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ZACHARY WONG, EL-ARAJ EXPEDITION

CASE CLOSED? This mosaic inscription written in Greek from the basilica at El-Araj commemorates a donor, “Constantine, the servant of Christ.” Even more intriguing, it implores the help of St. Peter, who is designated “the chief of the apostles and the keeper of the key of heaven.” This suggests the church had a special connection to the chief apostle, strengthening the claim that early Christians remembered Bethsaida (identified with El-Araj), not Capernaum, as the hometown of Peter, Andrew, and Philip.