Fishing Boat

Boats were used when fishing on the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Galilee. Thanks to archaeological finds, we have a good idea of {fishing boats in the time of Jesus.

In 1986, a boat that most likely looks a lot like the vessels with which Jesus’ disciples went fishing (Mark 1:20; John 21:3), was found in the mud at the bottom of Lake Galilee. This ancient boat, dating from the first century AD, is also known as the “Kinneret boat” (Kinneret is the Hebrew name for Lake Galilee) or as the “Jesus boat”. It is around 29 foot (about 8,8 m) long, 8 foot (about 2,4 m) wide and 4 foot (about 1,2 m) high — big enough for five fishermen (four rowers and a helmsman). The boat was constructed of different types of wood. The planks of cedar wood were attached to a frame of oak branches. Dating has shown that the wood is from between 100 BC to AD 64. Today, the Kinneret boat can be viewed in the Yigal Alon Museum, near Tiberias.

The boats that fishermen took out onto the lake varied in size, depending on the fishing method that was used. For dragnet fishing, a relatively large fishing boat was needed, of at least 18 foot (about 5,5 m) long and suitable for eight people. For fishing with a cast net, a smaller boat could be used.

Besides a sail, fishing boats also had oars. A large oar at the rear of the ship served as a rudder. The fishing boat also had an anchor, consisting of a large stone (usually basalt) with a hole in the top. A rope was fed through the hole and attached to the boat

The rear section of the boat — the stern — was often covered. In Mark 4:38, Jesus sleeps in the stern of the fishing boat.

Sandbags were used as ballast to keep the boat balanced. The pillow that Jesus was lying on in Mark 4:38 was probably one of these sandbags.