Cernik (IKA) – As part of the opening of the biblical-archeological museum exhibition at the Franciscan monastery in Cernik, which was prepared by Fr. Tomislav Vuk, Ph.D., a symposium on The Holy Land as the Archeological, Sociological and Religious Context of the Bible was held at the monastery on Saturday, April 16.
The first lecture, The Jewish Galilee at the time of the New Testament, from the Historical-Literary Viewpoint, was delivered by a lecturer at the Franciscan Biblical Institute in Jerusalem, Fr. Frederic Manns, Ph.D. In his lecture, he relied primarily on literary sources that speak of the history and development of Galilee, primarily based upon the works of Josephus Flavius, rabbinical texts and the New Testament. Flavius’ texts testify to the great importance of Galilee in the development of Judaism in general and during the period that preceded the coming of Jesus Christ, as well as its connections with Jerusalem.
Speaking about the rabbinical presence in Galilee, Dr. Manns asserted that during the period preceding the destruction of the Temple, there were very significant rabbis active in Galilee. Such a tradition of learning in Galilee, as well as numerous other testimonies, suggests the conclusion that the Oral Law, including the observance of Saturday as the day of rest, was as honored in Galilee as it was in Judea. To this should be added the extensive written and archeological evidence of the existence of a synagogue in Galilee.
Speaking about the view of Galilee through the Gospel according to John, Dr. Manns pointed to the example of the belief in Jesus in Judea, while, in contrast, all did not believe in him in Galilee. He proposed the necessity of redefining the role of Galilee in this Gospel. Jesus’ movements from place to place in the fourth Gospel demarcate concentric circles that start from Galilee, and reach their height in Jerusalem. The author seemed to want to emphasize the continuity of the line that starts from Galilee and leads to Jerusalem. The lecturer asserted that exegists often incorrectly maintain that John believed Galilee to be Jesus’ birthplace, as is the case in the Synoptic Gospels. However, Jesus’ homeland was Judea. The good reception that Jesus received from the Galileans excludes Galilee as Jesus’ homeland. Jesus’ homeland is Judea because it is there that the house of his Father was located. Jesus’ homeland depends on his relationship with his Father, emphasized Dr. Manns, adding that it seems that the presentation of Galilee as a country that accepted the faith is inconsistent with John 6, 41. Instead of comparing Galilee and Judea, John differentiates between Jews and Galileans. The latter symbolize those who accepted the Word of God. They are Jesus’ disciples.
In this way, it is possible to conclude that preconceptions with “Galilean paganism” and the “Galilean nation” are mere prejudices that perhaps corresponded to the period of the Maccabees but no longer corresponded to the period of Jesus because at the time of Jesus this was the territory in which religion was the strongest, and it is from Galilee that all the movements of renewal within Judaism originated during that period, said Dr. Manns at the conclusion of his presentation, which was attended by Bishop Antun Škvorčević of Požega.

A talk on Archeological Investigations in Capharnaum was presented by the archeologist Dr. Stanislao Loffreda, a professor at the Faculty of Biblical Sciences and Archeology in Jerusalem, who is also the head of archeological investigations in Capharnaum. In his lecture on these excavations, he pointed out the roles of investigators there and supplemented his remarks with illustrative materials, pointing out that this year the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of the systematic excavation of the land under Franciscan ownership in Capharnaum is being commemorated. He emphasized the importance of this city as a place where Jesus lived and taught. After a description of a day in the life of an archeologist and the methodology of work in Capharnaum, speaking about the history of the excavations there, Prof. Loffreda also mentioned Fra Giuseppe Baldi, thanks to whom the land with the architectural remains was purchased. After that, in 1905 the excavations were conducted by the German archeologists Kohl and Watzinger, and in 1906 they were continued by Fra Wendelin von Menden. In 1921, Fr. Gaudentius Orfali found an octagonal building that he designated as a baptistry south of the Capharnaum synagogue.
From 1968 to 1986, excavations were entrusted to the Franciscians Virgilio Corbo and Stanislao Loffreda. They identified an octagonal building which they identified as the Byzantine basilica built on the site of the House of Simon Peter. Below the basilica were found a series of layers that testify to the various periods of construction. Among them were also found remains of colored mortar with decorative elements and inscriptions in Greek, Syrian, Hebrew and Latin, some of which were prayers to Christ. In 1986, they deepened the excavation and discovered lamps and dishes from Ancient Roman times. Through their excavations, they found a house dating from the first century enclosing a place of veneration, over which an octagonal church had later been built.
Prof. Loffreda stated that the identification of Peter’s House in Capharnaum was based upon the correspondence of written sources, particularly those that came from Eteria at the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th centuries, together with archeological data. The excavations were interrupted by the death of Fr. Virgilio Corbo. In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II urged Prof. Loffreda to continue with his research. In conclusion, Prof. Loffreda presented plans for further research in Capharnaum.

After the presentations, Dr. Vuk conducted the symposium participants through the biblical-archeological museum exhibition, with individual exhibits from the Holy Land dating as far back as 3,000 years B.C. Then Fra Darko Tepert, a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Biblical Sciences and Archeology in Jerusalem and a member of the Croatian Franciscan Province of SS. Cyril and Methodius, presented possibilities for researching biblical texts using Scholar’s Collection software by Accordance.