Term Paper on "Jesus and the Fishing Boat From the Sea of Galilee"

Term Paper 7 pages (2372 words) Sources: 7 Style: Chicago

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Jesus and the Fishing Boat From the Sea of Galilee

The objective of this work is to conduct research with a focus on an artifact found in the Sea of Galilee, which is stated to be connected to the historical Jesus. This topic will be linked to the ideas surrounding the historical Jesus, his life, activities, involvements, relationships, and view. The information in this work will also describe the artifact and how and where it was discovered.

In June 1986, archaeologists Shelly Wachsman and Kurt Ravey discovered a 27-foot boat that dated back to the first century B.C. And the second century a.D. In the Sea of Galilee. It is related that the reason that boat survived over such a long period of time was the slow decay of the boat. As the boat slowly decayed a chemical, specifically lignin which keeps cement wood intact "was destroyed by microorganisms and replaced by water. Now only the walls of cellulose, which gives wood it structural strength, keep the boat intact." The boat could not be lifted out of the mud due to the boat having a consistency of "...soft cheese...the wood would simply have crumbled." Archaeologist had to dig the mud away from the boat and encase it "in a thick envelope of polyurethane, and floated it, like an enormous marshmallow to the shore, where it was placed in a specially built pool filled with water. There it will be embalmed." This process will take between five and seven years. The boat became visible along the Galilee Sea western shore following years of drought. The boat is said to be 8.2 m in length; 2.3 m. In width and 1.2 m. In depth.

I. WAS THIS the BOAT THAT JESUS SAT, SLEPT and TAUGHT in?

There is much speculation as to whether the boat recovered buried in the silts along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee could be the boat from which the historical Jesus taught and preached to his disciples and the crowds who gathered to listen to his stories and parables. The historical timeframe of the boat and the historical Jesus are cohesive. There is evidence that the boat had been repaired many times stating to suggest that "the boat had a long life. But in the end, all usable wooden parts were evidently removed and the remaining hull sunk to the lake bottom." It is stated that "the ancient Jewish historian Josephus referred to such ships holding 15 people. Skeletal remains from Galilee during this period indicates that males averaged 5 feet 5 inches tall and about 140 pounds. Fifteen such men could fit into this vessel."

II. The FISHING ECONOMY & the SEA of GALILEE

The work of Hanson entitled: "The Galilean Fishing Economy and the Jesus Tradition" relates that "both the physical and social geographies of Galilee are heavily impacted by an inland waterway known by various names in antiquity, but most commonly as the Sea of Galilee. This body of water is currently approximately 7 miles wide and 12.5 miles long, but the dimensions may have been slightly different in antiquity." Roberts writes in the work entitled: "The Sea of Galilee" that: "Galilee is both a northern district of Israel and a small lake. The lake is situated in the watershed of the Jordan River, 690 feel below sea level, its headwaters rising near Mt. Hermon. It is part of the 'Great Rift Valley', which continues south into the Red Sea. Called by many the 'cradle of the gospel', it was known by the Roman conquerors as Tiberias or Genesseret and its on it shore was situated many homes of the wealthy Jews, Herodians and Romans."

III. The HISTORICAL JESUS

W.D. Davies writes of his visit to the Sea of Galilee that: "The world was bathed in gold, heaven and earth merging in the Galilean sunset..." A city that is set on a hill." Amid such luminosity how natural seemed the vision in the first chapter of the Gospel of John: "hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. Is there a connection between geography and religion intensity in this small corner of our world; a merely accident that Jesus appeared in luminous Galilee? Jesus called some of his disciples from the Sea of Galilee, specifically Simon, who Jesus called 'Peter', and Andrew, James and John, "all of whom made their living by fishing in the lake known as the Sea of Galilee." The Sea of Galilee plays a great role in the ministry of Jesus during his life here on earth and one of the highlights involving the Sea of Galilee is written in the New Testament in the Gospel of John Chapter 6, verses 16 through 22 which tell of Jesus walking upon the water in the Sea of Galilee This story relates that the Jesus had gone into the mountains to escape the crowds who wanted to take him by force to make him a king, and he knew this was not the purpose for his life on earth. It is related that the disciples were rowing across the Sea of Galilee toward Capernaum "and the sea rose by the way of a great wind that blew. And so when they had rowed about twenty or thirty furlongs they see Jesus walking upon the sea and drawing nigh unto the ship and they were afraid. But he saith unto them. 'It is I; be not afraid. And they willingly received him unto the ship..." The Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament relates another story of Jesus and the Sea of Galilee. In Matthew Chapter 8 and verse 18 it is related that Jesus had been teaching from a boat in the sea of Galilee, and he was tired and commanded his disciples to row to the other shore of the Sea of Galilee stating: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." The story that Matthew tells goes on to relate that after Jesus and his disciples had entered onto the boat that "there arise a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves; but he was asleep." The disciples became afraid and woke Jesus up because they were afraid that they were about to die at sea. Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind and the sea immediately calmed to the marvel of the disciples. Jesus also preached the Beatitudes, which were a part of the Sermon on the Mount, "near Tabgha" which overlooks the Sea of Galilee. In order to understand that storms that take place on the Sea of Galilee it is important to understand that storms arise quickly on the Sea of Galilee because of the "...differences in temperatures between the seacoast and the mountains beyond." The climate directly surrounding the Sea of Galilee is "semi-tropical with warm moist air. The large difference in height between surrounding land and the sea causes large temperature and pressure changes. This results in strong winds dropping to the sea, funneling through the hills." Because the Sea of Galilee is small and the winds "may descend directly to the center of the lake...the contrasting air masses" when meeting can cause a storm to occur quickly with no warning.

IV. JESUS WAS a FISHER of MEN

In many ways, the Sea of Galilee is centric to the life and story of the historical Jesus as he called several of his disciples from the shorelines of the Sea of Galilee and they followed him without question. The Sea of Galilee was an important part of the economy in this area of the world during the time that Jesus walked upon the earth and fishing was an important livelihood as well as being important insofar as the food market in this area of the world. Jesus used the symbolism of the fish in many of his teachings, parables and sermons. In fact, the Christian symbol known as the Ichthus is the symbol of a fish, and it is know that during time of Christian persecution following the life, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus that when two Christians would meet they would identify themselves one to the other by one tracing half of the fish symbol in the sand with his foot, and the other, if a Christian, would then trace the other half of the symbol in the sand with his foot thus completing the symbolic 'Ichthus' and both would know that they were in the company of another Christian and that it was safe to talk about Jesus and his ministry. The Sea of Galilee was a place that welcomed the feet and teachings of Jesus and many crowds gathered to the shorelines of the Sea of Galilee to hear the words that Jesus said. Roberts states that: "The gospel accounts reveal that Jesus preached in all… READ MORE

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