Well, we made it. Not without a little delay in Newark while mechanics went onboard to troubleshoot "a mechanical issue" (something you want to hear on your way across an ocean!), decided it couldn't be fixed in a timely fashion, waited for a plane to get there from Heathrow, and got into Belfast about 90 minutes later than scheduled. But we made it.
Anyone who knows me at all will appreciate this. On the trip between Newark and Belfast, Zach elbowed me and motioned to the book the lady next to him was reading... Surprised By Joy. Yup... by C.S. Lewis. It took no time at all before we were yacking away about our favorite books and why. Very nice lady by the name of Mari Anne. Gave us a couple of ideas on what to see once we'd landed, too.
Belfast is beautiful. Old, pastoral, and eminently walkable: something I really enjoy, coming from Phoenix where everything is a minimum of 15 miles from my house. Zach and I went with Matt to get a prepaid phone, and walked the two miles back to the house we're staying at. Loved it!
For those wondering, yes... stuff is pretty expensive. The pound has fallen against the dollar ($1.45 to the pound as of this writing), but that only means that it's now slightly less pricey than it was before. But I think as long as we're careful with our food budget and where we stay and whatnot, we'll do okay.
If you're interested in pictures... check here. The photos are uploading right now so depending on when you check, they may or may not all be there yet.
For now, though, I think I'm going to leave this at "We're safe, we're here"... I'm too tired to think. Here's hoping I can get some SLEEP tonight!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Ireland or Bust
I got a degree in Communications. I think I'm a reasonably good listener. But I am apparently not always as effective a communicator as I could wish! I'm at Sky Harbor Airport with my buddy Zach, headed for Belfast, Ireland. Been planning for months. Thought I mentioned it to my folks. Turns out I mentioned the possibility of going, never told 'em that I was. Sorry, Mom & Dad!
So: official notification to loved ones one and all: I'm headed to Ireland for a couple of weeks of much-needed vacation. A good friend from church is getting married in Belfast (or in Ballyclare, to be specific) on the 3rd, and then Zach and I are going to see as much as time and funds allow. If that Icelandic volcano decides to blow again, I just hope it does so after we get there.
Went to bed at 3 this morning. Not really awake enough to wax poetic or profound, I'm mostly just kicking off this journal of sorts in hopes that I will have time, opportunity, and inclination to continue it while I'm gone.
So: official notification to loved ones one and all: I'm headed to Ireland for a couple of weeks of much-needed vacation. A good friend from church is getting married in Belfast (or in Ballyclare, to be specific) on the 3rd, and then Zach and I are going to see as much as time and funds allow. If that Icelandic volcano decides to blow again, I just hope it does so after we get there.
Went to bed at 3 this morning. Not really awake enough to wax poetic or profound, I'm mostly just kicking off this journal of sorts in hopes that I will have time, opportunity, and inclination to continue it while I'm gone.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
The End
March 17, 2008 - 01:45
Yes, that's 1:45 a.m. I'm back home, and like a dolt I slept 7 hours this afternoon (basically during the same time I'd be sleeping in Israel). I guess adjusting to Phoenix time will have to wait a bit longer.
This concludes my journal of Israel, and now all that's left is to post the pictures... which is going to take hours to plow through and figure out which ones are best to post. The benefit of digital is that you can take a LOT and just pick the ones you want later. The bad thing is that you can take a LOT and just pick the ones you want later. :)
Tedd
Click here for the pictures! I would suggest clicking Slide Show above the first row; it's easier to see them that way since it auto-advances the shots. You can click forward or back and pause as well, if you need to, which you will if you want to read the explanatory signs I included, but it's easier overall and much less cluttered-looking, I think.
Yes, that's 1:45 a.m. I'm back home, and like a dolt I slept 7 hours this afternoon (basically during the same time I'd be sleeping in Israel). I guess adjusting to Phoenix time will have to wait a bit longer.
This concludes my journal of Israel, and now all that's left is to post the pictures... which is going to take hours to plow through and figure out which ones are best to post. The benefit of digital is that you can take a LOT and just pick the ones you want later. The bad thing is that you can take a LOT and just pick the ones you want later. :)
Tedd
Click here for the pictures! I would suggest clicking Slide Show above the first row; it's easier to see them that way since it auto-advances the shots. You can click forward or back and pause as well, if you need to, which you will if you want to read the explanatory signs I included, but it's easier overall and much less cluttered-looking, I think.
Heading Home
March 15 - 23:00
We just took off from Tel Aviv a little while ago, and I have been sitting here drumming my fingers on the little dinner tray in front of me trying to think up some sage way to summarize the trip. I've concluded that I can't–at least, not with what's left of my faculties after a busy day and really busy couple of weeks. And looking back over what I've written, perhaps no summary is necessary. But I will say this: if you are able, go.
I reared up at the idea that this was a "pilgrimage" when someone called it that; pilgrimage almost has too many "mere religion" overtones to me, like something one sets out to do to gain approval from one's god or God. But on this end of the trip, I think that's the right word. And it's a pilgrimage worth taking.
The four Gospels have everything we need for salvation, but the Fifth Gospel is definitely worth reading as well. Even with all the hazards, all the headaches, the long trips and overpriced falafels, I can think of no substitute for walking where Jesus walked, seeing what He saw, and getting to know Him just a little better in the process.
Shalom, y'all!
We just took off from Tel Aviv a little while ago, and I have been sitting here drumming my fingers on the little dinner tray in front of me trying to think up some sage way to summarize the trip. I've concluded that I can't–at least, not with what's left of my faculties after a busy day and really busy couple of weeks. And looking back over what I've written, perhaps no summary is necessary. But I will say this: if you are able, go.
I reared up at the idea that this was a "pilgrimage" when someone called it that; pilgrimage almost has too many "mere religion" overtones to me, like something one sets out to do to gain approval from one's god or God. But on this end of the trip, I think that's the right word. And it's a pilgrimage worth taking.
The four Gospels have everything we need for salvation, but the Fifth Gospel is definitely worth reading as well. Even with all the hazards, all the headaches, the long trips and overpriced falafels, I can think of no substitute for walking where Jesus walked, seeing what He saw, and getting to know Him just a little better in the process.
Shalom, y'all!
All Good Things
March 15, 2008 - 18:12
Just now leaving Abu-Nassar Hinnawi, an apparently famous restaurant in Jaffa. It was actually quite a good spread, though for some reason everyone up and headed for the bus about 25 minutes before we needed to (at Med's instigation, I understand?)... so we didn't get to enjoy the tea and baclava they set out! Actually, Bill, Rick and I stuck around long enough to try the tea. But it was a pretty good dinner... makings of falafels for an appetizer, and then some beef-lamb mixture of sorts to make two little burgers, and a shishkebab of chicken for the main meal. Having said all that, I've enjoyed almost everything I've tried here, but am looking forward to eating things I can pronounce.
Nader just shared his hope that he has helped make the Gospel come alive for us in a new way as a result of what we've seen, and hopes that we will be different people going back than when we first arrived. I think he did, and I think we are. It is not that I believe more fully than I did before–if anything, I can better understand how the Gospel would be difficult for some people to accept just because of the sheer ordinariness of the surroundings here. I don't think Jesus ever intended to leave incontrovertible, geographic proofs of His life and ministry; His proofs are the lives of His followers, and I suppose it has been that way since Matthew 28.
It seems an eternity since I first wrote what I hoped for out of this trip... 1) to learn something I didn't know before; 2) to get preconceived notions out of my head by coming up against reality, and 3) to get a different perspective on Who God is as a result of my visit here. I think I mostly succeeded.
Learn something I didn't know before. Facts-wise, that's a given... Nader is a walking encyclopedia. Otherwise, I'm still processing. I think I can say I didn't really know much about how Arabs and Israelis interact with each other in the Holy Land. Obviously not every Arab is a bomb-throwing crazy (Nader said that neither he nor any of his friends, Christian OR Muslim, have any use whatever for Osama bin Laden... and he cried when he heard about 9/11)... but Jerusalem is nevertheless very divided. Muslims, Christians, and Jews live in distinct parts of the city.
I also didn't know exactly how seriously Jews take the Sabbath. As inconvenient as it was sometimes (all the stores are closed and you do NOT want to have to wait for a shabbat elevator!), it's still kinda cool that they're pretty insistent that things take a breather on the Sabbath. there are enough Arabs and non-practicing Jews to where the city isn't completely dead on Saturday, but there is a noticeable drop in activity.
And finally, I didn't know just how run-of-the mill Jesus' crucifixion would have been to probably a good chunk of the Jerusalem population. Crucifixions happened all the time. There was a would-be messiah on every other corner, preaching about a coming deliverance for Israel. So what was so different about Jesus? Ah, that's the stuff of legend. And the Gospels. And Christianity.
Preconceived notions. The preconceived notions that I came with, namely, that the Jews are the people to whom God promised this land, I still largely have intact. The belief that they have the right to defend themselves from the constant barrage of indiscriminate rocket attacks into southern towns, attacks that terrorize, injure, and kill innocent civilians, hasn't changed one bit. I can to some degree understand the frustration that would give rise to such radicalism, but that makes it no less unconscionable.
The Jerusalem Post pointed out in an op-ed today that the U.S., in its efforts to appear even-handed so as not to tick off excitable Muslim types, acts as if Israel and the Palestinians are equally at fault for the stalled peace process. In reality, whereas Israel has moved from being almost totally against a two-state solution to a majority being for it or at least seeing it as a necessity, the Palestinians have made almost no movement for their part toward embracing such a concept... which is logical, since so many of them are still stuck on the notion that Israel doesn't have a right to exist in the first place. And how are you supposed to deal with someone like that?
Having said all that, and having made it probably quite obvious that I'm incorrigibly pro-Israel (see Gen. 12:3, Zech. 2:8), I will also say that again, I was reminded that there are always–always–two sides to every story. I would like to take a trip like this again with perhaps a Messianic Jew as a tour guide, but it was a good thing to have a Christian Arab Israeli guide, I think. Apart from the fact that he was probably able to take us some places a Jew could not, it is the very fact that his perspective is different that is good. I don't view disagreement as an automatically bad thing. I have a pretty good handle on the American perspective, I think. I have a better handle on the Jewish perspective because of my friend in Jerusalem. I had not, prior to this trip, had a chance to hear from an Arab who lives there.
A different perspective of Who God is. I can't say that I had any earth-shaking epiphanies this trip. Maybe because I wasn't specifically looking for them, maybe because I didn't have any more space in my head for anything else after all the input and information I was getting! But I think I got a really good look at the reality that Jesus was born into.
It's one thing to hear that He was born of humble birth. It's another to see the cave where Mary laid Him (more over-the-top trappings notwithstanding).
It's one thing to hear that He was from a podunk town. It's another to see the somewhat ramshackle town of Nazareth, hardly a dump but still probably not a lot more glamorous than the town Nathaniel was shocked a prophet could hail from.
It's one thing to hear that He died like a common criminal. It's another to see the little rise in the ground that Golgotha probably was... not the ponderous mountain one sees in paintings, the focal point of that day for all of Jerusalem. To have such a humble birth, one could perhaps understand–but to face such an ignominious death? I got just a bit more of a glimpse of how Isaiah described Him in chapter 53.
Just now leaving Abu-Nassar Hinnawi, an apparently famous restaurant in Jaffa. It was actually quite a good spread, though for some reason everyone up and headed for the bus about 25 minutes before we needed to (at Med's instigation, I understand?)... so we didn't get to enjoy the tea and baclava they set out! Actually, Bill, Rick and I stuck around long enough to try the tea. But it was a pretty good dinner... makings of falafels for an appetizer, and then some beef-lamb mixture of sorts to make two little burgers, and a shishkebab of chicken for the main meal. Having said all that, I've enjoyed almost everything I've tried here, but am looking forward to eating things I can pronounce.
Nader just shared his hope that he has helped make the Gospel come alive for us in a new way as a result of what we've seen, and hopes that we will be different people going back than when we first arrived. I think he did, and I think we are. It is not that I believe more fully than I did before–if anything, I can better understand how the Gospel would be difficult for some people to accept just because of the sheer ordinariness of the surroundings here. I don't think Jesus ever intended to leave incontrovertible, geographic proofs of His life and ministry; His proofs are the lives of His followers, and I suppose it has been that way since Matthew 28.
It seems an eternity since I first wrote what I hoped for out of this trip... 1) to learn something I didn't know before; 2) to get preconceived notions out of my head by coming up against reality, and 3) to get a different perspective on Who God is as a result of my visit here. I think I mostly succeeded.
Learn something I didn't know before. Facts-wise, that's a given... Nader is a walking encyclopedia. Otherwise, I'm still processing. I think I can say I didn't really know much about how Arabs and Israelis interact with each other in the Holy Land. Obviously not every Arab is a bomb-throwing crazy (Nader said that neither he nor any of his friends, Christian OR Muslim, have any use whatever for Osama bin Laden... and he cried when he heard about 9/11)... but Jerusalem is nevertheless very divided. Muslims, Christians, and Jews live in distinct parts of the city.
I also didn't know exactly how seriously Jews take the Sabbath. As inconvenient as it was sometimes (all the stores are closed and you do NOT want to have to wait for a shabbat elevator!), it's still kinda cool that they're pretty insistent that things take a breather on the Sabbath. there are enough Arabs and non-practicing Jews to where the city isn't completely dead on Saturday, but there is a noticeable drop in activity.
And finally, I didn't know just how run-of-the mill Jesus' crucifixion would have been to probably a good chunk of the Jerusalem population. Crucifixions happened all the time. There was a would-be messiah on every other corner, preaching about a coming deliverance for Israel. So what was so different about Jesus? Ah, that's the stuff of legend. And the Gospels. And Christianity.
Preconceived notions. The preconceived notions that I came with, namely, that the Jews are the people to whom God promised this land, I still largely have intact. The belief that they have the right to defend themselves from the constant barrage of indiscriminate rocket attacks into southern towns, attacks that terrorize, injure, and kill innocent civilians, hasn't changed one bit. I can to some degree understand the frustration that would give rise to such radicalism, but that makes it no less unconscionable.
The Jerusalem Post pointed out in an op-ed today that the U.S., in its efforts to appear even-handed so as not to tick off excitable Muslim types, acts as if Israel and the Palestinians are equally at fault for the stalled peace process. In reality, whereas Israel has moved from being almost totally against a two-state solution to a majority being for it or at least seeing it as a necessity, the Palestinians have made almost no movement for their part toward embracing such a concept... which is logical, since so many of them are still stuck on the notion that Israel doesn't have a right to exist in the first place. And how are you supposed to deal with someone like that?
Having said all that, and having made it probably quite obvious that I'm incorrigibly pro-Israel (see Gen. 12:3, Zech. 2:8), I will also say that again, I was reminded that there are always–always–two sides to every story. I would like to take a trip like this again with perhaps a Messianic Jew as a tour guide, but it was a good thing to have a Christian Arab Israeli guide, I think. Apart from the fact that he was probably able to take us some places a Jew could not, it is the very fact that his perspective is different that is good. I don't view disagreement as an automatically bad thing. I have a pretty good handle on the American perspective, I think. I have a better handle on the Jewish perspective because of my friend in Jerusalem. I had not, prior to this trip, had a chance to hear from an Arab who lives there.
A different perspective of Who God is. I can't say that I had any earth-shaking epiphanies this trip. Maybe because I wasn't specifically looking for them, maybe because I didn't have any more space in my head for anything else after all the input and information I was getting! But I think I got a really good look at the reality that Jesus was born into.
It's one thing to hear that He was born of humble birth. It's another to see the cave where Mary laid Him (more over-the-top trappings notwithstanding).
It's one thing to hear that He was from a podunk town. It's another to see the somewhat ramshackle town of Nazareth, hardly a dump but still probably not a lot more glamorous than the town Nathaniel was shocked a prophet could hail from.
It's one thing to hear that He died like a common criminal. It's another to see the little rise in the ground that Golgotha probably was... not the ponderous mountain one sees in paintings, the focal point of that day for all of Jerusalem. To have such a humble birth, one could perhaps understand–but to face such an ignominious death? I got just a bit more of a glimpse of how Isaiah described Him in chapter 53.
On to Tel Aviv... Then Home
March 15 - throughout the day
I didn't put a time for this entry because I'll probably be adding to it as time permits throughout the day. We had to check out of the rooms at 11, so I didn't have a chance to post anything before leaving with all the packing and redistribution I had to do.
My friend Ori came to the hotel again today so we could hang out and see some sights before it was time to head for Tel Aviv, so Ori and Rick (who had trouble with his room key and got left by the group going to the mall) and I headed out. Ori is a gracious host and kept loading us up with cool new things to eat. I couldn't begin to tell you what all the stuff was called! But we went by several places we didn't get a chance to on the tour, like the beautiful valley of En Karem. Apparently the appeal of the place hasn't escaped the notice of Realtors and buyers... Ori told us houses in the area go for some US$2-3 million.
From there we went to Abu Ghosh - it's a modern Arab village near Emmaus, and our tour guide mentioned it on the way out of town! Rick and I looked smugly at each other, for we had just been there. Unlike these other deprived Philistines on the bus. Just kidding, guys. :) Anyway, we stopped there at a little shop where Ori got us some Arab sweets... very odd flavors and textures, but good. And probably healthy, as opposed to most American versions of sweets. There was also a super strong coffee, flavored with an herb I couldn't pronounce. I'm not a coffee drinker so I probably couldn't appreciate it as much as some of my coffee hound compadres might, but I was glad I got a chance to try it.
We got back to the hotel in plenty of time, and Ori spent the rest of the time before we departed talking to several other members of the group. It was funny, but I think he was quite the celebrity... a local that wasn't getting paid to hang out with us!
We're on our way to Jaffa for our going-away dinner, and then on to Tel Aviv to fly out. I'm really not looking forward to the crazy security, but considering where we are, I can hardly blame them.
I didn't put a time for this entry because I'll probably be adding to it as time permits throughout the day. We had to check out of the rooms at 11, so I didn't have a chance to post anything before leaving with all the packing and redistribution I had to do.
My friend Ori came to the hotel again today so we could hang out and see some sights before it was time to head for Tel Aviv, so Ori and Rick (who had trouble with his room key and got left by the group going to the mall) and I headed out. Ori is a gracious host and kept loading us up with cool new things to eat. I couldn't begin to tell you what all the stuff was called! But we went by several places we didn't get a chance to on the tour, like the beautiful valley of En Karem. Apparently the appeal of the place hasn't escaped the notice of Realtors and buyers... Ori told us houses in the area go for some US$2-3 million.
From there we went to Abu Ghosh - it's a modern Arab village near Emmaus, and our tour guide mentioned it on the way out of town! Rick and I looked smugly at each other, for we had just been there. Unlike these other deprived Philistines on the bus. Just kidding, guys. :) Anyway, we stopped there at a little shop where Ori got us some Arab sweets... very odd flavors and textures, but good. And probably healthy, as opposed to most American versions of sweets. There was also a super strong coffee, flavored with an herb I couldn't pronounce. I'm not a coffee drinker so I probably couldn't appreciate it as much as some of my coffee hound compadres might, but I was glad I got a chance to try it.
We got back to the hotel in plenty of time, and Ori spent the rest of the time before we departed talking to several other members of the group. It was funny, but I think he was quite the celebrity... a local that wasn't getting paid to hang out with us!
We're on our way to Jaffa for our going-away dinner, and then on to Tel Aviv to fly out. I'm really not looking forward to the crazy security, but considering where we are, I can hardly blame them.
Home Stretch
March 14, 2008 - end of the day
As long and exhausting as this trip has been, it's also gone by rather quickly! Hard to believe we head back to Phoenix tomorrow night already. We only went three places today, so this one should be short.
Temple Institute. If you want to get eschatological shivers, go to this place. It is the group working feverishly to get all the implements ready for the Third Temple. The guide explained how they don't know yet exactly how they're going to get the Temple built (there is the small matter of the Dome of the Rock and not wanting to start World War III), but they want to have everything ready for when construction starts. What they've done even so far is remarkable. The blue of the high priest's tunic comes from a special kind of snail, and it takes hundreds (if not thousands) of the slimy little suckers to make a very small quantity of dye, so in ancient times only royalty (and priests) would wear the color.
All of the things made out of gold, silver, gold-covered acacia wood, etc. as instructed in the Torah are all being done the same way now.
There is one thing the high priest wears that I thought was amazingly insightful (God gave all the instructions–go figure)... the garments the High Priest wears are incredible. His office is unique. It would be easy to get a fat head and start fancying that his position had something to do with his own merits. To help deter this kind of thought process, the high priest also wears a solid gold crown (more a thick band than imperial crowns you might see in the West) with one simple phrase inscribed on the front of it in large letters: "HOLY UNTO THE LORD." The only reason he is decked out as he is is because he is going to be in the presence of God. The splendor of what he wears has more to do with Whom he serves than who he is.
Maybe that ought to be an accessory in places in the U.S. where people still get almost more decked out for Easter Sunday than their high school kids do for the Prom?
House of Caiaphas. This is where Jesus underwent the first of several kangaroo courts (there are apparently all sorts of laws that were broken in the way the "trials" were held, including time and location). Underneath the site is a place believed to be the remains of a sort of prison, where Jesus was probably held at some point of their deliberations. The place was dry, but dark and foreboding... I can just imagine a soon-to-be crucifixion victim sitting there, having a lot of time to anticipate a pretty horrible fate.
Garden Tomb. This is the other site besides the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where there is a decent amount of archaeological evidence suggesting Jesus was buried. It is certainly a little easier to imagine, away from the over-the-top ornamentation and wall-to-wall people at the Church. But the presenter at the Garden Tomb probably said it best... "It could have been here that Jesus was buried, it could have been where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher now stands, but the point is, wherever He was buried, He didn't stay buried long." Amen.
I think that's one reason I have been so awed by Jerusalem as a whole, but somewhat less so about individual sites... there is just too much speculation sometimes to know for sure if they are indeed the places they commemorate... too much history built over the place, more built over that, and still more again... but the most important thing is, they happened. And they happened in this city... in this region. It is amazing to walk the same streets, even if it's a different level of the same streets.
Infidel! Or man, at least...
An old beggar woman in the square where we ate lunch yesterday came around with her hand out, and I gave her a few coins that I had. Well, indirectly. I started to hand them to her, and she backed away a little bit and pointed to the ground. Fortunately I'm not completely dense, so I figured out what she wanted. I put the coins on the ground, where she then stooped over to pick them up. Apparently that got old for someone her age, because I noticed the next guy from whom she got some coins put them in the corner of her veil at her direction... that way there was still no direct contact, but she didn't have to bend down to pick it up, either. I asked our Arab tour guide if it was because I was a man or because I wasn't a Muslim, but he said it was because I was a man. I guess she can't touch a male outside her family without being made unclean in the process. I don't know the exact regulations.
To be honest, I've gotten really tired of spending 7 to 10 dollars for every lunch... which is usually a falafel and a drink, so I took off by myself in the Old City to go find some bread and fruit on my own. I did indeed get something like lunch for about 9 shekels, or approximately $2.50, and didn't even get lost on the tiny winding streets, thank you very much!
The only dark spot on the day was Giselle taking a tumble on some uneven stairs at the Garden Tomb, but other than being sore, happily she didn't break anything. With all those uneven ancient stone steps and walkways, even harder (I venture) than cement, it could have been worse.
That about wraps it up for today. Hard to believe we're heading home tomorrow night.
As long and exhausting as this trip has been, it's also gone by rather quickly! Hard to believe we head back to Phoenix tomorrow night already. We only went three places today, so this one should be short.
Temple Institute. If you want to get eschatological shivers, go to this place. It is the group working feverishly to get all the implements ready for the Third Temple. The guide explained how they don't know yet exactly how they're going to get the Temple built (there is the small matter of the Dome of the Rock and not wanting to start World War III), but they want to have everything ready for when construction starts. What they've done even so far is remarkable. The blue of the high priest's tunic comes from a special kind of snail, and it takes hundreds (if not thousands) of the slimy little suckers to make a very small quantity of dye, so in ancient times only royalty (and priests) would wear the color.
All of the things made out of gold, silver, gold-covered acacia wood, etc. as instructed in the Torah are all being done the same way now.
There is one thing the high priest wears that I thought was amazingly insightful (God gave all the instructions–go figure)... the garments the High Priest wears are incredible. His office is unique. It would be easy to get a fat head and start fancying that his position had something to do with his own merits. To help deter this kind of thought process, the high priest also wears a solid gold crown (more a thick band than imperial crowns you might see in the West) with one simple phrase inscribed on the front of it in large letters: "HOLY UNTO THE LORD." The only reason he is decked out as he is is because he is going to be in the presence of God. The splendor of what he wears has more to do with Whom he serves than who he is.
Maybe that ought to be an accessory in places in the U.S. where people still get almost more decked out for Easter Sunday than their high school kids do for the Prom?
House of Caiaphas. This is where Jesus underwent the first of several kangaroo courts (there are apparently all sorts of laws that were broken in the way the "trials" were held, including time and location). Underneath the site is a place believed to be the remains of a sort of prison, where Jesus was probably held at some point of their deliberations. The place was dry, but dark and foreboding... I can just imagine a soon-to-be crucifixion victim sitting there, having a lot of time to anticipate a pretty horrible fate.
Garden Tomb. This is the other site besides the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where there is a decent amount of archaeological evidence suggesting Jesus was buried. It is certainly a little easier to imagine, away from the over-the-top ornamentation and wall-to-wall people at the Church. But the presenter at the Garden Tomb probably said it best... "It could have been here that Jesus was buried, it could have been where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher now stands, but the point is, wherever He was buried, He didn't stay buried long." Amen.
I think that's one reason I have been so awed by Jerusalem as a whole, but somewhat less so about individual sites... there is just too much speculation sometimes to know for sure if they are indeed the places they commemorate... too much history built over the place, more built over that, and still more again... but the most important thing is, they happened. And they happened in this city... in this region. It is amazing to walk the same streets, even if it's a different level of the same streets.
Infidel! Or man, at least...
An old beggar woman in the square where we ate lunch yesterday came around with her hand out, and I gave her a few coins that I had. Well, indirectly. I started to hand them to her, and she backed away a little bit and pointed to the ground. Fortunately I'm not completely dense, so I figured out what she wanted. I put the coins on the ground, where she then stooped over to pick them up. Apparently that got old for someone her age, because I noticed the next guy from whom she got some coins put them in the corner of her veil at her direction... that way there was still no direct contact, but she didn't have to bend down to pick it up, either. I asked our Arab tour guide if it was because I was a man or because I wasn't a Muslim, but he said it was because I was a man. I guess she can't touch a male outside her family without being made unclean in the process. I don't know the exact regulations.
To be honest, I've gotten really tired of spending 7 to 10 dollars for every lunch... which is usually a falafel and a drink, so I took off by myself in the Old City to go find some bread and fruit on my own. I did indeed get something like lunch for about 9 shekels, or approximately $2.50, and didn't even get lost on the tiny winding streets, thank you very much!
The only dark spot on the day was Giselle taking a tumble on some uneven stairs at the Garden Tomb, but other than being sore, happily she didn't break anything. With all those uneven ancient stone steps and walkways, even harder (I venture) than cement, it could have been worse.
That about wraps it up for today. Hard to believe we're heading home tomorrow night.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Superwalk and Midnight Tunnels
March 13, 2008 - 16:58
Our travels today took us to the Old City of Jerusalem. There is security to get in this area, and the place is crawling with cops (I don't think most Americans are accustomed to seeing someone standing around with a submachine gun on every other corner!). The police in the Old City look even more no-nonsense than almost everywhere else, but then it occurred to me why.
The Temple Mount, the obvious focus of the Old City, is the most hotly contested patch of land on the planet. Muslim countries tend to blame Israel for everything, including poverty, displacement, bad weather, and probably bunions. It therefore behooves the Israeli security forces to be zealous about guarding against any shenanigans against the Dome of the Rock by extremists of any sort. If anything happened to it, full-scale attacks would almost certainly begin almost before Al Jazeera finished reporting it.
Having said all that, a trip into the Old City is well worth it. For me, that was kind of where "the rubber met the road." So much happened there. The Middle East is the epicenter of world affairs... always has been. Jerusalem is the epicenter of the Middle East. Always has been. And the Temple Mount has always been the epicenter of Jerusalem. I still don't know quite what the Muslim claim on Jerusalem is, but of course it is the place where Jews believe the presence of God (Shekinah) dwelt when the Temple was intact, and where Christians believe Jesus was tried, crucified, buried, and resurrected.
We saw far too much to try to chronicle everything, but I will try to hit the highlights that I am guessing will be interesting to the people I most anticipate will read this. As for the "Superwalk" in the post title? All of this that we saw was within the Old City... so we got there by bus, and that was the last we saw of the bus until we went back to the hotel. Everything else was on foot over innumerable steps!
Dome of the Rock. This of course is the blue, golden-domed mosque that most people probably think of when they think of the Jerusalem skyline. Until about eight years ago, anyone could go in. After the clash between Arabs and Israelis when Sharon showed up at the mosque with a bunch of armed men, it is now open only to Arabs or Muslims. Period.
St. Anne's Church. Though this church is definitely all about Mary, it is more or less named after Mary's mother Hannah. It was built in the 12th Century (1131-1138 A.D.) to replace an even older Byzantine church. The church has two particular characteristics: 1) It is adjacent to the Pool of Bethesda, and 2) its windows are made of translucent alabaster. Jesus healing the paralytic without him going down into the water is significant. There was a Roman temple to the god of healing there, and Jesus wanted to make it clear that it was He Who healed the man, not the pool or the god of healing that the Romans worshiped.
Church of the Condemnation. This chapel is Station 1 of the Cross. It was presumably built over the place where Jesus was first officially condemned.
Church of the Flagellation. This chapel is Station 2 of the Cross. Just across the way from Station 1 on the same property, this is built over where Jesus was scourged.
Via Dolorosa. Yes, we walked it. And it probably looks much the same as it did when Jesus was carrying His cross to Golgotha. Ryan A., I thought of you and your favorite song on more than one occasion on that walk!
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. One word: amazing. For a couple of reasons. 1) The church, though a bit on the gaudy side as Orthodox churches are prone to be, the church is nonetheless impressive both because of its size and the complexity of its design, being built around two natural formations of significance. 2) This church houses what apparently even some Protestant scholars are coming to believe what is most likely the site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial both. As with the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, I had trouble making a connection between all the knick-knack bric-a-brac in the church, and a simple, ghastly cross on a skull-shaped mound and tomb a little ways away. That, and the wall-to-wall people weren't really conducive to heavy-duty reflection. But it still ranks as one of the top 5 things I hoped to see here, I think. Never before this trip did I fully internalize what is meant by the fact that Jesus was killed as a common criminal. Golgotha is not a spectacular hill overlooking the city or anything... it's a rock formation a little higher than the ground just outside the city wall where people would walk by. The condemned would have hung just a little higher than pedestrians on the road next to it. Somehow, that makes Jesus' death even more ghastly than it was... it truly would not have been a momentous event for a lot of people... the sacrifice He made for us was not marked as such; to some He was just one more criminal in a long line of criminals who met their ends on that little rise in the ground outside.
St. Mark's Church (Syrian Orthodox). This is the church our guide attends. It is built over what there is apparently strong archaeological evidence for is the room where the Holy Spirit came on the disciples at Pentecost. A lady who worked there, Josefina (sp.?), sang the Lord's Prayer for us in Aramaic, and then recounted a time where God seems to have re-enacted the tongues bit. A Russian man came in, and he and Josefina carried on a conversation in English for a good hour or so. The thing is, when she ran into him again a year or so later, he was speaking Russian. She asked him "why don't you speak English like we did before?" thinking he was playing a joke on her. He insisted he didn't know English. Never had. He insisted she was messing with him. She just said "no, it was the Holy Spirit."
A personal highlight of my day... finally getting to meet a friend I met almost by accident (my accident, anyway--I suppose God might beg to differ) some 14 years ago online. He was in the Israeli army at the time, and we landed in the same Religion & Theology forum at some point. At the time, there were some pretty excitable Christians in the forum we were in, and my friend was making comments he probably knew would tick them off. He played that violin beautifully, I gather, insofar as the excitable types were only too happy to commence flaming him up one side and down the other! I started a separate chat with him, and we wound up conversing for quite awhile. We've kept in touch ever since, some 14 years down the road. It was really fun to finally get to meet face to face. If all goes well, he'll be able to join us and tag along tomorrow. I hope so.
Western Wall Tunnels. This was our last stop of the day... or early morning, I guess I should say. They are so busy that our scheduled tour was at 12:00 midnight! There were several interesting things about this visit. Number one, men and women had to go in different entrances. Number two, women could pray at the western wall, but only separated by a partition from the men. Number three, in one of the tunnels, an orthodox Jew shielded his eyes on our side as he passed. At first I had half a mind to get offended on behalf of our group until I realized what he was doing... shielding his eyes from the women in our group!
The tunnels themselves are archaeological digs under the Old City, in part to learn more about the city in the time of Herod (much of which is still available under ground level). What I thought was the most spectacular feature: a single, solid stone more than 40 feet in length, and weighing over 400 tons. It is the largest and heaviest single stone ever moved by man as far as anyone knows. This dwarfs anything that even the pyramids contained... and I didn't know anyone could improve on that.
Part of what we're doing tomorrow is looking at the massive preparations underway for the building of the new Temple. Eschatology buffs, yes, I am well aware of the prophetic implications of that. I can't wait to see if our guide is as well. But the walking encyclopedia that he is, I imagine so. :)
It's now 2:12 a.m., so I'd really better get to bed. I just didn't want to fall any more behind in this thing, or I know I'll never catch up! Peace to you, whenever and wherever you're reading.
Tedd
Our travels today took us to the Old City of Jerusalem. There is security to get in this area, and the place is crawling with cops (I don't think most Americans are accustomed to seeing someone standing around with a submachine gun on every other corner!). The police in the Old City look even more no-nonsense than almost everywhere else, but then it occurred to me why.
The Temple Mount, the obvious focus of the Old City, is the most hotly contested patch of land on the planet. Muslim countries tend to blame Israel for everything, including poverty, displacement, bad weather, and probably bunions. It therefore behooves the Israeli security forces to be zealous about guarding against any shenanigans against the Dome of the Rock by extremists of any sort. If anything happened to it, full-scale attacks would almost certainly begin almost before Al Jazeera finished reporting it.
Having said all that, a trip into the Old City is well worth it. For me, that was kind of where "the rubber met the road." So much happened there. The Middle East is the epicenter of world affairs... always has been. Jerusalem is the epicenter of the Middle East. Always has been. And the Temple Mount has always been the epicenter of Jerusalem. I still don't know quite what the Muslim claim on Jerusalem is, but of course it is the place where Jews believe the presence of God (Shekinah) dwelt when the Temple was intact, and where Christians believe Jesus was tried, crucified, buried, and resurrected.
We saw far too much to try to chronicle everything, but I will try to hit the highlights that I am guessing will be interesting to the people I most anticipate will read this. As for the "Superwalk" in the post title? All of this that we saw was within the Old City... so we got there by bus, and that was the last we saw of the bus until we went back to the hotel. Everything else was on foot over innumerable steps!
Dome of the Rock. This of course is the blue, golden-domed mosque that most people probably think of when they think of the Jerusalem skyline. Until about eight years ago, anyone could go in. After the clash between Arabs and Israelis when Sharon showed up at the mosque with a bunch of armed men, it is now open only to Arabs or Muslims. Period.
St. Anne's Church. Though this church is definitely all about Mary, it is more or less named after Mary's mother Hannah. It was built in the 12th Century (1131-1138 A.D.) to replace an even older Byzantine church. The church has two particular characteristics: 1) It is adjacent to the Pool of Bethesda, and 2) its windows are made of translucent alabaster. Jesus healing the paralytic without him going down into the water is significant. There was a Roman temple to the god of healing there, and Jesus wanted to make it clear that it was He Who healed the man, not the pool or the god of healing that the Romans worshiped.
Church of the Condemnation. This chapel is Station 1 of the Cross. It was presumably built over the place where Jesus was first officially condemned.
Church of the Flagellation. This chapel is Station 2 of the Cross. Just across the way from Station 1 on the same property, this is built over where Jesus was scourged.
Via Dolorosa. Yes, we walked it. And it probably looks much the same as it did when Jesus was carrying His cross to Golgotha. Ryan A., I thought of you and your favorite song on more than one occasion on that walk!
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. One word: amazing. For a couple of reasons. 1) The church, though a bit on the gaudy side as Orthodox churches are prone to be, the church is nonetheless impressive both because of its size and the complexity of its design, being built around two natural formations of significance. 2) This church houses what apparently even some Protestant scholars are coming to believe what is most likely the site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial both. As with the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, I had trouble making a connection between all the knick-knack bric-a-brac in the church, and a simple, ghastly cross on a skull-shaped mound and tomb a little ways away. That, and the wall-to-wall people weren't really conducive to heavy-duty reflection. But it still ranks as one of the top 5 things I hoped to see here, I think. Never before this trip did I fully internalize what is meant by the fact that Jesus was killed as a common criminal. Golgotha is not a spectacular hill overlooking the city or anything... it's a rock formation a little higher than the ground just outside the city wall where people would walk by. The condemned would have hung just a little higher than pedestrians on the road next to it. Somehow, that makes Jesus' death even more ghastly than it was... it truly would not have been a momentous event for a lot of people... the sacrifice He made for us was not marked as such; to some He was just one more criminal in a long line of criminals who met their ends on that little rise in the ground outside.
St. Mark's Church (Syrian Orthodox). This is the church our guide attends. It is built over what there is apparently strong archaeological evidence for is the room where the Holy Spirit came on the disciples at Pentecost. A lady who worked there, Josefina (sp.?), sang the Lord's Prayer for us in Aramaic, and then recounted a time where God seems to have re-enacted the tongues bit. A Russian man came in, and he and Josefina carried on a conversation in English for a good hour or so. The thing is, when she ran into him again a year or so later, he was speaking Russian. She asked him "why don't you speak English like we did before?" thinking he was playing a joke on her. He insisted he didn't know English. Never had. He insisted she was messing with him. She just said "no, it was the Holy Spirit."
A personal highlight of my day... finally getting to meet a friend I met almost by accident (my accident, anyway--I suppose God might beg to differ) some 14 years ago online. He was in the Israeli army at the time, and we landed in the same Religion & Theology forum at some point. At the time, there were some pretty excitable Christians in the forum we were in, and my friend was making comments he probably knew would tick them off. He played that violin beautifully, I gather, insofar as the excitable types were only too happy to commence flaming him up one side and down the other! I started a separate chat with him, and we wound up conversing for quite awhile. We've kept in touch ever since, some 14 years down the road. It was really fun to finally get to meet face to face. If all goes well, he'll be able to join us and tag along tomorrow. I hope so.
Western Wall Tunnels. This was our last stop of the day... or early morning, I guess I should say. They are so busy that our scheduled tour was at 12:00 midnight! There were several interesting things about this visit. Number one, men and women had to go in different entrances. Number two, women could pray at the western wall, but only separated by a partition from the men. Number three, in one of the tunnels, an orthodox Jew shielded his eyes on our side as he passed. At first I had half a mind to get offended on behalf of our group until I realized what he was doing... shielding his eyes from the women in our group!
The tunnels themselves are archaeological digs under the Old City, in part to learn more about the city in the time of Herod (much of which is still available under ground level). What I thought was the most spectacular feature: a single, solid stone more than 40 feet in length, and weighing over 400 tons. It is the largest and heaviest single stone ever moved by man as far as anyone knows. This dwarfs anything that even the pyramids contained... and I didn't know anyone could improve on that.
Part of what we're doing tomorrow is looking at the massive preparations underway for the building of the new Temple. Eschatology buffs, yes, I am well aware of the prophetic implications of that. I can't wait to see if our guide is as well. But the walking encyclopedia that he is, I imagine so. :)
It's now 2:12 a.m., so I'd really better get to bed. I just didn't want to fall any more behind in this thing, or I know I'll never catch up! Peace to you, whenever and wherever you're reading.
Tedd
March 12... a little belated...
March 12, 2008 - 19:48
Today was a REALLY full day... emotionally AND time-wise (you'll see why farther down). In fact, I'm a day behind in actually posting this because I've been trying to figure out how to frame some of it.
First stop... the Shrine of the Book, next to the Israel Museum. The Shrine of the Book is dedicated to the Qumran scrolls... and they have a replica of the largest piece found from the Book of Isaiah in the center of the Shrine. Yet another portion—albeit smaller—of the Holy Land where what you know by reading comes crashing together in your head with what you now see. Jesus said "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29), but that is certainly not to say there is no power in seeing as well!
Anyway, there are also a ton of ancient books and manuscripts on display—some of them real—though unfortunately there are no photographs allowed once you get inside the building. But the intricacy and the ornate, handwritten text speak volumes about the loving care and reverence that went into preserving the Word of God. If you think of it, ask Fred for details on the process the ancient Hebrews had for scroll transcription; it's absolutely mind-boggling. There is a lot of information online about the Shrine of the Book and it wasn't the most significant place we went today, so I won't waste too much time recounting it.
Gethsemane, Church of All Nations. The Church of All Nations adjoins the Garden of Gethsemane. It is, I believe, originally a Franciscan monastery (and may still be), but the church was funded by many different nations. The official seals of several nations appear on the ceiling on the inside of the church. I think I got a picture of the United States seal.
I don't think Gethsemane—nor its significance—needs much explanation. It is not exactly the same place as it was when Jesus prayed (and was betrayed) there... but I don't think it's possible for a believer to remain wholly unaffected when walking into that garden. It is different now, of course. The olive trees, though incredibly old (one of them is apparently more than fifteen HUNDRED years old), do not date back to Jesus' time. But it is there nonetheless where that final, terrible drama all started.
Southwestern Corner of the Wall, through the Dung Gate. Some of the stones used to build the wall weigh up to 400 tons... and they are not just at the bottom where it would be less difficult to move them. I I wish I could tell you more about this place, because it was fascinating; but our guide knows SO much information about every place we've gone, I'm operating on overload. I can say that the southwestern corner of the wall shows a lot more than you might see otherwise of just how many transmogrifications Jerusalem has gone through. As our guide said, you could dig anywhere in the city—anywhere—house, restaurant, whatever—and find something. The city is incredibly old, and each successive civilization living there builds on what was there before. I've been other places in the world where that is also the case, but nowhere have I seen it as plainly as in Jerusalem. You can see the different eras even in the buildings standing now.
There was a guy with a camel who showed up where our bus stopped, offering rides to whoever wanted one (for a small fee, of course). The highlight (I thought)... Mark Kendall and his mom hopped on the camel and away they went. As they came back, my attention was turned elsewhere, and I felt a nudge in my shoulder... it was Mark's foot from up on high, telling me to look out. Not quite quickly enough, though, I guess... I think I can now say I'm the only one in our group who came to Jerusalem and got stepped on by a camel! :) (To the medical and mom sorts... don't worry. Camels have very wide hooves which distribute their weight. I was much more amused than pained by the encounter.)
Holocaust Museum. I think this entry is what kept me from even wanting to finish this post earlier; the last thing I wanted to do was relive what I saw in the process of recounting it. If Gethsemane was the highlight of the day, this was probably the lowlight. Not that it wasn't spectacularly well-done—it is and then some—but it's hard to see room after room of the evidence of absolutely incomprehensible evil.
And it is chronological. The Nazis were nothing if not patient. They didn't just jump into power and commence killing Jews. They laid the national-pride groundwork first, then slowly started their diabolical program of blame and "punishment." The display starts off with the nationalistic slogans and posters the Third Reich put out long before the Nazis started to show their true colors. They carefully gauged local public sentiment before starting in on the Jewish populations of each locale. Where there was already resentment or hostility, the Jews suffered earlier persecution. In areas where they were still largely held in esteem, the Nazis took it easy on the restrictions they were putting on them elsewhere.
If I may indulge myself a soapbox here about a pet incredulity of mine, I would love to know how Christians of any stripe justify harsh treatment of Jews. Are they not just as in need of the Gospel as anyone else? Of course. I really hope there's some loophole I'm missing because they're still God's chosen people, but why else would Peter have gone to preach to the Jews, while Paul went to preach to the Gentiles? Anyway, one of the displays in the museum described how Christianity in antiquity started blaming Jews as a whole for having killed Jesus. Did these people (or their modern counterparts) not have a clue how asinine that is?? Even if the Jews as a whole were totally for killing Jesus, there are two gigantic holes in that logic. #1: It can't be because they're Jews, because Jesus Himself was a Jew. So were all His disciples. That seems like a REALLY obvious point to me. #2: If you have the slightest doubts that anyone could kill the Son of God unless the Son of God specifically planned to be killed, read John 10:18. Obviously a lot of Christians haven't.
The museum is set up in such a way that you cannot just rush through it; you have to go from room to room to exit... there is no straight path through. And in each massive room are combinations of video interviews of survivors playing in a loop, archival footage from the camps, and hundreds upon hundreds of personal effects of the people who perished there. Several Jewish groups, having heard that it was possible to buy freedom from the Nazis, even arranged to buy the freedom of several of their friends and relatives... only to find out that it was yet another deception of the SS.
As you exit the museum itself, the trail takes you to the memorial for children... in honor of over 1 million children who were murdered by the Nazis. There is a memorial of columns, incompletely built, and a massive room that is quite disorienting... seemingly thousands of candles (it's hard to tell for sure) behind tinted glass and mirrors. No other light. The entire time you are walking through, a voice is slowly reading the name, age, and country of a child, one after another. If they really recorded the recitation of 1.2 million names, I suppose it's impossible to hear the tiniest fraction of the true number... but I'm glad they did it. Even if the vast majority of those children did not achieve the fame of the likes of Anne Frank, they each had a story, and a life.
There was a huge group of young people in the Israeli Army, a lot of them kids from the U.S. who moved here to join up, at the Holocaust Museum... it is apparently part of their training for military service. I can't imagine a more effective display of the danger of complacency, and I imagine that's the intent.
I probably do not need (and definitely have no wish) to chronicle all that I saw there. The movie The Pianist horrified me... I have never even seen Schindler's List, nor do I ever intend to, so this was definitely over the top as far as I'm concerned. But then, I suppose that is the intent. If the compilation they have worked so hard to create there helps prevent another such Holocaust from ever happening because people buy into the lies of the likes of Ahmadinejad who love to claim it never happened (or at least on the scale it did), it will have been worth their efforts.
I think that's enough for now. I'm exhausted inside and out, and I know that's probably a lot to read. Thanks for reading.
Today was a REALLY full day... emotionally AND time-wise (you'll see why farther down). In fact, I'm a day behind in actually posting this because I've been trying to figure out how to frame some of it.
First stop... the Shrine of the Book, next to the Israel Museum. The Shrine of the Book is dedicated to the Qumran scrolls... and they have a replica of the largest piece found from the Book of Isaiah in the center of the Shrine. Yet another portion—albeit smaller—of the Holy Land where what you know by reading comes crashing together in your head with what you now see. Jesus said "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29), but that is certainly not to say there is no power in seeing as well!
Anyway, there are also a ton of ancient books and manuscripts on display—some of them real—though unfortunately there are no photographs allowed once you get inside the building. But the intricacy and the ornate, handwritten text speak volumes about the loving care and reverence that went into preserving the Word of God. If you think of it, ask Fred for details on the process the ancient Hebrews had for scroll transcription; it's absolutely mind-boggling. There is a lot of information online about the Shrine of the Book and it wasn't the most significant place we went today, so I won't waste too much time recounting it.
Gethsemane, Church of All Nations. The Church of All Nations adjoins the Garden of Gethsemane. It is, I believe, originally a Franciscan monastery (and may still be), but the church was funded by many different nations. The official seals of several nations appear on the ceiling on the inside of the church. I think I got a picture of the United States seal.
I don't think Gethsemane—nor its significance—needs much explanation. It is not exactly the same place as it was when Jesus prayed (and was betrayed) there... but I don't think it's possible for a believer to remain wholly unaffected when walking into that garden. It is different now, of course. The olive trees, though incredibly old (one of them is apparently more than fifteen HUNDRED years old), do not date back to Jesus' time. But it is there nonetheless where that final, terrible drama all started.
Southwestern Corner of the Wall, through the Dung Gate. Some of the stones used to build the wall weigh up to 400 tons... and they are not just at the bottom where it would be less difficult to move them. I I wish I could tell you more about this place, because it was fascinating; but our guide knows SO much information about every place we've gone, I'm operating on overload. I can say that the southwestern corner of the wall shows a lot more than you might see otherwise of just how many transmogrifications Jerusalem has gone through. As our guide said, you could dig anywhere in the city—anywhere—house, restaurant, whatever—and find something. The city is incredibly old, and each successive civilization living there builds on what was there before. I've been other places in the world where that is also the case, but nowhere have I seen it as plainly as in Jerusalem. You can see the different eras even in the buildings standing now.
There was a guy with a camel who showed up where our bus stopped, offering rides to whoever wanted one (for a small fee, of course). The highlight (I thought)... Mark Kendall and his mom hopped on the camel and away they went. As they came back, my attention was turned elsewhere, and I felt a nudge in my shoulder... it was Mark's foot from up on high, telling me to look out. Not quite quickly enough, though, I guess... I think I can now say I'm the only one in our group who came to Jerusalem and got stepped on by a camel! :) (To the medical and mom sorts... don't worry. Camels have very wide hooves which distribute their weight. I was much more amused than pained by the encounter.)
Holocaust Museum. I think this entry is what kept me from even wanting to finish this post earlier; the last thing I wanted to do was relive what I saw in the process of recounting it. If Gethsemane was the highlight of the day, this was probably the lowlight. Not that it wasn't spectacularly well-done—it is and then some—but it's hard to see room after room of the evidence of absolutely incomprehensible evil.
And it is chronological. The Nazis were nothing if not patient. They didn't just jump into power and commence killing Jews. They laid the national-pride groundwork first, then slowly started their diabolical program of blame and "punishment." The display starts off with the nationalistic slogans and posters the Third Reich put out long before the Nazis started to show their true colors. They carefully gauged local public sentiment before starting in on the Jewish populations of each locale. Where there was already resentment or hostility, the Jews suffered earlier persecution. In areas where they were still largely held in esteem, the Nazis took it easy on the restrictions they were putting on them elsewhere.
If I may indulge myself a soapbox here about a pet incredulity of mine, I would love to know how Christians of any stripe justify harsh treatment of Jews. Are they not just as in need of the Gospel as anyone else? Of course. I really hope there's some loophole I'm missing because they're still God's chosen people, but why else would Peter have gone to preach to the Jews, while Paul went to preach to the Gentiles? Anyway, one of the displays in the museum described how Christianity in antiquity started blaming Jews as a whole for having killed Jesus. Did these people (or their modern counterparts) not have a clue how asinine that is?? Even if the Jews as a whole were totally for killing Jesus, there are two gigantic holes in that logic. #1: It can't be because they're Jews, because Jesus Himself was a Jew. So were all His disciples. That seems like a REALLY obvious point to me. #2: If you have the slightest doubts that anyone could kill the Son of God unless the Son of God specifically planned to be killed, read John 10:18. Obviously a lot of Christians haven't.
The museum is set up in such a way that you cannot just rush through it; you have to go from room to room to exit... there is no straight path through. And in each massive room are combinations of video interviews of survivors playing in a loop, archival footage from the camps, and hundreds upon hundreds of personal effects of the people who perished there. Several Jewish groups, having heard that it was possible to buy freedom from the Nazis, even arranged to buy the freedom of several of their friends and relatives... only to find out that it was yet another deception of the SS.
As you exit the museum itself, the trail takes you to the memorial for children... in honor of over 1 million children who were murdered by the Nazis. There is a memorial of columns, incompletely built, and a massive room that is quite disorienting... seemingly thousands of candles (it's hard to tell for sure) behind tinted glass and mirrors. No other light. The entire time you are walking through, a voice is slowly reading the name, age, and country of a child, one after another. If they really recorded the recitation of 1.2 million names, I suppose it's impossible to hear the tiniest fraction of the true number... but I'm glad they did it. Even if the vast majority of those children did not achieve the fame of the likes of Anne Frank, they each had a story, and a life.
There was a huge group of young people in the Israeli Army, a lot of them kids from the U.S. who moved here to join up, at the Holocaust Museum... it is apparently part of their training for military service. I can't imagine a more effective display of the danger of complacency, and I imagine that's the intent.
I probably do not need (and definitely have no wish) to chronicle all that I saw there. The movie The Pianist horrified me... I have never even seen Schindler's List, nor do I ever intend to, so this was definitely over the top as far as I'm concerned. But then, I suppose that is the intent. If the compilation they have worked so hard to create there helps prevent another such Holocaust from ever happening because people buy into the lies of the likes of Ahmadinejad who love to claim it never happened (or at least on the scale it did), it will have been worth their efforts.
I think that's enough for now. I'm exhausted inside and out, and I know that's probably a lot to read. Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Some Needful Clarification, Apparently...
March 12, 2008 8:08
Apparently some people were left with the impression that the baptisms at the Jordan were "just a fun thing to do," and not something meaningful. I guess what I took to be a given in my account was not a given for those reading, so let me clarify.
There was a lot of laughter. The water was cold. There were rats swimming around with the catfish (think about that one). We had two pastor types who are also good friends. There is a lot of fodder for laughter in that combination, folks, and if you don't believe me, you really need to read Stories I Couldn't Tell While I Was a Pastor by Bruce McIver.
But the reason we were there in the first place–the reason the folks who were baptized braved the cold water and the rats and the cigarette butts in the water and the overpriced robe rentals–is because they really wanted to be baptized where Jesus was baptized... to share yet another unique communion with Him by proximity, to demonstrate once again their faith in the first Christian act of obedience. And I have yet to see a baptism, solemn or hilarious, that is not also joyous because of what it symbolizes.
Hope that clears things up a bit.
Apparently some people were left with the impression that the baptisms at the Jordan were "just a fun thing to do," and not something meaningful. I guess what I took to be a given in my account was not a given for those reading, so let me clarify.
There was a lot of laughter. The water was cold. There were rats swimming around with the catfish (think about that one). We had two pastor types who are also good friends. There is a lot of fodder for laughter in that combination, folks, and if you don't believe me, you really need to read Stories I Couldn't Tell While I Was a Pastor by Bruce McIver.
But the reason we were there in the first place–the reason the folks who were baptized braved the cold water and the rats and the cigarette butts in the water and the overpriced robe rentals–is because they really wanted to be baptized where Jesus was baptized... to share yet another unique communion with Him by proximity, to demonstrate once again their faith in the first Christian act of obedience. And I have yet to see a baptism, solemn or hilarious, that is not also joyous because of what it symbolizes.
Hope that clears things up a bit.
...and, JERUSALEM!
That's right, we have finally arrived in Jerusalem. Amazing place. Modern and new mixed in with freakishly old and historic. We Americans get excited about something built in 1890. This city has been here for at least, what, 4000 years? It's hard to wrap my head around.
We haven't seen a lot of Jerusalem yet... mostly just driven through while our guide points out different things. Of course we saw Dome of the Rock coming up out of the tunnel, and of course everybody took a bazillion pictures of it.
Touring Jerusalem starts in earnest tomorrow... we're getting the evening off to catch our breath, write home (or blog in my case), etc. And hey... I would love to know what people think of all this... I keep posting and not hearing back! If you don't have an address that will let you respond, please just email me and let me know which one you're responding to. Thanks, and good night!
Tedd
We haven't seen a lot of Jerusalem yet... mostly just driven through while our guide points out different things. Of course we saw Dome of the Rock coming up out of the tunnel, and of course everybody took a bazillion pictures of it.
Touring Jerusalem starts in earnest tomorrow... we're getting the evening off to catch our breath, write home (or blog in my case), etc. And hey... I would love to know what people think of all this... I keep posting and not hearing back! If you don't have an address that will let you respond, please just email me and let me know which one you're responding to. Thanks, and good night!
Tedd
Masada... Qumran... Bethlehem...
March 11, 2008 - 16:27: writing in Bethlehem
Two great stops earlier today... Masada and Qumran. Masada, as you will recall, is where zealots held off a Roman attack for an unbelievable amount of time; when it became plain that the Romans would breach the fortress the next day, they committed mass suicide rather than submit to slavery. Any further information you need I'm sure is readily available via Google. I was surprised not only at how remote it is, but how HUGE it is. It was quite a fortress, though I still don't quite get why they bothered to build it where they did in the first place. It seems almost a citadel in nowhere guarding nothing! Perhaps there is more to be seen in the larger regional context, but if you see the pictures, you'll see what I mean.
Qumran of course is the location of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It's funny, I didn't put together until just now that that's where we were... the Dead Sea where those scrolls were first written and found some 1900 years later. After writing a research paper on them and seeing all kinds of pictures, it was really something to stand on the cliff edge overlooking the cave where they were found.
We are definitely getting a closer look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict now. We entered Palestinian territory since Bethlehem is now in their control, and they don't allow Israeli citizens to cross the boundary. In fact, there are signs that say so. A Palestinian guard with an AK-47 or similar weapon (no one I've asked got a close enough look to know for sure) slung over his shoulder boarded the bus, gave us a once-over, and left after insisting that we take no pictures of the checkpoint. I took that to be mean we must be more sneaky about taking pictures of the checkpoint.
There are pictures of Arafat everywhere. Apparently he is still quite the hero where we are right now. And it was not lost on me that a lot of the pro-Palestinian graffiti is written in English. Considering Arabic is the predominant language, the only reason for that that I can think of is to influence Western tourists who come into Bethlehem.
Our first stop at a shop is owned by a Palestinian Christian; while we were gathered around to meet him, he asked us a favor, and then had instructions for shopping. The favor was really something... he said that he realizes there will be no peace in this region until the Prince of Peace returns, but the U.S. and others were getting ready to try to hammer out a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel... and he asked us to pray that God would give wisdom to those involved in that process. Then he went on with a welcome to his store and give instructions for shopping. (Interesting side note... "shopping baskets" are quite literal here!)
We're coming up to the checkpoint to get back out of the Palestinian territory; I'll wrap this up for now, but I must say the barricade reminds me a lot of what the Berlin Wall must have been like.
Okay, we're through. That took forever. But after a friendly Israeli soldier (notable contrast to Palestinian soldier earlier!) went through the bus looking at our passports, we were on our way.
The other stop we made in Bethlehem was, of course, the Church of the Nativity. It is apparently the oldest Christian church in the world. Although it was fascinating, and the weight of history does indeed bear down on one in such a place, it was difficult (for me, anyway) to make more than an intellectual connection between the gaudy votives and commemorations, and the humble beginnings that Jesus actually had. I think I would have preferred the little cave as it was when Jesus was born--protected, yes, but still just plain. But I still wouldn't have missed it for the world. It's a beautiful church, amazingly old, and fascinating that such obscure beginnings from so long ago could be found.
Well, I've got 15 minutes before dinner, so I think I will close here and lie down for a little bit. It's been a long day and a lot of travel... but a blast!
Harking back to the three things I hoped to accomplish this trip, I don't know exactly where it falls but I am being reminded of one thing... that there are always–always–two sides to every story. I'm hoping to get a little more of that while I'm here.
Two great stops earlier today... Masada and Qumran. Masada, as you will recall, is where zealots held off a Roman attack for an unbelievable amount of time; when it became plain that the Romans would breach the fortress the next day, they committed mass suicide rather than submit to slavery. Any further information you need I'm sure is readily available via Google. I was surprised not only at how remote it is, but how HUGE it is. It was quite a fortress, though I still don't quite get why they bothered to build it where they did in the first place. It seems almost a citadel in nowhere guarding nothing! Perhaps there is more to be seen in the larger regional context, but if you see the pictures, you'll see what I mean.
Qumran of course is the location of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It's funny, I didn't put together until just now that that's where we were... the Dead Sea where those scrolls were first written and found some 1900 years later. After writing a research paper on them and seeing all kinds of pictures, it was really something to stand on the cliff edge overlooking the cave where they were found.
We are definitely getting a closer look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict now. We entered Palestinian territory since Bethlehem is now in their control, and they don't allow Israeli citizens to cross the boundary. In fact, there are signs that say so. A Palestinian guard with an AK-47 or similar weapon (no one I've asked got a close enough look to know for sure) slung over his shoulder boarded the bus, gave us a once-over, and left after insisting that we take no pictures of the checkpoint. I took that to be mean we must be more sneaky about taking pictures of the checkpoint.
There are pictures of Arafat everywhere. Apparently he is still quite the hero where we are right now. And it was not lost on me that a lot of the pro-Palestinian graffiti is written in English. Considering Arabic is the predominant language, the only reason for that that I can think of is to influence Western tourists who come into Bethlehem.
Our first stop at a shop is owned by a Palestinian Christian; while we were gathered around to meet him, he asked us a favor, and then had instructions for shopping. The favor was really something... he said that he realizes there will be no peace in this region until the Prince of Peace returns, but the U.S. and others were getting ready to try to hammer out a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel... and he asked us to pray that God would give wisdom to those involved in that process. Then he went on with a welcome to his store and give instructions for shopping. (Interesting side note... "shopping baskets" are quite literal here!)
We're coming up to the checkpoint to get back out of the Palestinian territory; I'll wrap this up for now, but I must say the barricade reminds me a lot of what the Berlin Wall must have been like.
Okay, we're through. That took forever. But after a friendly Israeli soldier (notable contrast to Palestinian soldier earlier!) went through the bus looking at our passports, we were on our way.
The other stop we made in Bethlehem was, of course, the Church of the Nativity. It is apparently the oldest Christian church in the world. Although it was fascinating, and the weight of history does indeed bear down on one in such a place, it was difficult (for me, anyway) to make more than an intellectual connection between the gaudy votives and commemorations, and the humble beginnings that Jesus actually had. I think I would have preferred the little cave as it was when Jesus was born--protected, yes, but still just plain. But I still wouldn't have missed it for the world. It's a beautiful church, amazingly old, and fascinating that such obscure beginnings from so long ago could be found.
Well, I've got 15 minutes before dinner, so I think I will close here and lie down for a little bit. It's been a long day and a lot of travel... but a blast!
Harking back to the three things I hoped to accomplish this trip, I don't know exactly where it falls but I am being reminded of one thing... that there are always–always–two sides to every story. I'm hoping to get a little more of that while I'm here.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Make like a Cork
23:42
The Dead Sea... wow! I have very much enjoyed this trip 'til now, but the Dead Sea is hands-down the most fun I've had. It is like nothing I've experienced anywhere else... it really and truly is impossible to sink. You lean back, you sit in the water, you don't sink. If anything, your feet fly up. It's a sort of hyper-buoyancy that even enables you to stand in the water... without touching bottom. It is not necessary to tread water, unless you actually want to go somewhere.
The salinity of some 30-33% means that it's a good idea to stay in the water no more than 15 minutes at a time--it can actually burn your skin after awhile--but it is also what keeps you from sinking. It was a hoot, watching a bunch of full-grown adults giggling and laughing as they experienced this unique body of water... especially those who were still concerned they were going to sink. You would expect the water to be really salty and gritty, but it's not! If anything, it's quite slippery. If you ever get the chance to go, do. The experience is worth the drive (it's a good distance from Tiberias).
As I said earlier, we went through the West Bank today... another rather volatile area I had no idea we'd be traveling through; but it was fascinating! We stopped in Jericho for lunch, and went to a shop where they made hand-blown glassware. Amazing stuff... he banged two goblets together to demonstrate how strong the glass was. The area is definitely Palestinian... the shop owner had pictures of Arafat up all over the place.
Not as much to report today... the distance between the places meant that we didn't have quite as many stops. In a way, that's not all bad... my entry name of "Overload" yesterday really wasn't much of an exaggeration!
The Dead Sea... wow! I have very much enjoyed this trip 'til now, but the Dead Sea is hands-down the most fun I've had. It is like nothing I've experienced anywhere else... it really and truly is impossible to sink. You lean back, you sit in the water, you don't sink. If anything, your feet fly up. It's a sort of hyper-buoyancy that even enables you to stand in the water... without touching bottom. It is not necessary to tread water, unless you actually want to go somewhere.
The salinity of some 30-33% means that it's a good idea to stay in the water no more than 15 minutes at a time--it can actually burn your skin after awhile--but it is also what keeps you from sinking. It was a hoot, watching a bunch of full-grown adults giggling and laughing as they experienced this unique body of water... especially those who were still concerned they were going to sink. You would expect the water to be really salty and gritty, but it's not! If anything, it's quite slippery. If you ever get the chance to go, do. The experience is worth the drive (it's a good distance from Tiberias).
As I said earlier, we went through the West Bank today... another rather volatile area I had no idea we'd be traveling through; but it was fascinating! We stopped in Jericho for lunch, and went to a shop where they made hand-blown glassware. Amazing stuff... he banged two goblets together to demonstrate how strong the glass was. The area is definitely Palestinian... the shop owner had pictures of Arafat up all over the place.
Not as much to report today... the distance between the places meant that we didn't have quite as many stops. In a way, that's not all bad... my entry name of "Overload" yesterday really wasn't much of an exaggeration!
March 10
March 10, 2008 - 10:11
Just leaving Bet Shea'an, and I'm writing some of these details before I forget. It was founded, our guide believes, sometime in the 3rd Century BC by Antiochus IV (really rotten character as you will recall). The ruins as we saw them are from the Byzantine Era. It bears noting that the entire site was level ground before archaeologists started digging. Being completely covered by earth meant that a spectacular amount of the architecture is intact.
Bet Shea'an was the capital of the decapolis, and had an estimated population at its peak of some 50,000 people. An earthquake destroyed the city during the Byzantine era.
I'd write more but I've got to get my camera ready... turns out we're going through a West Bank checkpoint!
13:40
Well, there are now photos of me on a camel. And speaking of photos, I have discovered, in my frustration with trying to get pictures from a bus (there are some advantages to traveling by oneself as well!), that I have gotten pretty good at the photographic equivalent of a Hail Mary... out of sheer necessity. Digital cameras take a good deal longer to get going than a normal point-press-n'-pray, so a lot of times, if we're moving, the subject is long gone by the time the camera is ready. I have several shots--certainly not National Geographic quality, mind you--that I just snapped in the general direction of where the subject was in passing... and they came out!
This has also come in handy in a few instances where the subjects might perhaps not *like* being subjects... such as Israeli and Palestinian checkpoints into and out of the West Bank (complete with automatic machine guns in guard towers, aimed squarely at passing vehicles), fully armed Israeli soldiers hanging out in the restaurant where we are eating, plainclothes officers with automatic rifles slung more or less surreptitiously over their shoulder, camera-shy Druze, etc., etc.
At the moment, we're headed toward the Dead Sea. We've been going DOWN for quite awhile now. Makes sense going to the lowest point on the earth, I suppose. How cool is that?
Just leaving Bet Shea'an, and I'm writing some of these details before I forget. It was founded, our guide believes, sometime in the 3rd Century BC by Antiochus IV (really rotten character as you will recall). The ruins as we saw them are from the Byzantine Era. It bears noting that the entire site was level ground before archaeologists started digging. Being completely covered by earth meant that a spectacular amount of the architecture is intact.
Bet Shea'an was the capital of the decapolis, and had an estimated population at its peak of some 50,000 people. An earthquake destroyed the city during the Byzantine era.
I'd write more but I've got to get my camera ready... turns out we're going through a West Bank checkpoint!
13:40
Well, there are now photos of me on a camel. And speaking of photos, I have discovered, in my frustration with trying to get pictures from a bus (there are some advantages to traveling by oneself as well!), that I have gotten pretty good at the photographic equivalent of a Hail Mary... out of sheer necessity. Digital cameras take a good deal longer to get going than a normal point-press-n'-pray, so a lot of times, if we're moving, the subject is long gone by the time the camera is ready. I have several shots--certainly not National Geographic quality, mind you--that I just snapped in the general direction of where the subject was in passing... and they came out!
This has also come in handy in a few instances where the subjects might perhaps not *like* being subjects... such as Israeli and Palestinian checkpoints into and out of the West Bank (complete with automatic machine guns in guard towers, aimed squarely at passing vehicles), fully armed Israeli soldiers hanging out in the restaurant where we are eating, plainclothes officers with automatic rifles slung more or less surreptitiously over their shoulder, camera-shy Druze, etc., etc.
At the moment, we're headed toward the Dead Sea. We've been going DOWN for quite awhile now. Makes sense going to the lowest point on the earth, I suppose. How cool is that?
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Overload!
March 9, 2008 - 21:00
Today was packed! (I'm actually plowing through my pictures just to try to remember it all.) Eight stops, which means I'm going to be a bit succinct in places, or this would be a REALLY long post.
Mount of the Beatitudes. This is obviously where Jesus delivered His most famous sermon. When we drove along in the region, our guide pointed out that the way the hills and valleys are situated, it is possible for a speaker, without the aid of any technology whatever, to speak loudly enough for thousands to hear him. There's a church now on the top of the mountain, of course, but we had time to go off by ourselves to read Matthew 5... in the same place where it was originally spoken. Wow.
Capernaum. I didn't realize it, but one could very logically call Capernaum Jesus' home town. How? you may ask... He was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth (you'll recall Nathaniel's disparaging comment), yes. But Jesus also did some 70% of His ministry in and around Capernaum. He called all of His disciples from this area. The synagogue in Capernaum in which Jesus taught no longer exists, but a synagogue built in the 4th Century over the site of the old one is still partially standing. The most remarkable feature of Capernaum... the remains of St. Peter's house. An octagonal church was built over the site to help preserve it from any further decay, though it is not completely sealed off. But the plaster with which it was covered is still visible in places.
Sea of Galilee. We went out on a boat, had a short service, and watched one of the boat operators demonstrate how they fished in Jesus' day (he didn't catch anything... I wondered, actually, what he would do if he had since it was mostly a tour boat). Rick and one other guy and I were able to sit on the edge of the prow until Giselle got up there. I think her flailing for the camera freaked out the boat operators enough to where they made us all get down. I'm happy to report that no biblical-sized storms came upon us on the lake! One odd element of that trip... they hoisted the American flag since we were from America, and played The Star Spangled Banner. Great song, but not exactly the first one I thought our group would sing this trip!
Jesus Boat. The Jesus boat is not necessarily a boat Jesus was in (though it's possible), but it was found in the Sea of Galilee far beneath the mud. It has been dated to about 2,000 years ago. The wood would apparently turn to dust as soon as it dried out, so they had to wet it constantly on the way out. It was sealed in foam until it could be preserved later.
Church of the Primacy of St. Peter. Though Scripture doesn't say exactly where that took place, this church commemorates Jesus' conversation with Peter in John 21.
Golan Heights. I really had no idea we were going to the Golan Heights, but it was interesting. We drove by fields cordoned off with signs saying "DANGER: MINES", tanks actually on the move, abandoned villages (from the 6-Day War), and pulverized bunkers. So we stopped in a Druze village in the Golan Heights for lunch. :) But seriously... it was interesting. I am as interested in current events and conflicts there as I am in the near and ancient history of the place. Our guide, a Palestinian Christian, is very (and I suppose, appropriately) circumspect about anything remotely political, but every now and then you can get out of him what was going on in some of these places.
Ceasarea Philippi - Temple of Pan. I actually didn't know until this trip that Caesarea and Caesarea Philippi were two different places, but they are indeed. Ceasarea Philippi is situated at one of the three sources of the Jordan River, and the ancient Temple of Pan (a pagan temple) was situated here as well. The spring used to come from the mouth of a cave there, but when Herod the Great built a temple to Caesar Augustus, the construction rerouted the flow to where the water comes out from a different location. Very little of the Temple of Pan remains, but it is still possible to see where the different statues were placed in the side of the cliff.
Jordan River. Our last stop in a very full day was the Jordan River. Several hardy souls from our group decided to get baptized in what was apparently both very murky AND very cold water, much to the amusement of those of us who remained on shore to take pictures (and video!) and to cheer them on. (I think more than one was wishing they were Methodist, not Baptist.) I thought they were going to share the water with some large catfish and one REALLY large rat (someone said it was a muskrat) that was swimming around where the catfish were to munch on the bread people were throwing for them, but they wound up going down the opposite side of the stairs. I think that was probably just fine for the women who were being baptized, but one of them said she forgot all about the rat once she hit the water. Then her only thought was how fast could she come back up, and how fast could she get out of there! The video of Mark and Med is great... one never quite knows what's going to happen with a former youth pastor and a current associate pastor in the water at the same time, intent on baptizing each other. Both said later that they thought about holding the other one down, but both thought the other was liable to come up swinging. So in the end, they were nice to each other.
We're heading to the Dead Sea tomorrow; it requires an early start, so I'm going to have to just content myself with summary of what we did today, and save the introspection and pontification for another time. I don't know if I'm going to be able to manage with the connection speeds here, but if I can get some pictures posted, I'll include a link in a future post.
Today was packed! (I'm actually plowing through my pictures just to try to remember it all.) Eight stops, which means I'm going to be a bit succinct in places, or this would be a REALLY long post.
Mount of the Beatitudes. This is obviously where Jesus delivered His most famous sermon. When we drove along in the region, our guide pointed out that the way the hills and valleys are situated, it is possible for a speaker, without the aid of any technology whatever, to speak loudly enough for thousands to hear him. There's a church now on the top of the mountain, of course, but we had time to go off by ourselves to read Matthew 5... in the same place where it was originally spoken. Wow.
Capernaum. I didn't realize it, but one could very logically call Capernaum Jesus' home town. How? you may ask... He was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth (you'll recall Nathaniel's disparaging comment), yes. But Jesus also did some 70% of His ministry in and around Capernaum. He called all of His disciples from this area. The synagogue in Capernaum in which Jesus taught no longer exists, but a synagogue built in the 4th Century over the site of the old one is still partially standing. The most remarkable feature of Capernaum... the remains of St. Peter's house. An octagonal church was built over the site to help preserve it from any further decay, though it is not completely sealed off. But the plaster with which it was covered is still visible in places.
Sea of Galilee. We went out on a boat, had a short service, and watched one of the boat operators demonstrate how they fished in Jesus' day (he didn't catch anything... I wondered, actually, what he would do if he had since it was mostly a tour boat). Rick and one other guy and I were able to sit on the edge of the prow until Giselle got up there. I think her flailing for the camera freaked out the boat operators enough to where they made us all get down. I'm happy to report that no biblical-sized storms came upon us on the lake! One odd element of that trip... they hoisted the American flag since we were from America, and played The Star Spangled Banner. Great song, but not exactly the first one I thought our group would sing this trip!
Jesus Boat. The Jesus boat is not necessarily a boat Jesus was in (though it's possible), but it was found in the Sea of Galilee far beneath the mud. It has been dated to about 2,000 years ago. The wood would apparently turn to dust as soon as it dried out, so they had to wet it constantly on the way out. It was sealed in foam until it could be preserved later.
Church of the Primacy of St. Peter. Though Scripture doesn't say exactly where that took place, this church commemorates Jesus' conversation with Peter in John 21.
Golan Heights. I really had no idea we were going to the Golan Heights, but it was interesting. We drove by fields cordoned off with signs saying "DANGER: MINES", tanks actually on the move, abandoned villages (from the 6-Day War), and pulverized bunkers. So we stopped in a Druze village in the Golan Heights for lunch. :) But seriously... it was interesting. I am as interested in current events and conflicts there as I am in the near and ancient history of the place. Our guide, a Palestinian Christian, is very (and I suppose, appropriately) circumspect about anything remotely political, but every now and then you can get out of him what was going on in some of these places.
Ceasarea Philippi - Temple of Pan. I actually didn't know until this trip that Caesarea and Caesarea Philippi were two different places, but they are indeed. Ceasarea Philippi is situated at one of the three sources of the Jordan River, and the ancient Temple of Pan (a pagan temple) was situated here as well. The spring used to come from the mouth of a cave there, but when Herod the Great built a temple to Caesar Augustus, the construction rerouted the flow to where the water comes out from a different location. Very little of the Temple of Pan remains, but it is still possible to see where the different statues were placed in the side of the cliff.
Jordan River. Our last stop in a very full day was the Jordan River. Several hardy souls from our group decided to get baptized in what was apparently both very murky AND very cold water, much to the amusement of those of us who remained on shore to take pictures (and video!) and to cheer them on. (I think more than one was wishing they were Methodist, not Baptist.) I thought they were going to share the water with some large catfish and one REALLY large rat (someone said it was a muskrat) that was swimming around where the catfish were to munch on the bread people were throwing for them, but they wound up going down the opposite side of the stairs. I think that was probably just fine for the women who were being baptized, but one of them said she forgot all about the rat once she hit the water. Then her only thought was how fast could she come back up, and how fast could she get out of there! The video of Mark and Med is great... one never quite knows what's going to happen with a former youth pastor and a current associate pastor in the water at the same time, intent on baptizing each other. Both said later that they thought about holding the other one down, but both thought the other was liable to come up swinging. So in the end, they were nice to each other.
We're heading to the Dead Sea tomorrow; it requires an early start, so I'm going to have to just content myself with summary of what we did today, and save the introspection and pontification for another time. I don't know if I'm going to be able to manage with the connection speeds here, but if I can get some pictures posted, I'll include a link in a future post.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Jet Lag... and That Dang Dollar!
March 8, 2008 - 21:43
I always forget one of the big rules of international travel... try to go to bed at the proper time for where you are. I was tired. I went to bed early. I woke up at 3 this morning! But in talking to others, it sounds like I wasn't the only one.
We went to four places today: Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, and Nazareth.
There isn't a whole lot left to see in the site of Caesarea anymore, though its history is fascinating. Herod the Great, so named not because he was a wonderful leader but because he built an awful lot, built it up from a relatively nondescript outpost to a large city complete with a large outdoor theater and circus. Herod built the palace out into the bay, using essentially cement to build on. It eventually sank, but survived several hundred years. You can still see the pool in the palace, out there in the water.
The coolest thing about Caesarea, though, is that it is where the first recorded Gentile convert lived: Cornelius. See Acts 10:1.
Our next stop was Mt. Carmel, where Elijah put 400 prophets of Baal to the test, and then whacked all 450 of 'em when their god didn't show up (earning Queen Jezebel's everlasting affections). If you want to read the account, click here. There's not an altar to see anymore (maybe because God consumed it AND the rocks and dust with fire in His answer to Elijah's prayer), but it was really something to see the actual location of such a famous Bible story... and a particularly old one at that.
Next stop... Megiddo. Huge mountain. Immense valley. Very cultivated, very beautiful. Hard to believe it is the location of the final battle of the ages. You'd think something like Armageddon would happen in a more hardscrabble, desolate location, but the valley of Megiddo is anything but!
Megiddo isn't just a location with apocalyptic importance, however; it is a location of immense archeological importance as well. In the 1920's, the University of Chicago instituted a dig so effective that to this day, the results of other digs in Israel are compared to the artifacts and structures of Megiddo. Megiddo appears to have been a place of Canaanite worship as far back as 3000-4000 B.C.
One of the most remarkable features of Megiddo is a tunnel underneath the bedrock. Built to get water in event of a siege, it was actually dug from both ends and met in the middle... an immense accomplishment at the time.
Our last stop of the day was Nazareth... for lunch and to go see the Church of the Anunciation.
I got a kick out of Nazareth... it is the first place that really looked like what I anticipated a town in the Middle East would look like... tight, busy streets, street vendors sitting out smoking in front of their shops, outdoor vendors hawking all kinds of wares (primarily targeting pilgrims), and kids in Hollister and Levis walking by old men in turbans and women in full Muslim garb (a large tour group from Ghana, all in the same colorful green outfits, were an odd counterpoint).
As for the second half of the blog entry title... I knew the dollar was weak overseas. You hear about it all the time, but if you're like me you don't think much about it. Until you go overseas. Lunch today was $14 for a lunch I would normally never pay $14 for. And that's leaving off $3 for a bottle of soda!
It was a good day in all... I'm probably still just too tired to be able to process it all just yet. But we're staying in Tiberias tonight, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. And we can see the water from our balcony. How cool is that?
I always forget one of the big rules of international travel... try to go to bed at the proper time for where you are. I was tired. I went to bed early. I woke up at 3 this morning! But in talking to others, it sounds like I wasn't the only one.
We went to four places today: Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, and Nazareth.
There isn't a whole lot left to see in the site of Caesarea anymore, though its history is fascinating. Herod the Great, so named not because he was a wonderful leader but because he built an awful lot, built it up from a relatively nondescript outpost to a large city complete with a large outdoor theater and circus. Herod built the palace out into the bay, using essentially cement to build on. It eventually sank, but survived several hundred years. You can still see the pool in the palace, out there in the water.
The coolest thing about Caesarea, though, is that it is where the first recorded Gentile convert lived: Cornelius. See Acts 10:1.
Our next stop was Mt. Carmel, where Elijah put 400 prophets of Baal to the test, and then whacked all 450 of 'em when their god didn't show up (earning Queen Jezebel's everlasting affections). If you want to read the account, click here. There's not an altar to see anymore (maybe because God consumed it AND the rocks and dust with fire in His answer to Elijah's prayer), but it was really something to see the actual location of such a famous Bible story... and a particularly old one at that.
Next stop... Megiddo. Huge mountain. Immense valley. Very cultivated, very beautiful. Hard to believe it is the location of the final battle of the ages. You'd think something like Armageddon would happen in a more hardscrabble, desolate location, but the valley of Megiddo is anything but!
Megiddo isn't just a location with apocalyptic importance, however; it is a location of immense archeological importance as well. In the 1920's, the University of Chicago instituted a dig so effective that to this day, the results of other digs in Israel are compared to the artifacts and structures of Megiddo. Megiddo appears to have been a place of Canaanite worship as far back as 3000-4000 B.C.
One of the most remarkable features of Megiddo is a tunnel underneath the bedrock. Built to get water in event of a siege, it was actually dug from both ends and met in the middle... an immense accomplishment at the time.
Our last stop of the day was Nazareth... for lunch and to go see the Church of the Anunciation.
I got a kick out of Nazareth... it is the first place that really looked like what I anticipated a town in the Middle East would look like... tight, busy streets, street vendors sitting out smoking in front of their shops, outdoor vendors hawking all kinds of wares (primarily targeting pilgrims), and kids in Hollister and Levis walking by old men in turbans and women in full Muslim garb (a large tour group from Ghana, all in the same colorful green outfits, were an odd counterpoint).
As for the second half of the blog entry title... I knew the dollar was weak overseas. You hear about it all the time, but if you're like me you don't think much about it. Until you go overseas. Lunch today was $14 for a lunch I would normally never pay $14 for. And that's leaving off $3 for a bottle of soda!
It was a good day in all... I'm probably still just too tired to be able to process it all just yet. But we're staying in Tiberias tonight, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. And we can see the water from our balcony. How cool is that?
Friday, March 07, 2008
Tel Aviv... we're here!
March 7, 2008 18:04 (Israel time)
(NOTE: Well, blogging may prove to be a little challenging; Internet access is not quite as accessible as I'd anticipated! As such, I am typing on my palmtop, and will transfer to the Net as I have opportunity. I will put the time I'm actually writing at the top of the post.)
Well, we are in Tel Aviv. I expected crazy tight security in the airport, and that will probably be the case leaving, but people were taking pictures right and left. We'd never get away with that in Romania.
Driving on a bus from the airport to our hotel in Jaffa - Turns out our tour guide is a believer! He says the Holy Land is called "The Fifth Gospel" - the first four you read, the fifth you experience.
His term for restrooms... "Coffee Out." :)
I have to say it is really something to see ancient biblical place names on traffic signs.
I knew dinners were going to be nice, but... wow. I felt a little out of place in jeans walking into that dining room. To quote a Broadway musical, "I think I'm gonna like it here."
Thanks for all the prayers. I look forward to writing more as opportunity permits.
(NOTE: Well, blogging may prove to be a little challenging; Internet access is not quite as accessible as I'd anticipated! As such, I am typing on my palmtop, and will transfer to the Net as I have opportunity. I will put the time I'm actually writing at the top of the post.)
Well, we are in Tel Aviv. I expected crazy tight security in the airport, and that will probably be the case leaving, but people were taking pictures right and left. We'd never get away with that in Romania.
Driving on a bus from the airport to our hotel in Jaffa - Turns out our tour guide is a believer! He says the Holy Land is called "The Fifth Gospel" - the first four you read, the fifth you experience.
His term for restrooms... "Coffee Out." :)
I have to say it is really something to see ancient biblical place names on traffic signs.
I knew dinners were going to be nice, but... wow. I felt a little out of place in jeans walking into that dining room. To quote a Broadway musical, "I think I'm gonna like it here."
Thanks for all the prayers. I look forward to writing more as opportunity permits.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Jerusalem or Bust
Well, tomorrow we hop on a plane and head for Israel! It's funny, I'd think I'd be more excited at this point. Maybe I will be once I'm on the plane and all the stuff I've got to do to get ready that I've been procrastinating about will be in the past. But it's in the future at the moment. I guess I should get to it.
A good friend of mine asked me tonight what I most hoped to get out of this trip. It's funny, but I hadn't really thought about it in those terms. I'll tell you what I told him (or a paraphrase, I don't remember exactly what I said): I hope to learn some things I didn't know, to have some things I did know reinforced, to have preconceived notions shoved right out of my head, and to get to know God even better through the operation of those three.
Shalom, y'all!
Tedd
A good friend of mine asked me tonight what I most hoped to get out of this trip. It's funny, but I hadn't really thought about it in those terms. I'll tell you what I told him (or a paraphrase, I don't remember exactly what I said): I hope to learn some things I didn't know, to have some things I did know reinforced, to have preconceived notions shoved right out of my head, and to get to know God even better through the operation of those three.
Shalom, y'all!
Tedd
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Five days and counting!
Someone asked me about my Blog byline, “Next year, in Jerusalem!” Well, that is now “THIS year, in Jerusalem!” Thursday is coming up really quickly.
I have been struggling to decide exactly how I'm going to journal the trip. On one hand, writing is handy. On the other, typing is a lot faster, but I don't know the computer situation once we get there. We'll see. My hope is to journal here, and include some pics.
I have been asked what I'm expecting to experience. The answer is, I really don't know. I've been to Eastern Europe several times, but I've never been to the Middle East. So my plan is to go with an open mind, open heart, and wide open eyes. Walking where Jesus walked, seeing things He saw... it's hard to get my head around. But I know it's probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I want to soak up as much of it as I possibly can.
I have been struggling to decide exactly how I'm going to journal the trip. On one hand, writing is handy. On the other, typing is a lot faster, but I don't know the computer situation once we get there. We'll see. My hope is to journal here, and include some pics.
I have been asked what I'm expecting to experience. The answer is, I really don't know. I've been to Eastern Europe several times, but I've never been to the Middle East. So my plan is to go with an open mind, open heart, and wide open eyes. Walking where Jesus walked, seeing things He saw... it's hard to get my head around. But I know it's probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I want to soak up as much of it as I possibly can.
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