| Submitted by: Mark NowakUnited States |
| Submission Date: 11 February 2005 |
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On each of the walls is written a Beatitude. Before we left, several busloads of people arrived -- some 375 pilgrims from the States. I talked with one of the ministers. He said that they were going to remember the event where it happened by recalling it while sitting on the side of the mount. Actually the 'mount' seemed just like a big hill to me. Later on our way to Capernaum I could see them sitting on the side of the hill.
We then made our way back towards the kibbutz to the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves (built at the spot where Jesus was able to feed thousands) at Tabgha. The first church built there was built in the 4th century. There were many old mosaics in the floor. Tradition has it that the altar in the sanctuary is built over the stone where Christ stood during the multiplication of the loaves. The front of it has a mosaic depicting a basket containing loaves of bread flanked by two fish.
The ruins of Capernaum were made of fairly dark rocks which meant that they were volcanic in origin. The path to the entrance of the ancient town had many yellow flowers along one side of it. This was the town where Jesus lived and began his ministry. It was here that Rami told us about how the Jews avoid making images of animals or human body parts because of their religious law to stay clear of idolatry. He also gave us some theories as to how the Star of David became the symbol of King David. One theory suggested that the way kings used to sign their names would be to use the first and last letter of their names. In David's case, he could use the Greek letter delta and an upside-down delta to make the Star, but this theory doesn't work because the Greeks came much later. A more likely theory is that since the symbol also existed in the further East in India, it came from there. There is a monument (the Octagon of Peter) built over the traditional spot of St. Peter's house and ruins of a synagogue that is thought to be built over a synagogue Jesus would have attended. Besides the religious spots, there were also various relics like an ancient olive press on display.
We then drove south along the Sea of Galilee to the point where it empties into the Jordan River. There are a lot of spots there where people come to be baptized. In fact, many believe that this is the place where John the Baptist baptized Christ. We saw one plaque that stated as much. However, Rami told us that it's more likely that that happened near Jericho by the Mount of Temptation something like 80 miles further south. You could buy small plastic containers in which you could take some of the Jordan River home with you, but I'm not sure what U.S. Customs would have thought of that idea.
Our next stop was Bet Shean where we saw another tel, some great Roman ruins, and people excavating. There was also a Roman theater there. Rami told us that the main street, the heart, of Roman towns was named the Cardo and that that is where we get the word cardiology. At some point Rami also told us that the reason the month of February has less days than other months. I remember wondering why there were months with thirty-one days, but only one with 28 days. It turns out that when the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar was having the month of August named after himself, he couldn't be anything less than Julius Caesar for whom the month of July is named. Since July has 31 days, August had to have 31 days, so they took what they needed from February.
We walked around the site. I wanted to run up the tel to get a great view of the site, but Rami said there wasn't time (actually, he just said no -- I didn't tip him for that day). Rami, very conservative, always played it safe. Some of the more interesting ruins there were those of a brothel. Apparently each prostitute had her own stall because they found mosaics at the entrances of these stalls lauding the traits of the women inside.
Lunch was at a nature preserve. I had chicken and ate with Shelley and her parents. I bought some postcards and ran around quickly and briefly to get a look at the preserve before we left.
The drive down to Jericho in the Jordan River Valley was great. The road followed the path of the Jordan River from a good distance. There were fences and minefield signs. Beyond the river we could see Jordan. Even though Jordan and Israel have made peace, the border is still mined to prevent smuggling. Away from the Sea of Galilee the land was starting to look more like the desert it is. Rami told us that much of the vegetation we did see would dry up in five weeks after winter ended. The road dipped and curved quite a bit which gave the ride a mild roller coaster feel to it -- it was fun. Every now and then we would also see goats and sheep. We had to pass through at least one checkpoint to enter the West Bank. Israeli soldier uniforms are olive in color while Palestinian are dark blue.
Jericho is actually an oasis near the Dead Sea not far from Jerusalem. It's considered by many to be the world's oldest city. At Tel Jericho we saw the ruins of a tower that is 9000 years old. It was wide and appeared to be hollow. In the distance we could see the fortress on top of the Mount of Temptation where it is believed Christ was tempted before he began his ministry after praying and fasting for forty days. Before we left, some people shopped (I was looking for a scarf) and a couple took a camel ride.
We then went on to Jerusalem. The name itself means 'Abode of Peace' in Hebrew. By now it was difficult to avoid feeling something of a pilgrim. There was so much history, religious history -- my religious history -- all around me. By the time we reached Jerusalem it was already late afternoon. Our first stop was the Garden and Church of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives on the east side of the city. I could see the sun beginning to set over the walls of the Old City. The garden was filled with olive trees -- one 1200 years old. In the church could be seen the stone believed to be the rock Jesus agonized over while praying before he was betrayed. Before we left the area, we had a group picture taken.
We checked into the Jerusalem Renaissance Hotel on the west side of the city. I was in room 816. I called Sara's friend Stacy, an old college roommate of hers who lives in Jerusalem, to see if we could meet during my stay. As it turned out, she lived just a few blocks away from my hotel. I also called Sara before going down to dinner. The glass walls of the restaurant/cafe in the hotel had neat looking streamer lights going down them. It made the huge windows look like they were lit up like a Christmas tree. I joined Perry, a physician from Norfolk, Virginia, and his wife Trini. They were a Filipino couple. Perry's son is also a physician. They wouldn't be going on to Egypt because his son wouldn't give him more vacation time since they are in practice together. They were almost done eating, but I figured I could table hop when they left. I had a full plate of spaghetti which was a mistake -- I should have had the half-plate because I just couldn't finish it. During dinner someone came around with the developed photos from Gethsemane. He asked me to tell Rami that he'd meet us in the Old City tomorrow morning. People from the group started going around and having others sign the folder that came with the picture.
When Perry and Trini left, I joined Shelley and her parents who had at first not been sure if they should eat in the hotel or go out. When Lester and Lois left, Shelley and I joined Naomal and Hiro, a Sri Lankan couple from Arkansas. Naomal is also a physician. He and Hiro sat behind me on the bus on almost every day of our stay in Israel. Both of them were always a joy to be around. They bought Shelley and me dessert. Shelley and I were surprised that they were over fifty years old. We had a wonderful time discussing Sri Lanka, Hiro and Naomal's daughters, the sights we were seeing, the places we were visiting, what it all meant to us, how it affected us and the meaning of life.
Before turning in, Shelley and I explored the hotel. A saleswoman showed us some expensive art, introduced us to the artist and pressured us to buy something. She seemed like she wouldn't take no for an answer, so we killed her (okay, just kidding -- we just wanted to...okay, we just wanted to get away). She kept repeating the things she was saying, an assertiveness technique I learned in a class a while ago. We eventually got away from her. We went as high as the elevator would take us and opened a hallway window to look out over the city before turning in.
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Tuesday, February 28
OLD CITY, WESTERN WALL, DOME OF THE ROCK, BETHLEHEM
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I slept less than six hours. We started the day with a four-hour walking tour of the Old City that began with the Jewish Quarter at the Dung Gate which got its name from the refuse that used to come out of the city from there. From there we could see the various historical layers of Jerusalem (as well as a guy in some kind of gown playing a small harp). We had to go through a metal detector. Before finishing today's tour, we would go through another one twice. We first came near the holiest Jewish site, the Wailing or Western Wall. It is all that remains of the Second Temple which was destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Romans. We didn't approach the Wall until later. We only had until 10:00 A.M. to see the El-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount or Mount Moriah (which were just on the other side of the Western Wall).
The Temple Mount is actually the holiest place on earth for Jews. It is where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac and the covenant involving circumcision was made. However, in 1967 Israel gave full administration of this area to the Arabs in the interests of peace.
We had to take off our shoes to enter the mosque. No pictures were allowed. In fact, no cameras were supposed to be allowed inside. However, my jacket had such big pockets that unless I went insane and started taking pictures no one would notice I hadn't left mine with my shoes with Rami. The mosque was very impressive. It was originally built in the early 8th century and been renovated several times. Like all mosques there were no seats since prayers are said either standing or kneeling. The prayer niche faced south in the direction of Mecca, the holiest city of Muslims. Jerusalem is the third holiest city of Muslims after Medina. It is said that Mohammed rode his magical winged horse to the edge of the world (which is where the mosque gets its name) at Jerusalem where he ascended to heaven. As we were leaving, the lights in the mosque were being turned off.
We put our shoes back on and head over to the Dome of the Rock, passing the ablution fountain where Muslims must wash their hands, faces and feet before praying in the mosque. The Dome is Islam's third most holy shrine. Again no cameras or shoes were allowed. Someone from our group almost had his camera confiscated by the doorman. Once inside we could see the very ornate artwork all along the walls. The huge rock at the center is the rock where it is said Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Isaac and Mohammed ascended to heaven. I circled it while also going down into the small cave under the rock known to Muslims as the Well of Souls where it is believed the souls of the dead gather to pray. Inside there were a couple of women praying and a man proclaiming the Koran.
We went back to the Western Wall. It is divided into a male side and a female side and all men have to have there heads covered when they approach it. There were white paper head coverings at the entrance to the Wall, but a baseball cap would have worked just as well. Jews believe that to properly worship God men must have their heads covered. |
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