Category Archives: Archaeology

Today I put forth some extra effort to make a good photo at the spot on the north end of the Sea of Galilee called the Cove of the Sower. Some have suggested that this would have been the place where Jesus could speak to large numbers who assembled to hear Him.

Read the full account given by Mark in 4:1-20. Here is the way it begins:

He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land.  And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,  “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow. (Mark 4:1-3)

Read the parallel accounts in Matthew 14:1-15 and Luke 8:4-10.

B. Cobbey Crisler conducted some experiments at places where the Bible records that large crowds gathered. The attempt was to see if the large number were able to hear a speaker without the aid of modern sound equipment. The places were Kadesh-barnea, Shiloh,  and The Cove of the Sower in Galilee. I suggest you read the entire article (“The Accoustics and Crowd Capacity of Natural Theaters in Palestine.” Biblical Archaeologist, 1976. Vol. 39. Num. 4.

The study indicated that the Cove of the Sower would allow between 5000 and 7000 people to hear.

The water level of the Sea of Galilee is extremely low at this time due to lack of rain and snow in the past few years. In the photo posted below you will see many rocks in the foreground. Most years these rock would be covered with water. Due to the crops, and a highway, it is difficult to make out the amphitheater-like terrain. It would require several photos from different locations to show this, but it is there.

The Cove of the Sower in Galilee. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

We made a wrong turn and realized we were near Dan. We had been there in April, but I decided to make new photos of the gates. This was a good move, because the light was perfect for the purpose.

We drove to Metulla, on the Lebanese border, to make a photo of Abel beth-maacah. Read 1 Kings 15:20; 2 Kings 15:29 and 2 Samuel 20:16. In this case the tel was dry, and brown, but the surrounding area was green with fruit trees. It made the tel stand out.

Our next stop was at Kedesh, one of the cities of refuge in Old Testament times (Joshua 21:32). We were at the same place yesterday, but did not have time to get good photos. I am now sure that I was successful today either.

Our last stop before returning to Tiberias was to visit Acre (Acco, Akko). We passed the ancient tel on the way to see the Crusader ruins. The city is mentioned only once in the Old Testament (Judges 1:31), as a city that the tribe Asher was unable to retain as their possession.  Akko is known as early as 1800 B.C. from Egyptian execration texts. In the period between the testaments the city came under the control of the Ptolemies of Egypt. As a result, the city’s name was changed to Ptolemais. Paul visited brethren in the city for a day on the return from his third journey (Acts 21:7).

The Crusader fortress at Akko (Acre). Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Elizabeth and I realized today that we have traveled not only from Dan to Beersheba, but from Eilat on the Rea Sea to the border of Lebanon.  We have traveled from the Jordan Valley to the Great Sea, the Mediterranean. We are very thankful for this opportunity.

We spent the day visiting sites in the Galilee region of Israel. This morning we stopped by Magdala, but was not successful in getting photos. New excavations were conducted a few months ago, but the site is fenced and locked. In the afternoon I found a location on the road above that provided a fairly good overview of the site.

Magdala is not mentioned in the Bible, but is thought to be the home of Mary Magdalene. According to the gospel of John, Mary Magdalene was the first disciple to see the “open tomb” of Jesus.

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. (John 20:1).

As we continued North I noticed a good view of Mount Arbel and the Via Maris (the way to the Sea).

We tried to locate the cove of the sower, a sort of natural amphitheater that may be the site of Jesus sitting in a boat and speaking to a larger crowd of disciples on the shore (

And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. (Luke 5:3).

Our next stop was the Greek Orthodox church at Capernaum. From there we went to Gamla, an impressive fortress east of the Sea of Galilee. Jewish zealots were defeated by the Roman army about A.D. 66. Josephus describes the site in vivid terms:

for it was located upon a rough ridge of a high mountain, with a kind of neck in the middle: where it begins to ascend, it lengthens itself, and declines as much downward before as behind, insomuch that it is like a camel in figure, from where it is so named, although the people of the country do not pronounce it accurately. Both on the side and the face there are abrupt parts divided from the rest, and ending in vast deep valleys; yet are the parts behind, where they are joined to the mountain, something easier of ascent than the other; but then the people belonging to the place have cut an oblique ditch there, and made that hard to be ascended also. On its slope, which is straight, houses are built, and those very thick and close to one another. The city also hangs so strangely, that it looks as if it would fall down upon itself, so sharp is it at the top. (Wars of the Jews 4:5-7)

See for yourself in this photo I made today.

Gamla. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

About Noon we stopped at Kursi, the site of a 6th century Byzantine monastery near the possible site of the miracle of the swine (Mark 5:11-13). See an article by Charles Page, excavator at Kursi, here.

We drove north in the Golan Heights and crossed from east of the Jordan River to the west side at a site called the bridge of Jacob’s daughters. We had some beautiful views of the Jordan River in this area north of the Sea of Galilee. It appears that some folks were having a lot of fun on the Jordan.

Jordan River at the Bridge of Jacob

We made a stop at Hazor and I quickly made photos at each major area on the tel. We were here earlier this year, but I wanted to get a few additional photos.

Our last major stop was at Tel Kedesh in Upper Galilee, near the Lebanon border. This Kedesh was located in the territory of the Israelite tribe of Naphtali (Joshua 19:37). It is probably best known as one of the six cities of refuge assigned to the tribe of Levi (Joshua 20:7; 21:32).

By the time we pulled in to our hotel on the shore of Lake Kinneret, we were ready for a shower and a good dinner.