One Year Ago - Mediterranean Sea

NOTE: I am continuing my series of retrospective posts on the our tour from one year ago. I invite you to start at the beginning and read through all of them. Typically, flights from the United States to Israel land in the mid-to-late afternoon. From a traveler's perspective, this is a very good thing. Upon landing, you usually have a rush of adrenaline because you are in a new place with so many fantastic things to see. This adrenaline rush usually lasts a few hours, which is enough time to land, go through Passport Control, grab your bags, drive out to the hotel and eat dinner before crashing in bed.

Our first night stay was in the beautiful coastal city of Netanya. Our hotel overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. That evening, there was a warm wind blowing in which made the air feel much warmer than it really was.

Upon waking the next morning, I saw about 5-6 of our group already up and walking along the coast. It typically takes a day or so for your body to adjust to the timezone change. These folks woke up early and instead of staying in bed, decided to take advantage of walking along the coast at sunrise. A wonderful way to start your day.

Tomorrow: Across the entire country, from sea to sea.

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Have you been enjoying these posts on last year's tour? Are you interested in traveling with me this year? Then, I would love to have you join me. Our 12-day tour is scheduled for October 12-23. We will stay one night on the Mediterranean Sea, three nights on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and five nights in beautiful Jerusalem. During the day, we will visit dozens of sites that will enhance your understanding of the land and of the Biblical stories that take place in them. Reservations are coming in, but we still have some availability! This is a first-class tour with many extras thrown in that many Israel tours overlook. If you are interested, I encourage you to read the itinerary and contact me personally for more details.

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One Year Ago - On Our Way

A few weeks ago, Steven Braman had a series of posts on his blog that discussed what he was doing exactly one year ago. I thought that was a good idea and since it was approaching one year since my last tour of Israel, I decided that I would do the same. One year ago, myself and 28 other intrepid souls took off to visit the land of Israel. I love studying and teaching about Biblical Geography. But, there is no better teacher than the land itself. It helps to give you additional context for your personal Bible study. If it was practical, I would encourage every student of the Bible to make at least one trip over there. You will be amazed at what you will learn.

Traveling to Israel from the United States is nearly a two day process. The tour starts and ends in New York City. So, a majority of the first day is getting from your house (wherever it is) to John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Once we were there, we were able to meet with all of the other travelers and discuss all of the exciting things that we were about to experience. It was a great way to start the tour before boarding our Boeing 747 and travel across the Atlantic.

Tomorrow: We land in Israel and arrive on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

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Have you been enjoying these posts on last year's tour? Are you interested in traveling with me this year? Then, I would love to have you join me. Our 12-day tour is scheduled for October 12-23. We will stay one night on the Mediterranean Sea, three nights on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and five nights in beautiful Jerusalem. During the day, we will visit dozens of sites that will enhance your understanding of the land and of the Biblical stories that take place in them. Reservations are coming in, but we still have some availability! This is a first-class tour with many extras thrown in that many Israel tours overlook. If you are interested, I encourage you to read the itinerary and contact me personally for more details.

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Masada Cistern

While cisterns like those at Beit Guvrin could serve a household, others were built to store water for communities, like Herod the Great’s colossal cisterns atop Masada.  Living waters and wells are preferable, because the cistern catches and holds runoff from the rains.  This can grow rather unpleasant as all the filth of the land can wash in, creating the deep sludge in which Jeremiah found himself sinking in Jeremiah 38.

Meresha Cistern

In the land of Israel, water is a precious commodity and there are three main sources: living water (springs and rivers), wells, and cisterns. Cisterns were especially common in the Shephelah, where the chalk allowed easy digging.  Some cisterns, like this one at Beit Guvrin (Mareshah) could belong to several families, while smaller ones may provide for a single household.

Four-Horned Altar at Tell Be’er Sheva

Contemporary with the cultic site at Arad was this large four-horned altar at the fortified city of Beersheba.  Like the sanctuary at Arad, it was also dismantled during the 8th century and later reused in building a wall.  This altar illustrates the altar horns to which fugitives like Adonijah and Joab clung to evade punishment.

Arad Altar

The Iron Age fortress of Arad protected the frontier divide between the Negev desert and the Judaean Hill Country, while also guarding the lucrative trade routes passing from the Persian Gulf and Edom to Egypt and the Mediterranean.  Within this fortress, a cultic site was discovered, which was destroyed in the 8th century, likely during Hezekiah’s reforms.  It featured this large altar, as well as a Holy of Holies and may be the “House of Yahweh” referenced in local inscriptions.

New Video from Satellite Bible Atlas

This morning, I received an email from Bill Schlegel, who lives in Israel. He (and the people that work with him) have produced the Satellite Bible Atlas. I first wrote about this book when it came out over two years ago. Since then, my passion for this book has not changed. It is an invaluable piece of my library. Since that time, they have released about ten videos that relate to different maps in the book. The latest video came out today. And it is fantastic. I encourage all of you to watch it...perhaps many times.

Knowledge of the geography of the Bible lands enhances your understanding of the Bible stories. And, this atlas and the videos assist you in that process.

At the very end of the video is a fantastic overlay of a map from the Satellite Bible Atlas on top of a 3D representation of the same area from Google. This segment of the video helps you to better understand the land that a two-dimensional map in the back of your Bible can not do.

Podcast #8 - The Oasis of En Gedi

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/204889336" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] In 1 Samuel 23, David is being pursued by King Saul in the Wilderness of Judea. Since it is a hot and dry area, David needs to find protection and water. He finds both in the oasis of En Gedi. That is what we will be discussing on this program.

NOTE: If you are viewing this post from an email, then go to our Podcasts page to listen to the audio.

Nazareth

Just as in the days of Christ, Nazareth is still a small city tucked away behind the mountains lining the Jezreel.  While the Basilica of the Annunciation pictured here is magnificent, of greater import are the remains of First Century dwellings beneath the local convents, which provide an insight into the community in which Jesus grew up.

Ein Harod

Ein Harod, or the Spring of Harod, flows out of what is now called “Gideon’s Cave” on the north face of the Gilboa range, facing the hill of Moreh.  This spring flows out down the Jezreel and into the Bet She’an Valley.  Gideon was the first of many base camps and battles here, including the battle to drive the Mongols out of the Near East, as well as a refuge for the strike force that would eventually become the IDF.

6-Chambered Gate at Gezer

One of the markers of the 10th century in Israel is the presence of 6-chambered gates and their attached casemate walls.  They can be found primarily at three important sites: Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer.  These at Gezer are a beautiful example, with the city’s main drainage channel—which would have run under the street—exposed.

Naftali Mountain Range in Galilee and the Huleh Basin

This photo was taken in the Naftali Mountain Range where it looks out toward the Huleh Basin.  While the region’s forests are still recovering from the devastating fires of the 2006 Lebanon War, one can imagine the difficulty of crossing these heavily forested hills with a caravan or army.  This makes passes, such as the Huleh Valley invaluable to both travels and empires alike.

Oasis of En Gedi

Located on the western shore of the Dead Sea, the oasis of En Gedi provides a solitary location of pure, clean water in an otherwise inhospitable place. It is no wonder why David fled where when he was in this area about 3,000 years ago.

Shepherd and his Sheep

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. - Psalm 23

Yossi Garfinkel Podcast

Last fall, Florida College (with the help of Luke Chandler) arranged for archaeologist Yossi Garfinkel to speak in their Life Enrichment Series. The audio podcast of this event has recently been released on Florida College's Special Events podcast. Mr. Garfinkel discusses the recently concluded dig at Khirbet Qeiyafa, a site overlooking the Elah Valley in the Shephelah. His wisdom and wit come through as he discusses their findings and how it relates to the United Kingdom during the time of King David.

While you can not see the slides that he is presenting, a listener should not have any problem following the discussion. This is especially true if you have a fundamental understanding of the location of Khirbet Qeiyafa as well as basic archaeology. I encourage you to listen to this wonderful presentation.

Mesha Stela Replica

The Mesha Stela, also called the Moabite Stone, was recovered from Dibon, Jordan, the ancient capital of the Moabite state, and was written in Phoenician script the 9^th century BC. Mesha of Moab boasts of his victory against the son of Omri, as well as for having drug captured vessels of Yahweh before Chemosh. There is also a possibility that it mentions the defeat of the House of David, but this is debated.

Canaanite Captive

This Egyptian plaque was one of a series depicting enemies of Egypt, found in ancient Luxor (Medinat Habu), and dates to the reign of Ramesses III (1182-1151 BC). This particular individual represents the Canaanite people.

Podcast #6 - The Hill of Moreh

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/199610763" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] If you could sit in one place and watch the events of Biblical history go by, where would you sit? An obvious choice would be on the top of the Mount of Olives. But, there is another place that I would choose. I would choose to sit on top of the Hill of Moreh. Why? Well, that is what we will be discussing on today's program.

NOTE: If you are reading this from an email, you will need to go to the Podcast page on the Exploring Bible Lands website to listen to the podcast.

Walking the Via Dolorosa

Last June, when our tour group was in Israel, we spent an entire day within the Old City. We started the day with a visit to the Temple Mount. Upon exiting the Temple Mount near the Lions Gate, we visited the ancient Pool of Bethesda.

Before leaving the area of the pool, I gathered our group together and explained to them that we were about to walk the Via Dolorosa. But, before we did that I wanted them to understand three things:

1) The Via Dolorosa makes the assumption that the Praetorium (John 18:28) was located in the Antonia Fortress, just outside the Temple Mount on the northwest corner. It also makes the assumption that Golgotha was located in the vicinity of the Church of the Holy Sepulture. 2) Even if those two assumptions are true, keep in mind that the original, first century Roman roads were located several feet under the current roads. 3) My current belief is that Golgotha was probably located in the vicinity of the Church of the Holy Sepulture. However, I was not as convinced in the location of the Praetorium being at the Antonia Fortress.

After giving them this information, I encouraged them to enjoy the walk through the Old City, consider the things that they are seeing and to study the matter for themselves.

This week, PBS released a short video about the Via Dolorosa. Recent archaeological findings are casting additional doubt on the current path that it follows. I encourage you to watch it. I tend to agree with the path that it proposes.

There is one other thing that I told my tour group last June. I told them that, in reality, our ability to walk the exact path that Jesus walked isn't really that important. What is really important was that Jesus walked it for all of us.

New Geography Book

As I have mentioned a number of times in this blog, I love good maps. Along with that, I love good drawings and illustrations that aid others in learning about the Bible. Therefore, I was thrilled when I received Leen and Kathleen Ritmeyer's latest book "Jerusalem - The Temple Mount" in the mail this past week. I learned about the book six months ago, when the publisher put a temporary hold on it. However, due to many factors including the response from avid fans who wanted the book published, the hold was recently lifted. I ordered it immediately and it arrived last week. (Full Disclosure: I was one of those avid fans!)

Readers of Leen Ritmeyer's blog will recognize the amount of interest and knowledge that he has for the area of the Temple Mount. His posts and drawings of that area are fantastic. Visitors to that area now are often confused by what they see and by what they can no longer see. This book helps cut through all of the confusion and creates accurate representations of that famous hill throughout history.

The book contains three primary chapters entitled "A Brief History of the Temple Mount", "A Walk Around the Temple Mount Walls" and "A Tour of the Temple Mount Platform". Each chapter is well illustrated and are easy reads for even those that are not well-versed in the area. I would love to take this book with me the next time I am there and use it as a personal guide as I walk around. (NOTE: Using it on the Temple Mount platform could prove difficult. Outside of the Koran, very few, if any, books are allowed there.)

For those of you who are looking for a great, hand-held book on this area, I highly recommend adding this to your library. My cost was $31, which included shipping from Israel to the United States.

To Leen & Kathleen Ritmeyer: Well done. Thank you for taking the time to do this.