A Sea, a River, Ruins & a Wilderness

One of the things about Israel is that, wherever something important happened, they build a church on top of it. While it is true that doing that preserves the location, it also makes it difficult to use one’s imagination to picture what it looked like at the time of the event. The Mount of the Beatitudes, where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount wasn’t as much of a challenge as some since it was still a mountain. We got in line to see the interior and had some time to walk around outside.

At Tabgha, we visited a couple of churches. The first one was the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. Under the altar is the rock considered to be the one upon which Jesus divided the two fish and five loaves of bread. A church was built there in the 4^th century, with a larger church and monastery built in the 5^th century. In the courtyard of the church was an ancient olive press.

The second church was a short distance away – the Church of St Peter’s Primacy. This was where Jesus revealed Himself for the fourth time after His resurrection. He asked His disciples who they said He was. Peter responded that he believed Jesus was the Christ. So Jesus declared Peter to be the rock upon which He would build His church. Inside the church is the actual rock upon which this took place. The church was on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, so I walked down to the water, removed my shoes and socks and waded in.

Capernaum is a fishing village on the shores of the Sea of Galilee that was lived in consistently from the 2^nd century BC to the 11^th century AD. Jesus preached in the synagogue there and it was Matthew’s home town. We explored the current synagogue, which dates to the 4^th century. We also viewed the excavations of ancient Capernaum. Underneath an octagonal church are the remains of what is believed to have been Peter’s house. The church has been raised up on stilts so the house can be seen. The older structures in the village were built from Basalt, which is a black rock native to the area.

For lunch, we had St Peter’s Fish. It had been cooked whole. I’m not a fan of having my food stare back at me, which is why I get lobster tails and crab legs instead of the whole crab or whole lobster. The option was given to take the fish away, remove the head and debone it. I was happy to take them up on that offer, wimp that I am. It was a pretty decent tasting fish.

After lunch, we headed for the spot on the River Jordan where baptisms are currently done. On the way, we passed where the Jordan feeds into the Sea of Galilee. We also went by Kursi, were Jesus exorcized demons from some people and sent them into some swine.

The actual site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus is believed to be located at a part of the River Jordan that is down closer to the Dead Sea and in Jordanian territory. It is called Al-Maghtas. The site we visited is where modern baptisms are performed. They are full-immersion.

Once everyone in our group who wanted to be got baptized, we headed for Beit She’an. The location of this city has long been a strategic one. It is at the base of Mount Gilboa and at an intersection allowing access from the Jordan River to the Jezreel Valley and the Mediterranean as well as from Jerusalem and Jericho to the Sea of Galilee. At around 1004 BC, King Saul and three of his sons were killed while battling the Philistines at Mount Gilboa. Their bodies were then hung from the walls of Beit She’an. Saul’s successor, King David, captured Beit She’an back from the Philistines.

There have been settlements at the site of Beit She’an since roughly the 6^th or 5^th century BC. The ancient city was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 AD. Most of the excavations that can be seen when touring the site date to the Roman and Byzantine periods. The ruins are quite spectacular and are some of my favorite ancient ruins anywhere. We explored a theatre, gymnasium, bathhouse, some shops, a brothel, quite a few columns, mosaic walkways, and marble walkways.

I had hoped that we would visit Jericho, but it was in Palestinian hands and they weren’t allowing anyone else in. We approached Jerusalem from the East through the Judean wilderness where Jesus was tempted by Satan. It was pretty bleak, but there were people living here and there. They were quite isolated from any other civilization. At one point, we went down into a long tunnel. When we emerged, there was Jerusalem! We pretty much just sat there quietly staring out of the windows of the tour coach with our collective mouths open.

Our hotel was just across the street from the Great Synagogue on King George Street. I somehow had a suite with a couple of sofas, and a dining room table and chairs. Since we were going to be there for five nights, I unpacked and “moved in”. There was a grocers nearby, so I stocked up my little fridge with beverages and fresh fruits.

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