Holy Land Pilrimage

Holy Land Pilgrimage

Holy Land Pilgrimage

Editors Note: We are making some of the pictures clickable to show a larger image. The border will change when you pass your mouse over a clickable image. Click to open, use the back arrow to return to the page.

We left the church at 6am on Monday, January 31st, enroute to Newark, NJ via Atlanta and then to Tel Aviv. So when all of you were sound asleep at 3am on Feb. 1 we were posing for the picture below in the airport. We met our wonderful tour guide, Menachem Wertheim, and, while somewhat sleepy, began our journey.

We began with a stop at Caesarea by the Sea, which was built by Herod the great in 22 BCE. There are several "Caesareas" in the Bible, as one way to ensure favor with Caesar was to name a town after him. While we will visit Caesarea Philippi later in our journey, we begin at Caesarea by the Sea. It was here that Cornielius was baptized by Peter, and Paul was also imprisoned here for 2 years before being sent to be tried in Rome. At Caesarea by the Sea we visited an ancient Roman Theater, the Aqueduct, and the Herodian Port.

From there we travel to Muchraka. According to the conventional belief of Christians, Muslims, Druze and also Jews, it is on this summit that the dramatic battle between Elijah and the prophets of Baal took place (1Kings 18): "Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God." The location houses an old monastery that belongs to the Carmelite Order, which arrived here from Europe in the 17th century. The Carmelite monastery carries the name of their patron - Prophet Elijah. The Order was established on the Carmel in the time of the Crusaders and adopted the image of Elijah, the lonely abstainer prophet who fought zealously against the heretics of his time.

We concluded our day with a drive to our hotel in Galilee for dinner and a good night of rest, as we anticipate the sites we will see the next day on and around the Sea of Galilee.

Day 2

We started our day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we got a first-hand sense of what it was like for the fishermen of Jesus' day, including his disciples. From the lake we viewed the surrounding hills and mountains and reflected on all of the stories of our faith that have taken place in this area where much of Jesus' ministry occurred. One of Jesus' famous teaching episodes, the Sermon on the Mount, is said to have taken place on a hill overlooking the lake. Many miracles are also said to have occurred here including the feeding of the 5,000. We visited sites commemorating these and other stories that gave us a personal sense of the stories and the beauty of the area. We also viewed a fisherman's boat found on the shores of the Sea of Galilee which dates back to the time of Jesus and his disciples.

We then traveled across the Jordan River to the land of Gaderenes. Then, we move on to Caesarea Philippi. It was at Caesarea Philippi that Peter made his confession of faith and identified Jesus as the Messiah. This is also the location of one of the largest springs feeding the headwaters of the Jordan River. This abundant water supply has made the area very fertile and attractive for religious worship. Numerous temples were built at this city in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods. At one time the Greek god, Pan, was worshiped here, and below you can us spread out over the remains of this former pagan worship center.

Lunch is at a local restaurant that features Tilapia, or St. Peter’s Fish as it is call here. The proprietor describes how the fish is served whole and the proper way to approach it, eyes and all. Several of us took on the challenge.

From there we visited Capernaum, the city of Jesus and Peter. It was in existence from the 2nd century BCE to the 7th century CE, and was built along the edge of the Sea of Galilee. Peter lived here, as did Andrew, James, and John; and Jesus made his home there after leaving Nazareth. The picture below show the foundation of Peter’s house preserved beneath an overarching church in the sense of “upon this rock”. Many other foundations have been excavated.

A few yards away is a 4^th century synagogue, the foundation of which dates to the synagogue where Jesus preached, where he healed the Centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in-law, and a demon-possessed man. Menachem, our guide, describes the crowds that came to see Jesus, at the place where we were standing, with such clarity that when he says “…now we go to the synagogue” your imagination sweeps you up as you walk the path where so many others followed Jesus to the temple entrance.

At the end of the day we took an exciting Jeep tour of the Golan Heights. The Golan is a basalt plateau which rises in the northeast to an average altitude of 3,000 ft. above sea level. The Golan Heights is bordered by Mt. Hermon on the north and the Yarmuk River on the south. At the northeastern corner is an inactive chain of volcanic cones, whose activities in the past created thick basalt layers, resulting in rocky terrain unsuitable for intensive agriculture. Instead, it is used mainly for cattle grazing and pasture. The situation of the Golan Heights results in a significant amount of winter rainfall, with large run-off in the spring draining to the Huleh Basin and the Sea of Galilee. The Golan Heights belonged to the country of Syria until 1967. During the Six Day War, Israel took this high ground overlooking the Huleh Basin and Sea of Galilee. Today evidence of Syrian habitation, including military bases and mosques, lie in ruins throughout the area. The region is now populated by Druze (who there before the war) and Israelis who have moved there since.

From there we returned to our hotel in Galilee for dinner and overnight stay, reflecting on our sensational day.

Day 3

This morning we head west via Cana of Galilee to Sepphoris, the birthplace of Ann, the mother of Mary. Sepphoris was the regional city at the time of Jesus. Herod Antipas chose this site in 4 B.C. as the capital of his government. Josephus said Sepphoris was the largest city in Galilee and an exceptionally strong fortress at the time of the First Revolt in 66 A.D. Sepphoris was about an hour’s walk from Nazareth. Some scholars believe that Joseph and Jesus may have helped in the reconstruction of Sepphoris. Since Herod Antipas rebuilt the city about 4 B.C., and since stone is the main building craft of the area, Joseph, living in the nearby Nazareth, was probably a builder in stone as well as wood. Interestingly, this city is not mentioned in the Bible. The current excavation is of the fourth century Roman Sepphoris. Some of the striking features shown in the photos below are the cart tracks in the main road, and remarkably well preserved mosaics including one known as the “Mona Lisa” of Sepphoris.

We made the short trip to Nazareth. Situated inside a bowl atop the Nazareth ridge north of the Jezreel valley, Nazareth was a relatively isolated village in the time of Jesus with a population less than two hundred. Today Nazareth is home to more than 60,000 Israeli Arabs, and Upper Nazareth is home to thousands more Jewish residents. It is believed that Jesus spent his boyhood years in Nazareth before beginning his ministry when he was about 30. After moving his home to Capernaum, Jesus returned to teach in the synagogue of Nazareth twice more, but was rejected both times. On one occasion the townspeople were so outraged at Jesus that they tried to throw him off a cliff to his death. We visited the Nazareth Village, a reproduction of Nazareth village at the time Jesus lived there. The foundation has taken a piece of land in the city that appears to have never been developed and carefully reproduced the grounds, Synagogue and houses to give a unique insight into the village life and agriculture as it would have been at the time of Jesus. The photos show a shepherd, Phyllis’ mother Betty in an olive foot press, carved into the bedrock, that dates to the first century. Pastor Steve tries his hand at another olive press.

We then travel via the Valley of Armageddon to the excavation at Tel Megiddo. From the earliest historical records of the area, Megiddo has assumed a prominent role. This is largely owing to its strategic location astride the Megiddo Pass and inside the busy Jezreel Valley. Needing secure access to its water supply, Megiddo utilized different water systems over its history. In the 9th c. BCE, Ahab constructed a massive system with a 30 meter deep shaft and a 70 meter long tunnel, which connected the bottom of Ahab's shaft to the spring. Before its construction, Megiddo residents had to leave the city walls in order to get water from the spring. This tunnel was hewn from both ends at the same time (like Hezekiah's Tunnel) and its builders were only one foot off when meeting in the middle. We traversed the tunnel to return to our bus.

We concluded our day with a drive along the Sea of Galilee and arrive at Yardenit, a Baptismal Site on the Jordan River. This will give us an opportunity to see and touch the waters of the Jordan River and reflect on the stories and rich history with which it is associated. We will also be reminded here, and throughout our trip, of the importance and value of water to this entire region.

Click the > or anyplace in the black to play

We return to our hotel in Galilee for dinner and overnight, as we anticipate our journey tomorrow that will ultimately take us to Jerusalem.

Day 4

We are moving to Jerusalem today, so we packed everything and everyone into the bus and set out, in the rain. There is a severe drought here so everyone was cheering the rain. Heading south we stopped at the old Roman city of Beit Shean to visit the impressive Roman Ruins. Located 17 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, Beit Shean is situated at the strategic junction of the Harod and Jordan Valleys. The fertility of the land and the abundance of water led the Jewish sages to say, "If the Garden of Eden is in the land of Israel, then its gate is Beit Shean." We saw excavations and remains of this once Roman city that was the capital of the Decapolis until destroyed by an earthquake in 749 CE. Beit Shean was also the center of Egyptian rule in the northern part of Canaan during the Late Bronze Period. It was a challenge getting pictures in the rain.

We then journey down the Jordan Valley bypassing Jericho and driving straight through Jerusalem as we travel to Bethlehem where we will have some time for lunch before visiting the Church of the Nativity, the Milk Grotto, and Shepherds' Field. We were shepherded quickly into the grotto that represents Jesus' birthplace. Here are a few photos.

Today Bethlehem is controlled by the Palestinian Authority and has a population of about 22,000. The Hebrew Bible identifies it as the city King David was from, and the New Testament Gospels of Matthew and Luke identify Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. The town is inhabited by one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, though the size of the community has shrunk over time. Bethlehem may be the same as the biblical "Ephrath," which means "fertile," as there is a reference to it in the book of Micah as "Bethlehem Ephratah." It is also known as a "City of David." It is first mentioned in the Bible as the place where the Abrahamic matriarch, Rachel, died and was buried "by the wayside," (Gen. 48:7). According to the book of Ruth, the valley to the east is where Ruth gleaned the fields and returned to town with Naomi. Bethlehem is also the place where David was anointed king by Samuel, and it was from the well of Bethlehem that three of his warriors brought him water when he was hiding in the cave of Adullam.

Having received our first glimpse of the magnificent city of Jerusalem and done a little shopping mostly for olive wood carvings, we check in at our hotel for dinner and a good night of rest.

We begin Day 5 by driving out of Jerusalem and traveling to the shores of the Dead Sea. Known in the Bible as the "Salt Sea" or the "Sea of the Arabah," this inland body of water is appropriately named because its high mineral content allows nothing to live in its waters. The Dead Sea, unlike the Sea of Galilee to the north, does not figure prominently in the biblical narratives. It’s most important role was as a barrier, blocking traffic to Judah from the east. The lowest point of dry land on the face of the earth is the shoreline of the Dead Sea at 1300 feet below sea level.

. Following that we continue to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 in a cave. Located 10 miles south of Jericho, Qumran was on a "dead-end street" and provided a perfect location for the isolationist sect of the Essenes to live for about 200 years. The site was excavated by Catholic priest Roland deVaux from 1953-56. More recent excavations of the site have taken place under the direction of Hanan Eshel.

As we leave Qumran, after viewing the remoteness of this desert area, we are in for a treat. Have you ever seen a real oasis in a real desert? Well, we did as we continued our journey in this region and visit Ein Gedi, where King David found shelter from the wrath of King Saul. Ein Gedi is the largest oasis along the western shore of the Dead Sea. The springs here have allowed nearly continuous inhabitation of the site since the Chalcolithic period. The area was allotted to the tribe of Judah, and was famous in the time of Solomon (Joshua 15:62).

From there we drove along the Dead Sea to Masada. According to Josephus, a 1st century CE Jewish Roman historian, Herod the Great fortified Masada, 1500 feet above the desert floor, between 37 and 31 BCE as a refuge for himself in the event of a revolt. The pictures below show the grain storage rooms, the palace terraces and the Roman bath.

In 66 CE, at the beginning of the First Jewish-Roman War against the Roman Empire, a group of Jewish extremists overcame the Roman garrison of Masada. After the destruction of the Second Temple, additional Zealots and their families fled Jerusalem and settled on the mountaintop. These Jewish Zealots killed themselves as opposed to surrendering, after a two year siege by the Roman armies.

We had lunch on our own, and many took the opportunity to take a float in the Dead Sea. A rare experience, but this is definitely the silly part of the trip. Hint: getting out is a lot harder than getting in.

Click the > or anyplace in the black to play

We then return to Jerusalem for dinner and a restful night.

We will spend Day 6, 7 and 8 in and around the Holy City of Jerusalem.

On Day 6 our first stop is the Mount of Olives for an absolutely breathtaking view of Jerusalem. The first event is a group picture and some camel rides for the brave ones. Then, Menachem gets into a serious overview of what we are looking at and how everything we will see today is connected.

Separated from the Eastern Hill (the Temple Mount and the City of David) by the Kidron Valley, the Mt. of Olives has always been an important feature in Jerusalem's landscape. From the 3rd millennium BCE until the present, this 2900-foot hill has served as one of the main burial grounds for the city. The two-mile long ridge has three summits, each of which has a tower built on it.

We walk down toward the valley to visit the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. Early Christian pilgrims located the Garden of Gethsemane at the bottom of the slope of the Mt. of Olives opposite the Temple Mount. Byzantine, Crusader and a modern church were built successively on the site to commemorate Jesus praying to the Father hours before his crucifixion. The modern Church of All Nations has a beautiful mosaic on its facade. Adjacent to the Church of All Nations is an ancient olive garden. Olive trees do not have rings and so their age cannot be precisely determined, but scholars estimate their age to anywhere between one and two thousand years old.

We cross the Kidron Valley and visit the Greek Orthodox Holy Monastery of Saint Stephen. Tradition is that Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr. He was stoned to death outside the city wall

We then walk along the new palisade above the west side of the Kidron Valley until we reach the southern end of the Temple Mount. Along our walk we see the Tombs of Absalom, Zechariah, and James. The Kidron Valley is located on the eastern edge of Jerusalem, between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives. Many important events of biblical history occurred in the Kidron Valley. In the Old Testament, King David crossed the Kidron Valley to escape his wicked son Absalom (2 Samuel 15:23-30). The Kidron Valley is also where King Asa burned the pagan idols and asherah poles (1 Kings 15:13) and where the evil Athaliah was executed (2 Kings 11:16). It became a major cemetery as far back as King Josiah (2 Kings 23:6). In the New Testament, Jesus traveled from Jerusalem to Bethany through the Kidron Valley to visit Lazarus and raise him from the dead (John 11 and John 12). Jesus also rode the foal of a donkey up the Kidron Valley from the Mount of Olives through the now sealed Eastern gate of Jerusalem during his “Triumphal Entry” ( Luke 19:28-44). A few days later, after the “Last Supper” with his disciples, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley to go pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was ultimately arrested ( John 18:1-11).

From the southern end of the Temple Mount it is a short walk to the City of David. Jerusalem has been continuously inhabited since at least 3000 BCE, but it was not until the time of Solomon that the city limits expanded beyond the southeastern spur, known today as the "City of David." It was chosen because of its water source as it was built around the Gihon Spring. We pass 1000 BCE ruins on our way to explore the water source by descending through the Warren Tunnel and then through a 4000 year old Canaanite tunnel

After lunch we head to south Jerusalem and Herodium National Park. This fascinating antiquities site was built by King Herod between 23 and 15 BCE. In this case “building” meant raising a mountain to its current 400 foot height, flattening the top and excavating a palace inside. After climbing to the top and exploring the palace, we once again descend via water tunnels inside the mountain to giant cisterns and then exit near the level of the desert floor. It is believed that Herod’s tomb is at Herodium.

On Day 7

We will spend most of the day inside the Old City. However, first we drove by the Knesset on our route to the Israel Museum. There, we visited the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed, as well as the elaborate model of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple.

We then drove to the Old City entering at the Lions Gate. Our first stop is the Pool of Bethesda, the site where Jesus healed the man who was lame for thirty-eight years. Adjacent to the Pool of Bethesda is the Church of Saint Anne, Mother of Mary. We stop there to sing a hymn, and visit with the priest in charge, Father Michel Lavoie.

Click the > or anyplace in the black to play

Then we are on to the Chapel of the Flagallation, a Roman Catholic church located in the eastern section of Jerusalem. The church commemorates the story of Jesus' flogging by Roman soldiers before his crucifixion. We walked through the Bazaar and along the last Station’s of the Cross on the Via Doloresa. This street commemorates where Jesus was lead in agony, carrying the cross. There are a total of 14 stations along this path, based on events that occurred on the way to Golgotha hill, the site of the crucifixion.

This journey took us to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a site venerated by some Christians as Golgotha where Jesus was crucified, and also a place commemorating the place of his burial (the sepulcher). Today the church serves as the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. Control of the building is shared between several Christian churches and secular entities in complicated arrangements, essentially unchanged for centuries. It is home to 6 denominations; Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox. The photo shows Georgia kneeling under the alter to view where the cross was placed.

We continued on to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City where we proceed to the Temple area and Mt. Moriah and see the Dome of the Rock, and a visit to the Western Wall. The Western Wall is the most holy place accessible to the Jewish people because of the Muslim control of the Temple Mount. Known in recent centuries as the "Wailing Wall," this was built by Herod the Great as the retaining wall of the Temple Mount complex. As we wait to approach the wall we are engulfed in a rain shower complete with hail stones! This is immediately followed by a rainbow over the Temple Mount. Look carefully behind the dome for the rainbow.

We continued then to Mount Zion to visit the "Room of the Last Supper" and King David's Tomb. The "Room of the Last Supper" commemorates the last meal Jesus held with his disciples, but this structure was built long after Jesus' time.

We ended our day with a visit at the Garden Tomb. The Garden Tomb is believed by some to be the garden and sepulcher of Joseph of Arimathea, and therefore a possible site of the resurrection of Jesus. The Garden is owned and administered by The Garden Tomb ( Jerusalem) Association, a Charitable Trust based in the United Kingdom. The Garden Tomb is a quiet place preserved for worship and reflection. Earlier in our journey we visited another site, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which others hold as the possible site of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Neither of these sites can claim absolute authenticity of these events archeologically, but both places can stimulate our senses as we reflect on these sacred stories and events of our faith.

At the conclusion of our visit here we gathered in a small chapel to reflect on all that we have seen and learned over the preceding week, and to celebrate communion. Steve reminds us of the ecumenism of all that we have seen. That so many faiths and cultures cross paths in this city, and whatever their differences it is their similarities and faith that is more important.

Click the > or anyplace in the black to play

We returned to the hotel for our last night in Israel.

We conclude our visit with a free day on Day 8. Several of us went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Exhibit. Others went back to the Old City for shopping. We will gathered late in the day for a farewell dinner before being transported to the airport in Tel Aviv for our journey back home.