{"id":5380,"date":"2019-07-16T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T00:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5380"},"modified":"2021-10-15T16:01:34","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T08:01:34","slug":"228-tabgha-multiplication-of-loaves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=5380","title":{"rendered":"228. Tabgha: Multiplication of Loaves"},"content":{"rendered":"

13\u00a0<\/sup>Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.\u00a014\u00a0<\/sup>When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.\u00a015\u00a0<\/sup>When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, \u201cThis is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.\u201d\u00a016\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus said to them, \u201cThey need not go away; you give them something to eat.\u201d\u00a017\u00a0<\/sup>They replied, \u201cWe have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.\u201d\u00a018\u00a0<\/sup>And he said, \u201cBring them here to me.\u201d\u00a019\u00a0<\/sup>Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.\u00a020\u00a0<\/sup>And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.\u00a021\u00a0<\/sup>And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. <\/strong><\/span>[Matthew 14:13-21<\/span>, NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rock on which the multiplication of the loaves and fish is believed to have taken place (R), now sheltered under the altar at the Church of the Multiplication (L).<\/span><\/p>\n

Our visit to Tabgha covered two different churches that remind us of two different Gospel stories: Church of the Multiplication, and Church of the Primacy of Saint Peter.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first site is the scene of the Gospel story of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes. This miracle, also known as \u201cThe Miracle of Feeding of the 5,000\u201d, is reported by all four gospels (Matthew 14:13-21<\/a>;\u00a0Mark 6:31-44<\/a>;\u00a0Luke 9:12-17<\/a>;\u00a0John 6:1-14<\/a>). Based on the criterion of multiple gospel-attestations, this feeding miracle enjoys a very strong approval for historical authenticity.<\/span><\/p>\n

On site is the Church of Multiplication, built by the Cologne-based German Catholic Palestine Mission in the 20th<\/sup> century. Right beneath the altar is the rock where the miracle of multiplication of loaves and fishes is believed to have taken place.<\/span><\/p>\n

The history of the site, however, goes way back. Originally, a small 4th<\/sup>-century chapel stood on that same spot. The next discovery is a 5th<\/sup>-century church over the foundation of the chapel of a century or so earlier. This 5th<\/sup>-century church yields what we now see as one of the main highlights of the current church – the magnificent 5th<\/sup>-century mosaic. This mosaic, which has literally become iconic across the Catholic world, lies on the floor right in front of the altar. It features two fish flanking a basket containing four loaves of bread. Why \u201cfour\u201d and not five as told in the gospel narrative? Our guide, Mr. Murad\u2019s answer, which apparently represents the local interpretive-consensus, is that the \u201cmissing 5th<\/sup> loaf\u201d was meant to draw all who came to the ancient church back to Jesus Christ who has identified himself as the \u201cBread of Life\u201d in the Gospel of John (John 6:35).<\/span><\/p>\n