The Biblical Mysteries Of The Holy Land | Expedition Unknown S8 E4 | Discovery Channel India

This is the place where tradition holds that Jesus was crucified and tombed and then rose from the dead. For the past 1,700 years, Christians have made pilgrimage here to get as close to him as possible. But I'm here to search for Christianity's humble beginnings and the place of miracles that started it all. To do that, we have to go back in time, like here on the lowest level of the Holy Sepulchre. This is one of the oldest parts of the church, and this is essentially antique graffiti. Thousands of crosses carved into the walls by devoted pilgrims who traveled here from faraway lands. Chiseling your mark into holy architecture is now a no-no, but people are still continuing the tradition, just using another medium. This is Razuk Tattoo, and it's not just any tattoo parlor. It's been around since the Crusades were a going concern. The oldest stamp in the store is this, a partially broken Jerusalem cross. This wood block is 500 years old, and it would look really good on me. Waseem Razuk is the current caretaker. For 27 generations, his family has been inking pilgrims in the Holy Land. And they still come in droves. Hello, hello. How's everyone doing? Good. Okay, so we've got a sword happening here. You're getting what? Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene. And you've got, oh, you've got all sorts of stuff going on. We've got a few things. I've been here eight times. Wow. If he gets ten, he gets a free one, right? Wow, this is extraordinary. Soon, Waseem's chair is free, and I'm in it. Okay, time for me to dig deep and bear the pain. Okay, what do you think? Well, I'm not going to lie, it hurt a lot, but I toughed it out. What are you talking about? We didn't even start. I didn't tattoo you yet. This was just a stamp. What? That was just a stamp? Yeah. Oh, no, I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for this. I've got to hit the road. No, I've got to hit the road. Okay, where are you going? We're filming up north. Oh, you want to ride with us? Us? Us. Not only is Waseem a tattoo artist, he's also a member of the Holy Land Bikers, a motorcycle club which patrols the most sacred streets on earth. These guys are all about honor, loyalty, and brotherhood, and it is a privilege to ride alongside them. All I had to do was kick in for gas, grass, and promise to go to mass. It's there. Waseem, I like your style. Thank you, man. Hey, I'm in a gang. It's a miracle. Waseem, this is my exit. Thank you so much. I'll be sure to bring the bike back, okay? God bless. Eventually, I break off from the gang and point my chopper north. To find the lost city of miracles, I'm headed to a city that isn't lost, an ancient village mentioned in all four gospels, known as Capernaum. After a drive of about 100 miles, I arrive at the archaeological site of Capernaum, on the western edge of the famous Sea of Galilee. Don't let the view confuse you. The Sea of Galilee is actually a lake, the lowest freshwater lake in the world, 700 feet below sea level. And on its shore are the ruins of Capernaum, a simple fishing village from the first century. It's here that I'm meeting biblical scholar Yiska Harani. Yiska. Hello, Josh. Beautiful morning. Absolutely. So, based on the thousands of people I see walking around here, I take it we are standing in a very important place. Yes, Capernaum is really the heart of the Galilee. It's Jerusalem of the Galilee from the perspective of Jesus. Right, because in the Bible, to put it quite simply, Jesus was here, right? He lived here. Jesus was here according to the four gospels. Right. All gospels place Jesus' ministry here. The four gospels, the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, don't always agree. But in some things, like the mention of this fishing village, they're unanimous. As important a place as this is, it did become lost for a while, right? Yes. In the 9th century, or 10th at the latest, it is abandoned. And that's really the thing that's brought me here, is that as important as this is, there are other places, like Capernaum, that are today still lost. That is true. And one of the most important sites is Bethsaida. Bethsaida. So this is a place that is also mentioned in all four of the gospels. Bethsaida is the place where three apostles grew up. Right. Peter and his brother Andrew. Uh-huh. And then a third one called Philip. I have to think back to Sunday school now. I need an apostle refresher course. The apostles were Jesus' crew, his literal ride or dies, who were the first to spread the gospel of his divine nature. There were an even dozen of them. Peter, Peter's brother Andrew. Simon, a.k.a. Simon the Zealot. John, John's brother James. Another James, which must have been kind of confusing. Matthew. Bartholomew. Thomas. Jude. Philip. And last, and definitely least, Judas Iscariot. Together, they are responsible not just for throwing the most memorable dinner party in history, but for the founding of Christianity itself. And the fact that Peter is from Bethsaida is also really significant. He's the one who's going to be given the keys to leadership. Yeah, home to some very important characters in this story. Bethsaida is also a place of miracles, and all these miracles are very significant. The gospel of Mark tells us of a blind man who was brought to Jesus begging to be healed. Jesus laid his hands on the man's eyes, and the blind could see. Mark also tells us that it is from the shores of the lost town that Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee. And finally, there's one of Jesus' most memorable feats, feeding 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. According to Luke, all 5,000 ate and were filled. And all of this happened in Bethsaida. So if we're digging around in the dirt and we find a site, what do we need for a place to be Bethsaida? What's on the checklist? In order to be Bethsaida, first of all, we have to find a Jewish fishing village from the first century. Right, much like this. Yes. We need, because these apostles were fishermen, we need a fishing village. Right, okay. But then the second level must be a Roman polis. Polis. Polis means a city recognized by the imperial rulers. Right, okay. So we need Jewish level and we need the Roman level. Got it. Under the Roman Empire, towns that were in favor with local administrators could be given the status of a polis. Roman polises were granted limited autonomy to self-govern. And right around the time of Jesus' crucifixion, Bethsaida became one such place. It was even given a Roman name, Julius, in honor of the emperor Caesar Augustus' wife, Julia. So simple question, where's Bethsaida? There are two candidates for Bethsaida. There are? The one called Attel is a place that was discovered in 1989. All right. And it's still being excavated and it seemed to be a good candidate. Okay. But then we had a surprise. Another location was identified to be a potential candidate. The place is called El Arash. Okay. And it is being now, as we're speaking, it is being excavated. So which one is Bethsaida? Well, only archaeology can be the real witness to what has happened 2,000 years ago. Because if we don't see the Bethsaida coming alive from the ground, it will remain a text. Right. Or it will remain lost.