Magdala
Magdala was a prosperous fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, known in the ancient world for its salted-fish trade and remembered in Scripture as the home of Mary Magdalene - 'Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,' whose surname simply means 'of Magdala.' Jesus sailed into its coasts after feeding the four thousand, and the town sat directly on the busy shoreline circuit of his Galilean ministry. Modern excavations at Magdala have uncovered a first-century synagogue - one of the very few from the Galilee of Jesus's day - complete with the carved 'Magdala Stone,' making it one of the most likely surviving buildings in which Jesus himself taught, given the Gospels' statement that he preached in synagogues throughout all Galilee.
Details
- Region
- Galilee
- Modern Location
- Migdal, Israel
Key Passages
Jesus Comes to the Coasts of Magdala
Matthew 15:39
After feeding the four thousand, Jesus sails directly to Magdala's shore - the town woven into the daily geography of the Galilean ministry.
39nd he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.
Mary Called Magdalene
Luke 8:1-3
The town's greatest legacy is a person: the delivered woman from Magdala who followed Jesus to the cross, the tomb, and the first news of resurrection.
1nd it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
Did You Know?
The 'Magdala Stone' found in the town's first-century synagogue bears the oldest known carving of the temple's menorah made while the temple still stood.
Magdala's Greek name was Taricheae - 'the place of salted fish' - the town literally named for its fish-processing industry on the Sea of Galilee.
The synagogue uncovered at Magdala is one of only a handful in all Galilee dating to Jesus's ministry years - and he 'preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee.'