32°53′N, 35°34′E · Northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee
Historical Overview
Capernaum was a fishing village on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, at the boundary between the territories of Herod Antipas and Philip. It had a customs post (Mark 2:14), which means it sat on a trade route, and a Roman garrison, which means it was under direct imperial oversight. Its name is Hebrew, Kfar Nahum, “village of Nahum,” though no connection to the prophet Nahum is attested.
Jesus made Capernaum his home after leaving Nazareth (Matthew 4:13). It became the base of the Galilean ministry, the setting for many of the miracles and much of the teaching, and the home of Peter and Andrew.
What the Archaeology Shows
Capernaum was excavated by the Franciscan archaeologist Virgilio Corbo and the scholar Stanislao Loffreda in the 1960s and 1970s. Two finds stand out.
First, a synagogue from the 4th century AD, built of white limestone over black basalt foundations from the 1st century. The 1st-century foundations are almost certainly the remains of the synagogue mentioned in Mark 1:21, where Jesus taught.
Second, a 1st-century domestic structure venerated from at least the middle of the 1st century — graffiti from the 2nd century and later invokes the name of Peter, and a Byzantine octagonal church was built over it in the 5th century. The modern church at Capernaum is built on top of the octagonal church and preserves the 1st-century house underneath. This is the traditional house of Peter.
What Happened Here
Capernaum is the place where the Galilean ministry was centered. Jesus called Matthew the tax collector here. He healed Peter’s mother-in-law in Peter’s house. He taught in the synagogue. He cast out demons and healed the paralytic lowered through the roof.
It is also the setting of the Bread of Life discourse in John 6, delivered in the synagogue at Capernaum, where many disciples turned back and walked with him no more. Jesus asked the Twelve whether they would also go away. Peter answered: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.”
