The Golan: the ancient synagogue of Afik (Part 2 of 4)

I had never heard of Afik until I still in its ancient synagogue, staring out at the incredible view over the Golan. 

That was an epic day. 

But when I started writing this series, I learned something interesting: somewhere near here is where King Ahab defeated Ben Hadad I of Damascus in 1 Kings 26-30. That's pretty cool!

Okay, back to the synagogue (also cool)!

As I stated in the last post, during the Talmudic era, there were 27 different villages along the Golan, all with a synagogue. Katzrin was one, and Afik was another. This is one of the synagogues. (There's one not too far away that they were able to put back together by numbering the stones and using a computer program, which is JUST INCREDIBLE and I can't stop dorking out about it. I definitely need to go there). 

Anywho, what's interesting about this one is that while synagogues are supposed to be facing Jerusalem when they are built, this one isn't. It faces west instead of south. 

Why? Because the topography of the area, with its many ridges, and the fact that it lies on the longest fault line in the world (think 363 AD, 749 AD, etc). However, despite this anomaly, the Torah room still faces Jerusalem.

Pretty cool, huh?

See the carving on the stone? It's another example of using found materials in building... it was originally used somewhere else.

Seriously, can we talk about this view? INCREDIBLE!

Beit She'arim: Part 1

Beit She'arim is one of those places I'd never heard of before coming to Israel to study Hebrew, so it was all new to me. What an incredible place to explore!

It's a national park, but on the way in to the park, there are things to see... 

...like the remains of a 2,000-year-old synagogue

...old city gates and an olive press from the same time period

...the remains of an old basilica

...a statue of Alexander Zaid, who started the kibbutz down below, and a beautiful view over the Jezreel Valley

... and more! Come back next week for Part 2 of the series on Beit She'arim!

What do Korazin, Beit Tsaida, and Capernaum have in common?

When I was in the Galilee, I went to the national parks of Korazin, Beit Tsaida, and Capernaum on the northern shore. These 3 towns represent the 'ministry triangle' of Jesus, where He spent 80% of His ministry.

Yet in Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus says:

"Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “'Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.'”

Wow, talk about sobering. Heartbreaking, actually.

Korazin isn't mentioned specifically in the Bible other than in this passage, but we know that Jesus travelled throughout the Galilee, spent time with people, spoke, and healed people. He calls it out in His curse because of the amount of time He spent there. 

A town known for its grain, Korazin was settled in 1st century AD. The remains here are actually from 3rd-4th century, as is the synagogue. However, we know that in Israel, things are built on top of their original location, so it's reasonable to believe that the original synagogue remains are below this one. 

What got me, though, was seeing a carving of Medusa in the synagogue wall. I can't even imagine how that was allowed to be in the town, let alone the synagogue!

Beit Tsaida is the 'wild card' in this group, because as I reported in November, a different possible location has been found. It will take more time to determine if this is the actual Beit Tsaida, and there is strong evidence for the traditional location being the real one. It later was renamed as Julius, a Roman town, so the presence of both ruins is a strong identifier.

The town of Philip, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, Jesus and the disciples often came here to rest. He healed a blind man outside the city gates in Mark 8, and when Jesus walked on water, it was likely in front of Beit Tsaida, because He'd sent the disciples on ahead to this town. There are the remains of a fisherman's house as well (soil/fossil samples present the confirm this). However, the Sea of Galilee has shrunk so much that the shore is now 2km away. But why would there be a fisherman's house so far if the lake didn't actually come up to that village? 

Capernaum is the town of Peter's mother-in-law, where Jesus did many miracles. This is where He called His first disciples, who were fishing. This is where He spent a lot of time.

The current synagogue remains are actually from the 4th century, but the foundations of the previous one are clear. So we know exactly where it was and can envision that as well.

My favorite part is the shoreline, where I sat for an hour, read my Bible, prayed, stared across at Magdala, and imagined Jesus and the disciples coming in from a long day on the lake.

WOW!!!! It was so incredible to be in each of these 3 towns, and since there weren't any tourists still in Israel, there weren't a lot of people around. I was able to read my Bible, pray, and basically have 3-D devotions, which was amazing!

Still, the reality of these places are impossible to miss. 

Walking the streets of Magdala- finally!

In 2020, I wrote about the incredible discovery at Magdala and how I wanted to go the next time I was in Israel. It has been a dream of mine for years! So when the semester ended last week, I headed out to the Galilee. 

WOW.

It was Shabbat, an unusually warm January day, and because of covid-19, there still weren't any foreign tourists allowed in Israel. So there I was, pretty much alone, strolling through Mary Magdalene's former hometown, a fishing village.

There, you can see the old market, with the main street, 

the residential area, 

the port (the Sea of Galilee, which is only about 7 miles wide at its widest point and 17 miles long) shrinks every year, so the port is much higher than one might expect, 

a beautiful chapel commemorating Jesus' ministry in the Galilee, and...

the synagogue, where, according to Matthew 4:23, Jesus spoke. 

As I talked about here, this is one of those places where we can place Jesus not only in the town or walking the main street, but in an actual room. I about lost my mind. 

After exploring this incredible place—you can still see pigmentation on the remains of columns and walls, and part of an old mosaic—I sat down and began to read from Matthew. There, on Shabbat, in front of the synagogue where Jesus spoke on a Shabbat millennia ago. It was incredible!

There are so many small treasures that have been found and are still being unearthed in Magdala, like brick ovens, mosaics in other places. It's all so interesting, but this was the crown jewel for me. 

However, did you hear about this? Recently there's been another INCREDIBLE discovery in Magdala:

A SECOND SYNAGOGUE!!!!

This one is in a residential area, which I didn't see. I think it is still being uncovered. But, how incredible! The articles I read say that this sheds a lot of light on thought and culture in the first century. I hope to go back and explore it one day!

Also, here's one more photo as a bonus, as seen on the way to Madgala: Mount Hermon covered in snow!