Archaeologist Yardena Alexander found pieces of large stone jars she believes are the same kind of vessels the Bible says Jesus used when he turned water into wine
In a startling revelation, archaeologists think they’ve unearthed fragments of large stone jars similar to those mentioned in the Gospel, where Jesus miraculously turned water into wine at a Jewish wedding in the Galilee village of Cana.
The 2004 discovery by Israeli archaeologist Yardena Alexander offers fresh insights into the remarkable moment when Jesus performed his first miracle.
Yardena suggests the stone jars she discovered could be the same type of vessels the Bible mentions Jesus used. She also believes that the site where these artifacts were found might very well be the biblical location of Cana.
However, Bible scholars have debated it would be incredibly challenging to secure definitive proof, particularly as experts themselves can’t agree on the precise location of Cana.
The miracle of turning water into wine at Cana holds immense significance, especially among Christian theologians. Not only was this act deemed to be Jesus’ inaugural miracle, but it also occurred at a pivotal time during the early stages of his public ministry, reports the Express.
During this period, Jesus’ sacred reputation was rapidly spreading, he had just chosen his disciples, and he was under enormous pressure to prove his divinity to the public.
Fragments of the stone vessels in question were discovered during a rescue excavation in present-day Cana, situated right between Capernaum and Nazareth. Yardena believes the Arab town was constructed close to the ancient settlement.
The pieces of the historically significant jars themselves are from the Roman era, when Jesus is thought to have journeyed through the Galilee.
NBC News quoted Yardena as saying: “All indications from the archaeological excavations suggest that the site of the wedding was (modern-day) Cana, the site that we have been investigating.”
At that time, Yardena wasn’t the only researcher attempting to locate the site of the sacred miracle. American archaeologists were digging at a competing location several miles to the north and claimed to have also discovered fragments of Jesus’ stone vessels in question.
These archaeologists, too, were convinced they had uncovered biblical Cana.
Additional excavations were required, according to archaeologist Shimon Gibson, who questioned the discovery at modern Cana. “Just the existence of stone vessels is not enough to prove that this is a biblical site,” he said.
The containers are apparently not uncommon according to the specialist, and he thought it would be impossible to connect one specific set of containers to Jesus’ miracle. Based on the fragments she unearthed, Yardena estimated the vessels at the site to be 12 to 16 inches in diameter – sizes that align with the jars mentioned in the Gospel of John.
The discovery of a Jewish ritual bath within the house also bolstered the theory that it was home to a Jewish community.
Moreover, the locally made pottery found at the site suggested a modest dwelling – potentially mirroring the impoverished village depicted in the Scriptures.
At the time, Stephen Pfann, a renowned Bible scholar based in Jerusalem, believed the shards discovered in present-day Cana posed fresh questions, even though the American discovery was widely accepted by scholars as the authentic site of Cana and the miracle.
He said: “I think there is ample evidence that both sites are from the first century, and we need more information to correctly identify either site.”
Yardena had been conducting excavations in modern-day Cana since 1999, before the discovery of the shards finally emerged during a last-minute ‘salvage dig’ in 2004, just prior to a house being built on the site. A Christian Arab family had funded part of Yardena’s excavation, in line with Israeli laws, before construction commenced.
Yardena explained: “We’re really working very hard to save some of this site because what we do have here is a village of Jesus. And it was here that he carried out the first miracle.”
She also believed that with extra major funding, today’s Cana location could transform into a significant pilgrimage spot and thriving tourist hotspot.
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