Our holy Arculf, often mentioned, travelled round the greater part
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of the sea of Galilee, which is also called the lake of Cinereth and the sea
of Tiberias. Large woods adjoin its shores. The wide (sweep) of the
lake itself, like an expanse of ocean, extends to a length of 140 stades,
and spreads to a width of 40. Its waters are sweet and suitable for
drinking, in that it has no coarse or muddy deposits from bog or marsh,
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being surrounded on every side by a sandy shore. Consequently the
water is the clearer and sweeter for use. Species of fish too can be found,
as handsome and as tasty as in any lake anywhere.
This brief account of the origin of the Jordan and of the lake of
Cinereth we have assembled partly from the third book of the Jewish
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Captivity, and partly from the experiences of Arculf. According to his
own accurate statement, Arculf made a journey of 8 days from the place
where the Jordan emerges from the mouth of the sea of Galilee, as far
as the place where it enters the Dead Sea. Often too, he tells us, from the
vantage point of mount Olivet, the holy Arculf gazed out at that very
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salt sea.