From Jesus in Capernaum to Crusaders in Akka

12516

n interesting morning around Capernaum on the northern side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus spent the three years of his public ministry.

Seeing it all first-hand, and correlating stories I’ve been hearing since childhood, brings a totally new perspective – very satisfying in a personal sense. It may perhaps be of interest to others of my Christian friends. (And, I add a link to a small album of photos at the end of the post.)

The town of Capernaum – “He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake”.

Jesus teaching in the Synagogue – “Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum”

“On leaving the synagogue he entered the house of Peter and Andrew with James and John”.

I see (at the Benedictine Church of the Multiplication) the rock on which the five loaves and two fish were laid . . . “And they all ate and were satisfied.”

A little further around the lake, a small Franciscan chapel stands on the spot where Jesus appeared to his disciples for the third time after the Resurrection, and where he afterwards reinstated Peter with the words “feed my sheep”.

Looking down to the Sea of Galilee from the Mount of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount –

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. . . .”

A pretty apt finish not only for this short visit, but for this broken world we’re living in.

fter visiting Christian sites on the Sea of Galilee, we drive across the north of Israel to Acre (commonly known as Akka), on the northern extremity of Haifa Bay to visit the excavations in the Hospitalier Compound – the old Crusaders fortress.

Michael at the excavations in the Hospitalier Compound - the old Crusaders fortress in Acre

After expelling the Crusaders from the Holy Land on more than one occasion, the Muslims filled in the fortress with sand. The Ottomans built their fortess on top of it. It was only on the 1960’s that Israeli archaeologists started the excavations, revealing the wonderful fortress of 1,000 years ago.

Seabourn Sojourn is docked across Haifa Bay, ready to see sail this evening across the Mediterranean, to Rome.

CLICK HERE to view Google Photo Album
To view captions, click on the fist photo and in upper right corner click on ‘i’ icon.