Tiberias

Tiberias, overlooking the western shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, would easily have been visible from Capernaum, the hometown of Jesus. It was the regional capital of Galilee, built by Herod Antipas, and was named after the Roman emperor Tiberias.

Jews shunned Tiberias and we have no record that Jesus ever visited the city. Most likely, it is because the city was built over a cemetery, making it ritually impure. It was a popular city for non-Jewish residence because there were mineral hot springs in the area.

Some believe that among the residence of Tiberias, were a group of people who opposed Jesus known as “the Herodians.” (Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 3:6; 12:13-17) They appear to be aristocrats that supported the Herod dynasty and the Romans who kept it in power. They were a group that plotted to execute Jesus.