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An inland lake formed by the River Jordan, the Sea of Galilee has historically been a drawing site for many settlers from the early days of the Old Testament. This lake, 13 miles long and 8 miles wide at its widest point, was called The Sea of Tiberias in Roman times as the city of Tiberias was being built. Another historic name for the lake has been Lake Gennesaret. This name was given after the very poetic Hebrew name Chinnereth, which means "shape like a harp." Moses referred to this oldest name for the Sea of Galilee in Numbers 34:11. Joshua also used it (Josh. 11:2,12:3, 13:27).
In the New Testament period, more than 60 towns and villages had grown up in the bustling land of Galilee, and the shores of Galilee were dotted with fishing towns in the time of Jesus. It was from these very shores that Jesus calls his first disciples (Mark 1:16-20).
1. Mt. 5-7 It is on the Mt. of Beatitudes, a hillside off of the northwestern shores of Galilee, that Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount.
2. Mt. 26:32 Jesus told His disciples that He would go ahead of them into "Galilee" after the resurrection.
3. Mk. 1:35-39 Jesus spends some quiet moments before dawn by the shores of Galilee.
4. Mk. 4:1-20 With the crowd too large, Jesus decides to teach the people from a boat slightly off shore. As he taught, the people listened along the shoreline. On this occasion, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Sower.
5. Mk. 4:35-41 Jesus, sleeping on the disciples' boat, is awakened as He calms the storm on Galilee.
6. Mk. 5:1-13 Along the eastern shores of Galilee, Jesus expels the demons into a large herd of pigs. As a result, the pigs run down the cliff and into the lake.
7. Mk. 6:30-44 Jesus feeds the 5,000 along the northern shores of Galilee.
8. Mk. 6:45-51 Jesus walks on the water as His disciples experience the terror of high winds and rough waters in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.
9. Luke 5:1-11 Jesus calls His disciples from the shores of Galilee (and even gives them some good "fishing tips").
1. ROMAN PERIOD: In a extraordinary find dating to the approximate time of the New Testament, a 1st century fishing boat was found off the shores of Galilee in 1986. As a result of a severe drought that gripped Israel in 1985 & 1986, the winter rains barely came. Water was pumped from the Sea of Galilee to irrigate parched fields. Predictably, wide expanses of the Sea of Galilee were exposed. After finding some ancient bronze coins and a few ancient nails, the archaeologists saw an oval outline of a boat, entirely buried in the mud. The boat measured 26 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 4 1/2 feet high. Josephus, the Jewish historian, notes that a typical 1st century boat similar to this could hold 15 men. An oil lamp was found in the boat dating to this period. Also, a cooking pot was found just outside the boat.Archeological Sites and "Regions"
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