During a drought in 1985, the water level at the Sea of Galilee was much lower than normal. Two brothers walking along the shoreline discovered the remains of an ancient boat.
Archaeologists carefully extracted the remains and preserved them in a museum at Nof Ginosar near Tiberias. The boat has been dated to the 1st century A.D. based on pottery and nails found in association with the boat, radio-carbon dating, and hull construction techniques. It has since been called The Jesus Boat.
Evidence of repeated repairs indicates the boat was used for several decades, perhaps nearly a century. When it was considered beyond repair, all useful wooden parts were removed and the remaining hull sunk to the bottom of the lake.
The Jesus boat is apparently the type of boat that was used on the Sea of Galilee for both fishing and transportation across the lake. It is likely that Jesus and his disciples, many of whom were fishermen, used this sort of boat. Boats played a large role in Jesus life and ministry—they are mentioned about fifty times in the Gospels.
A life size reproduction of the boat is on display at the Kibbutz Ginosar, and shows what the 'Jesus boat' would have looked like when in use. There is no evidence connecting the boat to Jesus or his disciples, but it is certainly tantalizing to think that Jesus may have seen the boat sail by or even used it Himself. But regardless of its history, the Jesus boat is a fascinating artifact that brings to life many of the Gospel accounts.
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