:focal(512x385:513x386)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/1d/e7/1de7409d-563b-48c9-b542-a678611d1b85/48092539-1024x768.jpeg "Did Archaeologists Find Saint Peter’s Birthplace? | Smart News")
Archaeologists pose near the inscription found on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee
Courtesy of the El Araj Excavation Project
Archaeologists and religious scholars have long searched for the birthplace of Saint Peter, one of Jesus Christ’s 12 apostles and the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
Now, archaeologists in Israel say they have uncovered a new artifact that proves the location of the ancient village of Bethsaida, where the important religious leader was born, along with his brother, Saint Andrew, and another apostle, Saint Philip.
While excavating what they believe to be the lost “Church of the Apostles” basilica at the El-Araj dig site on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, researchers discovered a large inscription, written in Greek, that references the “chief and commander of the heavenly…
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