Capernaum is a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, in Galilee, which holds a central place in the Gospel accounts. A fishing village and commercial crossroads of its day, it became the true headquarters of Jesus' public ministry after he left Nazareth. It is there that a large part of his activity in Galilee was anchored.
The Gospels place many foundational events there: the calling of disciples such as Peter, Andrew, James and John, remarkable healings, preaching in the local synagogue, and confrontations with the Pharisees. Capernaum is thus the setting of miracles and teachings that illustrate both the power and authority of Jesus, but also the first resistance to his message.
To study Capernaum is to understand the concrete setting in which Jesus' Galilean ministry unfolded: a real town, with its geography, its inhabitants, its Jewish traditions and its religious tensions. This historical and cultural context sheds light on the significance of the words and deeds recorded in the Synoptic Gospels and in the Gospel of John.
The articles gathered under this theme make it possible to explore Capernaum from several angles: archaeological, historical and theological. They give the reader keys to better grasp why this town, today in ruins, remains an essential place of memory for anyone who wishes to understand the origins of Christianity.
The article explores Capernaum, a city of Galilee established on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias, known for having been the "headquarters" of Jesus after…