The New Testament never records Jesus visiting Tiberias. However a number of His followers came from there (John 6:23). Today, most of His followers go there to sleep in hotels.
Mentioned only once in the Bible, the city of Tiberias rested along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:23). For this reason the lake sometimes has been called the “Sea of Tiberias” (John 6:1; 21:1). Although Christ may never have passed through Tiberias, He would have seen it many times from the lake.
For most Christians who visit Tiberias today, the city serves as little more than a place to sleep. Modern hotels cling to the northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee.
But there is more to see in Tiberias today than hotels.
Herod Antipas founded the city of Tiberias as his new capital in AD 20, naming it in honor of his patron, the Emperor Tiberius Caesar. After the city builders unearthed a cemetery in the construction process, Jews considered the city unclean and resisted living there.
Ironically, in the centuries that followed the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70, Tiberias became a central location for schools of rabbinic study.
Hammat lay two miles south of ancient Tiberias and was originally considered a separate town. However after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, Jews flooded this area and settled in Hammat, which eventually became part of Tiberias.
Inside the 3rd-4th-century synagogue, visitors today can see a remarkable mosaic floor:
Long admired for the medicinal value of its hot springs, Hammat drew visitors from far and wide beginning in the first century. A modern spa allows visitors to experience some of the same natural amenities even today.
Tiberias had a distinctly Gentile atmosphere, including a Roman Cardo and a theater for entertainment. The ruins of the theater lay across the street from the Sironit Beach.
Tell me what you think: What else would you recommend to do in Tiberias? To leave a comment, just click here.
This post was adapted from Wayne Stiles, “Tiberias: A Place Rejected, Then Embraced,” Experience the Land and the Book: Insight for Living Ministries—2014 Israel Tour (Insight for Living Publishing House, 2014), 20. Also adapted from a book I wrote for the Israel Ministry of Tourism, 100 Off-The-Beaten-Path Sites. You can download a free copy.