and Iron Ages ===
[[File:Tel Bethsaida (2).jpg|thumb|Inside the Iron-Age city gate, et-Tell]]
[[File:Ruins_of_Bethsaida_village_in_summer_2011_(7).JPG|thumb|Shrine with [[standing stone]]s at Iron-Age city gate, et-Tell]]

Excavations indicate that the settlement was founded in the 11th century BCE, in the biblical period.<ref name=":3"/> Et-Tell was inhabited during both the [[Bronze Age]] and the [[Iron Age]]. Researchers associate the fortified town there with Geshur, which is mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]].<ref name=":3">{{cite journal |title=Bethsaida's Stratum VI City Gate, High Place, and Iconic Stele |journal=Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies |url=https://www.academia.edu/127191054 |last1=Haverkost |first1=Ann |volume=35 |pages=73*–80* |last2=Arav |first2=Rami |year=2024 |issn=0071-108X }}</ref>

[[File:IMJ view 20130115 202912.jpg|thumb|A stele from Bethsaida (et-Tell) depicting a Canaanite deity, possibly [[Kašku]]. On display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Demons and Deities in Geshurite Bethsaida |journal=Strata: Journal of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society |url=https://www.academia.edu/127190923 |last1=Haverkost |first1=Ann |volume=40|pages=13–38 |last2=Arav |first2=Rami |year=2022 |issn=2042-7867 }}</ref>]]

Most imposing archaeological finds, mainly from the Stratum V city gate, date to the 8th century BCE,<ref name="Tell2016">{{cite news |author=Philippe Bohstrom |title=Mighty Fortifications Found by Archaeologists Show Kingdom of Geshur More Powerful Than Thought |newspaper=Haaretz |date=20 July 2016 |url= https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/archaeology/1.732284 |access-date=20 July 2016 }}</ref> but as of 2024, archaeologists have found the northwestern chamber wall of the Geshurite city gate of Stratum VI, dating to the 11th-10th centuries BCE.<ref name=":3"/> The et-Tell site would have been easily the largest and strongest city to the east of the [[Jordan Valley]] during the Iron Age II era.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last= Na'aman |first= Nadav |date=2012 |title=The Kingdom of Geshur in History and Memory |journal=[[Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament]] |volume=26 |issue=1 |page=92 |doi= 10.1080/09018328.2012.704198 |s2cid= 73603495 }}</ref>

The archaeologists tentatively identify the city with biblical Zer, a name used during the [[First Temple period]].<ref>{{cite news |last= Zieve |first= Tamara |title= Archaeologists Uncover Gate to Biblical City of Zer |url= https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Archaeologists-uncover-gate-to-biblical-city-of-Zer-561941 |newspaper= The Jerusalem Post &#124; Jpost.com |access-date= 11 July 2018}}</ref>

=== Hellenistic and Roman periods ===
Et-Tell was reinhabited again in the third century BCE and continued on a lesser scale during the first century CE.<ref>{{cite book |title=Galilee in the Late Second Temple and Mishnaic Periods, Volume 2: The Archaeological Record from Cities, Towns, and Villages |last=Arav |first=Rami |publisher=Fortress Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-5064-0195-9 |pages=258–279 |last2=Savage |first2=Carl E. |editor-last=Fiensy |editor-first=David A. |chapter=Bethsaida |editor-last2=Strange |editor-first2=James Riley |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jzTlCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA258}}</ref> Archaeological excavations at site have revealed [[Fishing tackle|fishing gear]], including lead weights used for [[fishing net]]s, as well as [[sewing needle]]s for repairing fishing nets. The findings indicate that most of the city's [[economy]] was based on fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Two [[silver coin]]s dating to 143 BCE, as well as Seleucid bronze coins, bronze coins from the time of [[Alexander Jannaeus]], King of the [[Hasmonean dynasty]] (reigned c. 103–76 BCE), and one coin from the time of [[Philip the Tetrarch]] (a son of [[Herod the Great]]), ruler of the [[Bashan]] (reigned 4 BCE – 34 CE), were discovered at the site.<ref>Aryeh Kindler, "The Coins of the Tetrarch Philip and Bethsaida", ''Cathedra'' 53, September 1989, pp. 26–24 (Hebrew)</ref> Philip the Tetrarch applied the name "Julias" ({{langx|el|Ἰουλιάδα}}) to the site, which he named after Caesar's daughter.<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[Antiquities of the Jews|Antiquities]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D18%3Awhiston+chapter%3D2%3Awhiston+section%3D1 18.2.1.] (18.26)</ref>

==Al-Araj==
Location: {{Coord|32.893322|35.619139}}

According to [[Josephus]], around the year 30/31 CE (or 32/33 CE) [[Philip the Tetrarch|Philip]] raised the village of Bethsaida in Lower [[Gaulanitis]] to the rank of a [[polis]] and renamed it "Julias", in honor of [[Livia]], also called Julia Augusta,<ref>{{Aut|E. Groag, A. Stein, L. Petersen – e.a.}} (edd.), ''Prosopographia Imperii Romani saeculi I, II et III'' ('''PIR'''), Berlin, 1933 – L 301</ref> the wife of [[Augustus]]. It lay near the place where the Jordan river enters the [[Sea of Galilee]].<ref>Flavius [[Josephus]], ''Antiquities of the Jews'', XVIII, ii, 1; ''The Jewish War'', II, ix, 1; III, x, 7; ''The Life of Flavius Josephus'', 72.</ref>

Julias/Bethsaida was a city east of the [[Jordan River]], in a "desert place" (that is, uncultivated ground used for [[grazing]]), if this is the location to which Jesus retired by boat with his disciples to rest a while (see {{bibleverse|Mark|6:31}} and {{bibleverse|Luke|9:10}}). The multitude following on foot along the northern shore of the lake would cross the Jordan by the [[Ford (river)|ford]] at its mouth, which is used by foot travelers to this day. The "desert" of the narrative is just the ''barrīyeh'' of the Arabs, where the animals are driven out for pasture. The "green grass" of {{bibleverse|Mark|6:39}}, and the "much grass" of [[John 6]]:10, point to some place in the plain of ''el-Bat&#803;eih&#803;ah'', on the rich soil of which the grass is green and plentiful, compared to the scanty herbage on the higher slopes.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}

In 2017, archaeologists announced the discovery of a [[Thermae|Roman bathhouse]] at el-Araj, which is taken as proof that the site was a [[polis]] in the [[Roman Empire]] period.<ref name=Haaretz>{{cite news |newspaper= Haaretz |date= August 6, 2017 |title= The Lost Home of Jesus' Apostles Has Just Been Found, Archaeologists Say |author= Noa Shpigel and Ruth Schuster |url= https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/1.805402}}</ref> The bathhouse was located in a layer below the Byzantine layer, with an intervening layer of [[mud]] and [[clay]] that indicated a break in occupation between 250 and 350 CE.<ref name=Haaretz/> They also found what might be the remains of a Byzantine [[Church (building)|church building]], matching the description of a traveller in 750 CE.<ref name=Haaretz/> On account of these discoveries, the archaeologists believe that el-Araj is now the most likely candidate for the location of Bethsaida.<ref name=Haaretz/>

In 2019, what some describe as the Church of [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]] was unearthed by the El-Araj excavations team during the fourth season at the site of [[Bethsaida Julias|Bethsaida-Julias]] / Beithabbak (El-Araj), on the north shore of [[Sea of Galilee]] near where the Jordan river enters the lake. The excavation was carried out by Prof. Mordechai Aviam of [[Kinneret College]] and Prof. R. Steven Notley of [[Nyack College]]. This [[Byzantine period]] church is believed by some to have been built over the house of the apostle brothers, Peter and Andrew. Only the southern rooms of the church were excavated. A well-protected ornamental mosaic floor, gilded glass tesserae, and a marble [[chancel]] decorated with a wreath have been found in some of the excavated rooms.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-archaeologists-claim-to-have-found-the-church-of-the-apostles-by-sea-of-galilee-1.7538758|title=Church of the Apostles Found by Sea of Galilee, Archaeologists Claim|last=Schuster|first=Ruth|date=2019-07-18|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/the-church-of-the-apostles-discovered-at-bethsaida-says-csajco-300888229.html|title=The Church of the Apostles Discovered at Bethsaida, Says CSAJCO|website=www.prnewswire.com|access-date=2019-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=In Search of the City of the Apostles |journal=Novum Testamentum |url=https://www.academia.edu/77149915 |last=Aviam |first=Mordechai |issue=2 |volume=63 |pages=143–158 |last2=Notley |first2=R. Steven |doi=10.1163/15685365-12341710 |year=2021 |issn=0048-1009}}</ref> According to Professor Notley:
{{Blockquote|We have a Roman village, in the village we have pottery, coins, also [[Stone vessels (Judaism)|stone vessels]], which are typical of first-century Jewish life, so now we strengthen our suggestion and identification that El-Araj is a much better candidate for Bethsaida than e-Tell.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-galilee-church-unearthed-said-to-be-home-to-apostles-peter-and-andrew/|title=Ancient Galilee church unearthed, said to be home to apostles Peter and Andrew|last=Weizman|first=Stephen|website=[[The Times of Israel]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-17 |issn=0040-7909}}</ref>}}

In 2022, the archaeological team uncovered a large mosaic that is over 1500 years old containing an inscription. This invokes St. Peter as "the chief and commander of the heavenly apostles". and mentions a donor named "Constantine, a servant of Christ". These terminologies are consistent with Byzantine usage.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-08-12/ty-article-magazine/archaeologists-find-entreaty-to-st-peter-in-early-church-by-sea-of-galilee/00000182-8762-d8ab-a3b3-e77f7f870000 | title=Archaeologists Find Entreaty to St. Peter in Early Church by Sea of Galilee | newspaper=Haaretz }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=The Greek Inscriptions from 'The Church of St. Peter' at Bethsaida (el-'Araj) |journal=Liber Annuus |url=https://www.academia.edu/118048617 |last=Di Segni |first=Leah |volume=73 |pages=365–384 |last2=Ashkenazi |first2=Jacob |doi=10.1484/J.LA.5.141408 |year=2023 |issn=0081-8933 |last3=Aviam |first3=Mordechai |last4=Notley |first4=R. Steven}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2023-11-08/ty-article-magazine/archaeologists-find-site-early-christians-venerated-as-apostle-peters-home/0000018b-ae8c-d3c1-a39b-beedd7520000|title=Archaeologists may have found traditional home of Jesus' apostles by the Sea of Galilee|last=Schuster|first=Ruth|date=2023-11-08|work=Haaretz|access-date=2024-05-01}}</ref> Because of this, Notley said that this "strengthen[s] our argument that [it] should be considered the leading candidate for first century Bethsaida."<ref>{{cite web |last=Heipel |first=Edie |date=2022-08-24 |title=St. Peter's house believed to have been found |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252110/st-peter-s-house-believed-found-shore-sea-of-galilee |access-date=2024-04-04 |publisher=Catholic News Agency}}</ref>

In August 2025, in the wake of a wildfire along the northern shore of the Kinneret, small mounds across the al-Araj archaeology site are being excavated as "mini-tells."<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2025-08-14/ty-article-magazine/wildfire-unveils-lost-biblical-village-of-bethsaida/00000198-a7b5-d539-a5b8-fff56dc90000 Wildfire unveils lost biblical village of Bethsaida]</ref>

==El-Mesydiah==
El-Mesydiah, also spelled el-Mes‛adīyeh is a third, but generally considered least likely possibility. It is located on the present shoreline, but preliminary excavations, including the use of ground penetrating radar, initially revealed only a small number of ruins dating from before the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine period]]. Some were inclined to favor el-Mes‛adīyeh which stands on an artificial mound about {{convert|1.5|mi|abbr=on}} from the mouth of the River Jordan. 

==One or two Bethsaidas?==
Many scholars {{who|date=October 2019}} maintain that all the [[New Testament]] references to Bethsaida apply to one place, namely, Bethsaida Julias. The arguments for and against this view may be summarized as follows.

[[Galilee]] ran right round the lake, including most of the level coastland on the east. Thus [[Gamala]], on the eastern shore, was within the jurisdiction of [[Josephus]], who commanded in Galilee.<ref>Flavius Josephus, ''The Jewish War'', II, xx, 4.</ref> Judas of Gamala<ref>Flavius Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'', XVIII, i, l.</ref> is also called [[Judas of Galilee]].<ref>Flavius Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'', XVIII, i, 6</ref> If Gamala, far up the slope towering over the eastern shore of the sea, were in Galilee, ''[[a fortiori]]'' Bethsaida, a town which lay on the very edge of the Jordan, may be described as in Galilee.

Josephus makes it plain that Gamala, while added to his jurisdiction, was not in Galilee, but in [[Gaulanitis]].<ref>Flavius Josephus, ''The Jewish War'', II, xx, 6</ref> Even if Judas were born in Gamala, and so might properly be called a Gaulanite, he may, like others, have come to be known as belonging to the province in which his active life was spent. "Jesus of [[Nazareth]]" for instance was said to be born in [[Bethlehem]] in [[Judaea]]. Josephus also explicitly says that Bethsaida was in Lower Gaulanitis .<ref>Flavius Josephus, ''The Jewish War'', II, ix, 1</ref> Further, Luke places the country of the [[Gerasenes]] on the other side of the sea from Galilee ([[Luke 8]]:26) – ''antipéra tês Galilaías'' ("over against Galilee").

*To go to the other side – ''eis tò péran'' ([[Mark 6]]:45) – does not of necessity imply passing from the west to the east coast of the lake, since Josephus uses the verb ''diaperaióō'' of a passage from [[Tiberias]] to [[Taricheae]].<ref>Flavius Josephus, ''The Life of Flavius Josephus'', 59</ref> But
*#this involved a passage from a point on the west to a point on the south shore, "crossing over" two considerable bays; whereas if the boat started from any point in el-Bat&#803;eih&#803;ah, to which we seem to be limited by the "much grass", and by the definition of the district as belonging to Bethsaida, to sail to et-Tell or el-Araj, it was a matter of coasting not more than a couple of miles, with no bay to cross.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
*#No case can be cited where the phrase ''eis tò péran'' certainly means anything else than "to the other side".{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
*#Mark says that the boat started to go unto the other side to Bethsaida, while John, gives the direction "over the sea unto Capernaum" ([[John 6]]:17). The two towns were therefore practically in the same line. Now there is no question that Capernaum was on "the other side", nor is there any suggestion that the boat was driven out of its course; and it is quite obvious that, sailing toward Capernaum, whether at Tell H&#803;ūm or at [[Khirbat al-Minya|Khān Minyeh]],{{dubious|Minya not a candidate for Capernaum for a century now, and Capernaum as Hum had its own harbour, so why bring in Minya? Far outsated 19th century source?|date=June 2020}} it would never reach Bethsaida Julias{{dubious|Impossible to understand.|date=March 2018}}{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
*The words of Mark ({{bibleverse|Mark|6:45}}), it is suggested,<ref>[[William Sanday (theologian)|William Sanday]], ''Sacred Sites of the Gospels'', 42.</ref> have been too strictly interpreted: as the Gospel was written probably at Rome, its author not being a native of Galilee. Want of precision on topographical points, therefore, need not surprise us. But as we have seen above, the "want of precision" must also be attributed to the writer of {{bibleverse|John|6:17}}. The agreement of these two favors the strict interpretation.

In support of the single-city theory it is further argued that
*#Jesus withdrew to Bethsaida as being in the jurisdiction of Philip, when he heard of the murder of [[John the Baptist]] by [[Herod Antipas]], and would not have sought again the territories of the latter so soon after leaving them.
*#Medieval works of travel notice only one Bethsaida.
*#The east coast of the sea was definitely attached to Galilee in AD 84, and [[Ptolemy]] (c. 140) places Julias in Galilee. It is therefore significant that only the Fourth Gospel speaks of "Bethsaida of Galilee".
*#There could hardly have been two Bethsaidas so close together.

But:
*#It is not said that Jesus came hither that he might leave the territory of Antipas for that of Philip; and in view of {{bibleverse|Mark|6:30}}, and [[Luke 9]]:10, the inference from [[Matthew 14]]:13 that he did so, is not warranted.
*#The Bethsaida of medieval writers was evidently on the west of the Jordan River. If it lay on the east, it is inconceivable that none of them should have mentioned the river in this connection.
*#If the [[Gospel of John]] was not written until well into the 2nd century, then [[John the Apostle]] was not the same person as the author [[John the Evangelist]]. But this is a very precarious assumption. John, writing after AD 84, would hardly have used the phrase "Bethsaida of Galilee" of a place only recently attached to that province, writing, as he was, at a distance from the scene, and recalling the former familiar conditions.
*#In view of the frequent repetition of names in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] the nearness of the two Bethsaidas raises no difficulty. The abundance of fish at each place furnished a good reason for the recurrence of the name.

==Fifth Crusade (1217)==
During the [[Fifth Crusade]], the wery large Christian army gathered by King [[Andrew II of Hungary]] forced Sultan [[Al-Adil I]] to abandon [[Beisan]] on 10 November 1217.<ref name= LWM>{{cite book |last= Marvin |first= Laurence W. |author-link= Laurence Marvin |title= The Damietta Crusade, 1217-1221: A Military History |publisher= Oxford University Press |year= 2024 |pages= xvii, 47 |isbn= 0198916191 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gmcUEQAAQBAJ |access-date= 30 August 2025}} See map 3 on p.[https://books.google.com/books?id=gmcUEQAAQBAJ&pg=PR17 xvii] and text on p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=gmcUEQAAQBAJ&pg=PA47 47].</ref><ref name= Bird>{{cite book |title= Crusade and Christendom: Annotated Documents in Translation from Innocent III to the Fall of Acre, 1187-1291 |series= The Middle Ages Series |editor= Jessalynn Lea Bird |editor2= Edward Peters |editor3= James M. Powell |publisher= University of Pennsylvania Press |year= 2013 |pages= 161–2 |quote= We looked up Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter, then reduced to a small ''casale'' [village or hamlet];... |isbn= 0812244788 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=B6g7GfTuckYC&pg=PA161 |access-date= 30 August 2025}} Quote from [[Oliver of Paderborn]], ch. 2 of his chronicle, ''Historia Damiatina''.</ref><ref name= Rich>{{cite book |last= Richard |first= Jean |author-link= Jean Richard |title= The Crusades, c. 1071–c. 1291 |chapter= The rebuilding of the kingdom of Jerusalem |year= 1999 |orig-year= 1996 |translator= Jean Birrell |publisher= Cambridge University Press |series= Cambridge Medieval Textbooks |edition= reprint |page= 298 |isbn= 0521625661 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=a0LO9u6xKvcC&pg=PA298 |access-date= 30 August 2025}}</ref> It then continued marching, crossed the River Jordan, pillaged, crossed it back again, and the crusaders took time to visit the holy Christian sites along the Sea of Galilee, including what [[Oliver of Paderborn]] called Bethsaida, which he described as a small ''[[casalis#Crusader states|casale]]'' (a village or hamlet), without offering any further details about its location.<ref name= LWM/><ref name= Bird/><ref name= Rich/>

==See also==
*[[The Sea of Galilee Boat]]
*[[New Testament places associated with Jesus]]
*[[Woes to the unrepentant cities]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite journal |last=Freund|first=Richard A.|title=The Search for the Bethsaida in Rabbinic Literature |journal=Bethsaida: A City by the North Shore of the Sea of Galilee |volume=1 |publisher=Thomas Jefferson University Press |location=Kirksville, Mo. |language=en |year=1995}}
* {{cite journal |last=Klein|first=S.|author-link=Samuel Klein (scholar) |title=Hebräische Ortsnamen bei Josephus |journal=Monatsschrift für die Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judenthums |volume=59 |issue=7/9|pages=167–168 |location= Breslau|language=de |year=1915 |jstor=23080489 }}
*{{cite book|title=Bethsaida – Julias (et-Tell), the First Twenty-Five Years of Excavation (1987–2011)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7itq6zYtSJwC |first=Heinz-Wolfgang|last=Kuhn|year=2015|isbn=978-3-525-54025-1|publisher=Vandenhoech & Ruprecht}}

==Further reading==
* Arav R and RA Freund (2004) ''Bethsaida: A City by the North Shore of the Sea of Galilee'' Truman State University. {{ISBN|978-1-931112-39-0}}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090223114044/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early%20History%20-%20Archaeology/Bethsaida-%20An%20Ancient%20Fishing%20Village%20on%20the%20shore ''Bethsaida: An Ancient Fishing Village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee ''], 2001, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

==External links==
* [http://www.jewishmag.com/69mag/bethsaida/bethsaida.htm Bethsaida, Jacqueline Schaalje]
*[https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/nature/archaeologists-discover-lost-home-jesus-apostles "Archaeologists discover lost home of Jesus's Apostles" by Benyamin Cohen, The Grapevine, August 7, 2017]
*{{ISBE|article=Bethsaida|url=http://biblehub.com/topical/b/bethsaida.htm#isb}}

{{fishing history|expanded=villages}}
{{New Testament places associated with Jesus}}

[[Category:Bethsaida| ]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 10th century BC]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in the 8th century]]
[[Category:1987 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:New Testament cities]]
[[Category:New Testament Aramaic words and phrases]]
[[Category:Fishing communities]]
[[Category:Ancient Jewish settlements of Galilee]]
[[Category:Ancient Jewish settlements of the Golan Heights]]
[[Category:Disputed biblical places]]
[[Category:Sea of Galilee]]
[[Category:Philip the Tetrarch]]