CAESAREA: From Mount Carmel we drove south along the coast to Caesarea. Named by Herod the Great in honor of the Emperor Caesar Augustus, Caesarea was a walled in city on the Mediterranean coast.  When Emperor Caesar Augustus “decree[d] that all the world should be registered,” Joseph and Mary traveled from “Nazareth to Bethlehem, where she gave birth to her firstborn son ....” (NRSV Luke 2: 1-7) During much of Jesus’ life, Caesarea was under Roman control. 

     When Paul left Corinth, where he “testified to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus,” he landed at the deep port Herod had dug at Caesarea.  (NRSV Acts 18: 5-24) In Caesarea “some elders and an attorney” accused Paul of being “a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews ... and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” In response Paul expressed “faith in Christ Jesus,” and remained in prison in Caesarea for two years. (NRSV Acts 24: 1-27) 

     Following God’s instructions, Simon Peter baptized Cornelius of Caesarea, a Gentile and “devout man who feared God.” Peter explained: “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.... I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all.” (NRSV Acts 10: 34-36)  

     By the 19th century, Caesarea was in ruins, and today is an archaeological park where we toured the remains of the old harbor (where Paul landed), promontory palace, Herod’s amphitheater, and a Roman theater. 

     JORDAN RIVER:  Turning eastward from Caesarea, at a closely supervised checkpoint, we crossed the Jordan River in the north and entered the country of Jordan.  Just as Georgia and Florida quarrel over water rights today, so have Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians strived to preserve their proportion of the Jordan River and other natural resources. With rainfall in the Middle East being irregular and immigration population increasing in Israel along with the mounting birth rate in the country of Jordan, demand for water increases. Reports suggest that the population of Israel, West Bank, and Gaza, in 1990 was 6.7 million, projected to increase to 10.9 million by 2010. The Jordan River has supplied Israel and Jordan with a majority of their water. It is estimated that more than 50% of Israel’s water sources rely on rain that falls outside of its borders. 

     The Jordan River is some 156 miles long, and up to 20 yards wide and 17 feet deep. The river enters the Sea of Galilee about 26 1/ miles from its sources. In this distance, there is a drop in the river of 1,682 feet, or 60 feet per mile. From the three peaks of Mount Hermon reaching to 9,230 feet in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, water from melting snow feeds the springs and streams that run into a swampy Lake Hula, ultimately forming the Jordan River that flows into and out of the Sea of Galilee, ending in the Dead Sea that has no outlet. Today, north of the Dead Sea, efforts are required to keep the Jordan River pure, both for consumption and baptisms. Since 1981, Mount Hermon has been the locale of Israel’s only ski resort. When we were there, Israel’s section of the mountain was heavily patrolled by Israeli soldiers and police.

     During our travel, from several locales we could see the Jordan River and the snow covered peaks of Mount Hermon, a region in Israel that has been significant both in the Old and New Testaments. For example, in Psalm 89, verse 12, two prominent mountains sing out to God: “Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.” The Jordan River and its surrounds are valued, not only as vital resources, but for their sacredness, for their references to experiences vital to Jews, Christians, Moslems, and Palestinians.  Using the Jordan River as a landmark, Isaiah prophesied, “But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.” (NRSV Isaiah 9: 1) Matthew recounted God’s promise to Isaiah: “Jesus left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum ... in the territory of Zebulon and Naphtali” that the prophecy of “Isaiah might be fulfilled.” (NRSV Matthew 4: 12-17) 

     Here is a picture of a site on the Jordan River where individuals and groups go today for renewal. 

     In the picture below, our good friend and former minister, Charles Johnson is collecting water from the Jordan to be administered back home for a young family member’s baptismal service.  

     Crossing the Jordan River into the country of Jordan, we saw Saint George’s Monastery, built high onto a rocky ledge northwest of Jericho in the late 5thcentury, and restored by monks in 1901.  Located near a back road that went from Jerusalem to Jericho during Biblical days, the area is associated by some with Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan. (NRSV Luke 10: 29-37) The picture here is of Saint George Monastery.      

     JERASH: In Jordan, we also visited Jerash, Mount Nebo, the western shore of the Dead Sea, and Petra.  Jerash is valued historically for its Greco-Roman ruins, including Hadrian’s Arch, temples, theaters, and baths. From 350 years after Jesus’ ministry, a Christian community lived in Jerash. The picture below is of an oval Forum at Jerash, covered with the remains of a stone surface, and surrounded by a colonnade. 

     MOUNT NEBO: Mount Nebo is where Moses ended his journey from Egypt. In western Jordan overlooking the Dead Sea to the southwest, Mount Nebo is some 2,680 feet above sea level. In Deuteronomy one reads: “Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain ... as far as Zoar. The Lord said to Moses, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, `I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” (NRSV 34: 1- 4) 

     Standing on Mount Nebo, we were amazed at the expansive view Moses had of the land of promise, as exemplified in the photograph below. From this mountain on a clear day one can see both Jerusalem and Jericho. 

     THE DEAD SEA: While in Jordan, we stopped at the shore of the Dead Sea, boarded partially by Jordan and Israel. This Sea is approximately fifty miles long, eleven miles wide, and 1,378 feet below sea level. Its average depth is some 400 feet, increasing to a maximum of more than 1000 feet. Annually the water level decreases. 

     In the past, countries in the region considered the possibility of digging a canal from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea. Water brought from the Red Sea would be controlled to ensure an optimum depth for the Dead Sea. Such a project might have increased the availability of clean water, hydroelectric power, crop production, tourism, botanical garden, and employment for all in the area. Projected to be the “Valley of Peace,” sponsors optimistically hoped for unprecedented cooperation among people in the region. Earlier consideration of digging a channel from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea was abandoned.

     On our tour, members waded or floated in the Dead Sea. Some spread what they believed to be healing mud from the bottom of the Sea onto their bodies. At the gift shop nearby, Mary Jo Logue purchased two “nature’s soap” bars, one with glycerin the other with sulfur, both containing Dead Sea black mud. From the Dead Sea, large industries process kitchen and industrial salt, potash for fertilizer, bromine, and magnesia. The Dead Sea is pictured below. 

     PETRA: Renowned for its architectural tombs, Petra (meaning “rock”) is now listed as one of the wonders of the world. Today Petra has vendors, donkeys, carts, and camels for tourists. While inhabited 7,000 years before Christ, by 1,000 BCE Edomites lived in the region. The Nabataeans, a nomadic Arab people, occupied Petra by the late sixth century before Jesus and chiseled out the numerous Tombs, dwellings, and other structures we saw there. One enters Petra through a long, high, and narrow mountain passage, known as the Siq. In the picture here one sees channels dug low on each side of this corridor to carry water to Petra. 

     Upon exiting the long passageway into the valley of the monuments at Petra, one first sees the tall hand-carved “Treasury,” an ancient structure whose purpose is disputed. We also marveled at the small and large facades of tomb-monuments protruding from the hills along both sides of the valley. The size and ornamentation of the carved tombs apparently depended upon one’s standing in the community. There was also an ancient amphitheater. 

Mary Jo Logue took the photograph below of the “Treasury.” (The author of this manuscript stands to the left hooded from the cold.) 

     BACK TO ISRAEL: Leaving the country of Jordan through a carefully managed checkpoint south of the Dead Sea, we returned to Israel. From the western shore of the Dead Sea, we drove northward to Masada and Qumran.  Later we skirted Jericho, where our tour guide pointed out remains of a fallen wall. 

     Biblically this western region has served as a route for travel, refuge, residence, and retreat. Because of a “severe” famine, for example, Abraham, patriarch of Jews and Arabs, and Sarai, “journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb” southwest of the Dead Sea, “down to Egypt.” (Genesis 12: 7-10) To escape King Saul’s wrath, young David hid “south of Jeshimon,” a desert at the northeastern end of the Dead Sea. (1 Samuel 23: 24) In the Wilderness of Judah, David wrote: “O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live.” (NRSV Psalm 63: 1-4) 

     Because of the remoteness of the Judean wilderness, monks and others found sanctuary there. “John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (NRSV Mark 1: 4) “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ....” (NRSV Luke 4: 1-2) There he was “tempted for forty days.” (NRSV Mark 1: 12-13) 

     MASADA: West of the Dead Sea we continued northward to Masada. Masada is an isolated plateau used as a strong-hold against enemies. Masada is approximately 1,300 feet high on the east side, and 300 feet on the west. Before Jesus’s ministry, Herod the Great constructed a fortress on Masada as a place to escape should his life be endangered. A wall 4,300 feet long and 12 feet wide was built around the flat surface. 

     Josephus contended that, in the year 66 before Christ, more than 900 Jewish men, women, and children revolting against Roman rule escaped to this high plateau. When success of the Roman assault upon the Jewish strong hold was eminent, rather than be enslaved or killed, it is suggested that the Jews fortified on Masada cooperated by casting lots to determine which person would kill the other. From the top of Masada we saw outlines of Roman camps on the ground below where soldiers quartered. In the picture here, one sees a stack of large round stones from the period. 

     On Masada we also saw remains of storage facilities, barracks, armory, palace, and synagogue. Pictured below are the remains of the synagogue, suitable for community meetings and worship. Built during Herod’s time, the revolting Jews adapted the space for a synagogue. 

     QUMRAN: Our tour drove from Masada northward to Qumran. Located on a plateau on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea in the West Bank, many contend that a Jewish sect, the Essenes, dwelled at Qumran, beginning between 134 and 104 before Jesus. Others maintain the area was a Jewish fort or residence of a wealthy patron. The Essenes were an ascetic Jewish religious group active the first centuries before and after Christ’s ministry.  Approximately one thousand persons are buried at Qumran. Below is a photograph of a ritual bath on Qumran. 

     Some maintain that the Dead Sea Scrolls were part of the Essenes’ library. Other scholars believe that the scrolls reflect the views of Palestinian Jews generally, rather than the tradition of a small sect. Some 900 Dead Sea Scrolls in varying lengths and conditions were found near Qumran in eleven caves on cliffs, including the book of Isaiah.  Although apparently not mentioned in the New Testament, some speculate that John the Baptist and/or Jesus could have been influenced by the Essenes.  

     On our tour, I stood a short distance from one of those caves, wondering how Muhammad edh-Dhib (“the wolf”), the young man who apparently first discovered scrolls, cared for his goats among the steep hills and crevices. Here is a picture of that cave. 

     GALLICANTU: Continuing northward, we visited the Church of Saint Peter of Gallicantu pictured below, built in Jerusalem on the hillside of Mount Zion memorializing Simon Peter’s initial rejection of Jesus and his subsequent regret. Gallicantu means cock-crow in Latin.  Catholic tradition suggests this could be the site of Caiaphas’ palace. Matthew wrote, “Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered.” (NRSV 26:57) Some maintain that Jesus was imprisoned in one of the chambers we visited beneath the Church. 

     Just outside the church of St. Peter in Gallicantu is a stone pathway on which Jesus could have walked, pictured below. 

     BETHLEHEM: We entered Bethlehem (in Hebrew: “House of Bread”); (in Arabic: “House of Meat”) through a carefully guarded Israeli checkpoint. The birthplace of David and Jesus (NRSV Luke 2: 1-7), Bethlehem is six miles south of Jerusalem with a population at that time of some 30,000. This town is now walled off by the Israelis and, during our tour, seemed less prosperous.  On their side of the Israeli wall, residents of Bethlehem painted large murals expressing their hostility to their confinement, as evidenced in the picture below. 

     In Bethlehem we visited the Church of the Nativity, pictured below, considered the birth place of Christ, originally built around 331.  In 1852 the Roman Catholic, Armenian, and Greek Orthodox churches shared custody of the original church.  The three sided building today represents the Franciscan Monastery and Church of St. Catherine on the northeast side, and the Armenian Monastery and the Greek Orthodox Monastery on the southeast side. Inside, a fourteen-pointed silver star encased in white marble marks the scene of the nativity. 

Wikipedia

     We shopped at a store in Bethlehem that sold wood carvings and glassware. The owner had moved his store from Hebron to Bethlehem where he said it was safer for tourists.  The picture below is of young persons observing us as we left the store in Bethlehem, dressed differently than did some of the older citizens. 

     Upon departing Bethlehem, we toured Jerusalem midst the rain and snow, the “Upper Room,” Garden of Gethsemane with the 2,000 year old olive trees, Via Dolorosa to the cross, the Garden Tomb, outskirts of Emmaus, and Chapel of the Ascension.  Below is a picture of olive trees at Gethsemane we saw.  These trees continue to regenerate. 

     The Basilica of the Agony is also located at the Garden of Gethsemane, called the Church of All Nations because the facility was constructed from funds provided by several countries. Built in 1924, this Basilica is run by the Franciscans to commemorate the site where Jesus prayed before his arrest. “Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, `Sit here while I go over there and pray’.” (NRSV Matthew 26: 36) The Basilica of the Agony is pictured below. 

     BACK TO THE JORDAN RIVER: Matthew described how “The people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to John the Baptist, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by John in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” (NRSV 3: 1-6) John baptized converts “in Bethany across the Jordan.” (NRSV John 1: 28)  John “proclaimed, `The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me.... I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit’.” (NRSV Mark 1: 7-8) 

     When John was reluctant to administer baptism to Christ, the Galilean insisted: “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” (NRSV Matthew 23: 13-15) Later, traveling from the Sea of Galilee to the town of Caesarea Philippi at the southern base of Mount Hermon, “on the way Jesus asked his disciples, `Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, `John the Baptist ... Elijah ... one of the prophets .....’ Jesus asked them, `But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, `you are the Messiah’.  Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said this quite openly .... He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, `If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me’.” (NRSV Mark 8: 27-34)