In Jesus’ teenage years a small Jewish village sat  on the southwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee. Then in the year 20 the Jewish client king of the Romans, Herod Antipas who was a son of Herod the Great, sought to curry favor with the Roman Emperor of the time, Tiberias. So he named a new city located next to the Jewish village after his Roman patron Tiberias. The town was a popular destination as it was built on 17 hot springs. Over time the population of the town shifted from Jewish to pagan and back to Jewish. At a certain point in time Tiberias became the center of Jewish learning in land of Israel and thus became known as one of the four holy cities for Jews in Israel. Today Tiberias draws pilgrims and tourists to its hotels which serve as an excellent jumping-off spot for exploring the historical sites on the lake, in the Upper and Lower Galilee.