Discovering Bethsaida

Featuring R. Steven Notley & Achia Kohn-Tavor

On this special video edition of The Humble Skeptic, Shane explores the archaeological dig site at El-Araj on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee and talks with some of the archaeologists working there. Could this be the true location of biblical Bethsaida, where Jesus performed many “mighty works?” What kinds of artifacts have been discovered at this site, and how can Bethsaida’s unique history help us to better appreciate the accuracy, reliability, and early Jewish character of the New Testament Gospels? Watch this video to find out! This video is currently streaming on Rumble and will be available via YouTube this coming Monday.

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RELATED RESOURCES

Articles
Et-Tell is Not Bethsaida, R. Steven Notley
The El-Eraj Excavation Project, project blog and website
Is El-Araj Bethsaida? Biblical Archaeology Report
Archaeologists Find Entreaty to St. Peter by the Sea of Galilee, Haaretz
Ruins revealed by wildfire boost Galilean site’s claim as Bethsaida, Times of Israel
New Inscription Confirms Bethsaida at El-Araj, Danny the Digger
An Interview with Dr. Steven Notley, Museum of the Bible
A Pre-70 Date for the Gospels & Acts, Shane Rosenthal
The Implications of 70 AD on the Date of the Gospels & Acts, Shane Rosenthal
The Date of John’s Gospel, Revisited, Shane Rosenthal
New Evidence for a Historical Moses, Shane Rosenthal
A Cuneiform Cylinder of Nebuchadnezzar II, Shane Rosenthal
Simon of Cyrene: An Archaeological Discovery, Shane Rosenthal
Water Into Wine: An Archaeological Assessment, Shane Rosenthal

Videos
Josh Gates Discovers Bethsaida, with R. Steven Notley
Buried Ruins in Bethsaida, Eric Metaxas & R. Steven Notley
The True Location of Bethsaida, Sergio & Rhoda in Israel
The Church of the Apostles in Galilee, Sergio & Rhoda in Israel
1,500-Year-Old Mosaic Discovered by the Sea of Galilee, Sergio & Rhoda in Israel
Archaeologist Achia Kohn-Tavor in Action, Sergio & Rhoda in Israel
The David Rohl Lectures, Patterns in Evidence
Rethinking Luke’s Prologue, Shane Rosenthal

Podcasts
Is El-Araj Ancient Bethsaida, R. Steven Notley & Motti Aviam
Stories of Jesus: Can They Be Trusted? #61 with Peter J. Williams
Are the Gospels History or Fiction? #52 with John Dickson
The Gospels As Eyewitness Testimony, #48 with Richard Bauckham
The Sinai Inscriptions, Michael S. Bar-Ron
Did The Exodus Ever Happen? #69 with David Rohl
Questioning Conventional Wisdom, #13 with David Rohl
The Jesus of History, Humble Skeptic #12

Books
The Sage from Galilee, David Flusser & R. Stephen Notley
Excavating the Evidence for Jesus, Titus Kennedy
A Christian’s Guide to Evidence, J. Daniel Hays
Is Jesus History? John Dickson
Jesus & The Eyewitnesses, Richard Bauckham
Exodus: Myth or History? David Rohl
Living Footnotes in the Gospel of Luke, Luuk van de Weghe
Luke’s Key Witness, Shane Rosenthal

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Would You Like to Join Shane on a Trip to Israel?

Right now, we’re gauging interest for a listener tour of Israel sometime in 2026 or 2027. If you’re interested in receiving more information about this trip when it becomes available, send an email to INFO at HUMBLESKEPTIC dot COM.

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TOP 25 Episodes of The Humble Skeptic podcast

01 Is Faith Irrational?
02 The Pilot Episode (A Story About My Dad & Billy Joel)
03 Is Faith A Feeling?
04 Is Faith Blind?
05 How Did Jesus View the Old Testament?
06 Did the Exodus Ever Happen?
07 Did Josephus Ever Mention Jesus?
08 Christian Narcissism
09 Faith Founded on Facts
10 Locating Golgotha
11 What Did the Earliest Christians Believe?
12 In The Beginning Was the Word
13 Who is Theophilus?
14 The Angel of Yahweh
15 The Intersection of Church & State
16 Dealing with Doubt
17 Reconciling the Resurrection Accounts
18 Faith & Experience
19 Signs of the Messiah
20 Decoding the Prophecies of Daniel
21 The Sinai Inscriptions
22 Which John Wrote John?
23 Death, Ghosts & Views of the Afterlife
24 Greg Koukl on Blind Faith
25 The Galatian Controversy