Echoes of the Ancient New Testament Cities: Capernaum

Matthew J Elliott 

Ruins of Capernaum (Wikipedia)

Capernaum has always been one of those cities that have left me with more questions than answers. When I began planning this series, I didn't even list this location as a possibility to research. There were several other cities that I thought had more value or purpose to them. Truthfully, the only reason Capernaum was added to the list was because I wanted a few cities that Jesus focused on during his three-year ministry. 

By the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus had already been baptised by His cousin, overcome the temptations in the wilderness, gathered some of His earliest followers, and even 'crashed' a wedding in Cana. Those are all monumental aspects of the progression Jesus made in His ministry, but Capernaum was the launching pad for everything else. The gospels return to this location on several occasions, and it serves as the base for most of His early ministry. 

One of the more interesting discoveries I made when researching Capernaum was that there were only around 1,500 people living there during the time of Jesus. As a child, I always imagined the place Jesus used as his base of operations was much bigger. It was the place several of the disciples called home, or at least they were in the community working on their fishing boats. So, why not, right? 

While the population of Capernaum was small, it sat near some important trade routes around the Sea of Galilee. Fishermen from all shapes of life, tax-collectors, and weary travelers passed through the area all the time. It may seem strange that Jesus chose a pretty small fishing town as the base of operations for a movement that would eventually rival the Roman Empire. If I have learned anything through my personal journey with this series, though. It is that God often uses the smallest details: the overlooked clay jar, the house of a simple fisherman, the unwanted, to bring the biggest impact. 

Few cities in history witnessed more miracles than Capernaum, but at the same time few cities saw the other side of the story as well.  I mean, take a look at Matthew 11:23-24, the city was rebuked and compared to the land of Sodom, and not in a good way. Aside from that rebuke, though, Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law, a paralytic, a servant, and even cast out a demon. Some even say that the daughter of Jairus was healed here as well.  Many of the resources I found even claim the city was more exposed to Jesus’ ministry than any other community. 

Rendering of Peter's Possible Home (RedeemerofIsrael.com)

The ministry of Jesus is only the foundation of the cake, so to speak. After the resurrection, we all know that Peter became one of the most prominent leaders of the early church. What some may not know is that there is actually Archaeological evidence that suggests that Peter’s home was remodeled into a gathering place for believers throughout the first century. I cannot say that for certain, but even the idea of something like that suggests that Christians met for several years after Jesus ascended.

As the ministry of the early church continued to take hold, believers spread far beyond Jerusalem into cities, villages, and ports throughout the Roman world. Many of the smaller cities during that time became homes to clusters of believers who continued to share the gospel. Places in Galilee became important symbols of the kind of community that thrived amid the pressures the bigger cities endured. 

The more I looked into places like Capernaum, the more I began to realize something.

It was never the size of the community that mattered. It was the hearts of those who walked its streets.

Capernaum was not Jerusalem, Rome, or Alexandria. It was a fishing village. Yet God chose that fishing village as a launching point for events that would change history forever.

Researching Capernaum has reminded me of the reason I started this series in the first place. Truthfully, it reminded me why I write the stories that I write. It was never about giving readers a year's worth of content or simply filling pages with meaningful stories. Nor has it been about getting the biggest reaction or finding my way onto a bestseller list. It has always been about how much the smaller things matter. In my stories, I write about the little people, the one-off stories, like Onesimus in Finding Philemon, and even the little places that stay with you long after you read about them.

Think about this for a moment: Capernaum was a village of roughly 1,500 people, yet it became the place where Jesus chose to launch much of His public ministry. It witnessed miracles, disciples being called, lives being changed, and perhaps even some of the earliest gatherings of believers after His ascension.

More than 2,000 years later, we are still talking about it.

Maybe that is the real lesson of Capernaum. God has never needed a large stage to accomplish something extraordinary.

~ Biography ~

Matthew James Elliott (M.J. Elliott) is a passionate writer who loves to encourage and inspire others. He served in various ministry roles for over 15 years, which gave him a unique perspective on people and Biblical History. Matthew holds a degree in Biblical Studies from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, with a focus on Pastoral Care, Christian Education, and Worship.

Matthew is married and has three wonderful children who bring him immense joy and inspiration. One of his favorite things to do with them is to share stories they can someday learn from. When writing a story, he aspires to minister to others with love, equip them with encouragement, and use the gift God has given him as a writer to help readers experience God in a real and meaningful way.

Find Matthew on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, BookBub, and His Website. He has written Devotionals, An Episodic Series, Novellas, and Commentaries for The Gospel Daily.

~ Highlighted Release ~

It has been a while since I highlighted this release, but I am moving Finding Philemon to my REAMStories author page where all of my followers there can read it for free. Between now and the release of my upcoming Novel, A Broken Embrace, two episodes a week are being released there. If you want a reminder, I will be announcing the discounted price in my monthly newsletter.

Are you ready to dive into a captivating series that delves into the journey of a young runaway slave who discovers God in his quest for redemption? Finding Philemon is exactly that kind of series. Come along on this unexpected journey as Onesimus faces the haunting demons of his past and witness his story unfold before your eyes in this first-hand account of someone many know little about.

Throughout this journey, Onesimus will encounter life-changing events that will transform the depths of his heart and aid him in discovering the redemption that only God can offer. Experience the raw emotion humanity often overlooks when learning how to understand the impact real-life struggles can have on our lives.

Andrew Ure by Nancy J. Farrier

The month of October is often focused on the odd and disturbing. I happened to stumble across the historical account of Andrew Ure and thought the story would fit well within the oddities of the month.

Welcome Library, London    

Andrew Ure, born in Glasgow, Scotland, achieved great success in many areas. He became a physician and served as an army surgeon, but his great love was chemistry and physics. He served on the Faculty Board at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow and was well loved for his interesting lectures. He spoke often on chemistry and mechanics. He also had a love of geology and was considered an expert from the number of texts he devoured and the information he absorbed.

Louis Figueir (author) 

One of Ure’s fascinations had to do with the reanimation of the body after death. He began some experiments which he later incorporated in his lectures. In 1818, he lectured on the galvanic experiments he’d been conducting. He brought in the body of a murderer and thief, Matthew Clydesdale to demonstrate his findings. Clydsedale had been executed by hanging and left hanging for an hour. Ure wanted to demonstrate the by stimulating certain nerves with voltage he could bring the person back to life.

These experiments were allowed at that time on the bodies of condemned murderers who had been put to death. The thought of the day was that these men were further tormented for their crimes by being experimented on and that would be all right. 

Early depiction of Frankenstein

When Ure sent voltage through the body, Clydesdale’s muscles responded with shuddering which looked to the audience as if he were shivering from the cold. Ure made the body do different movements by touching nerves in other areas. When he touched the hip, one of his assistant was nearly thrown to the floor by the violence of the muscular reaction. He was also able to manipulate the facial expressions, giving the impression Clydesdale was experiencing emotion. Many of the onlookers had to leave the room they were so horrified.

Mary Shelley
By Richard Rothwell 

One of the interesting side notes I read while studying Ure, was that Mary Shelley heard of his experiments and was fascinated by the thought of reanimating the dead. This sparked her writing of Frankenstein, which released in 1818 about the same time Ure was doing the lecture on Clydesdale. Shelley’s book and Ure’s experiments caused quite a stir in that era. The original Frankenstein made no mention of using electricity to reanimate the body, but in her rewrite in 1831, Shelley added that part to the text.

Frankenstein frontispiece
By Theodore Von Holst 

The origin of life and scientific experiments have long been interesting to the public even to the point of excusing tests on the living in the name of science. Ure did not use the living in his demonstrations, only the dead, but some of his tests were horrific. He also inspired other scientists to experiment on animals and humans. Shelley’s depiction of Frankenstein brings out that nature of scientific curiosity and vividly describes human nature in the events that occur in her book.

Have you ever read Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein? What are your thoughts on experimenting with the dead? ((I realize that some people sign over their bodies before they die, but am referring to those who haven’t.) Have you ever heard of Andrew Ure? 

I am doing a giveaway of my book, Bandolero. To be entered, please leave a comment and your email on this blog before midnight. If you already have Bandolero, you may have another of my books.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.