Tuesday in Easter Week -- The West Bank, The Desert and Bethany
Don Hamer is on professional development leave until May 15. He is writing occasional posts to this blog to share some of his experiences. From April 4 to April 20, he is writing daily updates while he and his wife Debbie make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Today we again traveled south, but this time to the due south of Jerusalem. We began by visiting the city of Hebron (which, despite the way newscasters say it in the states, is pronounced Hee-bron here). There has been significant tension in this city between the small Jewish community and the far larger Palestinian community, and Debbie and I would not have driven here ourselves with the safety of our driver. The city is known for its glass works and pottery making, which for many years was managed by one family. We visited the factory and purchased some samples of their work. We also visited the Haram al-Khalil Mosque -- a wonderful opportunity because mosques are frequently not open to non-Muslims in the present environment. Our driver arranged for our visit with a patriarch of the Mosque -- he is multilingual and has been offering tours here for 55 years! The spot -- which is divided between a Jewish synagogue and a Muslim mosque -- contains the tombs of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Sarah which are on display. It was a wonderful connection to our Christian patriarchal roots. It is here that our expensive camera decided to totally malfunction and so our pictures are not exactly what I would have wanted.
Our next stop was to The Herodian, one of the palaces that Herod the Great built for himself, about 7 miles southeast of Bethlehem. The circular hilltop palace was built in approximately 24-15 BC to celebrate his victory over Antigonus. Around the 5th century the site became a Christian monastery, so one can see Christian crosses intermingled with the Herodian ruins. Although it has long been claimed that the site contains Herod's tomb, there has been no hard evidence for this. \recent archaeological excavations, still underway, now indicate that indeed what appears to be Herod's tomb is located on part-way down on the northeast side of the palace site. There are amazing views from the top of the site, where one can see the fertile valley below gradually transition into the Judean desert. I realized at the top that I could take pictures with my cellphone, so we did salvage some grainy views of the site.
Armed with a disposable Kodak, our next stop was to visit the Franciscan chapel and monastery that mark the site where the shepherds are thought to have been keeping watch over their sheep when the star over Bethlehem appeared at Jesus' birth. It is a beautiful, quiet location with vineyards and beautiful gardens, and the artwork in the chapel evokes images of that pastoral scene. Outside is also a beautiful fountain of the Good Shepherd.
Our final stop of the day -- besides the ATM -- was to travel to Bethany, the site of so many social gatherings among Jesus and his friends, Martha, Mary and Lazarus. While the city is around 7 miles east of Jerusalem, it is about a 15-mile drive because of security walls erected between the two cities. There is a beautiful chapel that dates back to byzantine times, and a Crusaders' Chapel that dates about 400 years later. The complex is run by Franciscan monks, who, with a modest offering, were most helpful in guiding us around. On the grounds,below the Crusder chapel, is an ancient olive press. Around the corner from the chapel is the site of Lazarus' tomb, which is accessed by tortuously making one's way down a narrow flight of winding stone steps, and then crawling through a small passageway into the tomb itself. With God's help, my knees held out and I was able to make it into the tomb -- and I confess I was surprised at my own reaction to this very moving experience.
Tomorrow we leave for three days in the Galilee region where we will be staying at the Ein Gev kibbutz. As I am not sure what the computer arrangements are there, I may be incommunicado for the next several days. Will resume as able. Until then, the Lord bless you and keep you! Your brother in Christ, Don
Today we again traveled south, but this time to the due south of Jerusalem. We began by visiting the city of Hebron (which, despite the way newscasters say it in the states, is pronounced Hee-bron here). There has been significant tension in this city between the small Jewish community and the far larger Palestinian community, and Debbie and I would not have driven here ourselves with the safety of our driver. The city is known for its glass works and pottery making, which for many years was managed by one family. We visited the factory and purchased some samples of their work. We also visited the Haram al-Khalil Mosque -- a wonderful opportunity because mosques are frequently not open to non-Muslims in the present environment. Our driver arranged for our visit with a patriarch of the Mosque -- he is multilingual and has been offering tours here for 55 years! The spot -- which is divided between a Jewish synagogue and a Muslim mosque -- contains the tombs of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Sarah which are on display. It was a wonderful connection to our Christian patriarchal roots. It is here that our expensive camera decided to totally malfunction and so our pictures are not exactly what I would have wanted.
Our next stop was to The Herodian, one of the palaces that Herod the Great built for himself, about 7 miles southeast of Bethlehem. The circular hilltop palace was built in approximately 24-15 BC to celebrate his victory over Antigonus. Around the 5th century the site became a Christian monastery, so one can see Christian crosses intermingled with the Herodian ruins. Although it has long been claimed that the site contains Herod's tomb, there has been no hard evidence for this. \recent archaeological excavations, still underway, now indicate that indeed what appears to be Herod's tomb is located on part-way down on the northeast side of the palace site. There are amazing views from the top of the site, where one can see the fertile valley below gradually transition into the Judean desert. I realized at the top that I could take pictures with my cellphone, so we did salvage some grainy views of the site.
Armed with a disposable Kodak, our next stop was to visit the Franciscan chapel and monastery that mark the site where the shepherds are thought to have been keeping watch over their sheep when the star over Bethlehem appeared at Jesus' birth. It is a beautiful, quiet location with vineyards and beautiful gardens, and the artwork in the chapel evokes images of that pastoral scene. Outside is also a beautiful fountain of the Good Shepherd.
Our final stop of the day -- besides the ATM -- was to travel to Bethany, the site of so many social gatherings among Jesus and his friends, Martha, Mary and Lazarus. While the city is around 7 miles east of Jerusalem, it is about a 15-mile drive because of security walls erected between the two cities. There is a beautiful chapel that dates back to byzantine times, and a Crusaders' Chapel that dates about 400 years later. The complex is run by Franciscan monks, who, with a modest offering, were most helpful in guiding us around. On the grounds,below the Crusder chapel, is an ancient olive press. Around the corner from the chapel is the site of Lazarus' tomb, which is accessed by tortuously making one's way down a narrow flight of winding stone steps, and then crawling through a small passageway into the tomb itself. With God's help, my knees held out and I was able to make it into the tomb -- and I confess I was surprised at my own reaction to this very moving experience.
Tomorrow we leave for three days in the Galilee region where we will be staying at the Ein Gev kibbutz. As I am not sure what the computer arrangements are there, I may be incommunicado for the next several days. Will resume as able. Until then, the Lord bless you and keep you! Your brother in Christ, Don
posted by Don+ @ 4:07 PM
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