The Sea of Galilee witnessed some of the most exciting episodes of Jesus’ ministry. It was on this lake or by its shores that God’s own son walked on water, calmed tempestuous waves, miraculously fed thousands and healed the sick.
In 1986, a surprising discovery was made on the sea-bed near ancient Capernaum. It was a boat that had sailed this sea back in the time of Jesus’ ministry. How was it found? And what can we learn from it?
REVEALED BY A DROUGHT
Years of below-average rainfall, followed by the harsh summer of 1985, had taken a severe toll on the Sea of Galilee, and this fresh water like was also being tapped for crop irrigation. The water level had dropped dramatically, exposing extensive mudflats. Two men, fleshly brothers from a nearby Kibbutz, saw a golden opportunity to look for hidden treasure. As they made their ways across the mudflats, they spotted some bronze coins and a few old nails. Then they saw it- an oval outline in the mud, marking the spot where an ancient boat lay buried. They had indeed found a treasure!
Archaeologists never expected to find a 2,000 years-old boat in the Sea of Galilee. They assumed that micro-organisms would have long since destroyed any wood. Yet, both carbon dating and the coins recovered at the site led experts to date the find to the first century B.C.E or the first century C.E. Incredibly, the hull was quite well preserved. How was that possible?
It appears that the boat was left in an undisturbed area which allowed the entire lower section to be encased in fine silt. In time, the silt hardened. A piece of history was kept safe for some 20 century!
As news of the crafts discovery spread, it was nicknamed the Jesus Boat. Of course, No one seriously suggested that this very boat was used by Jesus or his disciples. Still, its age and similarities to the boats described in the Gospel accounts make it of interest to historians and Bible scholars alike.
The boat is 8.2 meters long and .3 meters wide. Its builder used the shell-first method of construction. That is instead of fixing planks onto a frame; he attached them directly to the keel and built up the sides of the boat to form a shell. This method was common in building boats meant for sailing the Mediterranean Sea. However, the Galilean boat may have been adapted for sailing on a lake.
Evidently, the boat was originally fitted with a single square sail. Its four oars indicate that it required a minimum crew of five-four rowers and a henchman. However, the craft was capable of carrying more than double that number of people. It is easy to imagine a similar-size boat when reading of the seven disciples who were out fishing when they saw Jesus after His resurrection– John 21:2-8
The Galilean boat would no doubt have a stern deck for the storage of large fishing nets. Beneath its planks, such a deck provided a some what secluded area where tired fishermen could rest. Jesus may have taken advantage o such a feature when during a windstorm “He was in the stern, sleeping upon a pillow” (Mark 4:38). It has been suggested that the “pillow” could have been a sandbag kept on board as ballast.
