Tabga: Church of Primacy of Peter

We had a brief visit to this Church after a long day as the sun was setting. They had an olive press which our guide explained to us and even gave us a little demonstration. Inside the Church we viewed the 4th century mosaic of the loaves and the fish.

Historical background:
TABGHA is the traditional location for the calling of the disciples. There was a 4th century religious building which housed the rock called Mensa Christi. The building was destroyed by the Persians in 614 and by the Muslims in 637. It is believed that here Jesus walked along the shore and called out to Simon Peter and Andrew who were casting their nets into the lake. Here he restored Peter to himself after the disciple's three denials by asking him three times if Peter loved Jesus. Catholic tradition associates this event with the naming of Peter as the singular leader of the church. The rock is the traditional place where Jesus stood and called out to the disciples. Here, by the shore, overlooking the spot supposed to have been where Jesus fed Peter and the apostles. The rock in the chapel is traditionally the table used by Jesus to feed His disciples.

The mosaic of the fish and loaves is laid next to a large rock, which has caused some New Testament scholars to speculate that the builders of the original church believed that Jesus stood on this rock when he blessed the fish and loaves just before the feeding of the crowd who had come to hear him.