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Photo: A stone engraved with a seven-branched menorah

Archaeologists have announced that they have found the remains of a synagogue from the times of Jesus. According to the report, it is possible that Jesus may have preached in this synagogue located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The following is an excerpt from the news release:

The remains of a 2,000-year-old synagogue where Jesus may have preached were found on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, archaeologists said on Friday.

The synagogue, one of the oldest ever found, was unearthed at Migdal, which Christians believe to be the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, a leading follower of Jesus.

“It is possible that Jesus had preached in this synagogue since Migdal was an important Jewish city at the time,” excavations director Dina Abshalom-Gorni, who led the dig, told AFP.

Jesus did much of his preaching on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Kinneret, where Christians believe he performed several miracles.

Archaeologists were particularly excited by the discovery of an imprint depicting the menorah — a seven-branched candelabrum — from the Jewish Second Temple destroyed in 70 AD during the Roman siege of Jerusalem.

Read the news report in its entirety by clicking here.

It is not known whether Jesus really preached at this synagogue, but if he did, then, the people who were in attendance there probably heard one of the best sermons of their life.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Menorah, Synagogue

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