Crystal waters lap against weathered stones beneath the Sea of Galilee. Few people know what lies hidden below the surface. For decades, rumors circulated among local fishermen about strange formations lurking in the depths near a small Israeli town called Kursi. What archaeologists recently discovered there could reshape our understanding of one of Christianity’s most dramatic miracle accounts.
Dr. Scott Stripling donned scuba gear in 2023 and descended into those same waters. His team came equipped with GPS coordinates, excavation reports from 1985, and a collection of geographical clues pulled from three ancient texts. What they found waiting on the lake floor had remained untouched for roughly 2,000 years.
Stripling directs excavations for the Associates for Biblical Research. He spent years piecing together fragments of evidence that pointed toward one location. Ancient manuscripts described a harbor. Roman construction techniques left their signature marks. Byzantine pilgrims built chapels to commemorate events they believed happened in that exact spot. Every piece of the puzzle drew Stripling closer to Kursi.
Gospel Accounts Point to Specific Location
Matthew, Mark, and Luke each recorded the same event in their gospels. Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee from west to east by boat. Upon landing, he encountered a man tormented by what the texts call a legion of demons. Spirits possessed this individual so completely that he lived among tombs and could not be restrained.
Jesus performed an exorcism. Demons begged to be sent into a nearby herd of pigs rather than be destroyed. Permission granted, the spirits entered roughly 2,000 swine. Animals charged down a steep slope and drowned themselves in the sea. Witnesses fled to tell others what they had seen.
Stripling examined these accounts for specific details that could identify a real location. He needed more than vague descriptions. Geography had to match. Physical features had to align. Archaeological evidence had to exist.
“All three gospels say there was a cliff nearby. All three say there were tombs nearby. And they tell us that Jesus was coming in on a boat from the west side to the east side,” Stripling explained.
Each gospel writer mentioned the same elements. A boat landing suggested a harbor. A steep slope near water indicated specific topography. Tombs meant human settlement. Pigs implied a Gentile area rather than Jewish territory. Jesus traveled from Capernaum on the western shore to somewhere on the eastern bank.
Stripling calculated distances. He studied ancient maps. He reviewed previous excavations. Evidence began to converge on Kursi, a site in the Golan Heights along the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Underwater Search Reveals Roman Infrastructure
Other archaeologists had explored Kursi before. A 1985 excavation documented dozens of ancient harbors along the Sea of Galilee. Teams recorded stone jetties, fish tanks, and harbor installations at various sites. Water levels rose after that excavation. Many discoveries disappeared back beneath the surface.
Stripling obtained the old reports and photographs. He studied construction techniques. Romans built harbors in distinctive ways. Twin stone piers often extended into the water to create protected areas for boats. Large dressed blocks formed foundations. Fish tanks near shore kept catches alive until they could be transported to market.
Kursi showed all these features in the 1985 documentation. A massive ancient fish tank sat near the presumed harbor location. Photographs captured stone jetties before rising water concealed them again.
Stripling returned to Kursi in 2023 with a film crew and diving equipment. GPS technology helped him navigate to the recorded coordinates. He looked for the fish tank from shore. Once located, divers entered the water and swam toward where the 1985 reports indicated harbor structures should exist.
Water clarity varied depending on conditions. On that particular day, visibility proved excellent. Stripling and his team descended toward the lake floor. Hands reached out before eyes could focus.
“We felt the stones before we saw them. Massive, dressed blocks forming twin piers, classic harbor construction,” Stripling recalled.
Fingers traced the edges of carefully cut stones. Romans had shaped these blocks centuries ago. Workers placed them to create a functional harbor. Boats once tied up at these same piers. Fishermen unloaded catches into waiting tanks. Commerce flowed through this small port.
Confirming the harbor location gave Stripling a reference point. He could now measure distances to other features mentioned in the gospel accounts. Every element needed to exist within walking distance of where boats would have landed.
Geography Matches Biblical Description
Stripling climbed out of the water and surveyed the area. A cliff rose less than 164 feet from the shore. Pigs could have raced down that slope and plunged into the sea within seconds. Ancient tombs dotted the hillside above. People once buried their dead in those carved chambers.
Distance from harbor to cliff measured well within the range described by ancient texts. Tombs sat close enough that someone living among them could have rushed down to meet an arriving boat. Geography aligned with the narrative.
“From the harbor, every biblical detail aligns within a 656-foot radius,” Stripling noted.
No other site along the Sea of Galilee could make the same claim. Some locations had harbors but no nearby cliffs. Other spots featured tombs but lacked evidence of ancient ports. Several sites had one or two matching elements but failed the complete test.
Kursi passed every criterion. Harbor ruins existed underwater. A cliff stood nearby. Tombs marked the hillside. Distance from Capernaum matched the journey described in scripture. Even the cultural context fit.
Kursi sat within the Decapolis, a league of ten Greco-Roman cities. Jewish areas prohibited pig farming, but Gentile territories raised swine for Roman consumption. Military units stationed in the region needed meat. Contractors bred pigs to supply Roman troops.
Interestingly, the Roman 10th Legion used a boar as its emblem. When demons identified themselves as Legion in the gospel account, the term carried political and military weight beyond just meaning many. A Gentile man in Decapolis territory would have lived under Roman occupation. Military symbols surrounded him daily.
Byzantine Chapel Preserves Ancient Memory
Stripling climbed the hill above the harbor. A Byzantine chapel called the Chapel of the Miracle crowns that rise. Builders constructed this structure during the Byzantine period, roughly 1,500 years ago. A mosaic floor still decorates the interior. Some scholars interpret designs in that mosaic as depicting pigs.
Pilgrims have visited Kursi for over fifteen centuries. Early Christians built churches at sites they believed held special significance. They interviewed locals. They followed oral traditions. They consulted earlier scholars.
Origen, a Christian theologian who lived in the third century, researched gospel locations. He traveled through the region. He interviewed residents who preserved stories passed down through generations. Byzantines who came later relied on his findings.
Physical memory intersected with geographical reality at Kursi. Builders did not randomly select hilltop locations for churches. They placed structures where tradition and topography matched written accounts. Pilgrims sought authentic sites, not symbolic monuments.
Multiple layers of evidence pointed toward the same spot. Ancient texts described specific features. Roman infrastructure left physical traces. Byzantine Christians commemorated the location. Modern archaeology confirmed the alignments.
Roman Military Connection Adds Historical Layer
Stripling examined historical records about the Decapolis region. Romans maintained a strong presence in the area. Legions patrolled territories. Soldiers needed supplies. Local populations contracted to provide food, including pork.
Pig farming in that region served military purposes. Herds numbered in the thousands. Contractors managed animals until they reached market size. A herd of 2,000 pigs, as described in the gospel accounts, would have represented a substantial investment and a major supply contract.
Loss of such a herd would have created economic consequences. Contractors stood to lose significant income. Roman quartermasters would have needed to find replacement supplies. Local communities would have felt the impact.
Yet the gospel writers focused not on economic loss but on human restoration. After Jesus performed the exorcism, the formerly possessed man sat clothed and in his right mind. Witnesses who had known him in his tormented state saw the change. Some feared what they had witnessed and asked Jesus to leave. Others spread news throughout the region.
Jesus told the healed man to return home and tell people what had happened to him. One year later, when Jesus returned to the eastern shore, a multitude greeted him. Apparently, the man had followed instructions. His testimony sparked interest throughout the Decapolis cities.
Archaeological Evidence Creates “Criterial Screen”
Stripling coined a term for what he found at Kursi. He calls it a “criterial screen.” Every site mentioned in ancient texts must pass multiple tests. Geography must match. Archaeological remains must exist. Early commemorations must show continuity of memory.
Most proposed biblical sites fail one or more criteria. Some have geography but lack archaeological confirmation. Others have ruins, but they do not match textual descriptions. Few pass every test.
Kursi succeeds where other sites fail. Underwater harbor ruins prove Roman presence. Cliff and Tombs match the gospel details. The Byzantine chapel demonstrates early Christian commemoration. Distance and direction from Capernaum correspond to the described journey.
No inscription declares “Jesus was here.” Archaeological sites rarely provide such explicit confirmations. Instead, researchers assemble evidence from multiple sources. Physical remains combine with textual accounts and traditional memory to build a case.
Stripling argues that Kursi presents the strongest case for the location of the demon possession and pig-drowning miracle. Evidence converges in ways that seem beyond coincidence. Each new piece of information reinforced the identification rather than contradicting it.
Discovery Anchors Narrative to Physical Evidence
Water levels at the Sea of Galilee fluctuate based on rainfall and water management. During low periods, some harbor stones become visible from shore. During high water, everything disappears beneath the surface. Divers with permits can access the site during any season, but most visitors never see what lies below.
Stripling’s rediscovery brought attention back to Kursi. Documentary crews have filmed the underwater structures. Scholars have reviewed the evidence. Discussions continue about what the findings mean for biblical archaeology and historical research.
Some see the discovery as confirmation that gospel accounts describe real events at real locations. Others view it as interesting but inconclusive. Physical remains prove a harbor existed. Geography shows the area matches textual descriptions. Whether a specific miracle occurred there remains a matter of faith rather than archaeological proof.
What cannot be disputed is that someone built a substantial harbor at Kursi during Roman times. Someone was buried in nearby tombs. Someone constructed a church on the hillside to commemorate an event that believers held sacred. All these physical traces remain, connecting modern researchers to people who lived and died millennia ago.
Stripling returned from his dive with more than photographs and measurements. He brought back a renewed sense that ancient texts sometimes describe actual places. Geography mentioned in scripture can be plotted on maps. Events recorded by gospel writers occurred in identifiable locations.
Waters that once carried boats bearing Jesus and his disciples still lap against those Roman stones. Cliffs that witnessed a stampeding herd still rise above the shore. And somewhere in the hills around Kursi, perhaps in one of those ancient tombs, a man once lived who met someone who changed his life forever.
