On the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, where the Jordan River fans into its delta, the ground has begun to give back memories of the apostles. Stones that for centuries lay hidden beneath reeds and silt are now being exposed in careful squares. As archaeologists peel away the layers, a large Byzantine basilica has emerged, built directly atop a Roman-period village. The ongoing excavations from 2020 to 2025 at Khirbet el-Araj have brought to light a worship complex that early Christian tradition linked with the House of Peter.

This is not a vague association with a region; it is a specific church, in a specific place, connected with a specific apostle. The basilica appears to have been erected, at least in part, to honor the memory of Simon Peter, the fisherman whom Jesus called, “Follow Me,” the man who confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and who later denied his Lord but was restored and commissioned to shepherd Christ’s flock. The location corresponds closely with ancient descriptions of Bethsaida, the hometown of Peter, Andrew, and Philip. The architecture, inscriptions, and sequence of occupation all point toward a continuous memory stretching from the first-century fishing village of Bethsaida-Julias to a Byzantine pilgrimage site that revered the apostle.

This chapter traces the unfolding story of Khirbet el-Araj. We will walk through its geographical setting, the biblical testimony regarding Bethsaida, the excavation of the Roman village and the later basilica, the connection with apostolic tradition, and the implications for our confidence in the historical reliability of the Gospels. We will also examine the ongoing scholarly debate over the location of Bethsaida and show why the evidence at Khirbet el-Araj, evaluated in a balanced and conservative way, strongly supports identifying this site as the biblical town.

The Setting at the Northern Shore of the Sea of Galilee

Khirbet el-Araj lies in the Bethsaida Valley on the northern side of the Sea of Galilee, just east of where the Jordan River enters the lake. Today the area is marshy in places, but in the first century the shoreline was closer to the site than it is now. Geological studies of the region, together with ancient literary sources, indicate that fluctuations in water level and deposits from the Jordan delta gradually altered the coastline over the centuries. The result is that a site which once stood near the water’s edge can now appear somewhat inland.

From the standpoint of geography and trade, the location is ideal for a fishing town that also served as a minor administrative center. The Sea of Galilee, long known for its rich fishery, provided abundant livelihood. The Jordan River valley offered access northward toward the Golan and southward down the Jordan toward the Dead Sea. East–west routes crossed nearby, connecting the lakeshore with the interior of Gaulanitis and the wider Decapolis. The ground gently rises from the lake toward the basalt hills, creating a natural terrace where a village could thrive.

In New Testament times this area formed part of the territory of Herod Philip, son of Herod the Great. Philip ruled from 2 B.C.E. until 34 C.E., administering a largely Gentile population mixed with Jewish communities. The Gospels record that he developed Bethsaida into a polis (city) and renamed it Julias in honor of Julia, a member of the imperial family. This explains why some ancient writers use Bethsaida, others Julias, for what appears to be the same place.

When the sun rises over the Golan today and lights the reeds along the Bethsaida delta, we are looking at the same environment in which Jesus and the apostles moved. The waves that lap the shore below Khirbet el-Araj are the same waters upon which Jesus walked, the same lake on which Peter, Andrew, James, and John cast their nets. The physical setting has changed in detail, but the basic contours remain. It is within this landscape that the excavation at Khirbet el-Araj must be understood.

Bethsaida in the Gospels

Bethsaida occupies a prominent place in the Gospel narratives. John records that Philip was from Bethsaida “of Andrew and Peter,” indicating that Peter and his brother Andrew also hailed from there. The town therefore served as the original home base for some of the earliest disciples whom Jesus called. Although they later lived and worked out of Capernaum, their roots lay in Bethsaida’s fishing community.

The Gospels also connect Bethsaida with several of Jesus’ miracles and teachings. Near Bethsaida, Jesus fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish, demonstrating His power to provide and prefiguring His role as the bread of life. In another episode, a blind man was brought to Jesus at Bethsaida. Jesus led him outside the village, healed him in stages, and then sent him home with instructions not to reenter the town. This miracle not only displays Christ’s compassion and power but also underscores Bethsaida’s spiritual responsibility; despite the mighty works performed there, many did not repent.

Jesus eventually pronounced woes on Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, declaring that if the miracles done in them had occurred in pagan cities like Tyre and Sidon, those Gentile communities would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. Bethsaida thus stands as an example of great privilege and greater accountability. It enjoyed the presence of the Messiah, witnessed His deeds, and heard His teaching, yet large portions of its population remained hardened.

For our purposes, the important point is that Bethsaida was a real town with a specific location, with houses, streets, boats, and families. Peter and Andrew grew up there. Philip came from there. It lay near enough to the shore for fishing to be a natural occupation, yet prominent enough that a regional ruler invested in its development into a small city. If archaeology can identify the site of this village, we gain another line of evidence confirming that the Gospels describe real places and real people, not fictional settings.

The Search for Bethsaida and the Case for Khirbet el-Araj

For many years, the leading candidate for Bethsaida was a site known as et-Tell, located several kilometers north of the present shoreline. Excavations there uncovered impressive remains from the Iron Age and Hellenistic periods, including city walls and a gate. Because of its size and the presence of Hellenistic remains, some scholars concluded that this must be Bethsaida-Julias, with the assumption that the Sea of Galilee’s shoreline once reached much closer to the mound.

However, the identification faced serious difficulties. The distance from et-Tell to the current lake is substantial, and geological studies suggest that while the shoreline has indeed shifted, it is unlikely to have been so radically different as to place et-Tell directly on the water in the first century. Furthermore, the excavations at et-Tell have produced only limited evidence of a thriving first-century fishing village. The site appears to have been more significant in earlier centuries.

Khirbet el-Araj presents a different picture. It lies much closer to the lake, in the delta plain, with clear signs of Roman-period occupation. Coins, pottery, and architectural remains show strong activity in the first century, including what appears to be a Roman-style bathhouse—a feature consistent with Herod Philip’s efforts to elevate Bethsaida into a polis. The combination of a lakeshore location, first-century occupation, and later Byzantine remains has led many conservative scholars to favor Khirbet el-Araj as the more plausible candidate for Bethsaida.

From a historical-grammatical perspective, we ask: what best matches the plain sense of the Gospel narratives? When the Gospels speak of a town from which fishermen came and near which crowds could gather along the lakeshore, a site in the delta plain adjacent to the water aligns more naturally with the text than a hilltop settlement far from the waves. Khirbet el-Araj fits that description.

The ongoing excavations from 2020 to 2025 have strengthened this case, revealing not only Roman-period structures but also a substantial Byzantine church complex that later Christians associated with the House of Peter. While church tradition cannot override Scripture, it can, when evaluated critically, preserve genuine historical memory. In this instance, the convergence of geographical, archaeological, and traditional lines of evidence strongly favors Khirbet el-Araj as the biblical Bethsaida.

Uncovering the Roman Village Beneath the Basilica

Before discussing the Byzantine worship complex, we must look at what lies beneath it. Excavators at Khirbet el-Araj have uncovered layers that reach back into the Roman period, including the time of Jesus’ ministry. These lower levels contain domestic structures, installations, and finds typical of a Jewish village engaged in fishing and related trades.

Among the discoveries are stone-built houses with plastered floors, pottery characteristic of the early first century C.E., and coins from the reign of Herod Philip and other contemporary rulers. Fishing weights and other equipment associated with the lake economy have also been recovered. Together, these finds paint a picture of an active village closely linked with the Sea of Galilee, precisely the environment we would expect for the hometown of fishermen like Peter and Andrew.

One especially telling feature is the evidence of a Roman-style bathhouse, likely constructed when Herod Philip transformed Bethsaida into Julias. Bathhouses were standard elements of Greco-Roman urban culture, providing social and hygienic functions. Their presence signals a level of urbanization beyond that of a simple rural hamlet. This accords with the Gospel’s reference to Bethsaida as a town and with extrabiblical accounts of Philip’s urbanizing efforts.

The Roman-period remains also include coins and materials from subsequent centuries, indicating that the settlement continued to exist into the later Roman and early Byzantine periods before being overbuilt by the basilica complex. The continuous occupation underscores that this was a living community, not a brief or marginal encampment. People were born, married, worked, worshipped, and died here over generations.

For the careful Bible student, such findings are valuable not because they create faith but because they harmonize with the biblical portrayal of Bethsaida. Archaeology shows a first-century lakeside village with signs of fishing and urban development in Herod Philip’s territory—exactly what the Gospels lead us to expect.

The Byzantine Basilica and Monastic Complex

Above the Roman layers, excavators have identified the foundations of a large Byzantine basilica, oriented traditionally with its apse toward the east. The footprint includes a central nave flanked by side aisles, with rows of columns separating the spaces. Mosaic floors once decorated the interior, and architectural fragments—capitals, bases, and carved stone—testify to a well-finished structure built with care.

Adjacent to the basilica are additional rooms and courtyards that appear to belong to a monastery or pilgrimage complex. Such arrangements are common in the Holy Land from the fourth to seventh centuries, when Christian pilgrims traveled from across the empire to visit places associated with the life of Jesus and the apostles. Monks often maintained these sites, providing hospitality and guiding visitors through the biblical connections.

In the case of Khirbet el-Araj, the basilica’s position directly atop the Roman village is significant. Early Christians did not randomly choose locations for their commemorative churches. When they believed a site had a connection with a biblical event or person, they often built over that remembered spot. While not every tradition is accurate, the intentionality of the placement calls for respectful consideration.

The basilica at Khirbet el-Araj is not merely a village church among many. Its size and complexity suggest that it served more than a small local population. Pilgrimage, veneration, and a special association with Peter appear to be driving factors. This is where the link with apostolic tradition becomes particularly relevant.

The House of Peter Tradition

Ancient Christian tradition records that a church at Bethsaida marked the house of the apostles Peter and Andrew. A notable eighth-century pilgrim, traveling through the Holy Land, mentions visiting a church in the region of Bethsaida that had been built over the home of these brothers. His account indicates that by his time, local Christians pointed to a specific building as preserving that memory.

The basilica at Khirbet el-Araj matches key elements of such descriptions: it is a sizable church complex in the vicinity of Bethsaida, built atop earlier domestic remains. In some of the mosaic inscriptions found within the basilica, references appear that may allude to Peter as the “chief and head of the apostles” or similar titles, although the texts are fragmentary. Even partial phrases can reflect the way the community understood the purpose of their church.

To be clear, Scripture does not tell us the exact location of Peter’s childhood home, nor does it command us to honor particular sites. However, it is entirely plausible that local memory in Galilee preserved the location of important houses and events for generations, especially when those houses belonged to men who became leaders in the early church. Just as the house in Capernaum associated with Peter became a focus of early Christian veneration, so too the site of his earlier home in Bethsaida could have been remembered.

From a conservative, historical-grammatical standpoint, we approach such traditions with cautious openness. They are not inspired, and they must be tested against Scripture and archaeological evidence, but they need not be dismissed simply because they are extra-biblical. In the case of Khirbet el-Araj, the tradition of a church over the House of Peter aligns well with the physical reality of a basilica built over a first-century village that fits the profile of Bethsaida. This convergence lends weight to the tradition without elevating it to the level of Scripture.

Early Christian Memory and the Reliability of the Gospels

The worship complex at Khirbet el-Araj provides a case study in how early Christians remembered and honored the places connected with Jesus and the apostles. Within two or three centuries of the apostolic era, believers in Galilee were building churches and monasteries at sites they understood to be linked with key events and individuals. This implies that the geographical memory of the early church was not vague or purely symbolic. It was anchored in specific locations passed down through community tradition.

When we combine this with the fact that the New Testament writings themselves were composed between about 41 and 98 C.E. by eyewitnesses or close associates of eyewitnesses, we see a consistent pattern. The early church cared about real history. It remembered where things happened. It preserved those memories in word, text, and stone.

This stands in sharp contrast to the claims of higher criticism, which often portrays the Gospels as late, legendary compositions disconnected from the actual places and events of Jesus’ life. According to such views, the stories of Bethsaida and Peter’s background would be theological constructions, not straightforward historical accounts.

Khirbet el-Araj pushes back against that skepticism. Here we have a site with clear first-century occupation fitting a lakeside town in Philip’s territory, over which later Christians built a basilica honoring Peter. The Gospels tell us that Peter and Andrew came from Bethsaida, that Jesus ministered there, and that the town lay near the Sea of Galilee. The archaeological and traditional data from Khirbet el-Araj dovetail with that picture. The simplest and most historically grounded explanation is that the Gospels are telling us the truth and that this site preserves the memory of those realities.

The reliability of Scripture does not rest on any one excavation. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God regardless of whether a particular church floor is uncovered. Yet each time the soil yields evidence that aligns with the biblical record, it strengthens our appreciation for how faithfully Jehovah has preserved both His Word and many of the physical traces of its world.

Worship, Pilgrimage, and Everyday Faith at Bethsaida

The basilica and monastic complex at Khirbet el-Araj also reveal much about the spiritual life of believers in the Byzantine period. Pilgrims who journeyed from distant lands to Galilee would have approached the church along paths that wound through fields and past small houses. As they entered the complex, they likely saw inscriptions, mosaics, and perhaps frescoes that pointed them to Peter’s role as an apostle of Christ.

Inside the basilica, Scripture would be read in Greek, psalms chanted, and prayers offered to Jehovah through His Son. The faithful would hear the same Gospels we read today—accounts of Jesus calling fishermen, calming storms, walking on the water, feeding multitudes, and forgiving sins. Standing within sight of the lake where many of those events occurred, they would be reminded that Christian faith is rooted in real time and space, not in myths.

Monks attached to the complex would have lived by a rhythm of prayer, work, and hospitality. They cared for the building, copied or read Scripture, and welcomed pilgrims. Some may have served as guides, explaining to visitors how the basilica stood over earlier houses and why the community believed one of those houses had belonged to Peter. Their teaching would have emphasized not only the place but the message: repentance, faith in Christ, and obedience to His commands.

For local believers, the church functioned as a regular gathering place, not merely a pilgrimage site. Fishermen, farmers, craftsmen, and their families would attend services, bring offerings, and seek encouragement from God’s Word. Children growing up in the village would hear about Peter not as a distant figure but as one of their own, a Galilean fisherman called by Jesus who learned, failed, repented, and was restored. The basilica’s very stones reinforced the continuity between their daily lives and the apostolic story.

The Destruction and Silence of the Site

Like many Byzantine sites in the region, the worship complex at Khirbet el-Araj did not last indefinitely. At some point—likely in connection with broader upheavals in the region—the basilica fell into disuse. Roofs collapsed, walls crumbled, and the site was gradually covered by debris, soil, and the encroaching wetland conditions of the delta. The monastery’s voices went silent. Pilgrims no longer came.

For centuries, the memory of the church’s exact location faded, even if faint echoes of Bethsaida lingered in local names and traditions. The Bible remained, of course, preserved in Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and translated into many languages, declaring that Philip, Andrew, and Peter were from Bethsaida. Yet the physical trace of the basilica built over Peter’s supposed house lay hidden.

The fact that the site could be lost to human memory yet preserved beneath the ground until modern excavations is a reminder of Jehovah’s providence in history. While He does not promise to preserve every building associated with biblical events, He has allowed many such sites to remain, awaiting discovery at the right time. When they are uncovered, they serve as fresh confirmations that His Word has always been rooted in the real world of stones, water, and human lives.

Implications for Faith and Scholarship

The ongoing excavation of Khirbet el-Araj carries several implications for those who love Scripture and value accurate history. First, it underscores that the Gospels describe a coherent, historically plausible setting. The more we learn about first-century Galilee—the towns, roads, economic patterns, and political divisions—the more the Gospel narratives fit naturally into that environment. They are not the product of a later imagination.

Second, the discovery exemplifies how archaeological work, when done carefully and interpreted in harmony with a high view of Scripture, can illuminate and confirm biblical accounts without replacing the authority of the text. The goal is not to “prove” the Bible as if it needed human validation but to show that the world it describes is the real world. This strengthens believers and challenges honest skeptics.

Third, the site invites a humble appreciation of the early church’s efforts to preserve memory of the apostles. While we rightly reject traditions that contradict Scripture or that elevate human authorities above the Word of God, we should also acknowledge that many early believers cared deeply about remembering where Christ and His apostles lived and served. Their construction of churches over such places, including the basilica at Khirbet el-Araj, reflects a desire to root worship in the concrete reality of salvation history.

Finally, the excavation reminds us that Christian faith is not an abstract philosophy. It is a response to what the Father actually did in sending His Son into the world, in a specific region, at a known time—Jesus’ ministry beginning in 29 C.E. and His atoning death on Nisan 14 of 33 C.E. The apostles were real men from real towns like Bethsaida, called by a real Messiah who walked along the actual shoreline beneath Khirbet el-Araj. When holy ones today confess Jesus as Lord and await His return before the thousand-year reign, they stand in continuity with those Galilean fishermen and with the generations of believers who built churches over their homes.

Khirbet el-Araj, then, is more than an excavation grid on a map. It is a meeting point between text and soil, between the inspired Gospels and the stones of Galilee. As the ongoing work from 2020 to 2025 continues to reveal the basilica and its underlying village, the testimony grows clearer: the Bible beneath our feet is reliable, and the Christ whom Peter confessed is the same Christ whom we are called to follow and proclaim today.

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The Pilate Inscription — c. 26–36 C.E.

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