In the hours after nightfall, as the monks slept in their chambers, a fox came to Bethsaida.I hope he found some leftovers.He would have waited for the men to finish their day, to shut out the black night behind doors in order to raid the garbage, as nocturnal wild animals in commensal relationships with humans do. As the fox silently stole through the dark, he walked along the top of a freshly plastered wall in the Late Byzantine church complex.
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For many posts on the archaeology of the ancient town of Bethsaida, mentioned in the New Testament, see here and links. The fox left its footprints at el-Araj, which seems to be the main contender for the site of the city. The other possibility is the nearby site of et-Tell/e-Tel. Follow the links for the details of the debate.
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