Sunday, February 27, 2011

The "Jesus" Boat

Remember in Matthew 4:18-22 where Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee and he called to Peter and Andrew who were casting nets into the lake and said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men"? Well, in 1986 two fishermen brothers discovered this wooden boat buried in mud on the shores of the drought-depleted Sea of Galilee. This wooden boat is one of the few authentic things that can be conclusively dated to the first century (they used radiocarbon dating on the boat). Thanks to being sealed in mud, the wood could not "breathe" and thus decay.

The boat is about 24 feet long and 7 feet wide and about 4 feet deep. It is thought to be large enough to have carried 15 people. To get it out of the water they encased it in a foam to float it out and keep it from crumbling. Restorers used several techniques to preserve the
wood and be able to put it on display in the museum. Inside the boat they found a "flashlight and lunchbox." There was a small oil lamp that would have been used like a flashlight and a bowl where a meal would have been kept. They also recovered some nails. All of these items are also on display at the museum. This was a truly amazing find and brought the idea of a fishing boat from Jesus' time to life.

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