Journal: Bible and Spade
Volume: BSPADE 11:2 (Spring 1982)
Article: Putting Bethsaida-Julias On The Map
Author: Bargil (Virgil) Pixner

Putting Bethsaida-Julias On The Map

Bargil (Virgil) Pixner, OSB

[Father Pixner is a member of the Benedictine community in Israel, located at the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion and at Tabgha. He lectures at the Abbey’s Theological Faculty on Christian archaeology and the topography of Jerusalem.]

Next to Jerusalem and Capharnaum, the town most frequently mentioned in the Gospels is Bethsaida, birthplace of the Apostles Peter and Andrew, and home of the Apostle Philip (John 1:44; 12:21). As part of the so-called ‘Evangelical Triangle’ (Tabgha, Chorazin and Bethsaida, with Capharnaum the mid-point of the triangle’s base), Bethsaida was in that area bordering the Sea of Galilee where Jesus preached and worked more than in any other (Cf. Matthew 11:21). It was there that a blind man was healed (Mark 8:22–26), and in its vicinity that the second feeding of the multitudes took place (Matthew 15:32–39; Mark 8:1–10, Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–13). In the episode of the latter miracle, it is to Philip and Andrew, who knew the bakeries of nearby Bethsaida, that Jesus at first addresses the request to buy bread for the people (John 6:5–9). These two Apostles with Greek names must have been familiar with the Greek language spoken by many in their partly hellenized hometown. It is to them, therefore, that the Hellenes presented their request to see Jesus (John 12:20–22). In

BSP 11:2-3-4 (Spring-Summer-Autumn 1982) p. 79

the opinion of some, Bethsaida was also the home-base of the fishermen Zebedee and his two sons James and John.

But despite Bethsaida’s importance as a biblical site, it has remained almost unknown to the general public and is seldom visited by pilgrims or tourists. This is somewhat surprising in view of the fact that, since 1967, the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee has been made accessible to visitors by the construction of new bridges over the Jordan River, as well as new approach roads. The reason for the neglect of so prominent a biblical site may be sought in the hesitancy of scholars regarding its precise location. In ancient times, the site of Bethsaida, though difficult to reach, was a recognized place of pilgrimage. In the year 725, for example, the Benedictine pilgrim Willibald, later to become the first Bishop of Eichstaett in Bavaria, visited the site as a matter of course. ‘And from there [Capharnaum]’ the report says, ‘they went to Bethsaida; Peter and Andrew were from there. A church now stands on the spot where their house had been.’ The church referred to may have been a successor to the prayer-house that had supposedly been erected by the Apostle Philip, as mentioned in an ancient account ascribed to the Syrian author, Simon of Bassora.

In modern times, two sites have been the main contenders for recognition as ancient Bethsaida. One is the Bedouin village of Messadiye, and the other, the ruin-covered hill of Et-Tell. Messadiye has the advantage of being on the lake, the ideal place for a fishing village, while Et-Tell lies two kms from the seashore. Moreover, the few topographers of the past 150 years who occasionally ventured over the Jordan to pick up samples of pottery from Et-Tell’s extensive ruins were unable to find any ceramic evidence for the hill’s occupation during Roman times. And yet —...