Biblical-Site-Guide

BIBLICAL
SITE GUIDE
The following guide is not meant
to be an exhaustive historical
description of each of the sites
listed. It is rather intended to give
an overview of the general
biblical significance of the events
that surround the site itself. We
believe that the summary is best
used as a springboard into the
biblical text itself as preparation
for your time in Israel. The 16
sites below are listed in a general
biblical chronological order,
rather than as they appear
geographically on the itinerary.
Please note that not all Passages
groups will visit every site listed
in this guide.

1) CITY OF DAVID
Summary: The “City of David” is the archaeological site of ancient Jerusalem, which was
conquered by King David from the Jebusites (around 1010 BC). It is located down the slope
of Mt. Moriah from the southern modern-day walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The remains
of the site include an underground water tunnel and a pool of water reservoir built by King
Hezekiah. Many archaeologists believe that a large stone structure, dated to the tenth to ninth
century BC, may be the remains of the palace of King David. This was the first time the
Israelites were in full control of Jerusalem. Throughout the Hebrew scriptures (law, writings,
prophets) and even the New Testament, there are multiple repetitive threads dealing with
God’s choice of Jerusalem as a critical geographic location for His purposes.
Readings: 2 Samuel 5-6

2) THE TEMPLE MOUNT
Summary: The Temple Mount sits atop Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem. Its Biblical origins start with
the story of the Patriarch Abraham taking his son Isaac to the “region of Moriah” to obey the
command of God to sacrifice his only son. Jewish tradition holds that the Temple Mount is
built atop the spot where this event occurred. King David later purchased a “threshing floor”
from Araunah the Jebusite in order to build an altar to the Lord. Soon after, King Solomon
would build the first Jewish Temple, and following the destruction of the Temple by the
Babylonians, the Israelites would return from exile to build the Second Temple. Closer to the
time of Jesus, King Herod would later renovate this Temple into a magnificent architectural
wonder. Jesus is recorded to have visited the Temple multiple times during His life, both
during His boyhood and during His adult ministry (and likely many times in between).
Readings: Genesis 22, 2 Samuel 24:18-25, 1 Kings 6-9, 2 Kings 25:1-6, Ezra 1-6, Luke 2:22, 27,
41-52, Luke 19:45-48, John 2:12-25

3) MT. PRECIPICE
Summary: Located just outside the southern edge of Nazareth, Mt. Precipice offers several
biblical narratives, both from the Old and New Testaments. First, the view from the mountain
provides a visual of Mt. Carmel (Elijah) to the west, the Jezreel Valley below, and Mt. Tabor
(traditional site of the Transfiguration) and the Sea of Galilee to the east. Second, this is the
spot widely believed to be the place in Luke 4 where Jesus was chased out of the Nazareth
synagogue to the brow of a cliff until he escaped “through the crowd and went on his way”.
Readings: 1 Kings 18:19-39, Judges 4:6, 12-16, Luke 4:28-29, Luke 9:28-36

4) NAZARETH
Summary: In New Testament biblical times, Nazareth was a small village on a ridge which
overlooked the Jezreel Valley. Today, the city is a bustling mostly-Arab city and is sometimes
called the “Arab capital of Israel”. The name comes from the Hebrew word for branch (netzer).
Nazareth was the boyhood hometown of Jesus. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary when
she was living in Nazareth and announced to her that she would be the mother of the
messiah - of Jesus. After Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem for the census required by the
Roman empire and after fleeing to Egypt, they returned to Nazareth and settled there. At the
beginning of his ministry, Jesus first taught in the Nazareth synagogue. After the people
rejected His message, they tried to kill him (see above, Mt. Precipice).
Readings: Luke 1:26-33, Luke 2:1-7, Matthew 2:21-23, Luke 2:41-52, Luke 4:16-30

5) YARDENIT
Yardenit is a modern day baptismal site, operated by an Israeli kibbutz. It is located at the
mouth of the Jordan River just south of the Sea of Galilee. Although the baptism of Jesus by
John the Baptist occurred likely on the southern end of the Jordan River closer to the Dead
Sea in the desert, this site offers a clean, serene, and beautiful place to commemorate the
baptism of Jesus.
• Scriptures: Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 1

6) CAPERNAUM
Summary: Capernaum was a bustling and prominent town in the time of Jesus. Located on
the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum served as the adulthood home of Jesus after He
had been rejected in Nazareth. From the choosing of several of His disciples, to performing
most of His recorded miracles here, Jesus spent a good deal of time in this city, and it seems
to have served as His ministry “headquarters”.
Readings: Matthew 4:13-16, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 1:21-34, Matthew 8:5-13,
Luke 5:17-26, Mark 5:22-43, John 4:46-54, Luke 11:14-26, Matthew 8:16-17, Matthew 9:36-38

7) MT. OF BEATITUDES
Summary: The Mt. of Beatitudes is the traditional site of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount found in
Matthew 5-7. The opening verse of Matthew 5 states: “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he
went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach
them.” The site certainly is within proximity to places where Jesus stayed and ministered
regularly. In addition, the topography of the site fits both the limited scriptural description as
well as offers an “amphitheater-like” effect if the speaker is down-hill from the crowd. Here,
the listeners of Jesus’ teaching were hearing an inaugural address for the tenants of what
would be New Covenant faith.
Readings: Matthew 5-7

8) TABGHA
Summary: This site is located minutes from Jesus’ adulthood hometown of Capernaum, both
along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Tabgha has traditionally been accepted as the place
where Jesus performed the feeding of the five thousand. Also located within Tabgha is the
Church of the Primacy of Peter, which memorializes the traditional site of Peter’s reinstatement
by Jesus following Peter’s denial of Jesus prior to the crucifixion. Regardless of the historicity
of the site, it does offer a serene and moving place along the shore of the Sea of Galilee to
reflect upon the biblical narrative that is presented here.
Readings: Mark 6:30-44, John 21:1-24

9) POOL OF BETHESDA
The Pools of Bethesda are just inside the Old City of Jerusalem near the gate known today as
the Lion’s Gate or biblically, the Sheep Gate. Bethesda comes from the Hebrew words “ bet
chesda,” literally meaning “house of mercy”.
The Pools are mentioned in John 5 as the place where those who were sick, lame, or blind
would wait for the water to be stirred up by an angel. According to John, whoever would step
into the water first would be made well. We know later on in the chapter that a man who had
been sick for thirty-eight years was approached by Jesus and commanded to take his mat
and walk, thereby being healed.
Readings: John 5: 1-15

10) CAESAREA PHILIPPI
Caesarea Philippi, also called Panias or “Banias”, originally named after the Greek god Pan,
was the city where Philip (Herod the Great’s son) established the capital of his tetrarchy. He
named it in honor of the Emperor of Rome, Augustus Caesar. Here, Peter made his confession
of the identity and deity of Christ. Jesus asked of the disciples: “Who do men say that I am?”
And Peter responded by saying: “You are the Christ (Messiah), son of the living God.”
Readings: Matthew 16:13-16, Mark 8:27-30, Luke 9:18-21

11) UPPER ROOM
Summary: The Cenacle, referred to by many as the “Upper Room”, is a site in Jerusalem on
Mt. Zion, just outside the Old City walls. This site is traditionally believed to be the general
location of a number events found in the Gospels as well as the Book of Acts: 1) The site of
the room where Jesus and His disciples ate the “Last Supper” (a Passover seder) shortly
before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. 2) The site where some believe Jesus appeared to His
disciples after His resurrection in John 20:26. 3) The site of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost in Acts 2.
Readings: Luke 22:7-38, John 20:26, Acts 1:12-2:4

12) MT. OF OLIVES
Summary: The Mt. of Olives stands to the east of the Old City of Jerusalem and has biblical
significance from both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, it is mentioned in
the story of King David walking up the Mt. of Olives as he fled from his son Absalom. King
Solomon built shrines to the pagan gods of his many wives on the southern end of the
mount. The prophet Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord depart Solomon’s temple over the Mt.
of Olives and later witnessed a future returning of that glory from the east over the mount in
order to enter a new temple. The prophet Zechariah prophesied a day when the Lord’s feet
would stand on the Mt. of Olives and the mountain would be split in two. In the New
Testament, Jesus rode down the Mt. of Olives into the city of Jerusalem during what is known
as the “triumphal entry”. Jesus also wept over the people of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives
for their refusal to recognize the coming of the messiah. After the “Last Supper” Passover
meal, Jesus and His disciples went to Gethsemane (which in Hebrew literally means “oil
press”) where Jesus grieved over His impending death and was arrested. After the
resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mt. of Olives. From the Mt. of Olives, one
can see the Temple Mount, which sits atop Mt. Moriah and is the site of the Temple Jesus
visited during his boyhood and his adult ministry.

Readings: 2 Samuel 15:30-37, 1 Kings 11:7-8, Ezekiel 11:22-23, Ezekiel 43:1-5, Zechariah
14:3-5, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:41-44, Matthew 24-25, Matthew 26:36-56, Luke 24:50-53,
Acts 1:9-12
13) CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
Summary: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre marks the traditional site of the
crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The church itself dates back to the 4th
century AD when Constantine’s mother Helena, with the help of locals, identified it as
the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. The site’s custodial rights are shared to
varying degrees by six Christian denominations.
Readings: John 19:17-42, Luke 23:26-24:12

14) GARDEN TOMB
Summary: The Garden Tomb is an alternate site to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the
crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The discovery of the site dates back to the late
19th century and fits the biblical description of the tomb/garden belonging to Joseph of
Arimethea. The site offers a moving picture of what the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and
resurrection would have looked like, along with the opportunity to enjoy a time of
communion and worship commemorating the sacrifice of Christ.
Readings: See readings above for Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

15) JAFFA
Summary: The ancient port city of Jaffa (Joppa) lies on Israel’s Mediterranean coast just south
of the modern city of Tel Aviv. Jaffa has biblical significance both in the Old and New
Testaments. In the Old Testament, Jaffa was the main seaport to which cedars from Lebanon
would arrive to be transported to Jerusalem for the building of Solomon’s temple. Jonah
sailed from Jaffa when fleeing to Tarshish, choosing to disobey God’s command to go to
Ninevah. Cedars from Lebanon would once more be shipped through the Jaffa port for the
rebuilding of the temple after its destruction by the Babylonians. In the New Testament Book
of Acts, Peter raised Dorcas to life in Jaffa and had a vision from God on the housetop of
Simon the tanner, showing him that the message of Jesus should be taken beyond the Jewish
world into the Gentile world. As a side note, perhaps it is no coincidence that God chose to
show this to Peter in an ancient port, crucial to the import and export of items to and from the
land of Israel. In this case, the good news of Jesus was being exported to the nations!

Readings: 2 Chronicles 2:16, Jonah 1:3, Ezra 3:7, Acts 9:36-43, Acts 10
16) CAESAREA
Summary: Founded in 22 BC, Caesarea was the seat of the Roman government of Judea for
over five hundred years. King Herod built the city and named it in honor of Augustus Caesar.
Several events throughout the New Testament Book of Acts took place in Caesarea. As
mentioned in the section above, Peter came to Caesarea in response to his vision in Jaffa and
a command to go preach the Gospel to a man named Cornelius, a Roman official who
followed the God of Israel. Paul visited the city three times throughout his Gospel journeys
and spent two years in prison there.
Readings: Acts 10, Acts 12:19-24, Acts 9:30, Acts 18:22, Acts 21:8-16, Acts 23:23-27:2