The 'Ancient Galilee Boat' housed in the Yigal Allon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar

Most of Jesus' ministry occurred around the Sea of Galilee. The BIble tells us that the first four disciples he called were two sets of brothers who were fishermen: Simon and Andrew, James, and John. We are told they left their boats and nets to become "fishers of men." Many of the stories about Jesus are set on or by the Sea of Galilee, often featuring Jesus, his friends, and a boat.

In 1986, a drought lowered the level of this fresh-water lake, exposing the remains of an old boat buried in the mud near the shore. Based on radiocarbon dating of the wood, the pottery pot and lamp and nails in the boat and known construction techniques of the time, archaeologists were able to date the boat as being in use between 50 BCE and 50 CE, the exact time Jesus would have walked on the shores and ridden in boats on the waters of the lake.

The boat was 27 feet long, and 7.5 feet wide and had a shallow draft and flat bottom which allowed it to come close to the shore. It had places for four rowers and a mast for sailing. It was constructed mostly of cedar, but it has been repaired repeatedly with scraps and patches of whatever wood was handy. Altogether, twelve different woods were used to keep this small boat afloat.

This artifact from the 1st Century helps us visualize the stories of Jesus on the water. It also serves as a metaphor for the ways Jesus and his early followers brought together all sorts of people to establish and preserve a movement that has endured for almost 2000 years.

By Lyn Pickhover, Follower of Jesus