Capernaum

כְּפַר נַחוּם (Kĕpar Naḥûm)

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🗺 Presentation

On the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the fishing village of Capernaum is the town that Matthew does not hesitate to call "his own town" to designate Jesus' principal residence during his public ministry (Mt 9:1). It was there that he called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to the shore (Mk 1:16-20); there that he taught every Sabbath in the synagogue with an authority that astonished the crowds; there that he healed Peter's mother-in-law, the centurion's servant, and the paralytic who was lowered through the roof by the faith of his friends (Mk 2:1-12). Franciscan excavations have unearthed the presumed house of Peter, surmounted by a Byzantine church and a modern church in the shape of a ship. Yet, Capernaum was reproached for its unbelief (Mt 11:23), a sign that the proximity of Jesus is never an automatic guarantee of faith.

He entered the synagogue and began to teach; the people were amazed at his teaching.

Mark 1:21

Hebrew

כְּפַר נַחוּם (Kĕpar Naḥûm)

Greek LXX

Καφαρναούμ

Latin

Capernaum

Modern

Tell Hum (Israel)

English

Capernaum

German

Kafarnaum

Spanish

Cafarnaum

Italian

Cafarnao

Polski

Kafarnaum

Portuguese

Cafarnaum

📜 Major Biblical Events

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Gospels

Jesus settled in Capernaum, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah.

📖 Mt 4:13-16

Jesus

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Gospels

Jesus teaches in the synagogue and casts out an unclean spirit.

📖 Mark 1:21-28

Jesus

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Gospels

Healing of the paralytic who was lowered through the roof by his four friends.

📖 Mark 2:1-12

Jesus

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Gospels

Levi's (Matthew's) calling at the tax office in Capernaum.

📖 Mark 2:13-14

Jesus Levi

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Gospels

Discourse on the Bread of Life delivered in the synagogue of Capernaum.

📖 John 6:35-59

Jesus

✝️ Biblical Theology

Old Testament

Absent from the Old Testament.

New Testament

Capernaum, located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, became the "city of Jesus" after his departure from Nazareth (Mt 4:13). There, he taught with authority in the synagogue, cast out a demon, and healed many sick people, including Peter's mother-in-law (Mk 1:21-34). The paralytic lowered through the roof received forgiveness and healing there (Mk 2:1-12). Yet, Jesus also delivered a severe rebuke there for his lack of repentance (Mt 11:23).

Saint John Chrysostom

— Homilies on Matthew

He describes Capernaum as the privileged stage for the teaching and healing power of Christ, but also as a place made more guilty by the abundance of graces received. He emphasizes the contrast between the manifest miracles and the persistent hardness of some hearts.

✦ Meditation — Lectio Divina

The wind from the lake still carried the scent of fish and wet wood when Jesus entered the synagogue. Capernaum: an ordinary town, a crossroads of dusty roads, low houses under the Galilean sky. And yet, it was there that he chose to settle, among the fishermen and tax collectors, among those whom no one notices. His presence didn't wait for the grand temples or sacred places. It settled in the simple everyday, in your own home, in the very fabric of your days. Receive this closeness: Christ dwells where you live.

Catechetical angle

Capernaum, 'the village of Nahum', is the base of Jesus' activity in Galilee: healings, calling disciples, teaching in the synagogue. It shows that God becomes incarnate in a specific, ordinary place, to transform the everyday into revelation.

Capernaum

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew (Mt 26:14 – 27:66)

✝️ Cross-references