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Greek Orthodox Church
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View of a white limestone architectural fragment from the Capernaum synagogue of a cart with spoked wheels columns. On the side of the cart a double door is carved with a shell shaped semi-circle on top of which is the convex roof.
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Among the stone reliefs that once decorated the synagogue is is thought to be the Ark of the Covenant atop a cart (2 Samuel 6:3: "They set the ark of God on a new cart.")
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This carving, which may have been a door lentil, some say represents a Roman Cart (carruca), while others have maintained it is an "ark," which was used in the synagogue to house the biblical scrolls.
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In the 1st century CE, Capernaum was a fishing village on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The scripture identifies Capernaum with the early accounts of Jesus teaching both Jews in the synagogue and Romans in the homes. Here Jesus called four fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James and John) and a tax collector (Matthew) as disciples.
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An olive press, millstones as well as other objects suggest that Capernaum may have been one of the villages that manufactured these items for trade.
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The synagogue's main prayer or worship room contains two rows of column. There are benches along the eastern and western walls.
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The 4th century syanagogue consisted of four separate areas: the main hall, used for prayer and worship, a small side room in the northwestern corner, a large courtyard; and a southern porch.
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The Orthodox church is built in the middle of the ruins of the ancient Roman village of Kfar-Nahum (Capernaum). Around the church the remains of the village have not yet been excavated, unlike the synagogue of Capernaum and the buildings around it.
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