Summary: The traditional site of Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine, is being challenged by new evidence of a cave used by Christian pilgrims 1,500 years ago.
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. – John 2:11 ESV
Jesus’ First Miracle
Jesus’ first recorded miracle occurred at “a wedding in Cana in Galilee,” according to the Gospel of John. The narrative says when Jesus’ mother informed him that the feast had run out of wine, he miraculously replenished the supply using water in stone jars.
Archaeologists have found compelling evidence identifying the actual site of this famous first-miracle of Jesus. Rooted in archaeology and ancient texts, the discoveries affirm the historical accuracy of John’s account but at the same time challenge centuries of tradition.
Previously, the widely-held belief was that this miracle happened in the modern Israeli town of Kafr Kanna, three miles northeast of Jesus’ boyhood home, Nazareth. However, new excavations point to a different site, where a significant veneration cave was uncovered.
Khirbet Qana Excavations
Since 1998, a team of archaeologists, led initially by Professor Douglas Edwards and currently by Dr. Tom McCollough, has been conducting digs in the Khirbet Qana area in Galilee, a site just over eight miles northwest of Nazareth. Excavations have revealed a stunning 1,500-year-old Christian pilgrimage cave containing a network of tunnels marked with Christian symbols. The team discovered carvings of crosses, names of pilgrims, and references to Christ or Kyrie Iesou, a Greek phrase meaning Lord Jesus.
“We have uncovered a large Christian veneration cave complex that was used by Christian pilgrims who came to venerate the water-to-wine miracle,” said McCollough, former professor of history and religion at Kentucky’s Centre College, to Pen News.
The rooms in the cave, some coated with plaster and decorated, date as far back as the Byzantine period and on to the Crusader period (415-1217 AD). In one area, researchers found an altar made from an overturned sarcophagus lid.
Behind the altar, carved into the bedrock, they discovered a shelf with six receptacle holes, one with the remains of a large stone jar. Next to it, there were empty holes for five other vessels, reminiscent of the six, 20-30 gallon purification jars that Jesus used when he turned the water into wine.
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. – John 2:1-11
Traditional Kafr Kanna
McCollough published an article in Biblical Archaeology Review called, “Searching for Cana: Where Jesus Turned Water into Wine.” In it, he presents the evidence found at the excavation which has led to his belief that Khirbet Qanait is the site of Jesus’ wedding miracle, as opposed to Kafr Kanna.
The location of the miracle has been disputed through the years. Although spellings differ slightly, the town names of Cana, Kanna and Qana all come from the same root word. Traditionally, Kafr Kanna, an Israeli town in Galilee, had been identified as the site of Biblical Cana, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914.
In the 17th century, Francesco Quaresmio was the first to conclude Kafr Kanna as the place of the wedding miracle recorded by John. The town’s location, next to the main road that led from Sepphoris to Tiberias, may have played a role in Quaresmio’s assessment. The site was very convenient for pilgrims, plus, Quaresmio found a church there.
The Franciscans began the process of acquiring the land in 1641 but it was not fully completed until 1879. In the same year, a chapel was built on the site that was expanded in 1881. The beautiful facade of the present structure called the Wedding Church at Cana was constructed in 1906. Thousands of tourists and pilgrims visit each year to commemorate Jesus’ first miracle.
Earlier Pilgrimage Cave
McCollough objects to Kafr Kanna as the place of the water-to-wine miracle, pointing out that it wasn’t until the 18th century that the town was recognized as a pilgrimage site for Biblical Cana. “At this point, the Franciscans were managing Christian pilgrimage and facilitating easy passage rather than historical accuracy,” he McCollough.
The cave system at Khirbet Qana was a pilgrim site much earlier. “This complex was used beginning in the late 5th or early 6th century and continued to be used by pilgrims into the 12th century Crusader period,” he added.
Pilgrim texts from this period describe what pilgrims did and saw when they came to Cana of Galilee, and they match very closely with what has been exposed at the veneration complex, according to McCollough. The cave was set up for pilgrims to participate in a type of reenactment of the wedding miracle.
Excavations provided evidence that the town of Khirbet Qana functioned as a Jewish settlement during the time of Jesus. It was actually a thriving Jewish village for about 600 years, from 323 BC to 324 AD.
Some of the finds from the site include six coins minted by leaders of the Maccabean revolt, remains from a Jewish synagogue, and a fragment of an abecedary with Hebrew letters. Abecedaries were practice exercises used to teach the alphabet.
The findings demonstrate that Khirbet Qana was a town “of some consequence,” having at least fundamental literacy, according to McCollough’s interview with The League of Biblical Enthusiasts.
There is still more to be excavated, including a chapel and small monastery attached to the caves, plus three more cave rooms. Because looters came in after the first areas were cleared, researchers are waiting to dig out debris in other areas until there is enough time to thoroughly study each space. Even though archaeologists set up gates to protect the area, its location is remote and not guarded. Therefore, it is important that the excavators have enough time in one season to complete the whole process, from digging to documenting, so as to leave nothing for looters to destroy.
Cana Connections
Cana was at the heart of much of Jesus’ life and ministry. As described in the Gospel of John, it was a safe place or operational center for him, being close to Nazareth, his hometown. When Jesus and his disciples encountered resistance in Judea, they returned to Cana.
Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. – John 4:1-3
So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. – John 4:46
One of Jesus’ disciples, Nathanael, was from Cana.
Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. – John 21:2
Besides the New Testament, Cana is also mentioned in the work of first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, and according to McCollough, aligns geographically with the location of Khirbet Qana. “The reference to Cana in Josephus, the New Testament, and in the rabbinic texts would argue the village was a Jewish village, near the Sea of Galilee and in the region of lower Galilee,” he said. “Khirbet Qana fulfills all of these criteria.”
Conclusion
McCollough’s excavations strengthen the historicity of the Bible and prompt a reconsideration of the historical value of the book of John and its references to Cana as the place of the well-known water turned to wine miracle, the very first sign of Christ (John 2:11). “There’s no other village with such a persuasive ensemble of evidence,” said McCollough. “Khirbet Qana fits all the Biblical, historical, and archaeological criteria.”
It’s thrilling to think about the very first miracle recorded in the Gospel of John and locating the actual physical site of the wedding. Sometimes we hear stories from “a galaxy far, far away” that happened “once upon a time” and may need to be reminded that the accounts of Jesus were real events that happened in real places that can be seen and studied still today. This encouragement helps us to Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: Fresco of the Marriage at Cana, Annunciation Cathedral Jerusalem. (credit: photo by See The Holy Land, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
