Joppa Overview

 

Introduction

 

Welcome to Joppa. Many biblical events took place here. Here are some of the highlights.

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• Trees from Lebanon arrived here, and Solomon used them to build the Temple in Jerusalem around 965 BC.

• King Solomon’s ships sailed from here on journeys around the known world.

• Joppa was the seaport from which Jonah sailed when he attempted to disobey the Lord’s calling and flee to Tarshish rather than preach a message of repentance to the Ninevites.

• Joppa was the seaport where logs arrived for rebuilding the Second Temple after the Israelites returned from their exile in Babylon, around 536 BC.

• After preaching to the Ethiopian Eunuch, Philip the Evangelist passed through Joppa preaching the gospel on his way to Caesarea.

• Joppa was where a famous woman, Dorcas, lived and was raised from the dead.

• Simon the Tanner lived in Joppa, where the Apostle Peter was staying when he received the vision to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.

 

Location

 

1. Joppa (Jaffa or Yafo) is one of the oldest port cities in Israel and the Mediterranean area.

 

2. It's located on a hill and strategically located at the crossroads of Israel and the main travel routes linking Africa with Asia and Europe. This travel route was called the “Via Maris.”

 

3. Joppa is located about 45 miles (72 km) west of Jerusalem.

 

Historical Background

 

1. Legend holds that the founder of Joppa (also called Jaffa) was Japheth, one of Noah’s sons.

 

2. Joppa was inhabited by the Canaanites, the Egyptians, the Israelites, the Greeks, and the Romans, and continues to be inhabited in modern times.

 

3. Joppa was the principal seaport and entry gate to Israel for thousands of years until just before the time of Christ, when Herod the Great built another seaport at Caesarea, about 35 miles (56 km) north of Joppa.

 

Places of Interest 

 

1. Seaport

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• The seaport of Joppa is where the trees of Lebanon arrived that Solomon used to build the Temple in Jerusalem around 966 BC. 2 Chronicles 2:16: Hiram, king of Tire, replied by letter to Solomon - And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.

 

• Joppa was also the seaport from which King Solomon’s ships sailed on their journeys around the known world at that time.

 

• Joppa was the seaport from which Jonah sailed when he attempted to disobey the Lord’s calling and flee to Tarshish rather than preach a message of repentance to the Ninevites.Jonah 1:3: But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

 

2. St. Peter's Church & Monastery

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• The church was built to commemorate the Apostle Peter’s time in Jaffa. According to the Book of Acts, Peter raised the disciple Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead in Jaffa and stayed at Simon the Tanner's house. The site marks the traditional location where Peter had his vision of the "Great Sheet" descending from heaven, an event that led to the early church's mission to the Gentiles.

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• The best evidence for the location of Simon the Tanner's home is down the hill a bit by the sea. We'll see it shortly.

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• On top of the church, just under the cross, is a large rock brought from Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus told Peter that He would build His church on Peter's confession of who Christ was.

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• The church faces west, representing the truth that Christianity is for all nations, not just the Jews.

 

3. Plaza Area

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• Joppa was a thriving seaport in biblical times. Under our feet are homes, shops, streets, and more. 

 

4. Simon the Tanner's House

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The site is linked to the Armenian Zakarian family, who have owned and maintained the property for centuries. They are an Armenian family, representatives of the small but historic Armenian community in Jaffa. 

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Reasons why this place is the best candidate for the authentic location of Simon the Tanner's Home.

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• It is by the sea.

The book of Acts explicitly says Peter stays with Simon, “whose house is by the sea” (Acts 10:6; 10:32).

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• It was outside the old city walls on the south side of the city.

Tanning was an essential but despised profession, relegated to the margins of society due to the stench and ritual impurity associated with the handling of animal carcasses.

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Rabbinic tradition is blunt that tanneries were a nuisance because of odor, pushing them away from dense habitation and toward prevailing winds. Tanneries were located just outside villages, on their eastern side, so prevailing winds would carry the odor away. The location of the House of Simon the Tanner fits this requirement.

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• It was close to the sea, which was critical for tanning hides.

The first step in processing animal skins was soaking them in seawater, which contained salt.

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• It had access to fresh water, which was used in the second step in processing animal skins.

The courtyard of the Zakarian house contains an active well, reportedly 15 meters deep (some sources suggest up to 27 meters).

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• This seaside location matches perfectly the historical reality of where a tanner would live and work.

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• Centuries of tradition link this site as the authentic home of Simon the Tanner.

  • The Anglo-Saxon pilgrim Saewulf provides one of the earliest and most explicit references to the site. Writing just after the First Crusade, he notes: "All the pilgrims visit Simon the Tanner's house" upon arriving in Jaffa. This statement is crucial. It suggests that by the early 12th century, the tradition was not only present but dominant—a standard stop on the pilgrim itinerary. The specific location "by the seaside" was integral to this identification.​

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• Entering the house is not permitted at this time because it is a private residence, and some have indicated there is a dispute between Christians and Muslims over who the owner is.

 

Acts 10:1-8: Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. 3 About the ninth hour of the day [3:00 pm] he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And he looked at him intently and became terrified, and said, “What is it, lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and charitable gifts have ascended as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; 6 he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants, 8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.​

 

5. Egyptian Fortress, built by Ramses II, in about 1250 BC.

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6. Tel Joppa (Jaffa, Yafo)

 

7. Old City of Joppa

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8. Abrasha Park

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9. The Suspended Orange Tree

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10. Alma Beach by Joppa

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11. Ilana Goor Museum

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12. Jaffa Museum

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13. Old Jaffa Market

 

14. Kedumim Square

 

Joppa In the Bible

 

1. The seaport of Joppa is where the trees of Lebanon arrived that Solomon used to build the Temple in Jerusalem around 966 BC. 2 Chronicles 2:16: Hiram king of Tyre replied by letter to Solomon - And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.

 

2. Joppa was also the seaport from which King Solomon’s ships came and went on their journeys around the known world at that time.

 

3. Joppa was the seaport from which Jonah sailed when he attempted to disobey the Lord’s calling and flee to Tarshish rather than preach a message of repentance to the Ninevites.

Jonah 1:3: But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

 

4. Joppa was the seaport where logs arrived for rebuilding the Second Temple after the Israelites returned from their deportations in about 535 BC.

Ezra 3:7: So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

 

5. After preaching to the Ethiopian Eunuch, Philip the Evangelist passed through Joppa, preaching the gospel on his way to Caesarea.

Acts 8:39–40: When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus (modern-day Ashdod), and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

 

6. Joppa was where a famous woman, Dorcas, lived and was raised from the dead.

Acts 9:36-43: Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. 37 In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, "Please come to us without delay." 39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.

 

7. Simon the Tanner lived in Joppa, and it was the place the Apostle Peter was staying when he received the vision to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.

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Acts 10:5: Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; 6 he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants, 8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

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Acts 10:9-15: The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat."  14 But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has made clean, do not call common.

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Faith Lesson from Joppa

 

1. Jonah disobeyed the Lord here and ran from the presence of the Lord. Are we running away from something God wants us to do?

 

2. Peter obeyed the Lord here, trusted in God, and took the gospel to the Gentiles in Caesarea. Are we taking the gospel to those around us?

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3. When we obey, we find life, and when we disobey, we find destruction and problems. What problems are we facing because of disobedience in some area of our lives?

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