Kursi National Park and the "Miracle of the Swine"

MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

On the east bank of the Sea of Galilee is Kursi National Park.

Kursi National Park, Israel

The highway to get there is interesting in itself, if you know why there are so many tall trees planted along it's edges - to protect vehicles from view of the Golan Heights! 

Looking over the protective trees along the highway at the Golan Heights

Our guide, Hillel, said that as a boy he would come with his family to this area to vacation.  Spending time in bomb shelters was part of life in this area since it directly beneath the Golan Heights.   Unimaginable to my American mind!

We began our tour of the area with a Bible reading by Fr. T.  This was always such a wonderful way to start any visit to a site in Israel, it helped me so much to try to understand where I was and what had happened in this place.

Gospel mk 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,
to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat,
at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs,
and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,
but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,
and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides
he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,
he ran up and prostrated himself before him,
crying out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”
(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)
He asked him, “What is your name?”
He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”
And he pleaded earnestly with him
not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.
And they pleaded with him,
“Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.”
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,
where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.
And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened
to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat,
the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.
But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,
“Go home to your family and announce to them
all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis
what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

As we stood and listened to Father read, it dawned on us all where we were, and we all turned and looked up at the hill above the ruins.  It only took a few more minutes for us to realize that there was some sort of structure and a path to the top of the hill where the miracle took place!

Path to the "Miracle of the Swine" site in the foothills of the Golan Heights

About 1/2 our group took off up the hill to see the site.  I would not suggest this hike to everyone, I would call it a moderate climb.  Although the path is well-marked and starts out wide, it does get slimmer and more rocky towards the top. I thought it was a steep climb.  One website said the elevation was 900 feet but after lots and lots of searching, I can't find anything at all giving any information regarding this little hike.

"Miracle of the Swine" Hill

I made it to the top!

Byzantine Ruins on top the "Miracle of the Swine" Hill, Kursi National Park, Israel

Up on the hill of the "Miracle of the Swine" are the ruins of a chapel which has 3 layers of mosaics uncovered. This area was originally in a cave, but they excavated it - for the tourists?  Or maybe the monks did it centuries ago?  I don't know. 

Closeup of the Byzantine ruins

There are other ruins here also, including a stone bench for looking out over the Sea of Galilee.  

Looking out over the sea and knowing what happened here is amazing.  The weather was warm and so the climb had heated me up, but the breeze off the lake was refreshing.  Thinking about what it must have been like to see the entire herd of swine all of a sudden stampede down into the lake and drown must have been quite a sight!

This incident is mentioned in three Gospels:  Matthew 8:28-34,  Mark 5:1-14, and Luke 8:26-37.

We didn't have much time as this was an unscheduled stop on our tour, so we headed back down after a short reflection and visited the Byzantine Monastery which is built at the bottom of the hill.

Archaeological investigators identify this site as ancient "Kurshi", a center of idol worship in ancient times.  The ruins are of the Byzantine Monastery build in here in the fifth century AD to honor the miracle that happened at this site.

Prayer Hall of the Church in the Byzantine Monastery at Kursi

The ruins were only accidentally discovered in 1970 when they were doing road construction after the Six Day War!  Kursi only opened to the public in 1982.  It's hard to believe this marvelous site was hidden from pilgrims for all those years!

The floors used to contain beautiful mosaics of birds, fish and fruit, but previous visitors (hundreds of years ago, not modern tourists) have pulled them up.  Now you can see the plain tile outlining the holes in the floor where the pictures used to be.

Vandalized mosaic floors at Kursi

These remains are significant in that this is the largest known Byzantine Monastery in the Holy Land. 

The ruins include the anterior courtyard of the church, which originally had a 2-story tower in it.

The church has a Prayer Hall with an Apse at the front and long skinny auxiliary rooms running on either side.

One side had a Chapel with a Baptistery in it.  I had to borrow a picture of it from BibleWalks.com as neither Mom nor I got a picture of this.  I wanted to include it as they found a crypt below this floor with 30 skeletons of the monks inside!

BibleWalks.com photo of the Chapel at Kursi

The other side had an oil press in it, and another room behind which had shelves set up for candles.

Lastly, the entrance walk has a very cool old wall which fascinated me.

There are lots of benches and picnic tables under shady trees scattered throughout this site, I guess because it is a National Park?  It is definitely a great place to stop and take a rest or even have a picnic if you have snacks/food with you!

(***if you should journey to the top of the hill, be sure to read my post about the vine of thorns growing from the rock above the site)

2012 Pilgrimage to Israel - Day 5

Capernaum - Where Jesus Walked

Capernaum.

There are a lot of sites in Israel that are "iffy".  There are disputes as to if this place or that was the exact "spot" that such-and-such happened.  After all, it's been over 2000 years.  But not Capernaum.  Here there is no dispute.  Everyone agrees to the authenticity of the ruins of Capernaum.

"Leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum" (Matt 4:13).

Jesus lived here.  Jesus LIVED here!

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen living in the village.  Matthew the tax collector also stayed here.

It's just an amazing thought. 

We started out in a marvelous garden.  There were benches under a large grove of trees (I found out later they were olive).  It was so peaceful.  So happily peaceful.

Quiet.  People spoke in hushed voices.  I remember there was a breeze.  It was so nice.

We all sat on the benches and Fr. T read to us from the Bible.  I wish I could remember which verse he read.  Capernaum is mentioned in the Gospels 16 times so I have no idea which one it was. But I remember it was wonderful.  I closed my eyes and was basking in it....until Hillel (our Jewish guide) jumped in and started giving us a detailed history lesson.  I think Fr. T was not happy about it, I know I sure wasn't.



On and on about the archeological significance of the place, the history of the Jewish people and how they lived 2000 years ago.  It was interesting, but it wasn't spiritual.  Hillel droned on and on with facts and to tell the truth, I was annoyed.  When some tour helicopters flew over and drowned him out, I was guiltily glad!

Actually, it turned out that Hillel is an expert on Capernaum and a premier archaeologist in Israel.  We were blessed to have had someone so knowledgeable for our guide.  Unfortunately, none of us realized that at the time.  He was trying to give us the rich history and archeological significance of the Jews in this place, and I was interested in connecting spiritually with Jesus in his hometown.  sigh.

We saw lots of cool things, in the court yard there is a display of industrial stone tools that were used at ancient times for farming, such as several olive oil presses, stone jugs, etc.

As we walked along, we could see the foundations of buildings built from the local (black) basalt rock.

As we walked down the path, we came to The Synagogue.

the Synagogue where Jesus preached in Capernaum, Israel

This was THE spot where Jesus preached.

the Synagogue of Capernaum

Actually, this is the "White Synagogue" which was built of white limestone at the end of the 4th century A.D. over the Temple Jesus knew in his day.

You can see the black, basalt rocks common to Capernaum under the beautiful white stones of the later synagogue. 

Jesus taught here. 

"Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught."   Mark 1:21

"Jesus then went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath,

and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority."    Luke 4:31-32

"These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum."    John 6:59

 

 "When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home."  Mark 2:1

"After this, he and his mother, (his) brothers, and his disciples went down to Capernaum and stayed there only a few days."  John 2:12

Jesus made his home here. He lived his daily life here. They knew him, he was their "Teacher". He preached and he healed. He cast out demons.  He went to synagogue here.  He shopped and worked and lived day to day there! He walked all those streets.

This is where the Gospel of Luke says Jesus healed the centurion's servant and raised from the dead the daughter of this synagogue’s leader.

This is where the Gospel of Mark says Jesus healed a man possessed by an evil spirit.

the excavations in Capernaum, Israel

I couldn't.  I just stared out at the ruins and could not comprehend what I was looking at.  I was in complete awe of where I was!

Still to this day I cannot attend Mass without thinking of the black stones of Capernaum.  They come to my mind each time I say,

"Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the words and my soul shall be healed."

Capernaum with the Sea of Galilee in the background

"Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”"  Matthew 9:1-2

Christ Heals a Man Paralyzed by the Gout. Mark 2:4. Engraving by Bernhard Rode, 1780.

 "A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”"  Mark 2:1-5

 

Wow.  I mean seriously - WOW. 

Across the ruins from the Synagogue is St. Peter's house.

Although it would have been a simple dwelling 2000 years ago since Peter was just a fisherman, now there is a very odd-shaped church built over it.

This is where the story from both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark tell us that Jesus left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon (Peter) where his mother-in-law was sick with a fever.  Jesus grasped her hand and helped her up.  The fever left her and she waited on them.  And this was the place!!!

Under the Church in Capernaum is the House of St. Peter

There is archaeological evidence that shows pilgrims have been coming to this spot for centuries, leaving behind carvings of crosses, names, blessings and inscriptions on the walls.  Excavations have revealed pottery and lamps dating back to the end of the first century!!

The weird-looking church has a glass floor in the middle which looks down into St. Peter's house.

Under the glass floor of the Church and House of St. Peter

St. Peter's house is mentioned in the diaries of ancient pilgrims.  Egeria made her pilgrimage in 381, which she said included the original walls: "In Capernaum the house of the prince of the apostles has been made into a church, with its original walls still standing."  and in 570, the Piacenza pilgrim reported that "the house of St. Peter is now a basilica."

To the right of St. Peter's house are some areas for outside prayers services, mass or private meditation.

 
There is also a tiny bit of shoreline in this area, which a determined pilgrim can get to.

I was mesmerized. 

Time had marched on in Capernaum.  Civilizations had come and gone, buildings had risen and fallen...but that shoreline across the sea could not be much different than when Jesus gazed upon it 2000 years ago. 

 

I felt so at peace.

Too soon, as is always the case on a tour, the group was moving on and I had to leave.  Before I did, I pulled out a bottle I had been carrying for just such an occasion and scooped up some of the precious water.  Water that Jesus had swam in....fished in....walked on.

As we made our way back to the entrance of the archaeological park, we stopped before a statue of St. Peter.

 

I was sad to leave and wished I could have spent many more hours in Capernaum, contemplating all the events that had taken place there.  Maybe some day I will get to finish my meditations and again bask in the peace of Jesus' hometown.