Cairo, Egypt, Baby!

We rose at 4:30 this morning, checked out of our Amman hotel, and took off from Queen Aliyah airport at 8:45.

As we descended, the desert east of Cairo appeared:


We arrived in Cairo and went straight to the tomb of Anwar Sadat, across the street from where he was assassinated in 1981:


The tomb (and the tomb of the unknown soldier with it) is guarded by young men in traditional Egyptian garb:


Then we rode to the Egypt Museum. Awesome. Indescribable. Rameses II. Aminhotep. Hatshepsut. And, of course, the treasures of Tutankhamen. Cameras are not allowed inside, so you'll just have to take my word for it. I could have spent all week there. But we were worn out, so after a few hours, we headed out. I did take a picture of the museum courtyard:


We checked into our hotel by 4:30 or so, and we're in for the evening....in Cairo, baby!

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Last Day in Israel

Today--Monday--our last day in Israel, started with a short bus ride from Tiberias to Capernaum, the Galilee headquarters of Jesus during his ministry:


This rich archaeological site is named for the prophet Nahum, so we read from Nahum 1:7 and then Mark 1:29-31. Then we viewed the 4th century "white synagogue," built on the remains of the first century synagogue Jesus attended:


We then viewed the house of Peter (also mentioned in Mark 1), just a few steps from the synagogue, under a new Roman Catholic church:


From there we drove the short distance to Tabgha, the traditional site of the feeding of the five thousand. We read Mark 6:30-44 and then toured the church, on the site of several more ancient churches...


...and boasting the famous and oft-seen mosaic discovered here of the loaves and fishes (seen below, in front of the altar):


Our next stop was the Mount of Beatitudes, where we read Matthew 5:1-12 in a beautiful and serene setting near the church on that site:


Then it was north to Chorazin:


Though this may or may not be the site of the Chorazin Jesus mentioned in Matthew 11:20-24 (which we read here), it is still a fascinating site for the "seat of Moses" discovered when the synagogue was excavated:


From there we journeyed past the Gadarenes (and read Matthew 8:28-34), and stopped for lunch at Ein Gev on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Some of us had the "St. Peter's fish" there:


Others were not so brave.

When the Golan Heights ended and the mountains of Gilead rose on our left, we read Genesis 31:3-9, 17-23 and Jeremiah 8:18-22. We crossed the Harod Spring on the drive to Bet Shean and so read Judges 7:1-8a.

Our last stop in Israel (before crossing the border back into Jordan) was the magnificent site of Bet Shean:


While gazing on the Old Testament tel we read 1 Samuel 31, and then toured the Roman era ruins. By 3:15 we were leaving Bet Shean; by 5 we were through the border crossing, and at 7, back in our hotel in Amman.

Tomorrow we wake at 5 for our 8:45 flight to Cairo (while 12 of our group return home later that morning)!


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Kinnereth

After our visit to Cana, we soon passed by the cliffs of Mt. Arbel, and soon saw the Sea of Galilee, or Kinnereth, spread before us!

We stopped at the kibbutz Nof Ginnosar, where we saw the 2,000-year-old boat recently excavated from the mud of Kinnereth:


Amazingly, this boat sailed Galilee in the days of Jesus! It could have been James and John's fishing boat! Or Peter's!

After our visit at Nof Ginnosar, we boarded a boat, and set out on the surface of the lake:


Not far from Tabgha, the ship's captain cut the engines and we floated on the quiet lake. We read Matthew 14:22-33 and sang "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" and then enjoyed an awesome time of silent meditation:








The boat ride over, we got back on the bus, drove past Magdala (the home of Mary Magdalene), and arrived at our hotel in Tiberias by 5:30.

And...hard as it may be to believe...tomorrow promises to be just as full, as we visit Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Chorazin, Bet Shean...and then head back to Amman for the night!

On the Way to Kinnereth (Part Two)

After Caesarea and Megiddo, our itinerary took us next to Nazareth, where we stopped at the expansive and beautiful Church of the Annunciation:


This church, built in the 1960s on the site of previous churches, occupies the whole footprint of biblical Nazareth, which in Jesus' day was home to probably less than 400 people:


Since it's footprint covers biblical Nazareth, wherever Jesus lived, and probably wherever the Annunciation occurred, this church marks the spot! We read Luke 1:26-38 before entering the church.

The main altar sits before an excavated house (identified as the home of Mary and Joseph for centuries):


And next to that altar is the remains of the apse from the Byzantine church that once marked this spot:


And running beside it is a wall from the Crusader church that also once stood here:


Not only is this the largest church in the region but it is certainly one of the most beautiful:


After Nazareth, our next stop was just a short distance, over the next ridge: Cana. Though this is not the biblical Cana (that town was utterly destroyed in the rebellion of 70 A.D.), it is nearby. We read John 2:1-11 before entering the church that commemorates the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine:


The lower level of this church displays a huge ancient stone water jar, of the kind mentioned in John 2:


Soon after leaving Cana, we were driving through the Turan Valley, with fertile fields lining either side of the road. We read (without stopping) Matthew 12:1-8. We also read Matthew 5:14-16 as we spotted Safed in the distance, possibly the city that Jesus evoked when he spoke of his followers as a "city on a hill."

Our next stop would be the Lake Kinnereth...the Sea of Galilee!

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On the Way to Kinnereth (Part One)

Oh my, what a day! We left Jerusalem this morning around 7:30, and headed for Caesarea by the Sea (Caesarea Maritima), about a two-hour drive.

As we entered, we read Acts 10:1-7, 44-48. Then we entered the Roman theater:


Julie Sellers sang a little on the stage to demonstrate the acoustics in the place:


We read from Acts 12:20-25, looking on the likely spot of these verses' occurence, the dais on which Herod sat on his throne, in the center of the theater's seats:


A short walk took us to the site of Herod's palace, where we read Acts 25:1-6 and 26:24-32:


We marveled at the impressive rock-dug swimming pool for the palace:


And the circus, the replica of the Pontius Pilate inscription, and the remains of the manmade harbor Herod created.

From there we went next to the Roman aqueduct, striking in its accomplishment and in its preservation:


After Caesarea, we rode to our next stop, the model archaeological dig of all time, Megiddo:


Nader pointed out the Canaanite gate and, a little higher up on the path, the Solomonic gate.

We went by the grain silo, the stables, and the chariot:


We looked out over the inexpressibly vast plain of Armageddon as we read 1 Kings 9:15 and Revelation 14:14-20, and 16:12-16:


The climax of our visit, as usual, was the trek down 183 steps through the ancient water system...and out the base of the tell....and our day wasn't even half finished when we say down for lunch at the cafeteria at Megiddo!

(more to follow in next post)

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Still More Mount Zion and More

Our last stop of Saturday morning was at the grave of Oskar Schindler, the subject of the book, and movie, Schindler's List:


Chris Retz, one of our group, talked passionately about Schindler, and about Christians' relationship to Jews and Israel.

After lunch at Ramat Rachel, we drove to the Garden Tomb, where we saw "Gordon's Calvary"...


....and the Garden Tomb, a wonderful place to visualize the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of our Lord:


After a sweet time of worship (we sang "In the Garden" and "He Lives," read Luke 24:1-9, and shared communion), our bus driver took us to Jaffa Gate, where some of us commenced the Ramparts Walk on the wall of Jerusalem from Jaffa Gate to New Gate:


A twenty minute walk from the New Gate, and we were back at our hotel!

A full, sweet day, and still there is dinner and a lecture entitled "Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus!"

Tomorrow we rise early and set out for Caesarea, Megiddo, Nazareth, Cana...and our hotel by the Sea of Galilee!

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More Mount Zion and More

As mentioned in the previous post, St. Peter in Gallicantu is one of the most beautiful churches you'll ever see:


It is on the likely site of Caiaphas's house where Jesus was imprisoned (and later his apostles), and where Peter, in Caiaphas's courtyard, denied Jesus:


The amazing door, crafted by a Jewish, Christian, and Muslim artist, depicts the moment when Jesus tells Peter he will deny the Lord. The finger of Jesus, in relief, not only points to Peter...but also to the person approaching the church.

The first chapel, on the site of Caiaphas's palace, is utterly magnificent:


And the stained glass design if the dome overhead, likewise:


A staircase descends to another chapel, on the site of the courtyard, where Peter denied Jesus, and some of the courtyard pavement is preserved and incorporated in the floor's design:





And then our journey took us to the prison where Peter and John were likely kept, and further down into the pit, where Jesus was held the night of his trial:


We read Psalm 88, the messianic psalm associated with this night in Jesus' life.

Then we went outside to the Roman steps on which Jesus would have walked from the Upper Room to the Mount of Olives...and back again, the second time, under arrest.