2. Description of the localities.— Tlie beautiful riain of Gennesaret is closed on the north-east by a spur of the hills which slopes do^vn gradually to the Lake. In the hollow formed by this, on the rising ground where the caravan-route begins to ascend tlie ridge, is the ruined khdn of Khdn Minyeh. On the low ground beneath, and also on the ridge above, tliere are a few more inconspicuous remains ; and between the khAn and the Lake is a fountain ('Ain et-Tin). Rounding the little pro- montory, on which is a German hospice, we come to a bay, on tlie further side of which is a group of springs. One of these is described by Sir Charles Wilson as ' by far the largest spring in Galilee, and estimated to be more tlian half the size of the celebrated source of the Jordan at Banias' {Re- covery, etc. ii. 348). The waters of this spring come to the surface with great force, and, after being collected in a strongly-built reservoir, they were carried by an aqueduct, in part cut through the rock, round the promontory and to the rear of Khdn Minyeh ; from thence they were used to irrigate the plain. The modern name of this fountain is 'Ain et-J'dbigha. The ancient name was ' Seven Fountains ' \ltin. Hieros. ed. Vindob. p. 138) or Heptapegon (of which et-Tdbigha is an eclio). A full mile and a half, or two Roman miles farther, are the ruins of Tell Hum. These cover a considerable extent of ground, lialf a mile in length by a quarter in breadth. The houses generally were built of blocks of black basalt. A single public building of larger size (74 ft. 9 in.
x56 ft. 9 in.) w.os of white limestone. This is commonly identified with the synagogue.
ome doubt as to its
to notice in Galilee, 1 have inscriptions in in connexion with a
there can be none. Two of those bull
Hebrew over their i
seven-branched candlestick,
paschal lamb, and all without exception are constructed after
a fixed plan, which is totally different from that of any church,
temple, or mosque in Palestine ' (Wilson, Ilecovery, etc. ii. 344).
Two Roman miles up the course of a stream which enterst he Lake just beyond Tell Hum, are ruins which bear the name of Kcrdzeh ; but between Tell Hum, and the mouth of the Jordan there are no more ruins and no special features. Across the Jordan a little way back from its mouth, is et-Tell, which is now generally held to mark the site of Bethsaida Julias. Tliis was in ancient times con- nected by a paved causeway with a cluster of ruins on the shore of the Lake, now known as el-'Araj.
3. Identification. — It will be seen that there is really not very much choice. Chorazin is cer- tainly KerAzeh, and Bethsaida Julias, built by the tetrarch Philip, is pretty certainly et-Tell. The alternatives for Capernaum are thus practically re- duced to Khdn Minyeh and Tell Ifum. And the broad presumption must be in favour of the latter, as Capernaum was no doubt the most important place at this end of the Lake, and the ruins are here far more extensive than those at Khdn Minyeh, as well as demonstrably ancient. The khdn at Khdn Minyeh appears to have been built in the 16th cent. (Sepp, op. cit. inf. p. 165), though the place name first occurs in the time of Saladin.
Is this broad presumption overruled by any decisive consideration? A few minor arguments have been adduced against it. Capernaum was a place where tolls were collected (Mk 2" ||), and it is thought that this would be more natural on the main caravan road : but a place of the size of Tell Hum must in any case have had its tolls, and there was certainly a road along the north end of the Lake leading to Bethsaida Julias (Guthe). The bay of et-Tdbigha is much frequented by fish, and the beach 'is suitable for mooring boats. But there is little, if any, trace of ruins that are not quite modern. The ruins about Khdn Minyeh are also inconsiderable, though further excavation is needed to bring out their real character.
The point that seemed for a time to outweigh all the rest turned upon the position of the fountain. Josephus, who is our earliest and best authority, expressly says that the Plain of Gennesaret was watered by the fountain of Capernaum (BJ III. x. 8). The only fountain to which this statemeut can apply is that of et-fdbigha. There areother fountains, but none of them could be said in any sense to irrigate the plain as in ancient times this fountain certainly did. This indication might seem prima facie to support the claims of Khun Minyeh. The fountain is a short mile from this site, and two short (Roman) miles from Tell Hum. But it has to be remembered that these large villages or towns on the Sea of Galilee had each its 'territory.' Thus Josephus speaks of the 'territory' of Hippos ClirTr)vq, BJm. iii. 1) ; and the 'Gerasene' demoniac (in Mk 5'-" Ii) is a case of the same kind— the swine were not feeding in the town itself but in its territory. In like manner the fountain was situated within the territory of Capernaum, whether it was at Khdn Minyeh or at Tell Hiim.