Lev Tsimbler/Wikimedia CommonsEvidence of an older structure was found beneath the floor of a third-century synagogue in Chorazim, Israel.
Various passages in the New Testament tell of Jesus visiting Chorazin, an ancient city in northern Israel where he purportedly preached, healed the sick, and performed miracles before he was crucified.
Researchers have long sought to unearth evidence of a first-century temple in the city to confirm this Biblical account. However, the earliest structure they could find was a third-century synagogue — until now.
In 2022, archaeologists uncovered boulders beneath the floor of the existing synagogue that predate it by hundreds of years. They’re currently working to analyze artifacts found among the stones, and if they do indeed date back to the first century, they may mark the very spot where Jesus once preached to the people of Chorazin.
The Old Synagogue In Chorazin And Its Importance To Christianity
According to Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13, the city of Chorazin in modern-day northern Israel was once visited by Jesus. There, he reportedly performed miracles before cursing its people for their lack of repentance.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes,” the scripture reads.
Public DomainAccording to scripture, Jesus performed some of his healing miracles in Chorazin.
For years, archaeologists have attempted to locate first-century structures in the city to support these Biblical accounts. A third-century synagogue was first unearthed in 1905. It was crafted from basalt stones and features Jewish motifs, but it was built in the third century C.E., more than 200 years after Jesus would have walked in Chorazin.
However, recent excavations on the synagogue revealed evidence of an even older structure beneath it.
Have Archaeologists Found The Temple Where Jesus Once Preached?
In 2022, Achia Cohen-Tavor of Dagesh Tourist Archaeology and his team were excavating the third-century synagogue when they made a surprising discovery beneath the floor: strategically placed boulders. These stones predate the structure by centuries, and they may have been part of an older temple that once stood on the site.
Scattered among the boulders were objects like pottery and coins. “I can’t date the rock itself when it was put here,” Cohen-Tavor explained in a video about the discovery. “What I can date is the pottery and, hopefully, coins coming from between the rocks and definitely what’s beneath them. Whatever I can get from between those stones would be dating the construction of the synagogue here.”
Sergio & Rhoda in Israel/YouTubeThese strategically arranged boulders predate the synagogue above them by several centuries.
If the artifacts do date back to the first century, they will provide the first known evidence attesting to the existence of a temple in Chorazin during Jesus’ lifetime.
“This is a groundbreaking discovery,” said Cohen-Tavor, as reported by the Daily Mail. “I have been excavating all over [the globe], and for me, it’s definitely one of the most important excavations I’ve ever directed.”