Tiberias & the Sea of Galilee

The “Church of the Beatitudes”

Subject to the Roman Catholic clerky is the “Church of the Beatitudes” located on the top of Mount carrying the same name, a short trip from Tabgha of the Sea of Galilee overlooking it and the remains of Jesu’s town of Capernaum. The Church was built between 1936 and 1938, and most Christian traditions reflect this place as the place where he gave his procession of “Sermon on the Mount”, emphasizing his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew.
The “Beatitudes” are eight blessings recounted by Jesus begin with the Latin word “beati”, which translates to “happy” or “blessed”. Each Beatitude consists of two parts: the condition and the result. Most of the phrases are familiar from the (Jewish) bible context, but the “Sermon on the Mount” elevates them to a higher level of understanding and compassion. The Beatitudes present the next spiritual level focusing on love and humility NOT power and control.

Matthew 5:3–12 reads as followed:

“(3)Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
(4)Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
(5)Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the Earth.
(6)Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
(7)Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
(8)Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
(9)Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
(10)Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
(11)Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
(12)Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The entire site is like a beautiful Suriel view overlooking the Sea of Galilee from all four corners. It is undoubtedly the best panoramic view from any place in the regent. The gardens surrounding the “Church of the Beatitudes” are tidy exceptionally well kept. The Church itself is modern and reserve in its character.

“Hammat Tiberias” National Park

A good start is NOT to confuse with “Hamey Tiberias” also known as “Tiberias Hot Springs” which is located just in front of “Hammat Tiberias” National park. This park is an ancient archaeological site along the west shores of the Sea of Galilee (in Hebrew “Kineret”) in Tiberias.

Hamat Tiberias has 17 natural water springs that are known even before the establishment of the city of Tiberias by Herods Antipas, the son of Herods the Great and the governor of the north part of Judea, naming the city after the Roman Emporer Tiberias. By tradition, its antiquity for the spring curative properties goes back to the days of King Solomon that send some hell devils to heat the water underneath the ground and made them deaf so they did NOT hear of Solomon passing away and since this, the devils still operate nowadays. Following the Jerusalem Talmud, a village named “Hamat”, which means several springs, once existed distinct from Tiberias. from the time of the Romans in the 1st century AD a bath and a sauna are still found, and after 30 years of dry out because of the low water level of the sea of Galilee has now returned flowing again, even if its 60 Celcius degrees does NOT allow it for use.

There are also 3 more open-air natural water springs pools that have the temperature of 4035 and 30 degrees that are wonderfully used to soak and bath, especially in the winter cold air. The facility is after a serious reconstruction by private funding sponsorship in 2013. Entry fees are 14 shekels for an adult and the showers are well kept.
Another amazing feature of Hamat Tiberias is the founding of remains ancient synagogues from the times of 3rd century AD when the city of Tiberias was the seat of the Sanhedrin, the location of signing the “Jerusalem Talmud” and the center of Jewish spiritual center after the destruction of Jerusalem. Actually, these synagogues were destroyed and rebuilt 4 times, at the same spot, a consequence of Turks Automan’s destruction and earth quicks.

The mosaic floor in the synagogue is made up of three panels featuring: inscriptions and dedications:
the 12 symbols of the zodiac panel, including Helios the sun God in its center, an outcome of Roman influence, and 4 women symbolizing the 4 year seasons; The names of the Zodiac symbols are written in Hebrew but it seems to be the artist making the mosaic was NOT a Hebrew since the sign of Aquarius (“Dli” in Hebrew) was written mirrored up-side-down. in the south panel depicts of the house of Temple in Jerusalem with Jewish signs such as the menorah, shofar horn, arbaa-minim plants. It is also commonly named the “Severus synagogue” because of the Greek text inscribe inside the north part of the mosiac:

“Severus the pupil of the most illustrious patriarchs”.

It is worth mentioning that a 1-minute walk above & outside the facility lies the Rabi Meir the miracle maker tomb, which in this time of Corona was closed.

Last but NOT least, a short word on the hotel we stayed at: “Villa Europe 1917”. A little piece of heaven. A reconstructed boutique hotel from the beginning of the 20th century, with fabulous rooms, great food, and a historical atmosphere.

Sea of Galilee beaches

We saved the best to the last; The number 1 attraction at the Sea of Galilee (Kineret) is its beautiful beaches that cool you off on a hot summer day. After all, this area is one of the warmest places in the country, and degrees can reach 45 delicious in the shade. Therefore, we would recommend a swim in the chilly water, enjoying sunbathing outside while putting your BBQ on fire.

On the west side of the Sea of Galilee lies the “Capernaum” beach in a natural wild state. On the contrary, the east side shores are more modernize. one of the many beaches can be the “Gofra”. This equipped beach includes the entire facilities such as lifeguard, minimarket, public showers & toilets, an accessible path for the handicap, and locations ready for BBQ and camping.

If camping is NOT your cup of tea, we suggest Tiberias no.1 overnight stay, which is the remarkable “Scots Hotel” (Tiberias) with its well-known luxuries “Saint Urban Wine Cellar & Bar”. The Scots also has a Spa & Lakeview Wellness, an Upper-class Torrance restaurant, a swimming pool, and a beach garden with 1st front view of the Sea.