As life regains some normalcy in many countries, archaeologists have returned to work on several archaeological sites around the world. In Israel, local archaeologists were stunned to discover that an important site was flooded and now lies under a lagoon. This location is a controversial one and many assert that it was Bethsaida, a birthplace of three of Jesus’ disciples .
The site at el-Araj, also known as Beit Habek, is located not far from the Sea of Galilee, which is often referenced in the New Testament. It is believed that this was a Jewish village called Bethsaida. In the First Temple era, it was known as Zer and it was a strategic city in the time of King David . It was originally a non-Hebrew city-state that later became part of Israel when it was renamed Bethsaida.
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