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Trips &
Vacations - The Holy Land 2013
Betsy had been wanting to go to the
Holy Land for several years, and in 2013, took the plunge. Bruce and
Betsy had wanted to do it together, but it was just a bit too
expensive for both.
The chronology below provides a
day-by-day summary of events, and only hits the "high points."
Jay Patterson, a friend of theirs, took over a thousand photos
during the trip, and a few are included below. Day 1 - Getting There
Sunday, July 7, was the day most of of the group was in transit.
Since the overnight flight did not afford most of the travelers the
kind of rest they are used to, they took it easy this first night,
staying the night at the beautiful Seasons Hotel in Natanya, thirty
miles up the coast to the north.
The resort is situated on the shore
Mediterranean Sea.
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Day 2 - Mediterranean Coast to the Sea of Galilee
After their first night in modern Natanya, they were off and running
on a very busy day took them across northern Israel and through
centuries of history.
CAESAREA
Their first stop was in Caesarea. Named for the emperor, this was a "Rome
away from Rome" set up in Caesar's honor. As such, Caesarea was
designed and outfitted as a Roman outpost in the East. The city was
presented as a gift by Caesar Augustus to Herod the Great in AD 30.
Herod built Sebaste Harbor there, which rivaled any harbor on the
Mediterranean. There are a number of great archeological features to
see at Caesarea (sometimes called Caesarea Maritima, "on the sea,"
to distinguish it from Caesarea Philippi up north). One feature is
an aqueduct that dates to the first century, which was inscribed
with a dedication to Pontius Pilate, no less. Also, there is a
wonderfully-preserved Roman amphitheater, as seen in the photo
below. You can read in Acts 12:20-24 about how Herod Agrippa died in
Caesarea, perhaps in this very amphitheater. Some scholars suggest
that the "throne" to which Acts refers is the central section of the
amphitheater that was carved out for the king.
 MOUNT CARMEL
After Caesarea, they continued north to Mount Carmel which overlooks
the Valley of Jezreel, also known as the Valley of Armageddon. This
is one of the most beautiful vantage points in the country. They
visited the Muhkakra convent, commemorating the place where Elijah called
down fire upon the priests of Baal.
 NAZARETH
Next, they were off to Jesus' home town of Nazareth. The main attraction
here was the Basilica of the Annunciation where the Angel Gabriel
announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she had been selected to be
the mother of God, and where she said those most amazing words: "Let
it be to me according to thy word." The world hasn't been the
same since.
 CANA
From Nazareth, they went on to visit nearby Cana of Galilee. Some
chose to renew their wedding vows in the city where Jesus turned water into
wine. There, they also had an opportunity to see the old, impressive stone
water jars.
The travels for the first day ended at the Restal Hotel in Tiberias, on the
western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
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Day 3 - Galilee
CAPERNAUM
When Jesus left Nazareth, Capernaum became His home base for
ministry (see Matthew 4:13). Capernaum was also the hometown of
brothers Peter and Andrew, and brothers James and John, and the
center of their families' fishing business. One wonderful feature of
the archeological excavation at Capernaum is a synagogue that dates
to the fourth century, AD. Though this is not the synagogue in which
Jesus would have taught, it is built on the same site as the first
century synagogue. (See Mark 1:21, "They went to Capernaum, and when
the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to
teach.") It was also at the Capernaum synagogue that Jesus shocked
his contemporaries by saying he was the True Bread which has come
down from heaven. (John 6)
 THE MOUNT OF BEATITUDES
Nearby, they went to see the Mount of Beatitudes and the beautiful
outdoor chapels at the Church of the Beatitudes. It was very moving
to hear and reflect on Jesus' words, "Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God" in the very place where
they were first uttered.
 TABGHA
Next, they went to Tabgha, the traditional site of the multiplication of
the loaves and the fishes, and also the town where it is believed
Jesus had his post-resurrection conversation with Peter, giving the
thrice-denying Peter the threefold chance to declare his love for
Christ. This is also where Jesus gave the gentle command to the Apostle,
"Feed my sheep." (John 21:1-19)
CAESAREA PHILIPPI
From Tabgha the group headed way, way north to Caesarea Philippi and
the headwaters of the Jordan River. This was a truly fascinating
place. Caesarea Philippi was is a city on the outermost edge of the
Israel of Jesus' day. As such, it was a place where Greek paganism
and Jewish monotheism co-mingled. The photo on the right is taken in
the city center where niches remain in the mountains, in which were
situated statues of the nature god Pan and other pagan deities.
What's fascinating is that this pagan city, a religious marketplace
of sorts, is where Jesus took his disciples to ask the provocative
question, "Who do you say that I am." And then, of course, Peter's
explosive answer is uttered: "You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God." (See Matthew 16:13-20.)
That night the group went back to the Restal Hotel on the Sea of Galilee.
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Day 4 - Across the Jordan
On this day, they crossed the border into the nation of Jordan on
the west side of the Jordan River. It wouldn't have been exactly the
same for Jesus, though. In the 1st century the whole area was part
of Roman empire. The Jordan River valley and the territory east of
the Jordan was known as the Decapolis (Greek for "Ten Cities") since
in this land there were ten, major, Roman-style cities that extended
the Greco-Roman culture throughout the Near East. Sometimes Jesus is
described as a bumpkin from backwater Nazareth, assuming he spoke
only Aramaic and knew little about the wider world. But in Matthew
4:25 we read, "And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the
Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the
Jordan." We see here that Jesus moved in and among a variety of
world cultures. The Decapolis was a territory known to him, and a
region in which he was known.
MOUNT TABOR
The first stop was Mount Tabor, located a little southwest of
Tiberius. It is also called the Mount of Transfiguration, since
Christians have identified this as the hill upon which Jesus had his
"mountain top experience" with Moses and Elijah and the voice of the
Father proclaiming, "This is my beloved son. Listen to him." (Luke
9:28-36)
 THE VALLEY OF ARMAGEDDON
Between Mount Tabor on the east and the ancient city of Megiddo on
the west is the Jezreel Valley. In the mid 14th century BC, this was
the site of the epic battle between the forces of Deborah and Barak
on one hand, and King Jabin's Canaanite army, led by the commander
Sisera, on the other. (Judges 4) In 2 Kings 23:29 another decisive
battle is described, Megiddo being the place where King Josiah is
slain by the forces of Pharaoh.
What does all this have to do with Armageddon? The cryptic name
Armageddon, found only in Revelation 16:16, is Hebrew for "Mount
Megiddo." Since Megiddo was a city on a plain, not a mountain, most
interpret this as "symbolic geography": Megiddo and the Valley of
Jezreel (pictured on the right) represent a global combat zone, a
foreshadowing of the final, cosmic battle between Christ and the
forces of Satan.
JERASH
Moving further into Jordan they ended the day exploring Jerash. In
the first century, this Decapolis city was known as Gerasa. Because
of the magnificent excavation at this site, some refer to Jerash as
the "Pompeii of the Middle East"--referring to its size and level of
preservation, not that Jerash was ever buried by a volcano. Jerash
is considered one of the most important and best preserved Roman
cities in the Near East.
After exploring Jerash, they traveled to the Holiday Inn on the
Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea.
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Day 5 - John the
Baptist, Moses, and a Map of Jerusalem
THE SITE OF JESUS' BAPTISM
The next day, they went to the Jordan River and the place where
Jesus was believed baptized. In St. John's account of Jesus'
baptism it says, "These things took place in Bethany across the
Jordan, where John was baptizing." (John 1:28) The traditional site
for Jesus' baptism is indeed "across the Jordan" on the Jordanian
side of the river.
There, many in the group reaffirmed their baptismal vows, and
some brought back a bottle of water from the Jordan River blessed by
Fr. Houk. The site of Jesus' baptism has a nice website here.
 MOUNT NEBO
Next the group traveled south to Mt. Nebo. This is where the journey
ended for Moses, since God did not allow him to enter the promised
land because of the way he struck the rock in the wilderness. (Even
prophets have a bad day.) Mt. Nebo is mentioned in Deuteronomy
32:48-34:12, where we hear the last words of Moses to the people of
Israel. He had brought them through the forty years of the Exodus,
and now they were about to enter the promised Land without him. But
from Mt. Nebo, Moses and the Hebrews could see the land God had
promised them. From the summit of Mt. Nebo, the city of Jericho is
usually visible, as is Jerusalem on a clear day.
 ST. GEORGE'S, MADABA
Not far from Mt. Nebo is the city of Madaba, where the group had a tasty,
authentic Jordanian lunch. After lunch, they walked down the street
to the Greek Orthodox Basilica of St. George. This was a real treat
in that it's not a holy site, per se, but on the floor of the nave
in this ancient church is a mosaic that dates back to the 6th
century. The map is made with over two million pieces of colored stone
and depicts the towns and topography of Palestine. It is the earliest
existing representation of Byzantine Jerusalem. In the mosaic there
are important details of the city's 6th-century landmarks, with the
cardo and the Holy Sepulchre clearly visible. This map has greatly
contributed to what scholars know about Jerusalem after its
destruction and rebuilding in 70 AD.
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DAY 6: Petra
Petra means "rock" in Greek, and Petra is a city that was carved out
of the rock around the 6th century BC as the capital of the
Nabataeans. The Nabataeans were the ancient people of southern
Jordan, Canaan, and the northern part of Arabia They were a nomadic
people that established a number of oasis settlements in the Near
East. The city lies on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the
mountains which form the eastern flank of the Wadi Arabah, the large
valley running from the Dead Sea down to the Gulf of Aqaba. The site
remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was
explored by the Swiss traveler and orientalist Johann Ludwig
Burckhardt. It was described as "a rose-red city half as old as
time" in a Newdigate Prize-winning poem by John William Burgon.
Petra is an amazing, marvelous place. It is a down-hill walk into the
ancient city and an uphill walk out. About half-way down the valley,
they came to the Treasury, the most photographed place in Petra. They
continued walking down the rest of the way to the end of the city. They
then took a camel ride back up to the Treasury. That night, they had
dinner and stayed overnight at the Amra Palace at Petra.
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DAY 7: Back Across
the Jordan On Day Seven, the group left
the Nation of Jordan after the long bus-ride up from Petra. They
crossed the Jordan River at the Albany bridge and reentered Israel.
CROSSING THE JORDAN
This point is also where Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan River
into the Promised Land after their forty long years of wandering in the
wilderness. (Joshua 3.)
JERICHO
Next, like the aforementioned Israelites did after crossing the Jordan,
the group traveled to Jericho, though there were no longer walls for them to
march around. (Joshua 6) Some walls could be seen at an archaeological site,
and they were able to see layer after layer of the civilizations that
called Jericho "home." It is the oldest inhabited city in the world,
with human occupation dating back to 9,000 BC. Excavations show that
Jericho has been a walled city since approx 3,200 BC, flourished
during era of the patriarchs (c. 2,000 - 1,600 BC).
 THE JUDEAN WILDERNESS
From Jericho, looking westward, the group could see the Mount of
Temptation on the edge of the Judean Wilderness. There is a
monastery there that commemorates the place where Jesus fasted and
prayed and was tempted by Satan for 40 days. After seeing the rocky
terrain of the Judean Wilderness, the group understood why the diabolical
tempter suggested Jesus turn the stones into bread since there are
plenty to be found and not much else. At the end of the day, the
group checked in to the Intercontinental Hotel for a good night's rest and
to prepare for a very busy and active day to follow.
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DAY 8: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran and up to Jerusalem
They were out in the wilderness for one more day, and then it was up
to the Holy City.
MASADA
Masada was a fascinating place! It was originally built as a summer residence
for Herod the Great. Later it was used by revolutionary Jews to make
their last stand against the Roman Empire in 135 AD. To read about
the Roman siege of Masada at the time of the revolt, you can go to
this article by Wikipedia. But you also have time to get on Netflix
and rent the 1980 made-for-TV miniseries starring Peter O'Toole.
Also, there are some majestic shots of Masada, and the panorama seen
from atop, here.
 EIN GEDI
Next, the group headed south to the oasis of Ein Gedi. This is where King
Saul pursued David,
and where David found refuge in a cave. (1 Samuel 24.) You can see
the waterfall at this Ein Gedi page.
 QUMRAN
Their first stop of Day Eight was
the excavation at Qumran where the group learned about the Essenes, the
community that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. The great Jewish
historian Josephus, writing toward the end of the first century,
describes the Essenes, Pharisees, and Sadducees as the three major
sects within Judaism in his day. He goes on to detail the Essenes'
voluntary celibacy and poverty, their observation of ritual baths
every morning, and their commitment to communal living. The Essenes
may have gathered here in the Judean wilderness, on the northwest
corner of the Dead Sea, believing that the end of the world was at
hand.
 JERUSALEM
"And taking the twelve, Jesus said to them, 'Behold, we are going
up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written of the Son of man by
the prophets will be accomplished.'" (St. Luke 18:31) In the Bible,
one always goes "up" to Jerusalem, even if one is heading south,
as Jesus was in the passage from Luke. This is because the drive north
from Masada to Jericho, and then east to Jerusalem is up. But whatever
direction travel, you will always be going up, up, up to the peak of the
Judean hill country, where the Holy City sits some 2,700 feet above sea
level. With Jericho being one of the lowest cities on earth, they experienced
a rather steep ascent.
When Jewish pilgrims journeyed to
Jerusalem, usually once a year at Passover, they would sing psalms.
These pilgrimage psalms are known as the "Psalms of Ascent,"
referring to the steep climb the pilgrims were making to Jerusalem.
The Psalms of Ascent include Psalm 120 through Psalm 134, and the
group read a few as they climbed, albeit in the cool and comfort of an
air conditioned tour bus.
After the ascent from Jericho, the group arrived at the The Golden Walls
Hotel in Jerusalem, their home for the next three nights.
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DAY 9: The Old City of Jerusalem
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER
The went early in the morning.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, known as the Church of the
Resurrection, is a church in the Old City of Jerusalem that is the
holiest Christian site in the world. It stands on a site that is
believed to encompass both Golgotha, or Calvary, where Jesus was
crucified, and the tomb (sepulcher) where he was buried. The Church
of the Holy Sepulcher has been an important pilgrimage destination
since the 4th century.
 CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION
The Chapel of the Ascension is a shrine located on the Mount of
Olives, in the At-Tur district of Jerusalem. Part of a larger
complex consisting first of a Christian church and monastery, then
an Islamic mosque, it is located on a site the faithful
traditionally believe to be the earthly spot where Jesus ascended
into Heaven forty days after his resurrection. It houses a slab of
stone believed to contain one of his footprints.
CHURCH OF THE PATER NOSTER
Named for the "Our Father" prayer
(Latin: Pater Noster), the Church of the Pater Noster stands on the
traditional site in Jerusalem where Jesus taught his disciples the
Lord's Prayer. Emperor Constantine built a church over a cave here
in 4th century, and this has been partially reconstructed. Plaques
in the cloister bear the Lord's Prayer in 62 different languages.
 MOUNT OF OLIVES
The Mount of Olives is a mountain
ridge east of and adjacent to the Jerusalem's Old City. It is named
for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. The southern part
of the Mount was the necropolis of the ancient Judean kingdom. The
Mount is central to Jewish tradition since it has been used as a
Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years and holds approximately 150,000
graves. Several key events in the life of Jesus as related in the
Gospels took place on the Mount of Olives, and in the Book of Acts
it is described as the place from which Jesus ascended to heaven.
Because of its association with both Jesus and Mary, the Mount has
been a site of Christian worship since ancient times and is today a
major site of Christian pilgrimage for Orthodox, Catholic and
Protestant Christians.
 GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
Gethsemane, which means oil press,
is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most
famous as the place where, according to the gospels, Jesus and his
disciples are said to have prayed the night of Jesus' betrayal,
arrest, trial, sentencing and crucifixion.
CHURCH OF THE AGONY
The Basilica of the Agony, also
known as the Church of All Nations, is a Roman Catholic church
located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, next to the Garden of
Gethsemane. It enshrines a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to
have prayed before his arrest.
 MARY'S TOMB
Church of the Sepulchre of Saint
Mary, also Tomb of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian tomb in
the Kidron Valley at the foot of Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem. It
is believed to be the burial place of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Tradition says that the Virgin Mary died a natural death like any
human being; that her soul was received by Christ upon death; and
that her body was resurrected on the third day of repose, at which
time she was taken up, soul and body, into heaven in anticipation of
the general resurrection. THE UPPER ROOM
The "Upper Room," also known as the
Cenacle (from Latin cenaculum), is the site of The Last Supper. The
"Upper Room" was not only the site of the Last Supper, but the place
where the Apostles stayed while in Jerusalem, and was, in effect,
the first Christian church. Things other than the Last Supper
attributed to this site include: the washing of the feet, several
resurrection appearances, the gathering of the disciples after the
Ascension, the election of St. Matthias as an apostle, and the
descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
 TOMB OF DAVID
King David's Tomb is the burial
place of David, King of Israel. It is located on Mount Zion in
Jerusalem, near the Hagia Maria Sion Abbey. The tomb is situated in
a ground floor corner of the remains of the former Hagia Zion, a
Byzantine church. The building is now part of the Diaspora Yeshiva.
 DORMITION ABBEY
Abbey of the Dormition is the home
of a Benedictine community in Jerusalem on Mt. Zion just outside the
walls of the Old City near the Zion Gate. The community was known as
the Hagia Maria Sion Abbey of the Virgin Mary, in reference to the
Basilica of Hagia Maria Sion that formerly stood on this site, but
resumed the original name during the 2006 100th anniversary
celebrations. Hagia Maria Sion is now the name of the foundation
supporting the abbey's buildings, community and academic work.
 HOUSE OF CAIAPHAS
The House of Caiaphas or Palace of
Caiaphas was the place where the High Priest of Israel resided, and
it was here that Jesus was examined before the Council in Jerusalem,
the Sanhedrin was tried. Peter also denied Jesus in one of the
courts of this palace.
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DAY 10: Ein Karem and Bethlehem
On Day Ten, the group went see where it all began, the birthplaces of
John the Baptist and Jesus. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
"Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your
way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of
the Lord, make his paths straight.'" (St. Mark 1:1-3)
SHEPHERDS' FIELD
Next, the group went to the outskirts of Bethlehem, where on the surrounding
hillsides you can still see shepherds tending their flocks. This is where
angels came crashing through the heavens to announce the birth of Jesus.
(Luke 2:8-20)
 BETHLEHEM AND THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
Next, they went to Bethlehem, the birthplace of
Christ. The Church of the Nativity may not be the prettiest
church in Christendom, but it has a special beauty. While some of
the sites they visited on their tour raised the question, "How do we
really know that this is the place where Jesus (fill in the
blank)", the site in Bethlehem has the highest authenticity. The
Church is built on a cave that the first Christians gathered at,
believing it to be the stable where Jesus was born. To this day,
shepherds in the Holy Land still use naturally occurring caves as
stables to house their animals.
The Church of the Nativity is the oldest church building in the world that
has been in continuous operation since its construction. It was built in
565 by Emperor Justinian, having been rebuilt after the Samaritan
Revolt of 529. The church before that was commissioned by St.
Helena, the wife of Constantine, in 333.
 TOMB OF ST. JEROME
St. Jerome established a monastery at the Church of the Nativity and
lived there from the years 384 A.D. to 420 A.D. It was there, in a
cave off the side of the main church building, that Jerome completed
his life work: a translation of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures into
Latin. The Latin Vulgate, as it is called (vulgar meaning the
"common tongue"), was the Bible of the West throughout the middle
ages, and is still revered in the Roman Church to this day. The
group was able to visit the cave of Jerome.
 EIN KAREM, MARY'S SPRING AND THE CHURCH OF THE VISITATION
St. Luke writes, "In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the
hill country, to a town in Judah..." (Luke 1:39) This town is Ein Karem,
where Mary's cousin Elizabeth lived with her husband, Zechariah the priest. It
was here, visiting her cousin, that the Blessed Virgin burst out in song,
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord"--the Magnificat,
recorded in Luke 1:46-55. Ein Karem is also where John the Baptist was born.
Since John is the saint after whom St. John's, Dallas, is named, it
was a special treat for the group to visit the place of his birth. We prayed Morning Prayer there,
reciting the great, Spirit-inspired Song of Zechariah, the Benedictus Dominus Deus, which was uttered by John's father on the
occasion of the Forerunner's birth.
That night the group went back to the Golden Walls Hotel for a festival dinner.
Some relaxed and others headed out to Ben Yehuda St. in West Jerusalem for
some fun.
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DAY 11: Around Jerusalem
The group had to use their track shoes for a very active day walking the
streets of the Old City. They didn't mind the marathon because they
knew they would have all night to rest on the plane trip back
to the USA.
THE WESTERN WALL AND TUNNEL
Their first stop was the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall of the
Temple Mount. It is called the "Wailing Wall" by many westerners.
Apparently the Israelis don't like that name. This is the retaining wall of
the Temple Mount, the closest thing the Jewish people have to the Temple
that was destroyed by Rome in AD 70. The large stones at the base of the
Western Wall go back to the major reinforcements and upgrades Herod
the Great made in the first century.
 THE TEMPLE MOUNT
Next, they went atop the Temple Mount. The site is still so sacred to
orthodox Jews that they will not go there for fear of treading upon the
Holy of Holies. This is indeed the place where King Solomon built the first
temple around 1,000 BC and where the temple was reconstruction after the
Babylonian exile around 516 BC.
Today, the Temple Mount is the site
of two shrines that are precious to Islam: El Aqsa mosque, the
grey-domed structure to the south of the temple mount, and the Dome
of the Rock, the gold domed shrine so often seen in pictures of
Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock stands roughly in the place where
Solomon's Temple stood, both being built on Mt. Moriah, the place
where Abraham made the near-offering of his son, Isaac.
THE POOL OF BETHESDA
Leaving the Temple Mount they traveled north, to visit beautiful St.
Anne's Church, built during the Crusader period, and the Pool of
Bethesda. This site is well excavated, and you can see the pools
where where Christ healed the lame man in John 5.
 THE VIA DOLOROSA
After lunch, the group followed the
steps Christ took to Calvary This is known as the Via Dolorosa or the
"Way of Sorrows." They brought copies of the Stations of the
Cross and prayed as they went, winding their way to the Church of the
Holy Sepulcher.
 TUNNEL BENEATH THE WESTERN WALL
 THE LAST SUPPER
That evening, they were treated to a
special farewell dinner hosted by Mr. Raji Khouri, the owner of
Shepherds Tours, the agency they used in the Holy Land.
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