We Urantia Book readers are only just beginning to realise that Part 4 of the book is not only an archaeological treasure-house but that it is also a means of comparing what we find written in the book with the results of modern scholastic research, both biblical and archaeological.

The article that follows brings together a large volume of research on a long-standing problem: in New Testament times, were there two--or only one--town named Bethsaida in the neighborhood of the Sea of Galilee? Much of this research is the product of scholastic work carried out subsequent to the first printing of The Urantia Book, but takes no account of what is to be found in that book. Therefore it provides readers with an opportunity to do their own comparative research in order to discover the degree of convergence between the results of recent academic scholarship and what has already been stated in The Urantia Book.

The one or two Bethsaidas problem is heavily involved with incidents occurring during and subsequent to the miracle of the loaves and fishes (the feeding of the five thousand)where this miracle occurred and where the apostles went afterwards. The Urantia Book supplies its own explanations for some of these questions. For convenience sake, a short listing follows of relevant material from the Urantia Book text from Part 4.

The Urantia Book refers to two towns having the name Bethsaida, one simply Bethsaida, the other Bethsaida-Julias. The following quotes provide information both on the location of the Bethsaidas, and the domiciles and relationships of some of the apostles:

"He (Jesus) spent one week at Tiberias, the new city which was soon to succeed Sepphoris as the capital of Galilee; and finding little to interest him, he passed on successively through Magdala and Bethsaida to Capernaum, where he stopped to pay a visit to his father's friend Zebedee." (1419)

"Andrew, chairman of the apostolic corps of the kingdom, was born in Capernaum. He was the oldest child in a family of five himself, his brother Simon, and three sisters. His father, now dead, had been a partner of Zebedee in the fish-drying business at Bethsaida, the fishing harbor  of Capernaum. (1548)

When Simon joined the apostles, he was thirty years of age. He was married, had three children, and lived at Bethsaida, near Capernaum. His brother, Andrew, and his wife's mother lived with him. Both Peter and Andrew were fisher partners of the sons of Zebedee. (1550)

"James, the older of the two apostle sons of Zebedee. . . Lived near his parents in the outskirts of Capernaum, Bethsaida." (1552)

"John (Zebedee)... lived with his parents at Bethsaida; he was a fisherman and worked with his brother James in partnership with Andrew and Peter." (1553)

These quotes leave no doubt about this Bethsaida being the "fisher towns" of Capernaum. The apostle Philip was also from this Bethsaida: "He was often spoken of as 'Philip of Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter live.'"

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Following the cure of Amos the Kheresa lunatic, Jesus and the apostles returned by boat from the east shore of the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida. (1698) There followed the cure of Jairus' daughter at Capernaun (1699) and the inevitable gathering of crowds clamoring for miracles. The book tells us:

"The Master had so little rest over the Sabbath that... he sought to get away from the people. Some of the evangelists were left to talk to the multitude while Jesus and the twelve planned to escape, unnoticed, to the opposite shore of the lake, where they proposed to obtain much needed rest in a beautiful park south of Bethsaida-Julias. The region was a favorite resorting place for Capernaum folks; they were all familiar with these parks on the eastern shore." (1700)

To get our perspective right we need to be aware that the Sea of Galilee was quite small, about 13 miles long and 7 to 8 miles wide. Escape from the crowds was impossible. The book continues:

"But the people would not have it so. They saw the direction taken by Jesus' boat, and hiring every craft available, they started out in pursuit. Those who could not obtain boats fared forth on foot to walk around the upper end of the lake... By Wednesday noon about five thousand men, women, and children were assembled here in this park to the south of Bethsaida-Julias." (1700)

There followed the incidents of the loaves and fishes and the attempt by the crowds to crown Jesus as their king and Jesus' refusal. The book tells us:

"These words of Jesus sent the multitude away stunned and disheartened.... The apostles were speechless... Jesus, before going off to be alone in the hills, turned to Andrew and said: 'Take your brethren back to Zebedee's house and pray with them, especially for our brother, Simon Peter.'"

"The apostles, without their Master sent off by themselves entered the boat and in silence began to row toward Bethsaida on the western shore... Hardly a word was spoken; they were all thinking of the Master alone in the hills. Had he forsaken them? He had never before sent them all away and refused to go with them. What could all this mean?" (1702/3)

A storm came up while the apostles were on their way back to Bethsaida that prevented them reaching their destination before darkness closed in. As a result they anchored their boat offshore "near Zebedee's house," and slept through until noontime the following day. (1703) This may account for some of the apparent confusion generated by the Gospel accounts that have them going to both Gennesaret and Bethsaida. The Urantia Book says that shortly after midnight, Jesus, in company with the Mark lad, walked "around the lake and across the river, back to Bethsaida" arriving there in time to meet Andrew who was first to awaken and come ashore. (1703)

Our readers are now left to their own devices to correlate the results of modern archaeological and Biblical research with The Urantia Book account of these events.