My first visit to Gamla – 2010

 

By Joe Bartling

I first visited Gamla in April of 2010 during a trip to Israel for the feast of Pesach.

Gamla is difficult to get to, and is rarely on the tourist maps, partly because it is so remote, but mostly because this amazing place in Israel has been hidden from the public.

Gamla, which is the Hebrew word for “camel”, is an  incredibly steep hill (which actually looks like a camel’s hump) that erupts out of the steep valley walls just a few miles northeast of the shores of the Kinneret, the poorly named “Sea of Galilee”.

On my first visit, I learned several facts about Gamla that piqued my interest as a a professional forensic investigator, amateur historian and novice archaeologist.

I am now convinced that this place, Gamla, based on the evidence uncovered there and in other sources is the MOST SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL DISCOVERY in Israel.  The ramifications of this discovery will shake up what we know and have come to accept about the Northern Galilee, the first century followers of Jesus, and the “Galileans” among whom he taught.  It will also shed light on the cultural, social, and religious aspects of Second Temple period Israel and its connection with the early followers of Jesus, and the Jews of the period.

More to come in upcoming posts!  Stay tuned!

Leave a comment