The locale has historically been tied to the work of Jesus, who reportedly gave sermons and cured the ill in the local house of prayer, before subsequently rebuking the settlement for rejecting his doctrines Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments
Researchers in archaeology think they might have discovered the vestiges of a synagogue tracing back to the opening century – a discovery hailed as among the most noteworthy biblical finds in decades.
The place, interred for ages under a younger building, has long been associated in religious writings with the ministry of Jesus.
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For ages, travelers and academics have connected the ancient village of Chorazin, or Korazim, with narratives from the New Testament. The Gospels detail how Jesus gave speeches and healed the suffering in the nearby synagogue, but also how he later condemned the town for dismissing his teachings.
The Gospel of Matthew records his caution: “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida!” Yet until now, physical proof of a synagogue from this time had remained difficult to find.
That situation might have shifted with diggings at Korazim National Park, a site already containing impressive basalt ruins of a later synagogue erected around AD 380. While re-examining the 20th-century excavation in 2024, a group directed by archaeologist Achia Cohen-Tavor made an amazing find beneath its stone floor, the Mirror reports.
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Removing layers of stonework, they unearthed a collection of sizable rocks positioned in a planned foundation – together with pieces of pottery, currency, and common cooking instruments.
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“This represents a significant finding,” Cohen-Tavor stated. “I have been excavating all over [the globe], and personally, it’s certainly among the most vital digs I’ve ever led.”
The artifacts stuck between the stones offered a crucial clue.
Ceramic pieces discovered by the group have been dated to the first century, exactly the period when Jesus is thought to have traveled through Galilee.
Cohen-Tavor disclosed in a video regarding the excavation: “I can’t establish the age of the rock itself when it was positioned here. What I can date is the pottery and, with luck, coins emerging from between the rocks and certainly what lies below them.”
The discovery has sparked renewed debate among biblical scholars.
Should the dating prove accurate, the rock foundations could embody the remnants of the synagogue mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel – the precise location where Jesus preached.
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Specialists recommend caution, emphasising that only further analysis can confirm the identification, yet for the digging group, the evidence is more persuasive than ever that this site functioned as a hub of Jewish prayer two thousand years ago.
The finding also clarifies why previous archaeologists may have missed the deeper remnants.
Cohen-Tavor noted that the immense basalt stones could easily have been mistaken for bedrock during the 1905 excavation that initially unveiled the later synagogue.
As a result, the earlier structure remained hidden for over a century.
The 4th-century synagogue that formerly stood above the first-century remains is itself a remarkable monument.
Built from the region’s black basalt, it displayed three entrances and decorative carvings showcasing Jewish symbols. Among the most noteworthy discoveries was the so-called “Chair of Moses,” a stone seat where the Torah reader would sit while reciting scripture.
Such chairs are referenced in Matthew 23, when Jesus told his followers: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.”
Similar seats have since been discovered at sites including Hammath Tiberias and on the Greek island of Delos.
Archaeologists are careful not to overstate their discoveries. “What was uncovered at the site are simply indications about the first-century synagogue,” Cohen-Tavor acknowledged, emphasising that only continued investigation will ascertain whether it can be definitively linked to Jesus.
Nonetheless, the presence of first-century pottery and currency in situ is being depicted as the strongest tangible proof yet of Jewish prayer in Chorazin during his lifetime.