Israel – Day 4

Thursday, May 13

We left at 8:00AM from our Hotel in Jerusalem (the Olive Tree Hotel) and traveled the short distance south to Bethlehem. We took our passports with us since we were going through Palestinian territory.

Bethlehem – Behind the Wall

There was a huge wall constructed around the area, and we had to de-bus to get on another bus driven by people of the city (probably for a number of reasons, one good guess is because we had to stop at a gift shop and spend quite some time there). If we were on our own bus, we’d be able to go and come quickly without the gift shop stop.

In the war of ’67 the Israelis captured Jerusalem. The West Bank (Palestinian controlled area) is comes pretty far west from Jordan to the interior of Israel and right up to the Jerusalem area.

The wall is sad.

A “guide” name John hopped on our bus and read the Lord’s prayer in Aramaic to us. Aramaic was the language Jesus spoke.

We drove to the Shepherd’s Field because we found out (last minute) that the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was closed for ceremonies (not the regular part of the church, but the place underneath where it is held traditionally that Jesus was born.

Shepherd’s Field was great (better than the Church of the Nativity).

Some insights to Bethlehem:

• There are three different processions at the Church of the Nativity: Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Aramaic.
• The announcement to the shepherds of Jesus’ Birth is thought to have been in the Shepherd’s Field area we visited.
• In the same area, the story of Ruth and Boaz occurred.
• Jacob’s wife Rachel died in the Bethlehem giving birth to Benjamin.
• It is called the City of Kings.
• Bethlehem is about 800 meters above sea level.
• The area of Bethlehem is full of caves, we saw and entered into a few.
• Caves there are warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
• Caves were easily expanded due to the soft nature of the limestone.
• It sometimes snows in Bethlehem.
• It’s 75 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem (a 4 day trip).
• Joseph and Mary came during Passover.
• The firstborn of the sheep were to be set aside for sacrifice.

Jesus, the Lamb of God was born among the fields of sheep set for sacrifice in the temple. Placed in a Manger, He would be the one to feed Israel.

We sang “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Silent Night” at the Shepherd’s Fields.

The Greek Orthodox and the Catholic traditions place the exact spot of the birth in different, but very close, locations underneath the church. We would see Greek Orthodox side through a hole in the door, but that’s all we got because they were cleaning it for ceremonies.

After leaving Bethlehem and passing the wall again, two machine-bearing soldiers at the checkpoint walked down the aisle of the bus checking for something (probably that we weren’t bringing unauthorized personnel with us). Our Israeli tour guide said, “don’t worry, they’re nice guys” and the soldiers smiled.

Driving Through Jerusalem and the Walls of the Old City

We headed into Jerusalem on our way to Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Our Israeli guide said that Jerusalem has been occupied or conquered by the:

• Persians
• Hellenists
• Romans
• Byzantines
• Moslems
• Christians/Crusaders
• Moslems Again

The walls of the city were rebuilt by Suleiman (sounds a lot like Solomon when pronounced) the Magnificent, so when you look at the walls, you’re not seeing the original walls, however, some of the foundations remain and some of the old stones from Herod’s period were re-used.

From Wikipedia:

The Damascus Gate (also known as Shechem Gate or Nablus Gate) (Hebrew: שער שכם‎, Sha’ar Shkhem, Arabic: باب العامود‎, Bab-al-Amud, meaning Gate of the Column) is an important gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The modern gate was built in 1542 by the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent.

The original gate was presumably built in Second Temple times. The Romans built a new gate at the time of Hadrian, in the second century AD. In front of the gate stood a Roman victory column, shown on the Madaba Map, thus giving the gate its name in Arabic to this day, Bab el-Amud, The Column Gate. The column has never been found, but the Roman gate can be seen today, due to excavations made during the British mandate. This was the northern entrance gate to the city at the time of the Crusades.

The gate has two towers, each equipped with machicolations. It is located at the edge of the Arab bazaar and marketplace. In contrast to the Jaffa Gate, where stairs rise towards the gate, in the Damascus Gate, the stairs descend towards the gate. In 1972, right-wing activist Rabbi Meir Kahane proposed that mezuzot be attached to the gate, to secure the Jewish claim to the gate. After repeated protests from Arab residents, the Israeli government refused to consider Kahane’s proposal. Today, only three of the Old City’s gates have mezuzot attached.

While the proper English name of the gate is “Damascus Gate”, in Hebrew it is called Sha’ar Shechem, meaning “Shechem (Nablus) Gate”. Israeli media therefore frequently refer to the gate as ‘Shechem (Nablus) Gate’ in English language publications as well. In either case, the name refers to a city north of Jerusalem, since the Damascus Gate is the main north-facing gate of the Old City. Source: Damascus Gate. (2010, April 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:46, June 1, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Damascus_Gate&oldid=354829291

We passed by the Damascus Gate a number of times on our trip.

Hezekiah’s Tunnel and the Pool of Siloam

I had to put in the video of the lockers at Hezekiah’s tunnel, because it would have been just fine to leave our stuff on the bus. I think only one person changed their clothes afterwards (while everyone else waited), we brought our stuff because we thought we’d need it after the tunnel, but we just got back on the bus. It was hilarious as we tried to find the Shekels to activate the lockers.

We walked underneath the locker area to an excavation area. It was quite a journey just to get to the tunnel.

We came out of the scaffolding area, and sat and listened to Jack teach for a while…I really wish I would have had my notebook then which was back in the locker.

We entered a tunnel to get to the tunnel…

The video below is the entrance to the tunnel and the water. The first few feet had a metal walkway to go out over the water, and then it was time to get a little wet.

We had little flash lights that didn’t provide enough light for the camera. It was a little hard to hold the flashlight, film with the camera, and try not to hit my head on the ceiling.

From Wikipedia:

Hezekiah’s Tunnel, or the Siloam Tunnel is a tunnel that was dug underneath the Ophel in Jerusalem before 701 BC during the reign of Hezekiah. It is mentioned in the Bible. The tunnel has been securely dated both by the written inscription and by dating organic matter contained in the original plastering. It is one of the few intact, 8th century BC structures in the world that the public can not only visit, but enter and walk through.

The tunnel, leading from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, was designed to act as an aqueduct to provide Jerusalem with water during an impending siege by the Assyrians, led by Sennacherib. The curving tunnel is 533 m long, and by using a 30 cm (0.6%) gradient altitude difference between each end, conveyed water along its length from the spring to the pool.

According to an inscription (the Siloam inscription) found within it, the tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. The inscription is partly unreadable at present, and may originally have conveyed more information than this. It is clear from the tunnel itself that several directional errors were made during its construction. Recent scholarship has discredited the idea that that the tunnel may have been formed by substantially widening a pre-existing natural karst.

The difficult feat of making two teams digging from opposite ends meet far underground is now understood to have been accomplished by directing the two teams from above using sounds generated by hammering on the solid karst through which the tunnelers were digging.

The ancient city of Jerusalem, being on a mountain, is naturally defensible from almost all sides, but suffers from the drawback that its major source of fresh water, the Gihon spring, is on the side of the cliff overlooking the Kidron Valley. This presents a major military weakness as the city walls, if high enough to be defensible, must necessarily leave the Gihon spring outside, thus leaving the city without a fresh water supply in case of siege.

The Bible says that King Hezekiah (c. 8th century BC), fearful that the Assyrians would lay siege to the city, blocked the spring’s water outside the city and diverted it through a channel into the then Pool of Siloam. However, it is now known (as of 1997) that the earlier Warren’s shaft system had already heavily fortified the Gihon Spring; Warren’s shaft is not an aqueduct, and requires those desiring water to travel up and down it themselves – an arrangement that Hezekiah seemingly must have considered inadequate.

In 1899, another tunnel, also leading from the Gihon Spring to the Siloam Pool area, but by a more direct route, was found. This latter tunnel is now known as the Middle Bronze Age channel, on account of its estimated age; Reich determined that it was constructed around 1800 BC (in the Middle Bronze Age), and thus that the spring’s water had already been diverted many centuries before Hezekiah. It is essentially a 20 feet deep ditch in the ground, which after construction was covered over by large rock slabs (which were then hidden in the foliage). It is narrower, but can still be walked by a human for most of its length. In addition to the (3 ft high) exit near the Siloam pool, the channel has several small outlets that watered the gardens facing the Kidron Valley[10]. Hezekiah’s tunnel in effect acts as a replacement for this channel, the ability for an assailant to discover the roof slabs being a weak point.

Hezekiah’s tunnel, discovered in 1838 by the American biblical scholar Edward Robinson, can be walked through today from end to end.

The Bible verses relating to Hezekiah’s tunnel are these:

“And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?” 2 Kings 20:20

“And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?” 2 Chronicles 32:2-4

“This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.” 2 Chronicles 32:30

Source: Hezekiah’s Tunnel. (2010, May 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:41, June 1, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hezekiah%27s_Tunnel&oldid=364944116

We were in the tunnel for a while, and really, it was the deepest at the very beginning and the very end. The rest of the water was up to our ankles or lower shins. I was surprised that it wasn’t slippery inside or mossy. The water clips through at a pretty good rate. I was able to keep dry, but we’re told that the water level varies throughout the year.

From Wikipedia:

Pool of Siloam (Hebrew: בריכת השילוח‎) (Breikhat Hashiloah) is a rock-cut pool on the southern slope of the City of David, the original site of Jerusalem, located outside the walls of the Old City to the southeast. The pool was fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring, carried there by two aqueducts.

The Pool of Siloam is mentioned several times in the Bible. Isaiah 8:6 mentions the pool’s waters, while Isaiah 22:9 ff. references the construction of Hezekiah’s tunnel. For Christians, the pool has additional significance as it is mentioned in the Gospel of John, as the location to which Jesus sent a man who had been blind from birth, as part of the act of healing him.

A substantial remodeling of the pool was constructed in the 5th century, under Byzantine direction, and is said to have been built at the behest of the Empress Aelia Eudocia. This pool, having been somewhat abandoned and left to ruin, partly survives to the present day; surrounded by a high wall of stones on all sides (except for an arched entrance to Hezekiah’s tunnel – which was only rediscovered in the 19th century). Source: Pool of Siloam. (2010, May 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:52, June 1, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pool_of_Siloam&oldid=362794682

After exiting the tunnel, you can go see the Pool of Siloam one way and also see the other way an excavation of 2,000 year old steps leading up the temple. Steps that it was likely that the Savior would have walked.

We then drove through the city up above to look over the city.

Church of All Nations on the Mount of Olives which houses the bedrock where it is believed that Jesus Prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane

Looking out Over the City…With a Camel

We drove to a point that overlooks the temple mount and old city, and the guy that has a Camel was there (apparently, this is the spot for riding a camel that people come to for pictures).

On the way there, we learned about the prodigal son.

We could see the Mercy Gate from where we were. Our Israeli tour guide referred to it always as the Mercy Gate. I thought it was called the Golden Gate. After researching on Wikipedia, we recently found the difference in the terms:

The Golden Gate, as it is called in Christian literature, is the oldest of the current gates in Jerusalem’s Old City Walls. According to Jewish tradition, the Shekhinah (שכינה) (Divine Presence) used to appear through this gate, and will appear again when the Messiah comes (Ezekiel 44:1–3) and a new gate replaces the present one; that is why Jews used to pray for mercy at the former gate at this location. Hence the name Sha’ar Harachamim (שער הרחמים), the Gate of Mercy. In Christian apocryphal texts, the gate was the scene of a meeting between the parents of Mary, so that Joachim and Anne Meeting at the Golden Gate became a standard subject in cycles depicting the Life of the Virgin. It is also said that Jesus passed through this gate on Palm Sunday. In Arabic, it is known as the Gate of Eternal Life. In ancient times, the gate was known as the Beautiful Gate.

Remains of a much older gate dating to the times of the Second Jewish Temple were found. The present one was probably built in the 520s AD, as part of Justinian I’s building program in Jerusalem, on top of the ruins of the earlier gate in the wall. An alternate theory holds that it was built in the later part of the 7th century by Byzantine artisans employed by the Umayyad khalifs.

The gate is located in the middle of the eastern side of the Temple Mount. The portal in this position was believed to have been used for ritual purposes in biblical times.
In Jewish tradition, this is the gate through which the Messiah will enter Jerusalem. Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I sealed off the Golden Gate in 1541 to prevent the Messiah’s entrance. The Muslims also built a cemetery in front of the gate, in the belief that the precursor to the Messiah, Elijah, would not be able to pass through, since he is a Kohen. This belief is erroneous because a Kohen is permitted to enter a cemetery in which primarily non-Jews are buried.

The Golden Gate is one of the few sealed gates in Jerusalem’s Old City Walls, along with the Huldah Gates, and a small Biblical and Crusader-era postern located several stories above ground on the southern side of the eastern wall. Source: Golden Gate (Jerusalem). (2010, May 16). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:56, June 1, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Golden_Gate_(Jerusalem)&oldid=362510418

We got back to our hotel, and after dinner, decided to walk into the Old City. We made it to the Old City just in time for the shops to close. We entered through the Damascus Gate.

To read about the other days in our trip, click below:

The Airport
Israel – Day 1
Israel – Day 2
Israel – Day 3
Israel – Day 4
Israel – Day 5
Israel – Day 6
Israel – Day 7

Read More

Israel Trip – Day 3

Wednesday, May 12

We started out the day at 8:00 on the bus to Capernaum. We packed all our stuff on the bus as this would be our last day in the Galilee for the trip.

Capernaum on the Shore of the Sea of Galilee

Jesus lived in Capernaum, the story of Jairus’ Daughter occurred there, the woman with the issue of blood, and the men with the friend with palsy.

We arrived at Capernaum at 8:24am. We visited the synagogue where Jesus would have most likely entered. A newer structure had been built above, but the original stone foundations from the time of Christ still are visible.

You can see the dark stone below.

Mark 5:22 took place in Capernaum. The ruler of the synagogue came for the help of Jesus. As told in Matt 10:17, the disciples are warned about scourging in the synagogue, so the leaders weren’t necessarily friendly to the early Christians stirring things up. Nevertheless, the ruler of the synagogue at Capernaum came to Jesus, probably very desperate.

Jesus didn’t chastise him, just came, but on the way to the house of Jairus (the leader of the synagogue), a woman with an issue of blood came as the masses of people followed and touched the hem of Jesus’ clothes. The woman would have been unclean according to their society, unable to touch anyone without making them unclean…isolated…alone. What is Jairus thinking as the Lord is delayed and speaks to this woman. In verse 35, the party is informed that the girl, the daughter of Jairus died. Jesus says be not afraid, only believe.

When they make it to Jairus’ house, Peter, James, and John are allowed to come in, and the professional mourners and crowd laugh when Jesus says she is sleeping. Where there is no faith, there is no miracle, and those people are asked to leave.

An extremely influential man in the city, Jairus, is told not to tell about the miracle he had just witnessed of his daughter being raised from the dead.

From Mark 5:

22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.
24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?
36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.
37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.
38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.
39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.
40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.
42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.
43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

There may have been 500-1,000 people living in Capernaum. Capernaum was warned because of disbelief.

It was awesome to see carvings in stone of the star of David and the Ark of the Covenant.

We had the opportunity to walk throughout the site. The “buzz saw” noise in the background is from the gardener cutting down some leaves off the palm trees.

It was very interesting to see the traditional site for Peter’s house. A church is now built over it with a glass center to look down on the remains of the house.

The area of Peter’s house is quite small; the surrounding area includes streets and other houses.

Capernaum is right on the shore of Galilee.

From Capernaum, we traveled along the coast into the city of Haifa arriving around 10:30am.

I had to get a video of the absolute beauty of the shore along the Mediterranean Sea.

Haifa on the Coast of the Mediterranean Sea

The Elders in Israel

We made a very special stop in Haifa to honor two LDS missionaries who died and were buried in Israel. It’s a wonderful story, that I can’t do justice here, but because these two elders preached, died (of disease), and were buried in Israel, in the late 1800′s, the LDS Church could prove that it had a presence in Israel before the State of Israel was created in 1948 and thus could be one of the few official recognized religions in the State (even though there is no active proselyting).

The names of the elders buried in the cemetery are Adolf Haag who died Oct 3 1892 and John Clark died Feb 8 1895.

They were buried in a German cemetery in Haifa. There was a small German colony there who called themselves the Templers (not Knight Templars) because they had the “temple in their hearts.”

Haifa is a very tolerant city and home to the Bahai Gardens.

After the cemetery visit at 11:17AM, we were on our way to Mount Carmel. I have to admit, I was trying to think what happened on Mount Carmel, but I found out that it has to do with one of my favorite stories from the Old Testament.

We ascended up quite a bit to get to the mountain from Haifa.

Mount Carmel and the Story of Elijah

Our bus took us up to Mount Carmel and we got out and climbed the stairs of a building to a lookout point on the roof where we could see the Jezreel Valley and Further off, Armageddon.

The story of Mount Carmel dates back to the Old Testament to the Time of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of the Northern Israelite Kingdom. They endorsed idol worship and killed all the prophets but Elijah. Elijah had to hide, and ravens brought him food in the drought that came upon the land.

Elijah was the last of the prophets in their land.

The people worshiped Baal the male deity symbolized by a bullock.  Ashtoreth was the female counterpart to Baal. Priests of Baal represented Baal and the priestesses represented Ashtoreth. Adding “im” to Baal makes it plural; Baalim would probably refer to both these deities. Their worship before these idols was not kowtowing before wooden statues, it was pure abomination.

Elijah was the last of the prophets not hunted down in their land.

Some historians think that to trick the people, some priests would carve tunnels underneath their altars and ignite the altar in a false display of their deity’s power. Elijah commanded that the altar he built be doused in water.

From 1 Kings 18:

17 ¶ And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.
19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.
20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 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.
39 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.
40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

The following chapter details the story of the “still small voice.”

Back on the bus at 12:50, we were reminded of the story of Deborah and Barak from judges that occurred in the valley that we saw.

We stopped nearby and had lunch at an excellent restaurant; we enjoyed falafels. This restaurant was our only lunch stop on our entire tour. It would simply take too much time to feed our large group. We headed out at 1:43PM to Caesarea Maritima.

Caesarea Maritima so Beautiful

At Caesarea Maritima, there was a stone found called the Pilot with an inscription of Pilot’s name and title.

Caesarea was one of the most beautiful places that we visited…the color of the stone and sand against the beautiful blue of the Mediterranean Sea was stunning.

From Wikipedia:

Herod built his palace on a promontory jutting out into the sea, with a decorative pool surrounded by stoas. In 13 BC, Caesarea became the civilian and military capital of Iudaea Province (sometimes spelled Judaea), and the official residence of the Roman procurators and governors, Pontius Pilatus, praefectus and Antonius Felix. Josephus describes the harbor as being as large as the one at Piraeus, the major harbor of Athens. Remains of the principal buildings erected by Herod and the medieval town are still visible today, including the city walls, the castle and a Crusader cathedral and church.

Archaeological excavations in the 1950s and 1960s uncovered remains from many periods, in particular, a complex of Crusader fortifications and a Roman theatre. Other buildings include a temple dedicated to Caesar; a hippodrome rebuilt in the 2nd century as a more conventional theater; the Tiberieum, which has a limestone block with a dedicatory inscription. This is the only archaeological find with an inscription mentioning the name “Pontius Pilatus”; a double aqueduct that brought water from springs at the foot of Mount Carmel; a boundary wall; and a 200 ft (60 m) wide moat protecting the harbour to the south and west. The harbor was the largest on the eastern Mediterranean coast. Caesarea grew rapidly, becoming the largest city in Judea, with an estimated population of 125,000 over an urban area of 3.7 square kilometers.
In 66 AD, a massacre of Jews here and the desecration of the local synagogue led to the disastrous Jewish revolt.

Vespasian declared it a colony and renamed it Colonia Prima Flavia Augusta Caesarea.

In 70 AD, after the doomed Jewish revolt had been suppressed, games were held here to celebrate the victory of Titus. Many Jewish captives taken during the revolt were brought to Caesarea Maritima and 2500 were slaughtered in Gladiatorial games.

Early Christian mentions of Caesarea in the apostolic period follow the acts of Peter who established the church there when he baptized Cornelius the Centurion (Acts, 10, 11). The Apostle Paul often sojourned there (9:30; 18:22; 21:8), and was imprisoned at Caesarea for two years before being taken to Rome (23:23, 25:1-13).

Source: Caesarea Maritima. (2010, May 26). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:41, May 31, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caesarea_Maritima&oldid=364290583

We sang “Elders of Israel” (and have a few spectators join us in the hippodrome) as Caesarea is the place where the gates of Christianity opened to the world.

From Acts 10:

1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:
6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.
7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
8 And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 ¶ On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate,
18 And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.
19 ¶ While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and ago with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
29 Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?
30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.
33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.
34 ¶ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
44 ¶ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

It was noted on our itinerary that Paul testified to King Agrippa in Caesarea.

After exploring Caesarea, we hopped on the bus at 3:20 PM and drove a very short distance to the aqueduct that fed water to the city.

At 3:50PM were were back on the bus headed for Jerusalem.

We passed by some of the West Bank on our way south to Jerusalem.

This day was Jerusalem day, so we expected heavy traffic.

Entering Jerusalem for the First Time

At 5:41 PM we entered Jerusalem, passing the BYU Jerusalem center, the Judean Wilderness off in the distance, the Dome of the Rock.

Our Jewish guide played this music (featured in the video) when we arrived overlooking the city, and for some reason, I thought it quite dramatic, and look back on it with a good laugh.

At about 6PM, we arrived at our hotel.

To read about the other days in our trip, click below:

The Airport
Israel – Day 1
Israel – Day 2
Israel – Day 3
Israel – Day 4
Israel – Day 5
Israel – Day 6
Israel – Day 7

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Israel Trip – Day 2

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

We started out each day early (and earlier and earlier).  On the bus at 8:10AM, we made our way to the River Jordan.

The River Jordan near Galilee

The River Jordan flows water from the Sea of Galilee down south to the Dead Sea (extremely salty lake).  The only other lakes similar to this are found in Salt Lake where Utah Lake flows water north through the Jordan River and empties into the Great Salt Lake (very salty lake).

We drove past the south part of the Sea of Galilee and our Jewish Guide Dina explained that in this area is where the first Kibbutz was established where everything was kept in common among the inhabitants. Dina came from a similar establishment called a Moshav.

From Wikipedia:

A kibbutz (Hebrew: קיבוץ, קִבּוּץ, lit. “gathering, clustering”; plural kibbutzim) is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism. In recent decades, many kibbutzim have been privatized and changes have been made in the communal lifestyle. A member of a kibbutz is called a kibbutznik. (Kibbutz. (2010, May 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:34, May 25, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kibbutz&oldid=362604342)

We arrived at the River Jordan at the place called Yardenit at 8:27AM (there was a clock on the bus, so it made it easy to annotate the time).

We were reminded of the story of Naaman who, to be healed, needed to bathe/wash 7 times in the river. I wonder if it was reminiscent of the mikvah or ritual bath (we’ll have firsthand experience with that later in the trip).

We stood upon the upper banks of the river, and could see very large fish lazy swimming and gently breaching the surface of the river. The area was gorgeous.

Tradition holds that Jesus was baptized near Beth-barah (Bethabara) “House of Crossing” in the more desert South close to the Dead Sea where the Israelites crossed the River Jordan (symbolic of their baptism/covenant, think how ancient sacrifices were cut in two and the parties making a covenant would walk between the two parts). The area of the Dead Sea is also the lowest point on earth (“descending below all things”).

Even though the location we visited here was not where Jesus was likely baptized, it was still neat to go to the River Jordan and touch the waters.

We saw groups preparing and performing baptisms there.

After Yardenit at the River Jordan, we hopped back on the bus and headed almost due east as the crow flies to Nazareth.

Nazareth was a small village and had perhaps a few hundred to four hundred inhabitants, so when it was asked if anything good could come from Nazareth, now you know, it was very small in the hills of the Galilee.

On the way there, we learned a lot about the women of the New Testament and talked about the practices of the day related to marriage and the many customs surrounding who would have been involved at the marriage at Cana.

Nazareth and the Nazareth Village

In Nazareth, there is a spring, apparently just one spring that would be an A+ site that Jesus would have visited. There is a church built over the spring now.

At 11:10AM we visited the Nazareth Village, and what a wonderful experience that was! I’ve posted some videos to give you an idea.

Our guide at the village was from Wisconsin. Many of the people there are volunteers. At the end of the tour they gave us an oil lamp.  We filled our lamp with olive oil and lit it today; it works very well and smells good.

With our handy Flip Video Camera, we captured a little bit of what the village looked like.

They uncovered an actual wine press in at the site that our guide is standing over and talking about.

Inside where the olive oil was produced was incredible. I couldn’t believe the complex equipment they had back then.

Learning about the Olive Press (featured below) was one of my favorite parts.

In the video below, we meet “Joseph” the builder working in his shop.

We learned of the controversy that might have surrounded Jesus’ birth in a small town where many people might have considered him an illegitimate child. Years later it seems that the Sadducees put a little dig in when they say “we are not born of fornication.”

The top three sins of the day then were:

1. Blaspheme
2. Murder
3. Adultery/Fornication

Mary went to Jerusalem for 3 months after the announcement she would carry the Christ, we she returned, she and Joseph were married, so Jesus would have been born 6 months after Mary and Joseph were married–a fact that would have traveled far in a small village.

Precipice Mount of Nazareth

After the Nazareth Village, we traveled the short distance up the hill to the Precipice Mount where it is traditionally held that the people of Nazareth tried to throw Jesus off the hill.

Luke 4 recounts that the people were offended at his teaching in the synagogue and were filled with wrath.  It’s not recorded that there was a trial, they ran as a crowd to push him off the top of the hill. Throwing people off a small cliff and then throwing rocks on them was a form of execution.  Jesus was pushed in mass up to the top of a very large hill but disappeared in the midst.

Jesus was probably one of nine in the family (James, Joses, Judah, Simon and two or perhaps three sisters), and it states that his siblings (some or all) didn’t believe him, so their family had challenges as well.  Later (after the resurrection?) James (book of James) and Judah (Book of Jude) became apostles.

The Mount of the Beatitudes near the Sea of Galilee

At about 2:30PM we headed to the Mount of the Beatitudes and arrived there at 3:30PM. We learned a lot there (six pages of notes) and throughout the whole trip (way too much to write here, but I kept it in my journal I had with me).

Just to show how much climbing up and down the bus had to do, there’s a lot of elevation gain and loss throughout the area. You can briefly see the Sea of Galilee down below

Capernaum was just down towards the Sea of Galilee from where we were.

On the Sea of Galilee at Night

At 4:50PM we were back at the Hotel and ready to go out at about 7:50PM down to the shore for a ride on the “Jesus Boat” out onto the Sea of Galilee.

There was a big fire on the hill high that night. We saw huge flames rising high as we walked down to the boat. To the credit of their fire service, it was put out by the time we got back.  We were impressed.

To the disciples on the water, Jesus came in the 4th watch, the last watch, after their test…a “4th watch deliverer.” After their trial and having to wait to the last watch, they testify with certainty.   Peter walked on these waters with Jesus.

We sang “Master the Tempest is Raging” while on the boat in the dark of the night.

The high for the day was between 82-86 degrees Fahrenheit, and it wasn’t as windy as the previous day.

To read about the other days in our trip, click below:

The Airport
Israel – Day 1
Israel – Day 2
Israel – Day 3
Israel – Day 4
Israel – Day 5
Israel – Day 6
Israel – Day 7

Read More

Israel Trip – Day 1

Monday, May 10th

We finally made it to Israel!  After staying up pretty much all night at the airport, flying all day and night, and then arriving in Tel Aviv in the morning, we were very tired.

The Tel Aviv airport was well designed with beautiful stone inside and a fountain that would rain water down from the ceiling into a pool.

On the Road Again…

From the airport, we hopped on a charter bus owned by Ron (our driver) and headed up to the city of Tiberias on the shore of the Galilee.  To stay hydrated throughout the trip, Ron had a cooler as part of the bus that we could take a bottle of water from for a dollar.

It was quite hazy in the country and was mid 70′s Fahrenheit at 7am.  We headed North on the Freeway which was very well kept.  It takes about 5 hours to drive the entire length of the country.  Our drive to Tiberias was between 1 and two hours if I remember right.

Dina was our Israeli tour guide.  I’m not sure if it’s by law or just good practice, but we had two tour guides, Dina, who is a licensed tour guide who is Jewish and Bro. Marshall who is from the States and gave us a lot of the spiritual insights.

We passed a lot of Arabic villages noted by the minarets which are to be the tallest structures in the town by Muslim custom.

The land really is multi-cultural.  Muslims, Jews, and Christians were on our flight to Israel.  Many service groups were on their way.  It was great–a different group of people compared to a flight to Vegas.

We saw one of the large separation walls along the freeway that separates Palestinian/Arab territory from the Jewish sector.  Our guide liked that the fact that the wall has reduced certain crimes, according to her, by 90%.  Palestinians are not forced to live in those sectors, but those who were living there now have to go through security checks to get out.

Along the drive, we noted pomegranate trees as well as lots and lots of olive trees.  The olive trees are everywhere!

We had our handy-dandy Flip video camera with us. The video camera was handy to pull out and take some quick video, but since it’s so small, it can be shaky at times.

Driving up to the Galilee area we passed through the Jezreel valley which very green and cultivated with farms.  If you picture a dessert place, it’s not northern Israel; it’s beautiful with flowers along the roads and fields of crops.

Our guide Dina explained a lot on our bus ride but kept asking if we wanted to hear more because we looked so tired.

I took notes like a madman because I wanted to capture everything and thought that after a long plane ride back, things would get pretty fuzzy.  We had a wonderful leather journal to take notes in.

The City of Tiberias (Anyone Remember Captain James T. Kirk’s middle name, anyone?)

Dina stated that Tiberias was established around 6 AD by Herod Antipas and was named after Emperor Tiberias.  Jews started to live in the city in 200 AD.

We arrived at our Hotel, the Leonardo Plaza which had a great view of the Sea of Galilee (which is actually a lake, not a sea).

After arriving and a quick break, we headed out at 10AM to drive further North to Tel Dan see 1 Kings 11-12.

Tel Dan and the Golan Heights

At Tel Dan, there were ancient Canaanite walls that pre-date the Jewish settlements of the Bible.

We saw lots of stone throughout our drive and learned that “carpenter” which is what Joseph was called can actually be translated Stone Mason or builder which makes more sense because there’s a lot of rocks, and not all that many trees around that time.  Jesus used a lot of metaphors regarding stone and building, not so much about wood or carpentry.

On our drive, I noted that there were lots of doves in the country (we’ll come back to that further in the trip).

An interesting fact is that 93% of the land is owned by the Israeli government and is leased back to the people in 99-year leases.  That way the government can protect from a foreign entity buying up all the land.

We got off the bus at a biological preserve at the headwaters to the Jordan River.

The spring there is called Dan’s Spring. We saw fig trees and leaves there, and I was surprised how big the leaves were.

We learned about the crossing of the River Jordan of the children of Israel and the significance of walking between the two parts of the river as it relates to the cutting of covenants and sacrifices in ancient days.  The children of Israel probably crossed in a different area (Bethbara = House of Place of Crossing where Jesus may have also been baptized), but the lessons were very poignant.

We say a replica of the altar (well, the frame of the altar at least) placed at Dan in the place and among the ruins where it would have stood.  The altar was huge.

Sacrifice would be burnt upon the altar.  Because of a political rift in the country anciently, an altar was set up in Dan so the people in the North wouldn’t have to go to the Southern Country of Israel to the temple.

We stood by the ancient Canaanite walls.  The spies initially sent into the land of Canaan by the Israelites were concerned very much about the walls around the cities.  But the physical wall weren’t so much a problem as the mental wall the spies couldn’t overcome.  As was shown in Jericho far to the South, the physical walls were never the problem.

The Golan Heights area was the area we were pretty much in and could see areas that our guide pointed out that had been problematic in current day military operations.

Caesarea Philippi, Whom do men say that I am?

We then drove to Caesarea Philippi (which is not the Caesarea Maritima on the shore).  The Bible Dictionary Maps Section has a picture of this place and is a likely candidate for the location where Jesus asked his disciples, “Whom do men say that I am?”

We learned that the Romans had some pretty big temples right in the spot that would make the area look quite different than the present day.  The temple there was called the Temple of Pan (I thought it would make our kids think of Peter Pan).

Bethsaida and the 2,000 Year Old Street

We then drove to Bethsaida (remember this is all part of the first day, and we’d have wonderful spiritual lessons at each stop).

The ancient ruins of the city are near the Galilee, but quite a bit up above the shore.  A Wikipedia article suggests that the waters were much higher back then.

There, we walked across a two thousand year old street there.

Peter’s house is identified by many as in Capernaum, so some believe that there might have been two Bethsaidas, one close or included in Capernaum (see Wikipedia Bethsaida http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethsaida).

The miracle of the feeding of the multitude may have taken place at the Bethsaida we visited.

In Bethsaida of Galilee is where Philip, Andrew, and Peter dwelt.

The ancient ruins of the city are near the Galilee, but quite a bit up above.  A Wikipedia article suggest that the waters were much higher back then.

There, we walked across a 2 thousand year old street there.  Peter’s house is identified by many as in Capernaum, so some believe that there might have been two Bethsaidas, one close or included in Capernaum (see Wikipedia Bethsaida http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethsaida).

The miracle of the feeding of the multitude may have taken place at the Bethsaida we visited.

In Bethsaida of Galilee is where Philip, Andrew, and Peter dwelt.

On the Shore of the Sea Where Jesus Walked…

Winding down our first day (remember we really hadn’t been able to sleep since the night of May 7th and it’s now May 10th), we headed to Tabga along the shore of the Lake,…er…Sea of Galilee.  There was a beautiful garden there and church called the Primacy of Peter.  This is the traditional area where Jesus told Peter to “Feed my sheep.”

We got to take our shoes off there and wade out into the Sea of Galilee.

Back on the bus, we drove by Magdala, Mary of Magdalene’s home town.

Back in Tiberias…

When back at the hotel, we checked the weather and it said the high for the day was 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

We were blasted a bit by the East Wind there, a very hot wind.  Wow!  What a day!

To read about the other days in our trip, click below:

The Airport
Israel – Day 1
Israel – Day 2
Israel – Day 3
Israel – Day 4
Israel – Day 5
Israel – Day 6
Israel – Day 7

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Israel Trip – It Began at the Airport

Airplanes are amazing. Think about it; you sit in a chair traveling 500 miles per hour at 30,000 feet above the earth. It’s amazing!

Our family took a trip to Israel, and I’ll be back-posting pictures of the trip, starting with the place where those amazing airplanes start…The Airport…

Unfortunately, at the airport, our airplane had some mechanical problems, so the airline switched out the plane. The flight was delayed and it was getting late, approaching midnight.

We had to go through security again before boarding since the flight was going to Israel.

We sat on the plane, but the plane had a mechanical problem that they were working on.

Unfortunately, it took so long that the pilots and crew timed out (some sort of overtime policy), and we had to wait for new pilots, but maintenance was still working on getting the mechanical problem fixed.

Unfortunately, they announced that the problem couldn’t be fixed, but perhaps they’d get us on another plane at 5am. 5am got bumped to 7am, so we spent the evening on the floor at the airport.

The 7am takeoff was delayed because they needed to get the food on board. It was a hoot to watch the upset customers complain. We were finally boarded, but we still had to wait for the food to be loaded.

Finally, everything was loaded and we were on our way for a 12-13 hour flight.

Our original schedule had us landing in the evening in Israel and then we could sleep.

With the delay, we landed in the morning and off to a full schedule, so that brings us to Day 1 in Israel.

To read about the other days in our trip, click below:

The Airport
Israel – Day 1
Israel – Day 2
Israel – Day 3
Israel – Day 4
Israel – Day 5
Israel – Day 6
Israel – Day 7

Read More

Disneyland 2010

We had a great time going to Disneyland this year.  We participated in the Disney Give a Day Get a Disney Day volunteer program.  Angie and I gave a day of service, and Disney gave us two free tickets to the park, so we went down with the kids and enjoyed two days at Disneyland.  Grandma and Grandpa came for one of the days too!

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