Archaeologists working in what is believed to be the remains of the ancient Biblical village of Bethsaida, a site known as el-Araj, may have discovered a wall from the home of the Apostle Peter, Haaretz reports.

Or at the very least they have uncovered what the members of early Byzantine Church believed to be the home of Peter.

We are told that three of Jesus’ disciples, including Peter and his brother Andrew, were from Bethsaida:

⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. (John 1:44 NASV)

In 304 AD, the ancient Christian historian Esubeius wrote in Onomasticon, that Bethsaida was renown not because of the miracles Jesus performed there but because it was the home of Peter and Andrew. At this early date, the town was already being commemorated for its association with the early apostles.

The ancient village has long since disappeared. However, archaeologists from Kinneret Academic College and Yeshiva University are convinced they have found its original location on the North shore of the Sea of Galilee.

And within that village, they discovered a wall dated to the second or third century that was once part of an ancient Byzantine church built sometime in the fifth century.

It is known from written historical records that a Byzantine Church called the Church of the Apostles or Peter’s church was built over what was believed to be the Peter’s home in Bethsaida. Pilgrims visiting the Promised Land in the eighth century actually mentioned visiting the church.

Significantly, the church uncovered in Bethsaida is said to have an apse, which is a semicircular recess usually found at the back of the church building.

These apses typically had an important relic inside them or were built over historically important religious sites.

As the archaeologists worked this site, they realized the wall from the second or third century was very significant as it had been ‘boxed’ in as part of the apse by the church builders to preserve and venerate it.

As well, Byzantine churches were strictly aligned East and West, but this church was aligned instead to the ancient wall further indicating its importance.

They also found a religious entreaty at the site dedicated to Peter describing him as the ‘the chief and commander of the heavenly apostles‘.

But the wall itself was from the second or third century, which meant it could not have been from a building that Peter and Andrew lived in during the first century.

However, as archaeologists continued working on the site, they found another wall from a first century building just below the third century wall that dated to Peter’s time.

With this discovery, archaeologists believe they understood what happened.

Based on how Esubeius emphasized the importance of Bethsaida as the home of Peter and Andrew, early Christians may have already discovered what they believed was the home where the two early disciples once lived.

However, sometime in the third century the Sea of Galilee rose, and the area flooded destroying the town.

After the water receded, the early Christians still had a ‘living memory’ of this important location and the Byzantines built the church on what they thought was the site of Peter’s original house.

However, when they did this the workers mistakenly presumed that the wall from the second or third century building was Peter’s home and venerated it. They didn’t realize that inches away was a wall from a first century building.

The archaeologist stated that there is no evidence that this first century wall was actually Peter’s home, only that at one time early Christians were convinced it was.

The area was hit with a massive earthquake in 748 AD destroying all the buildings in the area including the church and due to the devastation the town’s religious significance was forgotten.

The el-Araj site is not the only location believed to be the original town of Bethsaida, but there is growing evidence that it is. A second location found on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, called Et-Tell is also another possible contender.

READ: Archaeologists May Have Found Traditional Home of Jesus’ Apostles by the Sea of Galilee