Archaeologists believe they've identified a lost city tied to Jesus Christ's ministry after a decade of excavations, with the project's academic director saying he's "100%" certain about the discovery.The El-Araj Excavation Project, led by Mordechai Aviam, has been digging at the archaeological site along the Sea of Galilee since 2016.Bethsaida, close to Jesus' ministry in Capernaum, was once the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip.AUTHOR DINESH D'SOUZA CHALLENGES BIBLE SKEPTICS WITH 'STARTLING' ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIESThe city was the setting of several of Jesus' miracles, including the healing of a blind man.Jesus' feeding of the 5,000 took place on Bethsaida's outskirts, according to the Gospels.Archaeologists who are excavating El-Araj along the Sea of Galilee say evidence increasingly supports identifying the site as the biblical Bethsaida, where Jesus performed several miracles and several of his apostles lived.An artifact found in Bethsaida is pictured at left.
(Steven Notley; Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)Over the past decade, researchers have uncovered extensive evidence of an ancient Jewish fishing settlement and Roman-era city at the El-Araj site.This year's excavation opened new areas of the site, revealing additional Roman-period remains and pottery, Steven Notley, a biblical scholar and academic director of the El-Araj Excavation Project, told Fox News Digital.ANCIENT BOOK OF REVELATION CITY GIVES UP STUNNING SECRET BURIED FOR 1,500 YEARSResearchers have also recovered over 200 coins, which are being studied to help date the settlement.Notley, dean of religious studies at Pillar College in New Jersey, said an unexpected wildfire last year helped researchers gain a better understanding of the size of the ancient settlement.Archaeologists who have been excavating El-Araj along the Sea of Galilee have uncovered pottery, coins and Roman-period remains at the site.(Steven Notley)"We actually had a wildfire, which at first we thought was trag...