Et Tell and the search for the village of St. Peter

 

The ruins of Et Tell in the park have been identified with a village on Lake Kinneret called Beit Tzeida, which means House of Hunting or Fishing in Hebrew. It was a prosperous fishing village during the Second Temple period. Processed fish was a popular dish at that time.

 

Jesus performed two miracles at Beit Tzeida. Also, according to the Gospel of John 1:44, three of his disciples, Philip, Peter and Andrew, who were fisherman, were born in this village. Jesus would finally curse it, as well as Capernaum and Chorazim, because of the people’s lack of faith in him and failure to repent (Matthew 11:20). The village was destroyed during the Great Revolt.

 

Nevertheless, not all archeologists are in agreement that this is really the site of Beit Tzaida. Against this location is that the ruins are about 1.2 miles from the shoreline. Nevertheless, fishing equipment has been found in the ruins and it is possible that the level of the lake was higher in Second Temple times.

 

One location suggested for Beit Tzeida by archeologists is the site El-Araj on the northern shore of Lake Kinneret near the estuary of the Jordan River, and hence not far from here. This fishing village dates from the time of Jesus. It contains the ruins of a Christian, Byzantine basilica dating to the 6th century CE, together with a monastic complex. In this respect it resembles the monastery at Kursi, which commemorates Jesus’ swine miracle (see page xxx). Interestingly, a mosaic inscription within the church written in Greek commemorates a donor and implores the help of St. Peter who is designated as “the chief of the apostles and the keeper of the key of heaven.” This implies Peter’s association with this church and hence as strong likelihood that his home was in this village.

 

Much earlier in history, Et Tell was likely the site of Tzur, the capital of the Kingdom of Geshur. Excavations here have revealed evidence of pagan religious practices, including high places, decorated stelae and dedicatory inscriptions. 

 

This kingdom had a good relationship with King David, and David married Maachah, the daughter of the king. From this union came Absalom. Absalom fled to his grandparents after he murdered his half-brother Amnon who had raped his sister, although he later found favor with David and returned to Jerusalem.

 

The Kingdom of Geshur was an independent kingdom in the 9th century BCE and extended from along the eastern border of Lake Kinneret to the Golan Heights, as far south as the Yarmouk River. Joshua allocated it to half the tribe of Manasseh, although they were unable to conquer the area (Joshua 13:13). It probably existed as an independent state for no more than a century before being annexed by Aram.