TIBERIAS

Tiberias, mentioned only once as a city in the Bible (John 6:23), is on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. Sometimes the sea is called the "Sea of Tiberias." The city was established by Herod Antipas in 26 A.D. in honor of the Roman Emperor Tiberias. It had beautiful palaces, theaters, and public baths over the hot springs. Josephus said that Tiberias was established on the site which was "the ambition of nature" it was so beautiful. It was built over a graveyard, and it was not visited at first by the Jews. There is no record that Jesus visited the city as such. After the fall of Jerusalem in 135 A.D., Tiberias became the seat of rabbinic learning where the Mishnah was completed in 200 A.D., and the Talmud was finished in 400 A.D. Vowels that are added to the Hebrew scriptures were developed here. It became the capital of Galilee with its strategic location on the major trade route from Egypt to Syria. One can still eat St. Peter’s fish here and enjoy a meal similar to one of 2,000 years ago.