Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Photos (Day 5)
Roman Ruins and Salt Slime
It’s Tuesday evening in Israel. Today we said good-bye to beautiful, green Galilee and hello to the Judean desert. The contrasts are pretty strong! Galilee in the north is life and freshness. The Dead Sea to the south is death and harshness. Galilee both takes and gives its life-giving water. The Sea of Salt just takes, no exit, so it is dying slowly. But first things first…
We drove south out of Tiberias, watching Galilee fade away out our left windows. In 1969, Israel dammed up the Jordan just south of where it exits Galilee. The purpose was to preserve precious water in the north and not “waste” its run to the Dead Sea. That may or may not have been wise, but, whatever the case, the river quickly becomes little more than a trickle separating Israel and Jordan to the east. I couldn’t help recalling our seeing the raging headwaters we saw up north at Dan a couple of days ago.
Our bus continued south through the land of Issachar. Anton said that Moshe Dayan grew up near here and pointed out river bridges perhaps five hundred yards away that were built by the Romans. Across the border to our east, Jordan’s Gilead Mountains were clearly visible. Hay fields, locust trees, mangoes, and bananas told us we were still in fertile country, but it was also pretty clear that we were changing terrain. More open country. Fewer and smaller trees. Locusts and carobs (you know, the stuff of John the Baptist’s diet) replace Galilee’s dense olives and oaks. Anton said in a couple of months the heat here will be unbearable for most of the day. It’s not unusual to top 120° in August. As we passed the remains of a twelfth-century British Crusader castle, I wondered if those English soldiers did any of that particular construction project during summertime.
First stop, Bet She’an, also known as Roman Scythopolis. I’ll just cut right to the summary—this was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen. Some on the trip who have been to Ephesus said it is very similar, if not in some ways better. Bet She’an showcases archaeology at its best. Major excavation and restoration have brought to life a significant Roman city that was a hub of entertainment for ancient citizens and visitors. A long main street (cardo) is lined with giant pillars. A well-preserved theater seated thousands. There is a hippodrome, beautiful mosaics, bath houses, and the ruins of a temple to Dionysius, the god of wine. This was a wild, wild place in its day, and even the rise of Christianity in the 300s didn’t tame the culture much. Only the incursion of Islam in the 7th-century finally brought an end to the hedonism of Scythopolis.
Many of us hiked up to the summit of the mountain or tell that rises above the ruins. This is where biblical Bet She’an was located, and it’s where Scripture says, after dying in battle with the Philistines, the bodies of Saul and Jonathan were brought to this place. A lone tree serves as a marker of the end of the dynasty of Israel’s first king. There are ruins at Bet She’an marking the presence of Canaanites, Egyptians, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, and Muslims over the past 3,500 years. Leaving this great site, we saw the peak of Mt. Gilboa to the west, the place where Saul and Jonathan died.
Late morning, we drove past old Jabesh-Gilead, once taken by Joshua and the Israelites on their way into Canaan. Soon after, we ourselves crossed over into the West Bank. Here, Palestinians and Jewish “settlements” (300,000 Jewish pop.) share space and an uneasy peace. You’d never know it from the fields of sunflowers and garlic, though you do occasionally spot a “Danger: Land Mines” sign. The West Bank is about 3,000 square miles of pretty rugged country—spare natural vegetation, dry and chalky soil (think driving between Sweetwater and Big Spring). This rough place is where Elisha the prophet called home. In this very area the old preacher killed forty-two children who made fun of his being bald. To the east are the mountains of Samaria, and in that direction we saw goats, sheep, and the ancient hillside caves where Bedouin shepherds store food and shelter animals.
We arrived in Jericho on a new road built with American aid money. The Palestinian refugee camps (from 1948) are basically shanty-towns and not easy to look at. There is widespread poverty and, as everyone knows, complicated politics, which seem endemic to this part of the world. We went through several check-points, both Israeli and Palestinian, before we drove into Jericho around 11:30. To the west, rising above Jericho, is the Mount of Temptation. Here Jesus, some say, was tempted by Satan after his baptism. One cave on the mountain is “Elijah’s Cave,” the spot where the prophet was cared for by God at a time when he really needed some caring for.
Jericho is the oldest city in the world, dating back to 8,000 B.C. In Jesus’ day, it was known for its palms. We toured the excavation site of the old city and saw the walls that were probably in place when Joshua’s army arrived there c.1200 B.C. And we all know what happened. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down. And there is, apparently, some evidence that something (earthquake?) brought down or damaged some of the Canaanite wall at about that time frame.
After lunch at a local Palestinian restaurant, we had a special group moment. Cynthia Michaud, one of our tour group members, is getting married in September. We gathered and listened as our leader Gary McCaleb presented Cynthia with a handmade “wedding jar” from Cana, complete with flowers. It is also a wine container, and, even though the maker has deceased and his business is no longer in operation, Gary worked with guide Anton Farah to track one down. Cynthia was very moved, and we prayed a special prayer of blessing over her upcoming marriage to fiancée Cale. It was a nice moment. By the way, one of our other group couples—C.G. and Barbara Gray—will be celebrating 60 years of marriage later this month!
On the way out of Jericho, we saw the great-granddaughter (or something close) of Zacchaeus’ famous sycamore tree. Jericho is, of course, where he lived. It’s also where Blind Bartimaeus begged and near where a certain traveler in a story Jesus told was traveling when he was mugged by thieves and left for dead. Today, Jericho is a bustling city of 8,000 with busy streets and markets (and even a newly built casino).
After Jericho, the terrain turns quickly to extreme desert. Within minutes, the north end of the Dead Sea is visible. Known as the Dead Sea, Sea of Salt, Eastern Sea, or Sea of Lot, the land around this body of water is arid and blistered in appearance. There is an almost eerie surface-of-the-moon feel as you move southward along the eastern bank. It sits on the Afro-Asia fault, the lowest place on earth. 1500 feet deep at its deepest, it's a dying body of water. No Jordan River feeding it anymore. Drying up and receding, the far southern end is now just a reservoir pumped in by Israel to make more salt. The dying Dead Sea is causing sinkholes and other issues. Some think it needs to be filled again. Across on the other side are the mountains of Moab. Nebo, where Moses died. The place where Ruth was from. The area where Balaam got owned by his donkey.
They get less than 3 inches of rain a year down here. Scrub brush and date palms are about all you see. Wild ibexes, snakes, birds of prey. And rocks. Lots of rocks! Think Big Bend National Park—red, craggy mountains and canyons and caves and a chalky soil that reminds you of what we might call caliche back home. We passed Qumran and En Gedi and Masada, three of the places we will visit tomorrow.
By 4:00, we arrived at the Daniel Dead Sea Hotel at the far southern end of the Dead Sea. It’s surprisingly developed here, a little like a miniature Las Vegas rising up out of the desert—hotels, shops, spas, even a McDonald’s. We checked in, and most of us got in our swim gear and made our way to the beach to swim. Check that, I mean float. That’s about all you do. It’s 29% salt and minerals, and you can barely keep you feet on the hard salty sea floor. You bob like a cork. It’s a strange experience everyone should try. You don’t want to get water in your eyes, that’s for sure, and you should be prepared to stay in briefly and shower quickly and thoroughly when you’re out. You leave the water with a slimy salt film all over your body, and it stings if you don’t get it washed off soon.
From our vantage, you can see Mt. Sodom, where it is believed that Sodom and Gomorrah once thrived. Being down here in the badlands didn’t work out well at all for Lot and his clan, but it’s a great and interesting place to visit now. Just in case, though, we will make a point not to turn or look back when we leave tomorrow :-)
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם Shalom Aleichem
Brent and Melinda
Monday, June 13, 2011
Photos (Day 4)
Church of the Annunciation (Orthodox) in Nazareth. Mary's Well (or Spring) is here.
Baptistery at Tagbha, site of the Miracle of Loaves and Fishes.
Watching Hannah the Weaver spindling cloth. Part of our Nazareth Village experience.
From the top of Tabor, the Mount of Transfiguration.
A rainbow meets the south end of the Sea of Galilee, out our hotel window this evening.
Tabgha, Cana, Nazareth, and Mt. Tabor
Monday took us a little south and west to focus on locations that were surely formative and important in the life of Jesus, particularly in his childhood years. Taking the road up the western shore of Galilee, we went through Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene, and Ginnosaur (or Gennesaret), where five valleys meet and reach the lake together and where the best fruit in Israel is grown. Banana trees thrive here.
Soon we were at Tagbha, by the lake. This is the traditional site of Jesus’ miracle of the loaves and fishes, the feeding of the five thousand. There is a Benedictine monastery here that dates to the 5th century A.D. The baptisteries (by immersion) are interesting, and the church sanctuary features an altar with a large stone in the floor. The stone marks the site where some believe the miracle of transforming a little boy’s sack lunch actually happened. Kellie Miller, one of our group, is very gifted vocally, and while we were here she sang a solo of “The Lord’s Prayer” that was moving and beautiful.
Turning west, we went through thick groves of olive trees and rocky hills. These were the roads and passes that Jesus walked again and again. This was his home countryside, places that would have been familiar to him and his disciples. We saw rain to the north and got a little drizzle on the windshield as we passed through the ancient land of the tribe of Asher. Today it looks much like it did then—olive trees, goats, sheep, shepherds, fields of vegetables and melons.
Soon we came to Cana of Galilee. Here Jesus went to a wedding and turned water to wine, saving the host and happy couple a ton of embarrassment. Today the Church of the Wedding welcomes visitors and many who want to get married or renew vows. In Jesus’ day, it was a city of political zealots, like Simon, one of his disciples. Nathanael came from here too. The scene in John 2 focuses on the “reception” or after-party, but the wedding itself was undoubtedly in the synagogue here.
Just outside Cana is a town that used to be called Gath-Hepher. Only one Jewish prophet came from Galilee, and he came from this little town. His name was Jonah, son of Amittai.
Next stop, Nazareth. These days, Nazareth is a crowded, bustling place with about 140,000 population (60% Arabs, 30% Jews, 10% Christians). But in Jesus’ time, Nazareth probably was home to no more than 400 people. The topography here is striking—Nazareth sits on steep, hilly terrain. The farmers had no flat surfaces to work with, so they terraced everything, using brilliant ways of keeping the soil irrigated and in place.
Nazareth is where our guide, Anton, lives. And Nazareth is, of course, where we think Jesus did most of his growing up. Our first stop was the Church of the Annunciation. I should say one of them. More than one church vies for marking the spot where Mary got her angel visit and announcement that she would give birth to the Son of God. We went to the Greek Orthodox site, also known as “Gabriel’s Church,” since Gabriel was Mary’s angelic visitor. Here we saw Mary’s Well, where she might have drawn water. We toured the small sanctuary, which dates back to the Byzantine Era (4th century A.D.). We all chuckled to hear that this church’s last or “newest” addition came in the 1600s.
After the Church of the Annunciation, we went to the Nazareth Village exhibit, which is associated with, of all things, the local YMCA. For about fifteen years, they have been hosting visitors to Nazareth with a very well done experiential exhibit. A guide (in our case, a young local woman named Summer), walks the group through a brief history of Nazareth using actors and artisans who talk about threshing grain, pressing grapes and olives, weaving, etc. A carpenter (or tekton, as Scripture calls Jesus and Joseph) talked about his shop and what he did. In all likelihood, Jesus’ “trade” was broader than woodworker, something more like a general builder/furniture maker, someone who worked with wood, stone, metal, and other media to build and repair all kinds of things. We went into realistic rooms of ancient homes, shops, even finishing up in a synagogue.
We all know the story of Jesus returning to his hometown synagogue in Nazareth and standing to read from Isaiah, applying the passage to himself. But no prophet is loved in the place where he played as a kid. So they tried to kill him. Outside of Nazareth is a site called Mt. Precipice. We saw this place where the crowd probably attempted, unsuccessfully, to throw Jesus over the cliff. Now there is a Greek church atop that craggy hill.
We had a quick lunch in Cana at Amara Brothers Falaffel and Shawerma restaurant. The chicken was good, and Anton and our bus driver treated us afterward to some delicious baklava.
In the afternoon, we went to Mt. Tabor (or Tavor). We drove through the village of Kefer Tabor, then an affluent Muslim Bedouin (formerly nomadic) community at the base of the mountain. Here we transferred into vans and wound our way up the steep mountain, following a winding road with numerous sharp switchbacks. Finally we arrived at the summit of the traditional site associated with the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. “After six days…” Scripture says Jesus took three of his disciples up the mountain. Six days, then transfigured on the seventh (perfect) day! It was the perfect time, Jesus thought, to reveal his glory to Peter, James, and John. As usual, they weren’t prepared or even close to understanding. Peter’s idea of building three booths for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah is captured in the architecture of the church atop Tabor that features three raised tabernacles in memory of Peter’s misguided suggestion. Anton told the story of the Transfiguration and summed up Peter this way: “Simon Peter—long tongue, nothing in his head, much in his heart!” This is a Franciscan monastery (five monks), and it is a truly gorgeous building. But the best part is the view from Tabor. You can see a good part of Israel. We looked down into the valley where Deborah and Barak won their battle. We saw Megiddo. We saw the little city of En Dor, where Saul found a witch and where, by Anton’s suggestion, Jesus and his three disciples may have descended the mountain to find the rest of the group wrestling with how to handle a young boy with a demon. Remember? Lord, we can’t budge this thing. Yes, these only come out by prayer. And Jesus cast out the demonic force that was trying to kill the child. Maybe, Anton said, En Dor was just the kin of witchy, satanic place where things like that might happen.
We got back to Tiberias a little earlier than usual this afternoon. Tonight we pack up again, moving south tomorrow: Jordan River, Bet Shean (Scythopolis), Jericho, Mt. of Temptation, and finally to our next stay at the Daniel Dead Sea Hotel. We will go for a swim in the Dead Sea tomorrow night.
Everyone is doing well. It’s a great group. We now have our sea legs, and we are all getting to know each other better and better.
What a blessing to get to do this. We are filled and grateful.
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם Shalom Aleichem
Brent and Melinda
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Photos (Day 3)
On the boat to Upper Galilee (ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert and daughter Sydnie)
Preaching at the Mount of Beatitudes. Sunday communion service, July 12.
Guide Anton Farah lecturing inside the synagogue at Capernaum.
The ritual bath (mikvah) at Korazim. Something like a Jewish predecessor to later Christian baptisteries.
Pan's grotto at Caesarea Philippi in the Golan. Jesus: "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it..."
Tel Dan. City wall of ancient city of Laish, later occupied by Dan.
Upper Galilee
I apologize for this blog probably reading like a bad version of Cliff’s Notes on the Middle East, but what’s going on here is a little like trying to get a drink out of a fire hose, so please excuse the attempt to summarize way more than anybody can possibly absorb.
Sunday morning began with a boat ride north on Galilee. We put out here at Tiberias and spent about an hour slowly traveling up the western shore. The Sea of Galilee is, of course, a major centerpiece in Jesus’ ministry. His famous boat trips back and forth say much about his intentions to bring people together and break down walls of race and culture and more. The western shore was predominantly Jewish (mixed with Gentiles), while the eastern Decapolis region was largely pagan. Yet, Jesus loved both sides of the lake, taught on both sides, and did miracles on both sides. The boat (particularly in Mark’s Gospel) is a vehicle for communicating his universal mission. Galilee is about 8 miles at its widest (east-west) and approximately 14 miles long (north-south). Depth is up to 15o feet. A scary, terrifying place to be in a storm. It's a rift in he earth, surrounded by steep hills, This is where, geologically, Asia and Africa meet, so there is still seismic activity, most light. Major quakes, like one in the 700s A.D., destroyed numerous cities, some never coming back. The last major earthquake here was in the 1920s.
We put ashore at the location of the “Jesus Boat” museum. A number of years ago, a drought revealed a first-century A.D. fishing boat in the reeds nearby. It was excavated and preserved and came to be known as the “Jesus Boat,” perhaps one very much like the ones Jesus was in with his disciples so many times. Now it’s on permanent display. From the museum, we went to the Mt. of Beatitudes, the traditional site where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Is it? Who knows? But it made a great spot to have Sunday church. We gathered under a beautiful garden pavilion to pray, sing, and share the Supper. Oh, and I preached a little (yes, from Matthew 5-7).
Next stop, just a little north up the eastern shore to the fishing village of Capernaum (or Kefar Nahum). The sign welcomes you to “The Town of Jesus,” which is about right. Many of Jesus’ disciples came from Capernaum, and he spent considerable time here. It’s a well-excavated site, featuring a house identified with Peter (or at least Peter’s mother-in-law). This is where, perhaps, Jesus healed her of her fever, healed a paralytic lowered through the roof, and others. Anton Farah described it as Jesus’ “free clinic” to the Galilean masses. The synagogue there (where Jesus cast the demon from a man) is pretty cool. The old original dark-stoned building is visible at the base of the 4th-century white-stone one that rises above the surface today. It’s easy to imagine ancient assemblies of people gathered to discuss and pray and read Torah. By the way, the local rock here is almost black, volcanic, so it’s easy to spot the older, original building materials.
We ate lunch nearby right on the lake at a local fish restaurant. I had the “St. Peter’s Fish,” which is tilapia. Very good, though mine did not, unfortunately, prove to have a coin in its mouth, like Peter’s. There used to be more species of fish in Galilee than there are today (25 or so), but tilapia has always been the staple.
We went on to the ancient ruins of Chorazin (or Korazin). There is a ritual bath (mikvah) there. Like Capernaum, Chorazin too had a synagogue. Houston folks, I’m pretty sure that somewhere there exists a photo of Cynthia Michaud seated in the Moses Chair (reserved originally for wise, older males). My comment? “The Bering folks will think that’s just about right.” Along with Bethsaida, Chorazin is one of the cities on which Jesus pronounced woes.
Our journey into Upper Galilee sent us farter north, passing kibbutzes galore, avocados, pecan trees, cotton fields, and all kinds of lush, verdant scenery. This is the land of Naphtali, and our guide, Anton Farah, was born up here in this area, at Sieff. Soon we were near the Lebanon and Syria borders. In the city of Qiryat Shamona, we began seeing a lot more Israeli soldiers carrying automatic weapons. Things are a little tense up here with the rising unrest in Syria.
With Mt. Hermon now rising in the distance, towering above the landscape at more than 8,000 ft., we began going upward. No snow on Hermon right now (though it does have ski resorts), but its ice caves are still mostly frozen, melting and sending water southward down the Jordan to Galilee. This is the ancient cycle of this land. The cold, snowy Golan Heights water the dry south, season after season.
Anton explained that Hezbollah (in Lebanon) periodically fires its rockets into Qiryat Shamona and these northern villages. We looked across into Lebanon, where we could see an old bunker that was given years ago to Yassir Arafat, when he was still in power. We began spotting signs that indicated “Danger: Lands Mines.” At both our next two stops we could hear distant gunfire, either from Lebanon or Syria. Our guide simply said, “It happens here.”
We crossed into Syria to visit Caesarea Philippi (also known as Banias). Built by Philip, son of Herod the Great, this city was dedicated to Caesar Augustus, who had a temple here. The chief god was Pan, who was worshiped with loud music, drunkenness, and sexual acts with cult prostitutes. The excavations here on the mountainside (much by Church of Christ scholars like John Wilson) have uncovered amazing finds, and the cave of Pan and the shrine of the Nymphs on the cliff side are stunning. The place is both beautiful with its trees and rushing water (melting snow) and ugly with its story of pagan sin. This is where Jesus took his disciples and asked them, “Who do they say I am?” (Matthew 16). Peter famously confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Then Jesus affirmed Peter’s confession and said—perhaps with Pan’s goat-sacrifice grotto looming in the background—“And the gates of hades will not prevail against it.” With the craggy face of the mountain behind him, he told Peter that “upon this rock I will build my church.” The symbolism and contrast must have been powerful.
Our last stop was equally memorable—Tel Dan. This is the northernmost site in Israel. Remember the Old Testament refrain “from Dan to Beersheba”? At Dan, you get a gorgeous nature walk through essentially a forest (or jungle) of thick trees and flowering plants. We saw hundreds of school children in groups here. We crossed the rapid headwaters of the Jordan (which means “coming from Dan”), then Anton gave us a detailed walk through the excavated ruins of the old city of Dan, which was once something remarkable. This is where the tribe of Dan relocated after initial settlement in the west. Their great wall still partially stands (with a few Hezbollah bullet holes). We saw the place where judges stood to judge (see the story of Ruth) at the city gates. We saw Dan’s knock-off of the Jerusalem temple, with two altars, and remembered the two golden calves, one which was brought to Dan by Jeroboam. We saw an amazing city gate (originally three arches) that probably dates back to Abraham and welcomed him to Canaan two millennia ago.
It was a long hard day, with a lot of walking, so some of us napped on the bus ride back to the hotel. We cleaned up and ate dinner, then some of us strolled around the shops of Tiberias this evening. Finally, Melinda and I joined Steve and Lynette Austin (their group is in the hotel with us the next two nights) for a late evening ice cream cone by the Sea of Galilee. It was a very nice visit with one of my new UCC elders and his fantastic wife. Too bad we have to come 6,000 miles to find time to get together for conversation! Oh well.
Hope you are all getting along fine, especially our two sweethearts, Jordan and Sarah. Hope you had fun at the movie yesterday with the cousins and Gram and Pappaw. We loved talking to you last night on the phone. Jordan, the parents of your friend Abby who goes to taekwando with you are with us on this trip! We will get together sometime when we are all back home.
Long day. Another early start tomorrow. Itinerary: Cana, Nazareth, and Mt. Tabor.
Oh, and go Dallas Mavericks!! Postscript... I just saw they did it, 105-95, to win their first NBA Championship. Sweet!
Shalom,
Brent and Melinda
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Photos (Day 2)
This first one is for Jordan and Sarah... "Kung Fu Panda 2" for kids who speak Hebrew.
Caesarea... Behind us people are fishing among the ruins of Herod the Great's palace.
Caesarea's great theater (complete with vomitoriums for the most drunken spectators :-)
Looking up out of King Ahab's water tunnel at Megiddo.
The Jordan River, just south of the Sea of Galilee.
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