Message from Israel

Monday, May 24, 2010

Greetings from the pilgrims of St. Paul’s! One of the many things I’ve learned as I matured in life is that I never know what to expect when I visit a foreign country. Though I spent almost five weeks in Israel in 1995, I came on this pilgrimage to the Holy Land with an open mind in anticipation that this would be a new and different experience. I have not been disappointed!

We just completed our third full day of touring Israel. Our journey began last Wednesday with an eleven and half hour flight from Atlanta to Tel Aviv. We arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Our first full day began last Friday at 6:30 a.m. with Morning Prayer in the lobby of the Hotel Tal in Tel Aviv. After breakfast we traveled to the ancient seaport of Joppa (also known as Jaffa and Yafa). It was here that Peter raised the female disciple Tabitha (Dorcus) from the dead. (Acts 9:36-43). Leaving Joppa, we traveled to the ancient seaport of Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean Sea. Founded by Herod the Great on the former coastal station called Stratto’s Tower, we saw the remnants of the Roman Harbor, a Roman aqueduct and theater, and the remains of a Crusader fortress dating back to the Middle Ages.

We left Caesarea Maritima and went to the remains of the ancient city of Megiddo. From an archaeological perspective, Megiddo is regarded as the most important biblical period site in Israel. Located near the Jezreel Valley, it overlooks some of the most fertile land in the Middle East. Archaeological evidence suggests that Megiddo was occupied from the early fourth millennium to about 350 B.C. Because of its strategic location near the Jezreel Valley, it was fortified by King Solomon (1 Kings 9:15) and conquered by the Egyptians and Assyrians. It was also mentioned in the Revelation to John as the location of the last great cosmic battle on earth. Megiddo in Hebrew is Harmagedon (Armageddon).

We left Megiddo and went to Zippori (also known as Sepphoris). Zippori was an important city of Lower Galilee in New Testament times. While there we toured the remains of a home of a wealthy landowner dating back to sometime between the first and second centuries. The home was lavishly appointed for its day as reflected in the quality of the mosaic floor in the main room. Though the roof of the home collapsed onto the mosaic floor during an earthquake, the floor remained largely undamaged and was later discovered by archaeologists and restored. The most striking character on the mosaic floor was that of a young woman referred to as the “Mona Lisa of the Mideast” because of her beauty. The quality of the craftsmanship that went into creating this mosaic is apparent.

Zippori is important because of its proximity to Nazareth. We know that Jesus’ father Joseph was a carpenter, and quite probably a stone mason as well. It wasn’t uncommon for tradesmen like Joseph to be skilled in several trades. It’s also assumed that Jesus apprenticed to his father, which was the custom of the time. This means Jesus and Joseph most probably worked together before Jesus began his public ministry. Because Zippori was more prosperous than Nazareth, it is most likely that Joseph and Jesus traveled there to work on the construction of homes and other buildings.

We left Zippori for Nazareth and on our way traveled past Mt. Carmel where the Prophet Elijah challenged and defeated the 450 prophets of the pagan god Baal. (1 Kings 18:17-40). Nazareth is significant as the home of Jesus. Located about twenty miles east of the Mediterranean Sea and fifteen miles west of the Sea of Galilee, the town was settled around the 12th Century B.C. and remained a small village throughout ancient times because of the presence of only one spring. Mary and Joseph were from Nazareth and Jesus spent his boyhood there before moving to Capernaum at around the age of thirty. Emperor Constantine built a church in Nazareth in the Fourth century for Christian pilgrims. It was in Nazareth that the Angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her she would be the mother of Jesus. (Luke 1:26-27). Jesus also preached in the synagogue in Nazareth and so enraged the congregation they tried to hurl him off a cliff. (Luke 4:4-30). Hard feelings toward Jesus continued because the scribes and Pharisees of Nazareth questioned Jesus’ authority to perform miracles there on the Sabbath. (Luke 6:4).

Today, Nazareth is predominantly Moslem. At one time it had the largest concentration of Palestinian Christians in Israel, but many have left in recent years. The mayor of Nazareth is a Palestinian and a member of the Communist party, and is ironically identified as a Christian. Our Jewish tour guide, Zvi Rivai, told us that those who are neither Jewish nor Moslem are typically lumped together as Christians, regardless of their connection with the tradition.

We left Nazareth for the fifteen mile ride to Ein Gev, a lakeside hotel on the Sea of Galilee. Ein Gev is the site of the oldest kibbutz, or collective farm, in Israel. Founded in 1910, the Jewish community that settled here reclaimed the surrounding swamp land and established a farm where they primarily grow bananas.

The Sea of Galilee, located in the Jordan Rift Valley, goes by different names. It is also called the Sea or Lake of Gennesaret, Sea of Tiberias, and in the Old Testament, Sea of Chinnereth. It is not really a sea but the largest fresh water lake in Israel. It is also Israel’s largest fresh water supply. As Christians, the Sea of Galilee is very important because much of Jesus’ ministry occurred in this area. Significant events in the life of Jesus, including the feeding of the multitudes, the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus preached the Beatitudes, Jesus walking on water, and the calling of the disciples Peter, James, John and Andrew, all occurred around the Lake.

We began yesterday’s tour by taking a tram through the Ein Gev Kibbutz. Our guide reminded us that during Israel’s Six Day War against Syria and Egypt, Ein Gev was bombed by the Syrians. Only ten miles from the Syrian border, Ein Gev was an easy target and the Syrians were a constant threat to this community for decades.

After the tram ride, we boarded the boat “Gamla” at Nof Ginosar and motored across the Lake. We celebrated the Eucharist during the voyage on the upper deck and the gospel reading was from Luke’s account of the calling of Peter, James and John. (Luke 5:1-11). As you recall, Peter, Andrew, James and John made their livelihood fishing the lake. In this story, Jesus says to Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” (Luke 5:11).

The Eucharist was particularly meaningful to me. Not only was it special because of the location, but we were celebrating Holy Communion in the midst of the very place where Jesus lived and conducted most of his public ministry. For me, this will always be one of the highlights of my Christian journey. I say this because the word “Eucharist” literally means “thanksgiving.” I was both grateful and humbled to be able to celebrate Jesus’ life, ministry and sacrifice in such a hallowed place.

We disembarked on the other side of the Lake at an exhibit that displayed the “Jesus Boat.” The remains of an ancient fishing boat was discovered during a drought in the 1980’s when the level of the Sea of Galilee was quite low. The boat was buried in the mud which also preserved it from the elements. Archaeologists from around the world came to the site to reclaim the remains of the boat and it is now preserved and on display in a building on the lakeshore. It is called the “Jesus Boat” because carbon dating reflects that it is approximately 2,000 years old and typical of the fishing boats that were used by Peter, James, John and Andrew.

We traveled from the Lake to Korazim (also known as Chorazin or Chorazaim), an ancient city in the Galilee region. It was one of the cities that Jesus visited during his ministry and later cursed for its unfaithfulness and refusal to repent. (Matthew 11:21). Interestingly, besides the fact Jesus preached there, the remaining ruins reveal that the buildings there were made from basalt that was produced by volcanic activity from a nearby extinct volcano. Because basalt was used, the buildings were black.

From Korazim we went to Capernaum. Jesus moved here and lived in Peter’s home when he left Nazareth. “Leaving Nazareth, he (Jesus) went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali.” (Matthew 4:13). Capernaum means “City of Consolation” and is located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, approximately two and a half miles from the town of Bethsaida. It was a small fishing village at the time with a population of approximately one thousand to fifteen hundred people. Besides Peter, it was the home of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus performed miracles here and spoke of himself as the “Bread of Life,” as reflected in the Gospel of John.

After leaving Capernaum, we went to Tabga which was a significant town during the Byzantine era of the early Christian Church. The church in Tabga has a mosaic on its floor of the story of the feeding of the multitudes depicting the loaves and fishes. This mosaic is one of the most familiar scenes in Christendom.

From there we went to Kursi, east of the Sea of Galilee and about five miles from Ein Gev. According to tradition, Kursi is the site of the healing of the Demoniacs where Jesus cast the demons that possessed two men into a herd of swine that in turn stampeded off a cliff into the Sea of Galilee. (Matt. 8:23-43; Luke 8:26-39). The remains of a Byzantine Church and monastery are also at this site.

We began Sunday morning with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Our Scripture readings were those appointed for Pentecost. I missed being at St. Paul’s today to celebrate Pentecost with you. Pentecost is an important time in the life of the church. I preached about the gift of “hearing” that followed the coming of the Holy Spirit that allowed the gathered disciples to hear and comprehend each other as they were speaking in foreign tongues. That gift of hearing helped the disciples to truly hear the Word of God and the cries of the human heart. This empowered the Church to spread Christ’s love into the world.

After the service we traveled to the remains of the ancient city of Dan, the northern most city of ancient Israel. Formerly named Laish, it was renamed by the tribe of Dan, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Dan was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after the united kingdom was divided following King Solomon’s death. Dan was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and Jerusalem was the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Dan is mentioned in Deuteronomy 34:1; 1 Kings 4:25; Judges 18:27-29; 1 Kings 12:29, and Amos 8:14.

Dan is now a beautiful nature preserve. It’s lush with vegetation, in stark contrast to much of the barren countryside surrounding it. While we were there we ran into a group of young, Orthodox Jewish girls. They were part of a class trip and were easily recognizable by their modest dress and the fact there were no boys in the class. We enjoyed watching them playing and splashing in a natural wading pool in the reserve while fully clothed.

From Dan we traveled to Caesarea Philippi. Originally “Panias,” Caesarea Philippi was located two miles east of the site of Dan, twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee and forty miles southwest of the ancient city of Damascus. The city was first named Panias after Alexander the Great conquered the region. The Greek influence connected with the subjugation of the region by Alexander the Great is evident because the name “Panias” was derived from worship of the god Pan. Later, Herod the Great constructed a temple there dedicated to Emperor Augustus, who had given him the town.

When Herod the Great died in 4 B.C., his kingdom was divided, with his son Archelaeus inheriting Judea and Samaria to the south, Herod Antipas receiving Galilee and Perea, and Philip taking over Gaulanitis, the territory on the Golan, east of the Jordan River and north of the Sea of Galilee. Following his father’s example, Philip built the first city at Panias, naming it Caesarea Philippi to honor the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus. The city is significant because Jesus visited there during his public ministry. It was in Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked his disciples “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16).

After leaving Caesarea Philippi, we traveled to a scenic spot in the Golan Heights that is on the border with Syria. It was at this vantage point that the Israelis fought off invasions from Syria in 1968 and 1973. The beauty of the countryside and seeming tranquility of the region belie the fact that this spot has been the most fought over piece of real estate since the formation of the nation of Israel. Much blood has been spilled in and around this area and more could be spilled in the future. This fact was made all the more apparent when we were leaving our vantage point. Just as we started to walk down to the bus, a truckload of Israeli Defense Force artillery personnel arrived to study tactics on the very spot we were standing only moments before.

Tomorrow we head for Jerusalem where we will be based for the remainder of this pilgrimage.

I can speak for the rest of our group when I say we miss all of you. I especially hate being away from St. Paul’s on Sundays. Just know you are in our thoughts and prayers. God bless all of you.

Peace, Thack

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

We began yesterday with Morning Prayer and then left Ein Gev on the Sea of Galilee on our way to Qumran near the Dead Sea.  On the way we stopped along the Jordan River and our group conducted a Baptismal service.  After the service, our pilgrims reenacted their baptisms, some with full immersion in the Jordan River.  It was a truly a spiritual moment and the folks were moved by the experience.

Our next stop was Ma’ayan Harod National Park.  There we saw the Harod Spring. Ma’ayan Harod is mentioned in the story of Gideon’s selection of soldiers to fight the Midianites.  ”Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops that were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley.”  (Judges 7:1).  In the story, God told Gideon to select three hundred troops to engage the numerically superior Midian forces.  He was to choose those soldiers who lapped water from the Spring of Harod like dogs, as opposed to those who first knelt down.  The reasoning for this is that those who drank water from the spring like dogs were ever vigilant to their surroundings and could spring to their feet in an instant if they had to fight.  Gideon and his small band, empowered by God, would later rout the Midian forces. (Judges 7:1, et seq).

From Ma’ayan Harod we visited Bet She’an National Park.  The Bet She’an Park extends over an area of 400 acres and includes the ancient city of Bet She’an-Scythopolis.  Settlement of Bet She’an began in the Fifth Millennium B.C.E. on the Tel (mound) rising south of the Harod River, in the heart of the fertile area enjoying an abundance of water.  Its significance to Christians is that following its conquest by the Romans in 63 B.C.E., it became one of the ten cities of the Decapolis and the most important city in Northern Israel.  Jesus had to travel through Bet She’an on his way  to Jerusalem.  Bet She’an was ultimately destroyed in the great earthquake in 749 C.E.

We left Bet She’an for Qumran.  Located west of the Kaliah-Sedom Road on the north-western shore of the Dead Sea, it has had a Jewish population dating as far back as the 8th Century B.C.E.  Qumran’s fame comes from the breakaway sect known as the Essenes, who lived and studied there for two centuries.  There time in Qumran was between the end of the Hashmonean period through the great revolt of the Jews against the Romans.  Before the Essene community at Qumran was dispersed by the Romans in 68 C.E., they hid their most prized possessions in the surrounding caves, including the Hebrew texts known today as the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Discovered by Bedouin shepherds in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were important because they more accurately dated Biblical texts, including books of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha and the sect’s own works.

After leaving Qumran, we made the final drive to Jerusalem  As we traveled the road from the Dead Sea to Jerusalem, we went from approximately 1,300 feet below sea level to 2,500 feet above sea level.  When we got to the city, we stopped at a vantage point on Mt. Scopus adjacent to Hebrew University.  From this commanding view, we were able to clearly see the Old City of Jerusalem and the the surrounding skyline.  Interestingly, while Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, there are no foreign embassies in Jerusalem.  This is because no country in the world recognizes Israel’s exclusive claim to Jerusalem.  Before Israel’s victory over the Arab nations in the Six-Day war in 1967, Jerusalem was a divided city with the eastern half under Jordanian control.  After Israel defeated the Arabs, it claimed sovereignty over the entire city, despite the protests of the United Nations.  That’s why all foreign embassies are located in Tel Aviv.

Today we trekked back to the Dead Sea and toured Masada.  Masada was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.  Its inscription epitomizes its outstanding universal significance which must be protected for the benefit of all humanity.

Masada’s claim to fame dates back to the Jewish War against Rome that began around 68 C.E. It was the last bastion of Jewish freedom fighters (Zealots) against the Romans. Its fall signaled the violent destruction of the Kingdom of Judea at the end of the Second Temple period.  Built by Herod the Great, King of Judea, Masada was a palatial fortress in the style of the Roman East.  The surrounding Roman camps, fortifications and assault ramp at its base constitute the most complete surviving Roman siege system in the world.

The architecture of Herod’s fortress at Massada was modern and sophisticated by the standards of the day, including a heated bath system and modern toilet facilities.  These amenities rivaled those in Pompeii and remind us that indoor plumbing isn’t a recent innovation.

We left Masada for a park along the Dead Sea so that those of us who were interested could swim in it.  Because of its high salt and mineral content, the Dead Sea cannot support aquatic life except for some forms of bacteria.  The saline content is so high a person remains buoyant and cannot submerge without difficulty.  Our valiant pilgrims that took the plunge had mixed reviews about the experience.

After the Dead Sea experience, we went to Genesis Land, a facility that reenacts what life was like during the days of Abraham and Sarah from the Book of Genesis.  The presentation was a mixture of history, geography, and Bible study, with a camel ride thrown in for good measure.  The presentation was well done and everyone enjoyed the experience, including the camel ride.

Tomorrow we begin a two day tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, along with a tour of Bethlehem.  Among the sites we will visit will include the Temple Mount in the morning and the Wailing Wall.  I will put a prayer for St. Paul’s in the Wailing Wall in the morning.

Please know that our group is well and holding up to the rigorous schedule.  We have grown together as a community and this has made our collective experience that much more meaningful.

God bless all of you.

Peace, Thack

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Shalom and Greetings from Israel!  We’ve had a very busy, and at times, grueling three days exploring the Old City of Jerusalem.

Wednesday’s activities began with Morning Prayer in the hotel followed by a trip to the Old City of Jerusalem.  We began the tour at the Wailing Wall.  Also known as the Western Wall or simply the Kotel, it is an important Jewish religious site located in the Old City. Just over half the wall, including its 17 courses located below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period, being constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the Great. The remaining layers were added from the 7th century onwards.  It is called the Wailing Wall because Jewish tradition requires that the faithful who go there in prayer are to rend their clothes and weep over the destruction of the Temple.  Tradition also dictates that you may insert prayers into the wall.  I placed four prayers in the wall, including one for St. Paul’s.

After leaving the Wailing Wall, we toured the rest of the Temple Mount.  We stood next to one of the holiest sites in Islam at the Dome of the Rock.  It is the building you see in pictures of Jerusalem with a gold dome.  Due to the current political situation, non-believers are now prohibited from entering the Dome of the Rock.  I was able to go in fifteen years ago on my first trip to the Holy land.

We left the Temple Mount and proceeded to the Davidson Center and watched a film about the genesis of the old City of David.  From there we boarded a bus for Bethlehem.  Since Bethlehem is under the Palestinian Authority, we had to change guides and buses at the Israeli/Palestinian Authority border.  Bethlehem is considerably run down from when I was last there. When Israel closed the border there in 2000, tourism, Bethlehem’s biggest industry, has almost dried up.  Once in Bethlehem, we went to the Church of the Nativity which is built on the traditional site of Jesus’ birthplace.  After touring the Church of the Nativity, we went to the Shepherd’s Fields.  There we walked into a cave that would have existed in the days of Jesus and got a sense of the surroundings where Jesus was born. Following that experience, we made the connection back to the border and returned to Jerusalem.

We began the next morning by going to the Mt. of Olives overlooking Jerusalem.  We stood in the old Jewish Cemetery there and saw the outline of the remains of the original City of David and Mt. Zion.  We walked from there to the Garden of Gethsemane where I read the “agony in the Garden passage” from the Gospel of Matthew. (Matthew 26:36-46).  After I gave a short meditation, we gathered around the Garden for a time and then entered the church there for prayer and reflection.  After this we walked into the Old City of Jerusalem and visited the site of the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the man paralyzed for thirty-eight years. (John 5:1-9).  We then went into St. Ann’s Church, an old Crusader Church adjacent to the site of the Pool of Bethesda, for prayer.  The acoustics in the old church were phenomenal and Bob Burton led us in singing Amazing Grace and Jesus Loves Me.

We later toured the Muslim and Jewish Quarters of the Old City and then proceeded to walk the Via Dolorosa. The Via Dolorosa (Latin for Way of Grief or Way of Suffering) is a street, in two parts, within the Old City of Jerusalem held to be the path that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, on the way to his crucifixion. It is today marked by nine Stations of the Cross along the way, with the last five stations being inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The route is a place of Christian Pilgrimage and hundreds of thousands of Christians from all over the world come to Jerusalem to walk the Via Dolorosa each year as a matter of personal piety.  As we walked the Stations of the Cross along the way, we were reminded of Jesus’ suffering as he carried the heavy wooden cross to Golgotha.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a Christian Church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem.  The site is venerated by many Christians as Golgotha (the Hill of Calvary), where Jesus was crucified and is said to also contain the place where Jesus was buried (the sepulchre).The church has been an important pilgrimage destination since at least the 4th century, as the  site of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Today it also serves as the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, even though control of the building is shared between several Christian traditions.  The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is reputed to be the holiest site in Christendom.  Our group plans to return to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday so we can spend more time there for touring and meditation.

We left the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for David’s tomb where King David’s remains are supposed to be buried.  After that, we went to the traditional place known as the “Upper Room,” where Jesus and the disciples had the last supper and where Jesus made his first couple of post-resurrection appearances to the disciples.

We left the Old City and went to the Historic Museum of Israel and saw the Dead Sea Scrolls and a model of the City of Jerusalem of about 40 C.E., reflecting how Jerusalem looked during the days of Jesus. This was a fine conclusion to a long day.

Today we went to the Garden Tomb near the site of Golgotha. It is also one of the traditional sites where Jesus was buried after the crucifixion. Located in Jerusalem outside the city walls and close to the Damascus Gate, it is considered by some to be the site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus, in contradistinction to the traditional site for these at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There is no mention of the Garden Tomb as the exact place of Jesus’ burial before the 19th century. Notwithstanding the differences in tradition about where Jesus was crucified and buried, it was a holy experience this morning. The setting was serene and we celebrated the Holy Eucharist in the Garden itself. Bob Burton sang the Lord’s Prayer and the service was one of my personal highlights of the week. We had time to pray and meditate in the Garden following the service which further enhanced the spiritual experience. From there we traveled to the Bell Caves for a historical and archaeological tour. We concluded are tours for the day and returned to our hotel.

Our trip to the Holy Land is coming to an end. Each of us will come away from the experience in a spiritually different place than where we were when we first arrived in Tel Aviv nine days ago. I hope we will have some time to formally share our collective experiences with you in the near future.

Though it has been a good experience, I am homesick and look forward to seeing all of you soon. God bless you.

Peace, Thack