Visit to Six Significant Places in the Holy Land

Report by Bhotam Boliye
Pics by Ivan Belthangady
Bellevision Media Network

Israel, 18 June 2010: Last Sabbath it was a vey hot day of summer. However, being a holiday, our Kibbutz Friends of Qiryat Shmona planned to visit some of the holy places around Galilee. We started our journey at 6 o’clock in the morning and and by 6 o’clock in the evening we all were at our homes.

Within twelve hours we visited six holy places. They are The Galilee Boat, Tabgha, Mount Tabor, Yardenit, Kursi and The Church of St. Peter’s Primacy.

The Ancient Galilee Boat : The Galilee Boat from the time of Jesus, has been preserved and housed in the museum. In 1986, two brothers from Kibbutz Ginosar discovered the Galilee Boat when a severe drought resulted in the lowering of the waters of the Sea of Galilee.(Hebrew: Yam Kinneret). The boat is 8.2 meters (26.9 ft.) long, 2.3 meters (7.5 ft.) wide and 1.2 meters (3.9 ft.) deep. In February, 2000, fourteen years after its excavation, the boat was moved to its permanent home in a new wing of the Yigal Allon Centre, which is devoted to the story of man in the Galilee.

Tabgha ( The Place of Miracle): The name Tabgha is a distortion of the Greek word Heptapegon, which means ’Seven Springs’. In the past, seven springs met at this point and flowed into the Sea of Galilee. However, today only five streams remain. This is the traditional site of the Miracle of the ‘Loaves and Fishes’ which Jesus performed in order to feed the multitudes who had come to hear Him preach.

Mount Tabor: Mount Tabor is not mentioned by name in the Gospels, but according to tradition it is the ‘high mountain apart’ which Jesus ascended with the apostels Peter, James and John and where He "was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them (Mark 9:2-3). One can have a magnificent view of the Lower Galilee from the summit of the Mount Tabor, which is 660 meters high.

Yardenit ( Place of Baptism): Countless pilgrims from far and wide gather at Yardenit, where the River Jordan leaves the Sea of Galilee, to immerse themselves in the holy waters of the River Jordan. Clad in white robes, they devoutly follow the tradition of the scriptures : Jesus "was baptized by John in Jordan" (Mark 1:9). The Yardenit site was developed by Kibbutz Kinneret, and facilities are provided for pilgrims wishing to participate in baptism ceremonies.

Kursi: Kursi in the New Testament is ‘Gergesa’ or ‘Gadara’ where Jesus met the two men possessed by devils. He cast the devils into a herd of swine, which stampeded into the Sea of Galilee and was drowned. The site of the miracle was not known until the late 1960’s when the ruins of a Byzantine basilica with a mosaic floor were discovered by chance.

The Church of St. Peter’s Primacy: Nearby, along the shore, is the Church of St. Peter’s Primacy or Mensa Christi - the Table of Christ. This Chapel, whose simplicity is enhanced by the black basalt rocks used in its construction, marks the place where Jesus appeared for the third time after His death: "When the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus... This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead" (John 21:4,14).

It is believed that here they ate together and here Jesus appointed Simon Peter to the office of the Primacy with the words "Feed my lambs...feed my sheep"(John 21:15,19). The church was built by the Franciscans in 1934 on Byzantine foundations and the rock emerging from the center of the floor is the ‘table’ at which they ate. The church is located on a small quary with rock-hewn steps on which Jesus is said to have stood as the looked over water.