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There are places that are still lost.

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And one of the most important sites is Bethsaida.

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This is a really important city.

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This is a place where Jesus is performing miracles.

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He's walking on water.

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Absolutely.

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It's extraordinary.

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What an incredible site.

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This place is like otherworldly.

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This is the first time the world has seen this in 1,400 years.

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Yep.

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So simple question.

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Where's Bethsaida?

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Put on your gloves and let's go to work.

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Oh, manual labor?

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Oh, I didn't realize.

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Ready to rock and roll.

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There's another site that they believe

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this could be Bethsaida.

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What?

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My brain is exploding right now.

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Jesus may have walked on this very street.

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It's overwhelming to think about.

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There's always surprises in our killings.

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I got to remember to not look down too much.

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It's not the smoke that got me.

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It's a bomb.

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This is unbelievable.

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I mean, look at this.

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All of us have heard the stories of the miracles of Jesus.

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He is said to have healed the blind, walked on water,

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and fed the 5,000.

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The Bible reveals that the miracles

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happened on the shores of the Sea of Galilee,

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in a fishing village called Bethsaida.

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This was also the hometown of three of Jesus' apostles,

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including Peter, the rock of the early church,

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later anointed as the first pope.

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Bethsaida is therefore one of the holiest

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Christian sites on Earth.

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Or it would be if we knew where it was.

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Its location, lost for nearly 2,000 years,

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has recently sparked a heated and holy debate.

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In the late 20th century, one archaeologist

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discovered the ruins of an ancient town

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so convincing that it was officially declared

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to be the long-missing site, but not so fast.

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Because now, a different team claims

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that they've found the real Bethsaida,

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and they're backing it up with a remarkable discovery

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that's making headlines around the globe.

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And nearby, a third archaeological dig

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may have unearthed the literal foundation

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of Christianity itself.

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So come with me as I journey to the Holy Land

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to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and his apostles

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on a quest to find the lost city of miracles.

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My name is Josh Gates.

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Hello!

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Explorer.

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Here goes nothing.

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Adventurer.

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Woo-hoo-hoo!

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Oh, that's a long way down.

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And a guy who ends up in some very strange situations.

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I'm alive for now.

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With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained,

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I travel to the ends of the Earth,

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investigating the greatest legends in history.

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Ready to rock and roll.

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This is Expedition Unknown.

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Through the storied stones of Damascus Gate,

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I cross the threshold into the old city of Jerusalem.

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Well, I am back again in the Holy Land.

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At the only place we could begin this expedition,

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the building behind me is the most important site

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in the entire Christian world, the Church of the Holy

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Sepulchre.

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Let's go inside.

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This is the place where tradition

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holds that Jesus was crucified and tuned,

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and then rose from the dead.

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For the past 1,700 years, Christians

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have made pilgrimage here to get as close to him as possible.

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But I'm here to search for Christianity's humble beginnings

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and the place of miracles that started it all.

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To do that, we have to go back in time,

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like here on the lowest level of the Holy Sepulchre.

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This is one of the oldest parts of the Church,

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and this is essentially antique graffiti.

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Thousands of crosses carved into the walls

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by devoted pilgrims who traveled here from faraway lands.

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Chiseling your mark into holy architecture is now a no-no.

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But people are still continuing the tradition,

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just using another medium.

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This is Razouk Tattoo, and it's not just any tattoo parlor.

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It's been around since the Crusades were a going concern.

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The oldest stamp in the store is this,

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a partially broken Jerusalem cross.

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This woodblock is 500 years old, and it would look really good

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on me.

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Wasim Razouk is the current caretaker.

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For 27 generations, his family has been inking pilgrims

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in the Holy Lamb, and they still come in droves.

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Hello, hello.

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How's everyone doing?

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Good.

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OK, so we've got a sword happening here.

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You're getting what?

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Merrimagulam.

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Merrimagulam, and you've got all sorts of stuff going on.

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We've got a few things.

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Been here eight times.

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Wow.

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If he gets 10, he gets a free one, right?

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Wow, this is extraordinary.

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Soon, Wasim's chair is free, and I'm in it.

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OK, time for me to dig deep and bear the pain.

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OK, what do you think?

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Well, not going to lie, it hurt a lot.

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But I toughed it out.

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What are you talking about?

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We didn't even start.

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I didn't tattoo you yet.

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This was just a stamp.

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What?

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That was just a stamp?

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Yeah.

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Oh, no, I'm not ready for this.

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I'm not ready for this.

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You're not ready?

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No, I got to hit the road.

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OK.

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Where are you going?

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We're filming up north.

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Oh, you want to ride with us?

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Us?

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Us.

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Not only is Wasim a tattoo artist, he's also a member of the Holy Land Bikers, a motorcycle

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club which patrols the most sacred streets on earth.

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These guys are all about honor, loyalty, and brotherhood, and it is a privilege to ride

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alongside them.

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All I had to do was kick in for gas, grass, and promise to go to mass.

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It's fair.

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Wasim, I like your style.

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Thank you, man.

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Damn it, a gang.

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It's a miracle.

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Wasim, this is my exit.

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Thank you so much.

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I'll be sure to bring the bikes back, OK?

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God bless.

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Eventually, I break off from the gang and point my chopper north.

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To find the lost city of miracles, I'm headed to a city that isn't lost, an ancient village

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mentioned in all four gospels, known as Capernaum.

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After a drive of about 100 miles, I arrive at the archeological site of Capernaum on

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the western edge of the famous Sea of Galilee.

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Don't let the view confuse you.

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The Sea of Galilee is actually a lake, the lowest freshwater lake in the world, 700 feet

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below sea level.

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And on its shore are the ruins of Capernaum, a simple fishing village from the first century.

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It's here that I'm meeting biblical scholar Yiska Harani.

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Yiska.

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Hello, Josh.

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Good morning.

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Absolutely.

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So, based on the thousands of people I see walking around here, I take it we are standing

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in a very important place.

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Yes, Capernaum is really the heart of the Galilee.

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It's Jerusalem of the Galilee from the perspective of Jesus.

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Right, because in the Bible, to put it quite simply, Jesus was here, right?

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He lived here.

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Jesus was here according to the four gospels.

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Right.

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All gospels place Jesus' ministry here.

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The four gospels, the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, don't always agree.

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But in some things, like the mention of this fishing village, they're unanimous.

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As important a place as this is, it did become lost for a while, right?

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Yes.

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In the ninth century or tenth, the latest, it is abandoned.

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And that's really the thing that's brought me here, is that as important as this is,

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there are other places like Capernaum that are today still lost.

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That is true.

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And one of the most important sites is Bethsaida.

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Bethsaida.

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So this is a place that is also mentioned in all four of the gospels.

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Bethsaida is the place where three apostles grew up.

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Right.

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Peter and his brother Andrew.

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Uh-huh.

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And then a third one called Philip.

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I have to think back to Sunday school now.

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I need an apostle refresher course.

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The apostles were Jesus' crew, his literal ride or dies, who were the first to spread

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the gospel of his divine nature.

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There were an even dozen of them.

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Peter, Peter's brother Andrew, Simon, aka Simon the zealot, John, John's brother James,

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another James, which must have been kind of confusing.

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Matthew, Bartholomew, Thomas, Jude, Philip, and last and definitely least, Judas Iscariot.

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Together, they are responsible not just for throwing the most memorable dinner party in

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history, but for the founding of Christianity itself.

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And the fact that Peter is from Bethsaida is also really significant.

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He's the one who's going to be given the keys to leadership.

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Yeah.

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Home to some very important characters in this story.

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Bethsaida is also a place of miracles.

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And all these miracles are very significant.

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The gospel of Mark tells us of a blind man who was brought to Jesus begging to be healed.

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Jesus laid his hands on the man's eyes and the blind could see.

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Mark also tells us that it is from the shores of the lost town that Jesus walked on the

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sea of Galilee.

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And finally, there's one of Jesus' most memorable feats, feeding 5,000 people with just five

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loaves of bread and two fish.

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According to Luke, all 5,008 and were filled.

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And all of this happened in Bethsaida.

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So if we're digging around in the dirt and we find a site, what do we need for a place

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to be Bethsaida?

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What's on the checklist?

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In order to be Bethsaida, first of all, we have to find a Jewish fishing village from

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first century.

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Right.

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Much like this.

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Yes.

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We need, because these apostles were fishermen, we need a fishing village.

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Exactly.

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Exactly.

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Right.

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Okay.

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But then the second level must be a Roman polis.

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Polis.

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That means a city recognized by the imperial rulers.

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Right.

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So we need Jewish level and we need the Roman level.

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Got it.

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Under the Roman Empire, towns that were in favor with local administrators could be given

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the status of a polis.

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Roman polises were granted limited autonomy to self-govern.

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And right around the time of Jesus' crucifixion, Bethsaida became one such place.

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It was even given a Roman name, Julius, in honor of the emperor Caesar Augustus' wife,

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Julia.

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So a simple question.

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Where's Bethsaida?

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There are two candidates for Bethsaida.

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There are.

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The one called Atel is a place that was discovered in 1989.

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All right.

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And is still being excavated and it seemed to be a good candidate.

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Okay.

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But then we had a surprise.

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Our location was identified to be a potential candidate.

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The place is called El Arash.

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Okay.

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And it is being now, as we're speaking, it is being excavated.

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So which one is Bethsaida?

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Well, only archaeology can be the real witness to what has happened 2000 years ago.

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Because if we don't see the Bethsaida coming alive from the ground, it will remain a text.

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Right.

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Or it will remain lost.

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There are multiple contenders for the site, but only one was a place of miracles.

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I thank Yeska and rush back to my bike to visit a pair of potential Bethsaidas.

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All right.

262
00:12:59,020 --> 00:13:04,540
For your consideration, candidate number one, the archaeological site of Atel, a place that

263
00:13:04,540 --> 00:13:08,180
has been calling itself Bethsaida for 30 years.

264
00:13:08,180 --> 00:13:11,620
They are so convinced they even put it on the street signs.

265
00:13:11,620 --> 00:13:16,020
So maybe this lost city has already been found.

266
00:13:16,020 --> 00:13:20,420
Atel is only a few miles from Capernaum, but the tourists don't appear to be making the

267
00:13:20,420 --> 00:13:22,420
trip with me.

268
00:13:22,420 --> 00:13:24,420
Okay.

269
00:13:24,420 --> 00:13:27,420
Where is everybody?

270
00:13:27,420 --> 00:13:32,580
I hiked through some seriously impressive ruins in search of the archaeologist who discovered

271
00:13:32,580 --> 00:13:34,740
this site, Rami Arav.

272
00:13:34,740 --> 00:13:37,180
Here we go.

273
00:13:37,180 --> 00:13:38,180
Rami.

274
00:13:38,180 --> 00:13:39,180
Rami.

275
00:13:39,180 --> 00:13:40,180
Josh.

276
00:13:40,180 --> 00:13:41,180
Hey, how are you?

277
00:13:41,220 --> 00:13:42,220
Come, we just found something.

278
00:13:42,220 --> 00:13:43,220
You found something?

279
00:13:43,220 --> 00:13:44,220
You got to see it.

280
00:13:44,220 --> 00:13:45,220
What did you find?

281
00:13:45,220 --> 00:13:46,220
What did you find?

282
00:13:46,220 --> 00:13:47,220
Please.

283
00:13:47,220 --> 00:13:48,220
What?

284
00:13:48,220 --> 00:13:49,220
Look at this.

285
00:13:49,220 --> 00:13:50,220
This is from a column?

286
00:13:50,220 --> 00:13:51,220
That's a column.

287
00:13:51,220 --> 00:13:52,220
Yes, part of a column.

288
00:13:52,220 --> 00:13:53,220
Roman.

289
00:13:53,220 --> 00:13:54,220
Yep.

290
00:13:54,220 --> 00:14:09,140
A mid-first century ruins near the Sea of Galilee, archaeologist Rami Arav believes he's discovered

291
00:14:09,180 --> 00:14:13,700
the lost city of Jesus and his apostles, Bethsaida.

292
00:14:13,700 --> 00:14:14,700
It is beautiful.

293
00:14:14,700 --> 00:14:16,660
Okay, so where are we?

294
00:14:16,660 --> 00:14:18,440
We are in the middle of a temple.

295
00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:19,440
This is a Roman temple.

296
00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:20,440
This is a Roman temple.

297
00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:21,440
Okay.

298
00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:24,700
Built in the year 30, and it was dedicated to Julia.

299
00:14:24,700 --> 00:14:29,420
So if this is the temple of Julia, does that mean that we are in the city of Julius?

300
00:14:29,420 --> 00:14:30,860
Julius.

301
00:14:30,860 --> 00:14:35,740
And Julius, we know from the Roman histories, used to be...

302
00:14:35,740 --> 00:14:36,740
Bethsaida.

303
00:14:36,740 --> 00:14:37,740
Bethsaida.

304
00:14:37,820 --> 00:14:39,380
Does that mean we're standing in Bethsaida?

305
00:14:39,380 --> 00:14:40,780
We are sitting in Bethsaida.

306
00:14:40,780 --> 00:14:42,260
That would be incredible.

307
00:14:42,260 --> 00:14:43,260
So let's make the case, right?

308
00:14:43,260 --> 00:14:44,260
All right.

309
00:14:44,260 --> 00:14:47,460
In order to be Bethsaida, we have to meet a few criteria, right?

310
00:14:47,460 --> 00:14:51,020
Do we have evidence, along with this Roman stuff, do we have evidence of a Jewish fishing

311
00:14:51,020 --> 00:14:52,020
village here?

312
00:14:52,020 --> 00:14:53,020
Absolutely.

313
00:14:53,020 --> 00:14:54,020
No question.

314
00:14:54,020 --> 00:14:55,020
No question.

315
00:14:55,020 --> 00:14:56,020
No question.

316
00:14:56,020 --> 00:14:57,020
I love how sure you are.

317
00:14:57,020 --> 00:14:58,020
Show me.

318
00:14:58,020 --> 00:14:59,020
Come on.

319
00:14:59,020 --> 00:15:00,020
All right, let's go.

320
00:15:00,020 --> 00:15:04,020
Rami leads me deeper into the 20-acre, first-century dig site.

321
00:15:04,020 --> 00:15:07,700
His team has found evidence of fishing netweights and anchors.

322
00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:10,460
They are here in one very historic neighborhood.

323
00:15:10,460 --> 00:15:13,220
Josh, look at this.

324
00:15:13,220 --> 00:15:14,540
This is the street.

325
00:15:14,540 --> 00:15:16,860
Like these stones are the actual cobblestones?

326
00:15:16,860 --> 00:15:18,540
Yeah, actual cobblestones.

327
00:15:18,540 --> 00:15:19,540
Amazing.

328
00:15:19,540 --> 00:15:23,300
What is also amazing about this street is that this is the place where the apostles were

329
00:15:23,300 --> 00:15:24,300
born.

330
00:15:24,300 --> 00:15:25,300
Right?

331
00:15:25,300 --> 00:15:27,100
Most probably they walked on this street.

332
00:15:27,100 --> 00:15:28,100
Can you imagine?

333
00:15:28,100 --> 00:15:30,980
They walked on here, right, where you are walking now.

334
00:15:30,980 --> 00:15:33,460
Jesus may have walked on this very street.

335
00:15:33,460 --> 00:15:35,380
Very street where you are walking now.

336
00:15:35,380 --> 00:15:36,380
Right?

337
00:15:37,020 --> 00:15:42,220
You don't have to be religious in order to feel awe in a place like this.

338
00:15:42,220 --> 00:15:47,020
Standing on 2,000 years of history simply compels it.

339
00:15:47,020 --> 00:15:50,500
I have to say that this place is really extraordinary.

340
00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:53,940
There's one thing that's puzzling me.

341
00:15:53,940 --> 00:15:56,780
The water, the Sea of Galilee.

342
00:15:56,780 --> 00:15:58,260
It looks really far away.

343
00:15:58,260 --> 00:16:01,100
When I think fishing village, I think we're on the water.

344
00:16:01,100 --> 00:16:02,100
Absolutely.

345
00:16:02,100 --> 00:16:05,060
That feels like a long way to carry my fishing nets and my anchors.

346
00:16:06,060 --> 00:16:11,820
As critics of Etel point out, pretty much every fishing village in the world is, by definition,

347
00:16:11,820 --> 00:16:12,820
on the water.

348
00:16:12,820 --> 00:16:14,460
That's where the fish are.

349
00:16:14,460 --> 00:16:19,140
This site not only sits high on a hill, but it's a mile from the shore.

350
00:16:19,140 --> 00:16:20,780
So is that puzzling?

351
00:16:20,780 --> 00:16:21,980
Yes, of course.

352
00:16:21,980 --> 00:16:22,980
Right.

353
00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:23,980
So what's the answer to the puzzle?

354
00:16:23,980 --> 00:16:29,700
So 2,000 years ago, the lake covered all the area up to this area.

355
00:16:29,700 --> 00:16:30,700
This was all flooded?

356
00:16:30,700 --> 00:16:31,700
Yep.

357
00:16:31,700 --> 00:16:33,820
There was lagoons, yes, all the way lagoons up to here.

358
00:16:33,820 --> 00:16:34,820
Right.

359
00:16:34,820 --> 00:16:36,660
So you've been able to bring a boat much closer?

360
00:16:36,660 --> 00:16:38,580
Yeah, through the lagoons.

361
00:16:38,580 --> 00:16:42,780
Now, does everybody accept this idea that there were lagoons here or is this a matter

362
00:16:42,780 --> 00:16:43,780
of debate?

363
00:16:43,780 --> 00:16:47,060
It's...I mean, you have to ask geologists about that.

364
00:16:47,060 --> 00:16:48,540
It's not a matter of debate for you.

365
00:16:48,540 --> 00:16:49,540
No.

366
00:16:49,540 --> 00:16:50,540
This is a question for geologists.

367
00:16:50,540 --> 00:16:51,540
Exactly so.

368
00:16:51,540 --> 00:16:53,040
Yes.

369
00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:57,660
For Etel to be the biblical town of Bethsaida, it had to have been on the water.

370
00:16:57,660 --> 00:17:00,780
So one of two things has to be true.

371
00:17:00,780 --> 00:17:04,780
Whether the Sea of Galilee was higher than it is now and extended to the base of the

372
00:17:04,780 --> 00:17:11,020
hilltop city or the water level was the same as today, but lagoons that no longer exist

373
00:17:11,020 --> 00:17:14,140
once connected Etel to the Sea of Galilee.

374
00:17:14,140 --> 00:17:19,180
To see if either is possible, I'm meeting a scientist who's investigating Rami's claims,

375
00:17:19,180 --> 00:17:20,180
Natty Bergman.

376
00:17:20,180 --> 00:17:22,700
Natty, hey man, nice to meet you.

377
00:17:22,700 --> 00:17:23,700
Nice to meet you, Josh.

378
00:17:23,700 --> 00:17:26,020
Now, you are a geomorphologist, right?

379
00:17:26,020 --> 00:17:27,020
Yeah.

380
00:17:27,020 --> 00:17:28,580
And then the definition of that is?

381
00:17:28,580 --> 00:17:30,700
How the landscape is shaping during time.

382
00:17:30,700 --> 00:17:31,700
Okay, great.

383
00:17:31,700 --> 00:17:32,700
What are we going to do today?

384
00:17:32,700 --> 00:17:37,780
Well, we're going to go up in the air, take a lot of photos, connect it to satellite imagery,

385
00:17:37,780 --> 00:17:44,140
and then build a topographic model of the shoreline and get an idea of how this environment

386
00:17:44,140 --> 00:17:45,140
is shaped up.

387
00:17:45,140 --> 00:17:46,140
Okay, got it.

388
00:17:46,140 --> 00:17:47,140
You ready to fly?

389
00:17:47,140 --> 00:17:48,140
Yeah.

390
00:17:48,140 --> 00:17:49,140
Please.

391
00:17:49,140 --> 00:18:00,180
Later, rock and roll.

392
00:18:00,180 --> 00:18:04,380
We take off and soar over the Sea of Galilee.

393
00:18:04,380 --> 00:18:09,340
Soon, we find ourselves hundreds of feet above a familiar village.

394
00:18:09,340 --> 00:18:12,220
Okay, Josh, we're over the side of Hotel.

395
00:18:12,220 --> 00:18:13,220
This is where I just was, yes.

396
00:18:13,220 --> 00:18:19,500
I mean, from up here, you really get a sense of just how far this place is from the Sea

397
00:18:19,500 --> 00:18:20,500
of Galilee.

398
00:18:20,500 --> 00:18:23,820
Yeah, it's about at least a mile from the current lake level.

399
00:18:23,820 --> 00:18:26,900
Okay, let's start with the basics.

400
00:18:26,900 --> 00:18:29,340
Does the water level in the Sea of Galilee change?

401
00:18:29,340 --> 00:18:32,380
To understand that, we need to see where Duano comes from.

402
00:18:32,380 --> 00:18:33,380
Okay.

403
00:18:33,380 --> 00:18:35,900
Josh, look down here.

404
00:18:35,900 --> 00:18:38,900
This is where Jordan River comes into the Sea of Galilee.

405
00:18:38,900 --> 00:18:41,300
So this is the main pipe that's feeding the bathtub?

406
00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:42,300
Exactly.

407
00:18:42,300 --> 00:18:43,740
You notice where the mouth is?

408
00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:44,740
Yes.

409
00:18:44,740 --> 00:18:48,940
And you can see vegetation that is drowned and it used to be above ground and now it's

410
00:18:48,940 --> 00:18:49,940
in the water.

411
00:18:49,940 --> 00:18:55,060
So that tells you that the lake fluctuates back and forth in the last few years.

412
00:18:55,060 --> 00:18:58,180
Fluctuations of a few feet seem to be business as usual here.

413
00:18:58,180 --> 00:19:01,420
But could the lake have reached a tell in the first century?

414
00:19:01,420 --> 00:19:05,140
As we hover over the shoreline, we begin the work to find out.

415
00:19:05,140 --> 00:19:08,260
Okay, Josh, it's time for you to take some pictures.

416
00:19:08,260 --> 00:19:10,260
I'm taking the pictures.

417
00:19:10,260 --> 00:19:11,260
Yeah.

418
00:19:11,260 --> 00:19:12,260
Why?

419
00:19:12,260 --> 00:19:13,260
Because I'm on the shore.

420
00:19:13,260 --> 00:19:14,260
Okay.

421
00:19:14,260 --> 00:19:18,980
All right, I'm on it.

422
00:19:18,980 --> 00:19:24,140
We'll take hundreds of overlapping photos to create a 3D model of the lake shore to see

423
00:19:24,140 --> 00:19:28,140
if and how water might have come up to a tell in the first century.

424
00:19:28,140 --> 00:19:31,140
Try to cover as much as shoreline you can get.

425
00:19:31,140 --> 00:19:37,140
I got to remember to not look down too much.

426
00:19:37,140 --> 00:19:44,140
So I know we still have a lot of photos to take of the coastline, but let's talk about

427
00:19:44,140 --> 00:19:46,140
the two possibilities here.

428
00:19:46,140 --> 00:19:51,300
First is that at one point at a tell, the place that calls itself Bensaiida, the water

429
00:19:51,300 --> 00:19:52,300
level was much higher.

430
00:19:52,300 --> 00:19:53,300
I don't know.

431
00:19:53,300 --> 00:19:54,300
It sounds reasonable.

432
00:19:54,300 --> 00:19:55,300
Water levels do fluctuate, right?

433
00:19:55,300 --> 00:19:56,300
So do you find this idea that the water level was this much higher?

434
00:19:56,300 --> 00:19:57,300
Well, it's a very nice idea, but there's something I learned during my PhD.

435
00:19:57,300 --> 00:19:58,300
What's that?

436
00:19:58,300 --> 00:19:59,300
Well, people don't live underwater.

437
00:19:59,300 --> 00:20:00,300
That's true.

438
00:20:00,300 --> 00:20:02,300
Unless you're Aquaman, people do not live underwater.

439
00:20:02,300 --> 00:20:03,300
But what do you mean by that?

440
00:20:03,300 --> 00:20:04,300
What does that have to do with anything?

441
00:20:04,300 --> 00:20:07,300
There are other sites along the lake shore that would be underwater if the shoreline

442
00:20:07,300 --> 00:20:08,300
would be at the pail.

443
00:20:08,300 --> 00:20:09,300
Oh, I got it.

444
00:20:09,300 --> 00:20:10,300
Okay.

445
00:20:10,300 --> 00:20:15,300
In order for the sea to reach a tell, it would have to have been 20 feet higher than it is

446
00:20:15,300 --> 00:20:16,300
today.

447
00:20:16,300 --> 00:20:21,300
Unfortunately, that means that several known furters have come to the shoreline.

448
00:20:21,300 --> 00:20:26,300
So, the sea of Galilee clearly could not have been high enough in Jesus' time to reach

449
00:20:26,300 --> 00:20:27,300
a tell.

450
00:20:27,300 --> 00:20:32,300
But Rami's site still could be Bensaiida, if there were lagoons that are no longer there

451
00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:33,300
now.

452
00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:37,300
To see if that's possible, we continue to fly up the Jordan River.

453
00:20:37,300 --> 00:20:41,300
But the sea of Galilee could not have been high enough in Jesus' time to reach a tell.

454
00:20:41,300 --> 00:20:46,300
But Rami's site still could be Bensaiida, if there were lagoons that are no longer there

455
00:20:46,300 --> 00:20:47,300
now.

456
00:20:47,300 --> 00:20:52,300
To see if that's possible, we continue to fly up the Jordan River.

457
00:20:52,300 --> 00:20:55,300
I can see the geography is getting much more dramatic here.

458
00:20:55,300 --> 00:20:58,300
We have these cliffs rising up on either side of the river.

459
00:20:58,300 --> 00:20:59,300
What's happening here?

460
00:20:59,300 --> 00:21:03,300
Right underneath them are two giant, iconic plates.

461
00:21:03,300 --> 00:21:06,300
The Arabian plate and the African plate.

462
00:21:06,300 --> 00:21:08,300
How much do those plates move per year?

463
00:21:08,300 --> 00:21:09,300
Do we know?

464
00:21:09,300 --> 00:21:11,300
I like about two milliliters a year.

465
00:21:11,300 --> 00:21:13,300
So, what's the result of that movement?

466
00:21:13,300 --> 00:21:16,300
Well, there is also a lot of earthquakes.

467
00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:21,300
And because of those earthquakes, a lot of the sediment from the slopes falls into the

468
00:21:21,300 --> 00:21:22,300
Jordan River.

469
00:21:22,300 --> 00:21:23,300
Got it.

470
00:21:23,300 --> 00:21:29,300
And it tries to take that sediment downstream, towards the lake, towards the delta.

471
00:21:29,300 --> 00:21:34,300
The theory is that a large seismic event could have released tons of sediment from these

472
00:21:34,300 --> 00:21:39,300
hills and filled in ancient lagoons that connected Etel to the Galilee.

473
00:21:39,300 --> 00:21:41,300
But is it possible?

474
00:21:41,300 --> 00:21:46,300
Our photogrammetry, along with data recorded at ground level, confirms that the land at

475
00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:52,300
the base of Etel is very low and could have once been partially flooded with water inundating

476
00:21:52,300 --> 00:21:54,300
from the nearby sea.

477
00:21:54,300 --> 00:22:00,300
However, the amount of soil required to fill this area is immense, and we don't have any

478
00:22:00,300 --> 00:22:05,300
indicator of a more modern earthquake that shows this kind of soil movement, which means

479
00:22:05,300 --> 00:22:08,300
the jury is still out.

480
00:22:08,300 --> 00:22:11,300
But Nadi points out an alternative.

481
00:22:11,300 --> 00:22:17,300
There's another site here called El Araj, and they believe this could be Bethsaida.

482
00:22:17,300 --> 00:22:22,300
El Araj recently made headlines for a discovery that they have yet to fully reveal to the

483
00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:23,300
world.

484
00:22:23,300 --> 00:22:26,300
Naturally, I'm anxious to get there and see it for myself.

485
00:22:26,300 --> 00:22:29,300
After all, it could be Bethsaida.

486
00:22:29,300 --> 00:22:31,300
Okay, let's bring it home.

487
00:22:31,300 --> 00:22:42,300
Only a few hundred feet below, does the true city of miracles await?

488
00:22:42,300 --> 00:22:47,300
I'm on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, searching for the lost city of Jesus and his

489
00:22:47,300 --> 00:22:49,300
apostles, Bethsaida.

490
00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:55,300
A new find at an archaeological site called El Araj has stirred speculation that this is

491
00:22:55,300 --> 00:22:57,300
Bethsaida's true location.

492
00:22:57,300 --> 00:23:02,300
Here to greet me is one of the men who made the discovery, Professor R. Stephen Notley.

493
00:23:02,300 --> 00:23:05,300
Hey, man, nice to meet you.

494
00:23:05,300 --> 00:23:06,300
Nice to meet you.

495
00:23:06,300 --> 00:23:11,300
So this site behind you here, I take it you think this is Bethsaida?

496
00:23:11,300 --> 00:23:12,300
Yes, absolutely.

497
00:23:12,300 --> 00:23:14,300
Why is this maybe Bethsaida?

498
00:23:14,300 --> 00:23:20,300
Because as we look at this site, it actually has first century remains that indicate a settlement

499
00:23:20,300 --> 00:23:21,300
here.

500
00:23:21,300 --> 00:23:27,300
We found hundreds of lead weights that go with nets, indicate that there was a substantial

501
00:23:27,300 --> 00:23:29,300
fishing industry at this place.

502
00:23:29,300 --> 00:23:30,300
Okay.

503
00:23:30,300 --> 00:23:32,300
And here we're right on the water.

504
00:23:32,300 --> 00:23:35,300
Yes, the Sea of Galilee is lapping against this site.

505
00:23:35,300 --> 00:23:40,300
So we have evidence here of a thriving fishing community in the first century AD in the

506
00:23:40,300 --> 00:23:41,300
right time period.

507
00:23:41,300 --> 00:23:42,300
Exactly.

508
00:23:42,300 --> 00:23:43,300
Okay, so that's a big check mark already.

509
00:23:43,300 --> 00:23:44,300
Yes, but that's not all.

510
00:23:44,300 --> 00:23:50,300
We've recently made a discovery that is astonishing and connects this place directly to Bethsaida.

511
00:23:50,300 --> 00:23:51,300
Would you like to see it?

512
00:23:51,300 --> 00:23:52,300
Yeah, I'm dying to see it.

513
00:23:52,300 --> 00:23:54,300
Let's go.

514
00:23:54,300 --> 00:24:00,300
Stephen leads me through a very active dig site to meet his colleague Israeli archaeologist,

515
00:24:00,300 --> 00:24:01,300
Moti Aviam.

516
00:24:01,300 --> 00:24:02,300
This is incredible here.

517
00:24:02,300 --> 00:24:03,300
Give me some context.

518
00:24:03,300 --> 00:24:05,300
Where are we in the site right now?

519
00:24:05,300 --> 00:24:08,300
Josh, you're in a church, an Augustinie church.

520
00:24:08,300 --> 00:24:12,300
This is a basilica, which is a very specific architectural structure.

521
00:24:12,300 --> 00:24:14,300
Okay, so Moti, when are we?

522
00:24:14,300 --> 00:24:15,300
When was this built?

523
00:24:15,300 --> 00:24:20,300
This church was built somewhere at the end of the 5th, beginning of the 6th century.

524
00:24:20,300 --> 00:24:21,300
This is the Byzantine era, right?

525
00:24:21,300 --> 00:24:22,300
Yes.

526
00:24:22,300 --> 00:24:25,300
Take me back in time, what would this basilica have looked like?

527
00:24:25,300 --> 00:24:28,300
This is a large building facing to the east.

528
00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:31,300
It means that the apps is on the eastern side.

529
00:24:31,300 --> 00:24:34,300
Right, so this curved area, this is the end of the church, is the apps.

530
00:24:34,300 --> 00:24:40,300
And two rows of columns supported the large roof red tiles.

531
00:24:40,300 --> 00:24:43,300
And then I'm just now noticing all of this is mosaic.

532
00:24:43,300 --> 00:24:44,300
Yes.

533
00:24:44,300 --> 00:24:46,300
Not just a little mosaic either.

534
00:24:46,300 --> 00:24:51,300
The intricate tile work stretches across the entire floor from wall to wall.

535
00:24:51,300 --> 00:24:57,300
Along with the mosaic floors, I read that you found mosaic inscriptions in the floors.

536
00:24:57,300 --> 00:24:58,300
Yes.

537
00:24:58,300 --> 00:24:59,300
Yes.

538
00:24:59,300 --> 00:25:00,300
How many inscriptions have you found total?

539
00:25:00,300 --> 00:25:02,300
We found three inscriptions.

540
00:25:02,300 --> 00:25:04,300
Two of them are in the main hall.

541
00:25:04,300 --> 00:25:06,300
They preserved only partially.

542
00:25:06,300 --> 00:25:10,300
And right over here, we have the third inscription which preserved completely.

543
00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:12,300
It's below your feet.

544
00:25:12,300 --> 00:25:14,300
Literally below my feet?

545
00:25:14,300 --> 00:25:15,300
Completely.

546
00:25:15,300 --> 00:25:16,300
Like under the dirt?

547
00:25:16,300 --> 00:25:17,300
Under the dirt.

548
00:25:17,300 --> 00:25:18,300
And why is it covered?

549
00:25:18,300 --> 00:25:22,300
It's covered because we wanted to protect it after we discovered it.

550
00:25:22,300 --> 00:25:25,300
And this inscription is the one that connects to Bethsaida, yes?

551
00:25:25,300 --> 00:25:26,300
Yes.

552
00:25:26,300 --> 00:25:28,300
Is it possible to see what's down here?

553
00:25:28,300 --> 00:25:29,300
Yes, we'll have to work a little bit.

554
00:25:29,300 --> 00:25:30,300
I'm not afraid to work.

555
00:25:30,300 --> 00:25:32,300
Put on your gloves and let's go to work.

556
00:25:32,300 --> 00:25:34,300
Oh, manual labor?

557
00:25:34,300 --> 00:25:36,300
I didn't realize.

558
00:25:36,300 --> 00:25:41,300
Before you can say hail Mary, I'm geared up and moving dirt.

559
00:25:43,300 --> 00:25:50,300
The floor beneath our feet is priceless, so the work needs to be very, very careful.

560
00:25:50,300 --> 00:25:52,300
Getting close?

561
00:25:52,300 --> 00:25:55,300
Can smell it.

562
00:25:55,300 --> 00:25:59,300
We've made it through most of the topsoil, but to see what's hidden beneath the final layer,

563
00:25:59,300 --> 00:26:03,300
we're going to need to use a little finesse.

564
00:26:03,300 --> 00:26:05,300
Oh.

565
00:26:05,300 --> 00:26:06,300
Oh.

566
00:26:06,300 --> 00:26:07,300
Oh.

567
00:26:07,300 --> 00:26:09,300
Yes, look at this black mosaic right here.

568
00:26:09,300 --> 00:26:10,300
This is the inscription.

569
00:26:10,300 --> 00:26:11,300
Yep.

570
00:26:11,300 --> 00:26:13,300
High word.

571
00:26:13,300 --> 00:26:18,300
And this floor that we're revealing right now, this was laid down when?

572
00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:22,300
It was laid down at the end of the sixth century.

573
00:26:22,300 --> 00:26:25,300
So we are revealing a 1400-year-old inscription.

574
00:26:25,300 --> 00:26:26,300
Exactly.

575
00:26:26,300 --> 00:26:29,300
This is what we do in archaeology.

576
00:26:29,300 --> 00:26:35,300
Millimeter by millimeter, we expose ancient letters from beneath the soil,

577
00:26:35,300 --> 00:26:39,300
but making them legible is going to take a little more work.

578
00:26:39,300 --> 00:26:40,300
What's the next step?

579
00:26:40,300 --> 00:26:41,300
I'm washing it.

580
00:26:41,300 --> 00:26:42,300
Okay.

581
00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:43,300
Please.

582
00:26:43,300 --> 00:26:44,300
Steve.

583
00:26:44,300 --> 00:26:49,300
With the dirt swept away, all it takes is some water and elbow grease for the past to

584
00:26:49,300 --> 00:26:50,300
shine through.

585
00:26:50,300 --> 00:26:52,300
Wow, look at that.

586
00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:55,300
Oh, it's just coming to life.

587
00:26:55,300 --> 00:26:57,300
That's unbelievable.

588
00:26:57,300 --> 00:26:59,300
Can I see the scrubber?

589
00:26:59,300 --> 00:27:00,300
Sure.

590
00:27:00,300 --> 00:27:03,300
If it looks like we shouldn't be doing this, don't worry.

591
00:27:03,300 --> 00:27:06,300
The mosaic has lasted 14 centuries in a harsh world.

592
00:27:06,300 --> 00:27:09,300
A little spit and polish ain't going to hurt it.

593
00:27:09,300 --> 00:27:10,300
Wow.

594
00:27:10,300 --> 00:27:13,300
My brain is exploding right now.

595
00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:16,300
It looks like it was written just a few hours ago.

596
00:27:16,300 --> 00:27:18,300
It really does.

597
00:27:18,300 --> 00:27:23,300
I can't describe what an honor it is to be able to see this and to reveal it to the

598
00:27:23,300 --> 00:27:29,300
world in its entirety for the very first time.

599
00:27:29,300 --> 00:27:31,300
This is unbelievable.

600
00:27:31,300 --> 00:27:33,300
I mean, look at this.

601
00:27:33,300 --> 00:27:34,300
It's extraordinary.

602
00:27:34,300 --> 00:27:36,300
The entire inscription is here.

603
00:27:36,300 --> 00:27:40,300
Not the letter is missing.

604
00:27:40,300 --> 00:27:44,300
In the news articles, I saw like a corner of this, but not the whole thing.

605
00:27:44,300 --> 00:27:48,300
Really, this is the first time publicly it's being shown clearly.

606
00:27:48,300 --> 00:27:52,300
This is the first time the world has seen this in 1400 years.

607
00:27:52,300 --> 00:27:53,300
Amazing, isn't it?

608
00:27:53,300 --> 00:27:57,300
Ha, it's unreal.

609
00:27:57,300 --> 00:27:59,300
Okay, now the big question.

610
00:27:59,300 --> 00:28:00,300
What does it say?

611
00:28:00,300 --> 00:28:03,300
I read ancient Greek about as well as I swing dance.

612
00:28:03,300 --> 00:28:08,300
Fortunately, Steve and Moti have Professor Jacob Ashkenazi on hand to do the translating.

613
00:28:08,300 --> 00:28:11,300
Okay, so Professor, help us out here.

614
00:28:11,300 --> 00:28:12,300
What does this say?

615
00:28:12,300 --> 00:28:18,300
The word here, kapa, omikon ro, it means the chief of what?

616
00:28:18,300 --> 00:28:20,300
Right, the chief of what?

617
00:28:20,300 --> 00:28:25,300
Of apostolon, the apostles.

618
00:28:25,300 --> 00:28:27,300
The apostles.

619
00:28:27,300 --> 00:28:29,300
Chief of the apostles.

620
00:28:29,300 --> 00:28:30,300
Peter.

621
00:28:30,300 --> 00:28:32,300
Peter is nobody else.

622
00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:34,300
He is the chief of the apostles.

623
00:28:34,300 --> 00:28:35,300
Okay.

624
00:28:35,300 --> 00:28:42,300
The apostle Peter, who of course was from Bethsaida, was first among equals in Jesus' devout dozen.

625
00:28:42,300 --> 00:28:49,300
It was to Peter that Jesus would entrust his church and to whom he gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

626
00:28:49,300 --> 00:28:54,300
Now, I'm reading his title right here on the floor.

627
00:28:54,300 --> 00:28:58,300
So there is no doubt at all that we are talking about Peter.

628
00:28:58,300 --> 00:28:59,300
Zero doubt.

629
00:28:59,300 --> 00:29:06,300
How common is it to find an inscription like this that is a dedication to Saint Peter?

630
00:29:06,300 --> 00:29:07,300
Zero common.

631
00:29:07,300 --> 00:29:08,300
This has not happened before.

632
00:29:08,300 --> 00:29:09,300
Yes, this is a unique one.

633
00:29:09,300 --> 00:29:13,300
So when you first found this, what was your reaction?

634
00:29:13,300 --> 00:29:15,300
It's not the smoke and gun, it's a bomb.

635
00:29:15,300 --> 00:29:16,300
Right.

636
00:29:16,300 --> 00:29:17,300
Okay?

637
00:29:17,300 --> 00:29:26,300
We have hundreds of years after the time of the apostles in the Byzantine era, this beautiful basilica is built here and appears to be dedicated to the apostle Peter.

638
00:29:26,300 --> 00:29:27,300
Yes.

639
00:29:27,300 --> 00:29:29,300
So why would they have done that?

640
00:29:29,300 --> 00:29:34,300
I think the church here commemorates the home of Peter, Andrew and Philip.

641
00:29:34,300 --> 00:29:41,300
Byzantine churches like this were frequently placed atop sites believed to have been the locations of biblical events.

642
00:29:41,300 --> 00:29:46,300
Hence, the churches became destinations for pilgrims.

643
00:29:46,300 --> 00:29:48,300
This is very compelling evidence.

644
00:29:48,300 --> 00:29:53,300
This is something you don't often get at an archaeological site in the Holy Land, a complete inscription.

645
00:29:53,300 --> 00:29:55,300
One word is missing, Bethsaida.

646
00:29:55,300 --> 00:29:56,300
Right.

647
00:29:56,300 --> 00:29:57,300
That's it.

648
00:29:57,300 --> 00:30:00,300
If it said Bethsaida, then it would be a done deal.

649
00:30:00,300 --> 00:30:05,300
But just short of that, there is yet hope for finding that one word.

650
00:30:05,300 --> 00:30:11,300
The Basilica's mosaic floor continues outward and it could contain more inscriptions.

651
00:30:11,300 --> 00:30:14,300
Here we have only pieces of the mosaic floor.

652
00:30:14,300 --> 00:30:15,300
Right.

653
00:30:15,300 --> 00:30:16,300
And here we have a wall.

654
00:30:16,300 --> 00:30:17,300
This is a lighter wall.

655
00:30:17,300 --> 00:30:20,300
It is from the 12th, 13th century Crusader period.

656
00:30:20,300 --> 00:30:27,300
The wall is covering the original mosaic and since an inscription could confirm that this is Bethsaida, the choice is simple.

657
00:30:27,300 --> 00:30:29,300
The wall has got to go.

658
00:30:29,300 --> 00:30:31,300
Anything could be under here.

659
00:30:31,300 --> 00:30:33,300
There's always surprises in archaeology.

660
00:30:33,300 --> 00:30:34,300
That's right.

661
00:30:34,300 --> 00:30:35,300
Okay.

662
00:30:35,300 --> 00:30:36,300
So, should we see what's there?

663
00:30:36,300 --> 00:30:37,300
Let's go.

664
00:30:37,300 --> 00:30:38,300
Let's move the wall.

665
00:30:44,300 --> 00:30:45,300
Dirty enough?

666
00:30:45,300 --> 00:30:46,300
Not yet.

667
00:30:46,300 --> 00:30:49,300
We got lots of dirt for that.

668
00:30:49,300 --> 00:30:56,300
The lost city of Bethsaida, where Jesus reportedly walked on water, may be beneath the ruins of this medieval wall.

669
00:30:56,300 --> 00:31:01,300
The wall was built one stone at a time and we're taking it down the same way.

670
00:31:06,300 --> 00:31:16,300
The team's project manager, Akia Kontavor, stands nearby to preserve any artifacts we find, like the pottery that is literally wedged in the mortar.

671
00:31:17,300 --> 00:31:20,300
Fifth, sixth, seventh century, something like that.

672
00:31:20,300 --> 00:31:22,300
Very fancy dishes.

673
00:31:22,300 --> 00:31:23,300
How cool is that?

674
00:31:25,300 --> 00:31:31,300
But the pottery is just the beginning of what we find built into this wall, like ancient Roman glass.

675
00:31:31,300 --> 00:31:33,300
How beautiful is that?

676
00:31:33,300 --> 00:31:34,300
How delicate it is.

677
00:31:34,300 --> 00:31:39,300
I mean, so thin pieces of marble.

678
00:31:39,300 --> 00:31:41,300
If we get enough of these, I'm going to redo my kitchen counter.

679
00:31:41,300 --> 00:31:42,300
Hold on to this.

680
00:31:42,300 --> 00:31:45,300
And shards of finely made vessels.

681
00:31:45,300 --> 00:31:46,300
That's a handle.

682
00:31:46,300 --> 00:31:47,300
What?

683
00:31:47,300 --> 00:31:49,300
That is insane.

684
00:31:49,300 --> 00:31:52,300
This is a handle of a jug, a small bottle.

685
00:31:52,300 --> 00:31:57,300
So this would either be like an offering brought to the church or something that a pilgrim would take from the church?

686
00:31:57,300 --> 00:32:07,300
Yeah, they had their capsules of holy oil from the church that you can buy and take with you back to your congregation.

687
00:32:07,300 --> 00:32:12,300
And in this case, holy oil maybe from the church of Peter or the church of the apostles?

688
00:32:12,300 --> 00:32:13,300
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

689
00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:14,300
Wow.

690
00:32:14,300 --> 00:32:23,300
This may be more evidence of a place visited by Christian pilgrims, something that could be verified by additional inscriptions on the floor.

691
00:32:26,300 --> 00:32:27,300
Watch your fingers.

692
00:32:27,300 --> 00:32:28,300
Watch your fingers.

693
00:32:40,300 --> 00:32:45,300
After a few hours, we remove the final blocks and the last bit of dirt.

694
00:32:45,300 --> 00:32:50,300
Beneath the edges of the wall, more beautiful mosaic tiles from the Byzantine church.

695
00:32:50,300 --> 00:32:55,300
Hundreds of literal puzzle pieces, slotting together into a work of art.

696
00:32:55,300 --> 00:33:02,300
But we find no additional inscriptions mixed in, which leaves us with an incomplete picture of El-Araj.

697
00:33:02,300 --> 00:33:09,300
We definitely have a fishing village on the water, check and check, and this remarkable church.

698
00:33:09,300 --> 00:33:16,300
But somebody might say, hey, you know, just because you've got a Byzantine church here, that doesn't mean this is Bethsaida.

699
00:33:16,300 --> 00:33:19,300
If it was just the church, then you could have some doubts.

700
00:33:19,300 --> 00:33:20,300
Right.

701
00:33:20,300 --> 00:33:28,300
What you need together with that is evidence of what we read in the historical sources about a site that becomes a Roman polis, a Roman city.

702
00:33:28,300 --> 00:33:29,300
Right, right.

703
00:33:29,300 --> 00:33:39,300
For El-Araj to be Bethsaida, Stephen and Moti need to prove that it was once a Roman polis, which means it has to be bigger than the single church they're exploring.

704
00:33:39,300 --> 00:33:45,300
An aerial scan of the site could help reveal the extent of El-Araj for the first time.

705
00:33:45,300 --> 00:33:49,300
If it's too small, it's a village and not Bethsaida.

706
00:33:49,300 --> 00:33:56,300
For help, they've brought in Terra-Log Innovation, a company run by Avi Buzaglo and his son Eldar.

707
00:33:56,300 --> 00:33:58,300
How big an area are we going to be scanning today?

708
00:33:58,300 --> 00:34:03,300
So we're going to fly like half a grid of around one and a half square miles.

709
00:34:03,300 --> 00:34:04,300
Okay, should we do it?

710
00:34:04,300 --> 00:34:05,300
Let's do it.

711
00:34:05,300 --> 00:34:06,300
Let's go.

712
00:34:07,300 --> 00:34:09,300
Okay, we're ready to go.

713
00:34:09,300 --> 00:34:10,300
Eldar, who can take off?

714
00:34:10,300 --> 00:34:11,300
Taking off.

715
00:34:11,300 --> 00:34:12,300
Okay, here we go.

716
00:34:15,300 --> 00:34:16,300
She's up.

717
00:34:16,300 --> 00:34:19,300
This drone is carrying a special payload.

718
00:34:19,300 --> 00:34:24,300
Strapped to the bottom is a state-of-the-art magnetometer, which is measuring the Earth's magnetic field,

719
00:34:24,300 --> 00:34:30,300
able to extrapolate the location of stone walls and structures buried beneath the surface.

720
00:34:32,300 --> 00:34:33,300
And so what do we do?

721
00:34:33,300 --> 00:34:34,300
We wait.

722
00:34:34,300 --> 00:34:35,300
We wait.

723
00:34:35,300 --> 00:34:36,300
I'm good at that.

724
00:34:37,300 --> 00:34:46,300
The drone flies through a pre-programmed grid, covering over a square mile and a half near the basilica.

725
00:34:49,300 --> 00:34:54,300
Until it finishes its course and lands, and we extract the data for analysis.

726
00:34:54,300 --> 00:34:58,300
Let's see how big this ancient town really is.

727
00:34:58,300 --> 00:34:59,300
All right, what do we have?

728
00:34:59,300 --> 00:35:00,300
The big moment.

729
00:35:03,300 --> 00:35:04,300
Whoa!

730
00:35:04,300 --> 00:35:06,300
Is this construction all these red areas?

731
00:35:06,300 --> 00:35:07,300
Yeah.

732
00:35:07,300 --> 00:35:13,300
I assume that all these walls are the Roman villas, and we have it.

733
00:35:13,300 --> 00:35:15,300
We have houses from the Roman period.

734
00:35:15,300 --> 00:35:22,300
The data reveals structures that Moti believes to be from the first century, the era of the apostles.

735
00:35:22,300 --> 00:35:26,300
That's surprising, because on surface you see nothing.

736
00:35:26,300 --> 00:35:28,300
Right, it's just vegetation out there.

737
00:35:28,300 --> 00:35:29,300
That's vegetation.

738
00:35:29,300 --> 00:35:31,300
And did you expect there would be this much here?

739
00:35:31,300 --> 00:35:32,300
I wanted.

740
00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:33,300
You hoped.

741
00:35:33,300 --> 00:35:34,300
This is unbelievable.

742
00:35:34,300 --> 00:35:35,300
Indeed.

743
00:35:35,300 --> 00:35:41,300
And just for reference, this here, this is the tarping on the main site of the Byzantine church.

744
00:35:41,300 --> 00:35:42,300
Yes.

745
00:35:42,300 --> 00:35:43,300
And look at the size of this area.

746
00:35:43,300 --> 00:35:47,300
And you can see here the edges up here and up here.

747
00:35:47,300 --> 00:35:50,300
It means that the site is much larger.

748
00:35:50,300 --> 00:35:51,300
Right, it must extend out.

749
00:35:51,300 --> 00:35:52,300
Extend out, no doubt.

750
00:35:52,300 --> 00:35:56,300
Because we see walls or disturbances right on the edges of all of this.

751
00:35:56,300 --> 00:35:57,300
Yes.

752
00:35:57,300 --> 00:35:59,300
I mean, this is incredible.

753
00:35:59,300 --> 00:36:04,300
So if you had to guess, how far do you think this site extends?

754
00:36:04,300 --> 00:36:07,300
I would assume 15 acres.

755
00:36:07,300 --> 00:36:15,300
In the first century, 15 acres was a sizable settlement, certainly big enough for consideration as a polis.

756
00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:24,300
So when we put all of this together, right, we have evidence of this fishing village here, this Jewish fishing village on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

757
00:36:24,300 --> 00:36:30,300
Hundreds of years later, we have this beautiful Byzantine church dedicated to Peter the Apostle.

758
00:36:30,300 --> 00:36:35,300
Now we have evidence here, geophysical evidence, that this is a polis, a Roman city.

759
00:36:35,300 --> 00:36:38,300
When you put all of this together, what does it say to you?

760
00:36:38,300 --> 00:36:42,300
It says to me we have here the archaeological evidence and the historic evidence.

761
00:36:42,300 --> 00:36:49,300
And therefore, I think this is, you can strongly identify the place as a bit sidel.

762
00:36:49,300 --> 00:36:50,300
You think this is the place?

763
00:36:50,300 --> 00:36:52,300
I think this is the place.

764
00:36:54,300 --> 00:36:59,300
El-Iraj, like Etel before it, has a strong case for being the city of miracles.

765
00:36:59,300 --> 00:37:03,300
But for now, more work needs to be done exploring both sites.

766
00:37:03,300 --> 00:37:07,300
And there's enough to keep these guys busy until the second coming.

767
00:37:12,300 --> 00:37:16,300
As for me, I've just gotten word of something, well, kind of miraculous.

768
00:37:16,300 --> 00:37:25,300
Another site nearby that isn't claiming to be Bethsaida, but where a new discovery may tie it to the Apostle Peter in a shocking way.

769
00:37:25,300 --> 00:37:32,300
I travel to the ruins of what was once the regional capital, a place known as Caesarea Philippi.

770
00:37:32,300 --> 00:37:41,300
Even before the Romans were here, this place was considered sacred, home to a natural spring that flows out of the rocks and into the Sea of Galilee.

771
00:37:41,300 --> 00:37:45,300
Deep inside the site, I find an active dig.

772
00:37:45,300 --> 00:37:48,300
Hello. Hi. Adi.

773
00:37:48,300 --> 00:37:49,300
Thank you.

774
00:37:49,300 --> 00:37:55,300
Near the back of the ruins, beneath a soaring grotto in the side of a cliff, I find archaeologist Adi Erlich.

775
00:37:55,300 --> 00:37:56,300
Please.

776
00:37:56,300 --> 00:37:57,300
Hi, I'm Josh. Nice to meet you.

777
00:37:57,300 --> 00:37:59,300
Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Adi.

778
00:37:59,300 --> 00:38:04,300
What an incredible site. This place is like otherworldly.

779
00:38:04,300 --> 00:38:08,300
So a few thousand years ago, this would have looked like what?

780
00:38:08,300 --> 00:38:13,300
It was full of water, very, very deep water, as we are told by the ancient sources.

781
00:38:13,300 --> 00:38:16,300
So this would have been a very mystical kind of place, right?

782
00:38:16,300 --> 00:38:17,300
Yeah.

783
00:38:17,300 --> 00:38:19,300
A dark grotto flooded with deep water.

784
00:38:19,300 --> 00:38:24,300
We know the place started to be dedicated to the God Pan in the third century BCE.

785
00:38:24,300 --> 00:38:27,300
Okay. I know Pan. Human on top, goat on the bottom.

786
00:38:27,300 --> 00:38:28,300
Exactly.

787
00:38:28,300 --> 00:38:33,300
Porns. Pan is the god of like nature, wilderness, shepherds, things like that, right?

788
00:38:33,300 --> 00:38:34,300
Exactly.

789
00:38:34,300 --> 00:38:38,300
So the Romans start coming here to worship and building things here in the first century.

790
00:38:38,300 --> 00:38:39,300
Yes.

791
00:38:39,300 --> 00:38:41,300
Christianity hasn't caught on yet. It's not a thing just yet.

792
00:38:41,300 --> 00:38:43,300
And so we're still worshiping gods like Pan.

793
00:38:43,300 --> 00:38:45,300
Exactly.

794
00:38:45,300 --> 00:38:47,300
This site was once home to Roman temples.

795
00:38:47,300 --> 00:38:52,300
So when Adi's team began to dig, she expected to find pagan ruins.

796
00:38:52,300 --> 00:38:59,300
Instead, they made a discovery that may change what we know about the origins of Christianity.

797
00:38:59,300 --> 00:39:00,300
Wow.

798
00:39:00,300 --> 00:39:02,300
Yeah. Look what we found here.

799
00:39:02,300 --> 00:39:04,300
Unbelievable. Beautiful mosaic floor.

800
00:39:04,300 --> 00:39:06,300
You were amazed to find this floor.

801
00:39:06,300 --> 00:39:12,300
I mean, why would we have a mosaic floor in a cultic place to the God Pan?

802
00:39:12,300 --> 00:39:13,300
Right.

803
00:39:13,300 --> 00:39:16,300
And then we realized that this floor is much later.

804
00:39:16,300 --> 00:39:20,300
During the fifth century BCE, the place has become a beautiful church.

805
00:39:20,300 --> 00:39:22,300
They built a church here.

806
00:39:22,300 --> 00:39:23,300
They built a church here.

807
00:39:23,300 --> 00:39:27,300
In the middle of this pagan grotto, there's a Byzantine church.

808
00:39:27,300 --> 00:39:28,300
Exactly.

809
00:39:28,300 --> 00:39:32,300
Unlike at El-Araj, this floor didn't have any intact inscriptions.

810
00:39:32,300 --> 00:39:36,300
However, Adi's team found something else that speaks volumes.

811
00:39:36,300 --> 00:39:40,300
A major clue that this church was another pilgrimage site.

812
00:39:40,300 --> 00:39:44,300
Josh, I would like you to have a look at this stone.

813
00:39:44,300 --> 00:39:45,300
Yes, here?

814
00:39:45,300 --> 00:39:47,300
Yes, this unique slab of stone.

815
00:39:47,300 --> 00:39:55,300
This is one of the reasons that make us think this is not yet another ordinary church, but a pilgrim center.

816
00:39:55,300 --> 00:39:59,300
This stone carries rows of crosses.

817
00:39:59,300 --> 00:40:01,300
Oh, yeah. Look at that.

818
00:40:01,300 --> 00:40:03,300
There's crosses all over this.

819
00:40:03,300 --> 00:40:05,300
That is crazy.

820
00:40:11,300 --> 00:40:18,300
Expedition Unknown is a well-oiled machine that requires every member of my team to stay laser focused,

821
00:40:18,300 --> 00:40:22,300
unless you're my camera guy Ryan at the world's oldest tattoo parlor.

822
00:40:22,300 --> 00:40:24,300
Dude, what is going on?

823
00:40:24,300 --> 00:40:25,300
I'm in a tattoo.

824
00:40:25,300 --> 00:40:27,300
What do you mean you're getting a tattoo?

825
00:40:27,300 --> 00:40:29,300
I can't not come here and get a tattoo.

826
00:40:29,300 --> 00:40:30,300
Dude, you're working.

827
00:40:30,300 --> 00:40:34,300
What is the tattoo?

828
00:40:34,300 --> 00:40:35,300
Love and family.

829
00:40:35,300 --> 00:40:39,300
Love and family? Do you have one for work and responsibility?

830
00:40:39,300 --> 00:40:40,300
I couldn't find that one.

831
00:40:40,300 --> 00:40:42,300
Yeah, no kidding.

832
00:40:42,300 --> 00:40:45,300
Okay, I'll just film the show then, I guess.

833
00:40:45,300 --> 00:40:47,300
I'm docking your pay for this.

834
00:40:47,300 --> 00:40:48,300
At least you got a tattoo.

835
00:40:48,300 --> 00:40:51,300
All right, Waseem. I said it was going to come back.

836
00:40:51,300 --> 00:40:52,300
Next time.

837
00:40:52,300 --> 00:40:53,300
Next time.

838
00:40:53,300 --> 00:41:06,300
We believe that people came here and marked crosses to commemorate something wrong to worship.

839
00:41:06,300 --> 00:41:07,300
Right.

840
00:41:07,300 --> 00:41:17,300
Near Egrado in the one-time Roman city of Caesarea, Philippi, archeologists are finding clues that this was a place of immense importance to the early Christian church.

841
00:41:17,300 --> 00:41:19,300
This is something you see at pilgrimage sites.

842
00:41:19,300 --> 00:41:24,300
This is like the crosses on Helen's staircase in the church of the Holy Sepulchre.

843
00:41:24,300 --> 00:41:27,300
So the big question is why?

844
00:41:27,300 --> 00:41:31,300
Like why put a church here at all and why does it become a pilgrimage site?

845
00:41:31,300 --> 00:41:37,300
So I think we have a clue and you can find it in the Gospels.

846
00:41:37,300 --> 00:41:43,300
Adi believes that the reason people might have traveled to this place is available to us in black and white.

847
00:41:43,300 --> 00:41:46,300
The book of Matthew to be precise.

848
00:41:46,300 --> 00:41:47,300
Here we go.

849
00:41:47,300 --> 00:41:48,300
This is a clue from the book of Matthew.

850
00:41:48,300 --> 00:41:57,300
So when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea, Philippi, which is right where we are, he says to his disciples, who do you say that I am?

851
00:41:57,300 --> 00:42:02,300
And Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah and the Son of the living God.

852
00:42:02,300 --> 00:42:04,300
And Jesus answered him, blessed are you.

853
00:42:04,300 --> 00:42:12,300
So he's saying, I will tell you, you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

854
00:42:12,300 --> 00:42:16,300
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.

855
00:42:16,300 --> 00:42:20,300
So this is really the moment when Jesus has called the Messiah.

856
00:42:20,300 --> 00:42:25,300
This is the moment when he's kind of handing the church over to his apostles.

857
00:42:25,300 --> 00:42:27,300
So is that why this is here?

858
00:42:27,300 --> 00:42:35,300
Because it happens somewhere in Caesarea, Philippi, they said, let's build a church here and venerate this story and make it a pilgrimage site.

859
00:42:35,300 --> 00:42:37,300
Yes, but I think there's even more than that.

860
00:42:37,300 --> 00:42:38,300
OK.

861
00:42:38,300 --> 00:42:42,300
And in order to expand this to you, I would like to take you into the grotto.

862
00:42:42,300 --> 00:42:43,300
Into the grotto.

863
00:42:43,300 --> 00:42:44,300
Yeah.

864
00:42:44,300 --> 00:42:46,300
Josh, are you Christophobic?

865
00:42:48,300 --> 00:42:49,300
No.

866
00:42:51,300 --> 00:42:52,300
What?

867
00:42:52,300 --> 00:42:53,300
What is this?

868
00:42:53,300 --> 00:42:55,300
This is a Roman aqueduct.

869
00:42:55,300 --> 00:42:56,300
That goes to the grotto.

870
00:42:56,300 --> 00:42:58,300
Goes straight to the grotto.

871
00:42:58,300 --> 00:42:59,300
Oh boy.

872
00:42:59,300 --> 00:43:00,300
OK.

873
00:43:03,300 --> 00:43:04,300
OK.

874
00:43:04,300 --> 00:43:13,300
This passageway that Addy has sent me through is an ancient aqueduct, a long, dark water channel that's been here since Caesar was in diapers.

875
00:43:14,300 --> 00:43:22,300
These Roman aqueducts are held up with these flat, heavy stones that are set into an A-frame.

876
00:43:22,300 --> 00:43:29,300
They've been holding for a couple thousand years, but on the other hand, there's not much holding them there other than gravity.

877
00:43:29,300 --> 00:43:33,300
Lord only knows what's waiting for me on the other side.

878
00:43:33,300 --> 00:43:35,300
And I'm out.

879
00:43:35,300 --> 00:43:37,300
Well, you made it, Josh.

880
00:43:37,300 --> 00:43:38,300
What?

881
00:43:39,300 --> 00:43:41,300
Wait, why couldn't I walk around?

882
00:43:41,300 --> 00:43:45,300
Well, you have to work hard in order to learn the truth.

883
00:43:45,300 --> 00:43:46,300
What are you, a fortune cookie?

884
00:43:46,300 --> 00:43:47,300
All right, come on.

885
00:43:47,300 --> 00:43:54,300
I've done the work, and it turns out the aqueduct is an important clue to learning why this grotto is so important.

886
00:43:54,300 --> 00:43:56,300
Wow.

887
00:43:58,300 --> 00:44:03,300
I mean, you really don't feel the enormity of this grotto until you're inside of it.

888
00:44:03,300 --> 00:44:07,300
And to think the 2,000 years ago, all of this would have been underwater.

889
00:44:07,300 --> 00:44:08,300
Well, not all of it.

890
00:44:08,300 --> 00:44:12,300
The top of this rock was exposed.

891
00:44:12,300 --> 00:44:15,300
And what would have been on top of this rock during Roman times?

892
00:44:15,300 --> 00:44:22,300
We believe there could have been a statue, maybe a pan statue, standing here on top of the rock.

893
00:44:22,300 --> 00:44:24,300
Like a little island in this lake?

894
00:44:24,300 --> 00:44:25,300
Like a little island here.

895
00:44:25,300 --> 00:44:26,300
Right.

896
00:44:26,300 --> 00:44:27,300
Okay.

897
00:44:27,300 --> 00:44:32,300
Josh, I want you to think about that aqueduct that you just crawled through for a reason.

898
00:44:32,300 --> 00:44:35,300
Oh, so it's like maintaining the water level in here.

899
00:44:35,300 --> 00:44:42,300
It's maintaining the water level in order to keep this giant rock exposed.

900
00:44:42,300 --> 00:44:44,300
So this is like a design feature.

901
00:44:44,300 --> 00:44:48,300
Now think about the verse from Matthew that you just read.

902
00:44:48,300 --> 00:44:54,300
And on this rock, I will build my church.

903
00:44:54,300 --> 00:45:00,300
And the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

904
00:45:00,300 --> 00:45:01,300
Correct.

905
00:45:01,300 --> 00:45:04,300
The entrance to the underworld itself, the gates of Hades,

906
00:45:04,300 --> 00:45:06,300
is exactly what this place looks like.

907
00:45:06,300 --> 00:45:07,300
Exactly.

908
00:45:07,300 --> 00:45:15,300
And so this moment, this moment where Jesus effectively founds the church,

909
00:45:15,300 --> 00:45:20,300
the birth of Christianity, may have happened on this rock?

910
00:45:20,300 --> 00:45:26,300
On this rock, or at least assumed as happening here by the believers during the fifth century,

911
00:45:26,300 --> 00:45:28,300
those people who built this church.

912
00:45:28,300 --> 00:45:31,300
They may have seen this as the place where that happened.

913
00:45:31,300 --> 00:45:32,300
Yeah.

914
00:45:32,300 --> 00:45:37,300
And to make this rock one of the holiest sites in Christendom.

915
00:45:37,300 --> 00:45:39,300
I agree.

916
00:45:39,300 --> 00:45:41,300
It's not just unbelievable.

917
00:45:41,300 --> 00:45:46,300
It's, this is, you know...

918
00:45:46,300 --> 00:45:47,300
Touching?

919
00:45:47,300 --> 00:45:48,300
Yeah.

920
00:45:48,300 --> 00:45:51,300
This is...

921
00:45:51,300 --> 00:45:53,300
It's overwhelming to think about.

922
00:45:53,300 --> 00:45:54,300
Yeah.

923
00:45:54,300 --> 00:45:59,300
It would make it stand alongside the Church of the Nativity,

924
00:45:59,300 --> 00:46:01,300
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

925
00:46:01,300 --> 00:46:05,300
It would make this place what it was, a pilgrimage site.

926
00:46:05,300 --> 00:46:08,300
You might have a whole lot more visitors here soon.

927
00:46:08,300 --> 00:46:09,300
Thank you for coming.

928
00:46:09,300 --> 00:46:12,300
Thank you for sharing it.

929
00:46:12,300 --> 00:46:16,300
I walk away from the grotto in a state of elated shock.

930
00:46:16,300 --> 00:46:21,300
In the Holy Land, I may have just seen the most sacred place of all.

931
00:46:22,300 --> 00:46:26,300
The 19th century scholar, Ernest Rennan,

932
00:46:26,300 --> 00:46:32,300
wrote that the Holy Land should actually be considered the fifth gospel of Jesus Christ,

933
00:46:32,300 --> 00:46:37,300
describing this place as torn but still legible.

934
00:46:37,300 --> 00:46:41,300
It has been inspiring to work alongside the men and women

935
00:46:41,300 --> 00:46:47,300
committed to deciphering the history written here into the very earth itself.

936
00:46:48,300 --> 00:46:53,300
We can't yet say with certainty which of our two candidates is the authentic Bethsaida,

937
00:46:53,300 --> 00:46:59,300
though I think there's a terrific case to be made for Elerage and its newly unveiled mosaic.

938
00:47:03,300 --> 00:47:06,300
But I also leave with another discovery.

939
00:47:06,300 --> 00:47:11,300
I realize, for the first time, what it means to walk amongst pilgrims.

940
00:47:11,300 --> 00:47:15,300
I have been able to touch the tangible fragmented earth,

941
00:47:15,300 --> 00:47:19,300
the people to touch the tangible fragments of their faith

942
00:47:19,300 --> 00:47:24,300
in venerated churches both past and still vitally present.

943
00:47:24,300 --> 00:47:28,300
The pilgrim symbols are etched on the walls of the Holy Sepulchre

944
00:47:28,300 --> 00:47:31,300
and in a remote grotto,

945
00:47:31,300 --> 00:47:36,300
and even on the very skin of those who make the journey to Jerusalem.

946
00:47:36,300 --> 00:47:39,300
Belief is a powerful companion,

947
00:47:39,300 --> 00:47:43,300
and these ruins vibrate with the possibility that here,

948
00:47:43,300 --> 00:47:47,300
beneath our feet, is the same ground where Jesus and his apostles

949
00:47:47,300 --> 00:47:52,300
created the faith that still animates the spirits of billions today.

950
00:47:52,300 --> 00:47:58,300
Whether you're a true believer or not, it is a history worth discovering.