The translation of the inscription bolsters the basilica\u2019s identification with the church described by the eighth century bishop of Eichstatt, Willibald, the first known Englishman to visit the Holy Land, who reported a church built over the house of Saint Peter and Andrew in his travel logs.<\/p>\n
While traveling from Capernaum to Kursi, Willibald stayed overnight at a place he was told, \u201cis Bethsaida from which came Peter and Andrew. There is now a church where\u2026their house [previously was].\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bigorski.org.mk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/greek-inscription.webp\")
<\/p>\n
Greek inscription mentions Saint Peter Apostle of Jesus Christ<\/h3>\n
The inscription was translated by Prof. Leah Di Segni of Hebrew University and Prof. Yaakov Ashkenazi of Kinneret College in the latest press release of the excavation project, which explains the findings of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n It references a donor, \u201cConstantine, the servant of Christ,\u201d and continues with a petition for intercession by Saint Peter, \u201cchief and commander of the heavenly apostles,\u201d a title routinely used by Byzantine Christian writers to refer to the Apostle Peter.<\/p>\n Framed with a round medallion made of two lines of black tesserae, the inscription forms part of a larger mosaic floor in the church\u2019s sacristy that is partly decorated with floral patterns, the excavation project\u2019s announcement explains.<\/p>\n \u201cThis discovery is our strongest indicator that Peter had a special association with the basilica, and it was likely dedicated to him,\u201d said Steven Notley, academic director of the dig. \u201cSince Byzantine Christian tradition routinely identified Peter\u2019s home in Bethsaida, and not in Capernaum as is often thought today, it seems likely that the basilica commemorates his house.\u201d<\/p>\n The <\/span>El Araj Excavation Project<\/a> <\/span>is a joint project of the Kinneret Institute for Galilee Archeology at Kinneret College and Nyack College, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Ancient Judaism and Christian Origins (CSAJCO), the Museum of the Bible, the Lanier Theological Library Foundation, and HaDavar Yeshiva (HK).<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the goals of this dig was to check whether we have at the site a layer from the 1st century, which will allow us to suggest a better candidate for the identification of Biblical Bethsaida,\u201d says archaeologist Mordechai Aviam, archaeological director of the excavation.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only did we find significant remains from this period, but we also found this important church and the monastery around it\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n The press release points out that so far, the Roman remains that have been excavated at el Araj bear witness to the testimony of Flavius Josephus in <\/span>Jewish Antiquities<\/em> <\/span>that the village became a small polis called Julias which existed until the 3rd century AD.<\/p>\n Altogether, these findings continue to strengthen the identification of el Araj\/Beit haBek with the ancient Jewish town of Bethsaida, the last lost city of the Bible.<\/p>\n Excavations will resume in October, when the cleaning of the entire church will be completed with the aim to answer the question of its different phases and perhaps uncover additional inscriptions, it concludes.<\/p>\n According to the New Testament, Bethsaida was the hometown of the apostles of Jesus Christ, Saint Peter, St Andrew, and St <\/span>Philip<\/a> where Jesus reportedly restored a blind man\u2019s sight at a place just outside the ancient village (Gospel of Mark) and miraculously fed five thousand nearby (Gospel of Luke).<\/p>\n Three places have been considered as the possible location of Biblical Bethsaida, namely the Bedouin village of Messadiye; the <\/span>deserted settlement of El-Araj<\/a>; and the archaeological site of Et-Tell.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nIn search of ancient Bethsaida<\/h3>\n
Last lost city of the Bible<\/h3>\n