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Mount of the Beatitudes

Matthew 5 records that Jesus, "went up on a mountainside" and began to teach a crowd that had gathered, beginning with nine blessings or beatitudes ("blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," etc.).

There is no specific geographical location given in Matthew for this sermon, but tradition places it on the northwest side of the lake between Tabgha and Capernaum. The site is commemorated with a domed Catholic Church designed by Antonio Barluzzi and completed in 1937. However, our tour guide insisted that, if the sermon did occur hear, it would more likely have occurred on the hillside just to the west of the church, where the topography and acoustics would have made addressing a large crowd more practical.

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