Event 43

Orthodox Church, Capernaum

The Orthodox church (seen here) is built in the middle of the ruins of the ancient Roman village of Kfar-Nahum (Capernaum). Around the church the remains of the village have not yet been excavated, unlike the synagogue of Capernaum and the buildings around it. The area under the control of the Orthodox church is 1/3 of the entire ruins, which covers about 60 dunams (6 Hectares).

The village was established in the Hellenistic period, and was designed according to that period's urban design of straight lines. The village prospered in the Roman and Byzantine periods. It was destroyed in the Persian conquest in the 6^th Century A.D.

For more info on Greek orthodox church in Capernaum, click here.

Mark 5:21-43: "And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.
And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. ...

And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat".

Luke 8 41-56: "And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.
... And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done".