The name “Capernaum” is Hebrew for “village of Nahum” and is the name for a small village on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Today it has been identified with the modern site of Tel Hum which has been excavated off-and-on for over a hundred years. Human habitation can be traced back to around the 2nd century BCE and it was abandoned during the 7th century CE.
Located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum is a little over 2 miles from the Jordan river. The village was very close to the Via Maris, an important trade route between Syria and Egypt, and evidently levied taxes on caravans passing through. The site of Capernaum wasn’t positively identified until 1838 by American explorer Edward Robinson.
Capernaum is important for the study of the New Testament because of its central role in Jesus’ ministry around Galilee. Various miracles, healings, and preaching are described by all four gospel authors as taking place there. Matthew even goes so far as to call Capernaum Jesus’ “own city.” Despite this, Jesus is described as cursing the town because of their rejection of him.
Capernaum is also an important archaeological site. Throughout the 20th century, Franciscans have excavated a magnificent 4th century synagogue. Made of white limestone, it has numerous columns, beautiful carvings, and the facade faces Jerusalem. Underneath it, however, is the foundation of an older synagogue that may date to the 1st century.
Some believe that this would have been the synagogue that the gospels describe Jesus visiting, but there are skeptics who dispute the idea that synagogues even existed prior to the diaspora. No literary or archaeological evidence of synagogues in Palestine appears until the 1st century CE or possibly later.
A 5th century Christian church directly across from the synagogue has also been identified in Capernaum, probably built over a 4th century “house-church.” This has been called “Peter’s House” by Christians, although there is absolutely no evidence connecting it to anyone named Peter. The identification is made on the basis of a line from Mark, “And immediately he left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew.” From this some believe that (Simon) Peter’s house was just outside the synagogue, but this is rather weak.
