Trip to Holy Land - Day Eight

Monday, May 12, 2014--another beautiful day in the Holy Land.  Each day, our breakfasts and dinners were supplied by our hotel.  It took a little getting used to the foods they provided--especially our breakfasts.  Tiny fish with lemons for breakfast?!  Certainly not the cold cereal, oatmeal, sweet rolls, or yogurt that you usually get  when you stay in a hotel in America!

Although I couldn't do the whole fish in the morning, I really loved how healthily they ate--with so many vegetables and fruits.  The meals we ate the whole time we were gone were actually very good!

Today we walked along a path upward to what is called Mount Precipice.

This is  a mountain just outside of Nazareth in northern Israel, where tradition has it that an angry mob attempted to throw Jesus off the cliff (Luke 4:16-30).

 When Jesus read the scriptures in the synagogue in Nazareth, his home town, he proclaimed, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears . . ."

  When Jesus said the scripture was fulfilled this day, he was letting them know that he was the Messiah they had been waiting for.  However, the people of Nazareth said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"  He responded with, "No prophet is accepted in his own country."  Being convicted of blasphemy (saying he was a god) meant having a person's hands tied behind their back and being thrown head first off a hill.  If not dead, then the person would be stoned to death.  The people meant to do this to Jesus, and they "rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.  But he passing through the midst of them went his way.”  (Luke 4:16-30) 

Mt. Tabor where the Transfiguration of Christ took place can be seen in the background.   The Jezreel Valley is the region of Galilee where many battles have been fought.  This is where the last battle, Armageddon, is supposed to take place.   

The “ponds” seen in the valley are actually fish farms and have other agricultural uses. 

The mountains of Samaria and beyond them the West Bank are seen here.  At the base of the valley is Nair where many miracles were done.  Off to the right is the city of Nazareth.

 We traveled on and went to a Nazareth Village.  A Christian foundation has set up this village to give us an idea of what it might have looked like in the time of young Jesus.

Here, we had a wonderful guide named Tali who is a Messianic Jew (Jew by birth and nationality who believe that Christ is the Messiah.  Instead of calling themselves Christians, they call themselves Messianic Jews.)  Her picture will follow.

Inside the building where you arrive, Tali explained the way a farmer would irrigate his crops.  This would be done through self-irrigating.   Rock terraces would be constructed with white clay soil below and topsoil above.  When it rains, the water seeps down through the topsoil and gets to the clay layer and runs off to the terrace below, and continues in this fashion down the slope, watering each layer.  (In the parable about the rich man who invited people to come to his feast and all refused, one man said he had to inspect his field - he was giving an excuse.  Inspecting a field would have been done before he purchased it.  Others gave other excuses.)  (Luke 14:16-33)  Interesting concept to think about!  Jesus was using this parable to show that those who follow him must forsake all else.

Tali next showed us a cross.  She explained that they were crudely made of trees.  Crucifixion was the Roman way of killing people.  The person was flogged (scourged or whipped) first.  The mercy seat was a small board attached to the upright pole for the victim to sit upon and rest.  Ankles and knees were broken to hurry death. 

 A door within a door was used in homes so that horses could not go inside.

 

 Upon going outside, we passed a 450 year old olive tree.

If only trees could talk!  What stories it could tell over a 450-year period!

 We loved this Nazareth village!  Here we saw villagers doing exactly what they would have done while Jesus was growing up.  Notice the man's vertical stripe in a contrasting color on his clothing.

 Now, notice the woman's clothing which is a solid color.  This was a way for people to tell at a glance whether a man or woman was approaching.  Pretty clever, right?!

We walked by many almond trees.

       We soon came upon a shepherd with his sheep who are gentle and obedient, whereas the goats are daring and willful.

       Tali, our guide, told us about the shepherds and how they had noted the birth of the Savior.  
 

Shepherds outside of Bethlehem were given the responsibility to raise the lambs that were sacrificed in the Temple in Jerusalem.

       One little lamb was nursing from its mother.

Seriously, this was like a petting zoo.  The animals were so gentle.


We climbed higher on the mountain.  This entire trip was not an easy walk-in-the-park type experience.  Every where we went 10 days while in the Holy Land, we found hills, desert, steep rocks, difficult paths--all meant for us to get the feel of the days of the Savior.
We passed the watch tower, which in ancient times was used by the shepherds for protection from their enemies and wild beasts.  It was also the place ewes were safely brought to give birth to the lambs. 
We passed fig trees and pomegranate trees.

Tali next showed us how olives are crushed to make olive oil.  This oil press used a large rolling stone to crush the olives.  The stone was held upright by an axis, which was connected to a long handle. The handle was pushed by humans or animals. The mashing stone rolled along a cavity  on the circumference of the  base, crushing the olives. The crushed olives would then be collected into a basket and then further processed by the oil press.

This process started about 5000 year ago.  Olive oil was used as a cooking oil, food, lighting fuel, soap making, religious ceremonies and medicinal use.  Its production was one of the major sources of income in the Holy Land over thousands of years, including modern times when the olive oil is an essential ingredient in the Middle East cuisine. 

 

Second part of the oil collecting process.  Tali informed us that olives are picked when ripe (October and November) and put in baskets and pressed.  Cold pressed is best (heat destroys oil structure).  Virgin oil means no chemicals, no heat.

 

  1st press always went to the temple in Jerusalem, 2^nd for food , 3^rd for light (oil lamps)

 We next went to the carpenter's shop which would have been like Joseph's shop in Biblical times.

 

 Some of the tools of the time:  adze (a tool similar to an ax with an arched blade at right angles to the handle, used for cutting or shaping large pieces of wood), plane, volcanic stone used for sanding and tool sharpening, drill, donkey plow, and yoke

 They kindly let us try some of the tools of the time.  Joyce using the adze.
 

Drill.  This was really a difficult one to use by getting the string going correctly, but this carpenter did it just great!

 Doug found out it was more difficult than it looked!

We next went to the kitchen.
 
Drying the herbs used in their cooking.

We next visited the Weaver’s Court

The weaver showed us how the wool was cleaned and carded.

Then we heard how they were able to make the beautiful colors from natural dyes:    sea snails for blue and purple; onion skin=pale yellow; pomegranate=yellow, orange, red; saffron=deep yellow.   After dying the yard, it is twisted into a strand, rolled in a ball, and then let rest for a month before it is woven.  
The final place we visited was the synagogue.  
The synagogue was a “House of Gathering” – where Jesus read Isaiah 61:1-2 and then proclaimed the scripture was fulfilled in him. It was a city hall, a place of discussion and of learning the Torah. 

On the Sabbath all would crowd around to read the Torah (scrolls rolled and put into jars with fitted lids) as can be seen in the picture above.

Leaving the village, we saw the jars which contained the scrolls of the scriptures, as well as oil lamps with the reminder that Christ is the light of the world.

 We all had such a fabulous time visiting this authentic Nazareth Village.

 This is Brother and Sister Thompson who had lived in the Holy Land for two years, and had helped plan and organize this tour.  They were fantastic!  Just like parents to all of us!

Back on the bus, we left Nazareth and journeyed on to our next stop.  We passed by the Mizra Kibbutz – established by Russian Jews.  They raise pigs – but refer to them as “white meat.”  Pigs can’t touch the land of Israel so they have built wooden platforms for the pigs to walk on and live on.  (Picture below)

We journeyed pass Mount Carmel mountain range ("vineyard of God.")  This is where Eliah defeated the priests of Baal.  Mt. Carmel is northwest of the ruins of Megiddo.

In ancient times Megiddo was an important city-state.  Excavations have unearthed 26 layers of ruins, indicating a long period of settlement.  Megiddo is strategically located at the head of a pass through the Carmel Ridge overlooking the Jezreel Valley from the west.

This area is actually called a tell or tel, which is a type of archaeological mound created by human occupation and abandonment of a geographical site over many centuries.  A classic tell looks like a low, truncated cone with a flat top and sloping sides

It was fascinating to see how each civilization kept building on top of the civilization before.  This structure actually dates back 5,000 years!  In 2,700 BC, this land was conquered by Joshua.  The land belonged to the tribe of Manasseh eventually.

Within these ruins are stables for 450 horses, palaces, public granary, sacrificial altars for human sacrifice, and tomb areas.

 As archaeologists have continued with their discoveries, they placed a line of wood where they rebuilt above.  Everything below is the original.  

 

 The 16th level would be the time of King David, then King Ahab.  This is one very old place!
 


 This square basin was either for watering animals or washing of a person's feet after walking through the dusty desert.

 Overlooking the Jezreel Valley where the battle between Saul and the Philistines took place, as well as at least 33 other fights. 
In the case of Megiddo in particular, there has been so much fighting that John, the author of the Book of Revelation, stated that Megiddo would also be the site of Armageddon, the apocalyptic battle between good and evil to be fought sometime in the future.


 We then went to see the water system and wall of the city:  Down 183 steps, up 80 steps, through limestone tunnel to the water source – a spring outside the city wall.  Water is always a problem in a desert, so  this was how they handled that problem by tunneling to a spring outside the city wall.

So, the spring provided water to the civilizations that lived in this area.

Coming out of the tunnel and spring area.

 From the desert to the sea--we now made our way over to the Mediterranean Sea on our way to Caesarea.  The picture above shows the remains of the ancient Roman aqueduct which conveyed water to the city from springs at the foot of Mt. Carmel over six miles away!

 Caesarea – built by Herod the Great to honor Caesar Augustus, about 25-13 BC (took 12 years to build)

right on the Mediterranean Sea – a port city. 

 

Caesarea is now a national park area.

We first went into the large Roman Theater, which is a half circle in shape.  

 We held our devotional there that day.

Productions are held in this Roman Theater today.

In 6 CE, Caesarea became the civilian and military capital of the Judaea Province and the official palace residence of the Roman procurators and governors--Pontius Pilate, the most well-known.   

 Remains of the principal buildings erected by Herod and the medieval town are still visible today, including the city walls, the castle and a Crusader cathedral and church.  Caesarea grew rapidly, becoming the largest city in Judea, with an estimated population of 125,000 over an urban area of just 1.4 sq mi.

The Pilate Stone is the name given to a damaged block of carved limestone with a partially intact inscription attributed to, and mentioning, Pontius Pilate, a Prefect of the Roman-controlled province of Judaea from 26–36 AD.  It was discovered here in Caesarea in 1961. This was an important find because it is the only archaeological evidence of Pilate's existence.  It is likely that Pontius Pilate made his base at Caesarea where the stone was discovered, and traveled to Jerusalem as necessary (usually only during the three feasts held there.)

This is a replica of the Pilate Stone  found here in Caesaea.  The real one is currently located at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

 Interesting lesson about the column capitals and the way to tell the difference between Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.

 This is one of the many sarcophagi is the area.  Sarcophagus literally means "flesh eater." 

 

From the sign we learned that sarcophagi were made of stone, lead, or wood.  Stone coffins were made out of two huge blocks--a cavity in which the corpse was placed and a double-slopped roof lid on which an inscription was engraved.  The coffins were decorated with flora, hunting mythological scenes or with geometric shapes for more modest coffins.

  This sarcophagus had been damaged due to people thinking there might be valuables inside.

 The sarcophagus below has been adorned with rosettes.

Tareq, our tour leader, who was chosen to take England's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, on a tour of Israel.  We had the best!  He was with us every day after we crossed over the border from Jordan into Israel.

Along the coast, we could see the large Yitzhak Rabin power station that towers to the south.  It is powered by coal which is  shipped in from Australia.  Later we could see a ship unloading coal to the plant.   

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The palace itself, built onto a rocky promontory, had a brilliantly decorated dining area, a fountain, colonnades and – a nearly Olympic-size swimming pool.  Coated with hydraulic plaster, the pool was fed with fresh water drawn up from the underground water table.  It may seem strange to find a fresh-water swimming pool next to the Mediterranean, but swimming in the sea was evidently frightening and dangerous, as the Caesarea coast is pounded by powerful surf.  You can still see where the pool was today, plus the beautiful flooring that was next to it in the picture below.

The harbor was built using materials that would allow the concrete to harden underwater.  The forty-acre harbor could accommodate 300 ships, much larger than the modern harbor existing today.

Herod's harbor at Caesarea was an engineering wonder of the ancient world.

These are our tour directors:  Dan and Pam Newbold.  This is our third tour with Cruise Directors, their company out of Utah.  You couldn't find better or more caring tour directors ever!

We had a good laugh about this.  These were the public toilets one could use in Roman times just as you entered King Herod's Hippodrome.  George had his reading materials with him!

As the sign states below:  This edifice was built for the inauguration of the city in 10/9 B.C.  This hippodrome (circus in Latin), was the venue for the games instigated by King Herod in honor of the Roman emperor Augustus.  The games were held every four years (like our Olympics) and included horse and chariot races, athletics, gladiatorial combat, and hunting.

The stands could hold 5,000 spectators and were separated from the arena by a large ditch. 

Joyce taking a picture where the dignitaries would sit watching the activities.

Many Jewish captives were brought to Caesarea Maritima and 2,500 were slaughtered in Gladiatorial games.  Thankfully, with Christianity came the doing away with gladiator games, and the focus here became more sports games such as horse and chariot races.

A chariot race consisted of seven laps around the arena.  I love Jerry's intensity in the "game."  He has always been very competitive since he was a little boy!  Hah!

The four long paralell vaults first were the sub-structure of the financial procurator's palace vaults.  In a later stage, a large ornamented hall was added in front of the vaults converted into warehouses. 

Ruins of the Temple of Augustus in Caesarea.

 

This city on the sea must have really been something in its day!  With the construction of a deep sea harbor, massive storerooms, markets, boulevards, public baths, temples, and extravagant public buildings, it's really something to see today!

Walking by an olive tree--there were olives ripening that I just had to take a picture of.  I've never eaten so many olives as I did on this Holy Land tour.  So many different kinds that I never even knew existed!

Because of the growing Muslim threat, Louis IX, King of France, restored and fortified Caesarea in 1251-52.

Towers were built for protection.  This crusader gate looks more like a Gothic church.  

A  13 feet-thick wall, almost a mile long, surrounded the city, which covered an area of about 40 acres.  It was also protected by a glacis (an artificial slope of dirt) and nearly a 40 foot-deep and 49 feet-wide moat.

I had to post this picture.  This woman was on the tour with us whose name is Brenda Mumford.  Can you believe that we wore the exact same shirt on the exact same day?!  Great taste, huh!  Hah!  Anyway, she is the amazing woman that wrote the entire journal for everyone so that we all would know where we had been and what we had seen.  Everywhere we went, she had her pad of paper in her hand, and while we were all busily taking pictures, she was busily writing.  Amazing woman! 

After leaving Caesarea, we drove through Netanya – a modern city with many high-rise buildings.  Rich people live here.  Pop. About 200,000 – 8^th largest city in Israel.  It sits right on the shore of the beautiful blue Mediterranean Sea. 

Para-gliders were floating right outside the Ramada Hotel we stayed in.  It was modern and very nice.   Some of our group walked along the shore.  We just enjoyed our view from the balcony.