CAPERNAUM (Karepvaaa), a city on the north-western side of the Lake of Gennesaret, and on the border of the tribes of Zebulun and Naph tali. The infidelity and impenitence of the inhabi tants of this place, after the evidence given to them by our Saviour himself of the truth of his mission, brought upon them this heavy denunciation And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell : for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day,' etc. (Matt. xi. 23). This seems to have been more than any other place the residence of Christ after he commenced his great mission ; and hence the force of the denunciation, which has been so com pletely accomplished that even the site of Caper naum is quite uncertain. Dr. Robinson (Bibl. Researches, iii. 288-294) exposes the errors of all previous travellers in their various attempts to iden tify the site of Capernaum ; and, from a hint in Quaresmius, he is rather inclined to look for it in a place marked only by a mound of ruins, called by the Arabs, Khan Minyeh. This is situated in the fertile plain on the western border of the Lake of Gennesaret, to which the name of `the land of Gennesaret' is given by Josephus (De Bell.
to. 8). This plain is a sort of triangular hol low, formed by the retreat of the mountains about the middle of the western shore. The base of this angle is along the shore, and is about one hour's journey in length, whereas it takes an hour and a half to trace the inner sides of the plain. In this plain Josephus places a fountain called Caphar naum : he says nothing of the town ; but, as it can be collected from the Scriptural intimations that the town of Capernaum was in this same plain, it may be safely concluded that the fountain was not far from the town, and took its name therefrom. In this plain there are now two fountains, one called 'Ain el Madauwarah, the Round Fountain '—a large and beautiful fountain, rising immediately at the foot of the western line of hills. This Pococke took to be the Fountain of Capernaum, and Dr. Robinson was at the time disposed to adopt this conclusion.
Addendum. At the hill which bounds the plain of Gennesaret on the north is the fountain of Ain et-Tin, so called from a fig-tree which spreads its branches over it. Beside the fountain are founda tions of old buildings, now almost obliterated. A few hundred yards west of it are the extensive ruins of Khan Minyeh ; and a short distance south ward are mounds of stones and rubbish, now nearly covered with thorns and thistles. The writer was enabled to make out traces of ruins ex tending over a space of several acres. This appears
to be the true site of Capernaum ; but as this view has been opposed by Wilson, Ritter, Thomson, and other recent authors, it may be well to sum up in a few words the leading arguments in its favour. Robinson gives them in full (Bib. Res. iii. 348, sq.) t. Capernaum was situated on the shore of the lake, in the plain of Gennesaret (John vi. 17, 21, 24, 25, with Mark vi. 53). This plain is easily identified ; • it extended from Mejdel to Ain et-Tin.
2. In Gennesaret was a fountain called Caper naum, and therefore in all probability beside the town. Ain et-Tin is the only fountain near the shore.
3. The notices of some of the medixval pil grims, though not very clear, seem to point to Ain et-Tin as the site of Capernaum. That of St. Willibald certainly does so (Early Travels in Pal., p. 16). Quaresmius identifies Khan Minya and Capernaum (Robinson, B. B., iii. 357).
4. It is only since the seventeenth century that an attempt has been made to locate Capernaum at Tell Hum. The arguments in its favour may be seen at in Wilson, Lands of the Bible; Ritter, Pal. and Syr-., ii. 340 ff.; Thomson, Land and Book, 352, sq.
Capernaum is now utterly desolate ; its very name is unknown to tradition, and its site is dis puted. What a comment on our Lord's predic tion, 'Thou shalt be brought down to hell !, Ca pernaum was perhaps more closely connected with Christ's public ministry than any other town in Palestine. After he was rejected by the Nazarenes he came and dwelt in Capernaum,' which was hence called `his own city' (Matt. iv. 13; ix. 1). Here he healed the demoniac (Mark 1. 21-2S), cured ' Peter's wife's mother' (Luke iv. 38), re stored the paralytic, and called Matthew (Matt. ix. 2-9), cured the centurion's servant (Luke vii. 1 so), raised Jairus' daughter (Mark v. 22-43)2 and miraculously obtained the 'tribute-money ' (Matt. xvii. 24-47). Near Capernaum he chose his apostles (Mark iii. 13-19), preached the ' Sermon on the Mount,' (Matt. v), related the parables of the 'sower,' the 'tares,' the 'treasure hid in a field,' the 'merchant seeking goodly pearls,' and the `net cast into the sea' (Matt. xiii.) In Ca pernaum he gave a lecture on fasting at Levi's feast (Matt. ix. 10-17), on formality to the Phari sees (Matt. xv. 1-20), on faith (John vi. 22-71), and on humility, forbearance, and brotherly love (Mark ix. 33-5o). Well might the Saviour, after such acts of love and power, and such words of wisdom and mercy, denounce woe upon the city that had seen and heard, and yet rejected! (Hand book for S. and P., p. 43o, sq.)—J. L. P.