The Sea of Galilee (Part Two – Baptisms), Israel – March 14, 2011

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

After our visit to Capernaum, we headed back a bit early to the Gai Beach Hotel.  This allowed time for some folks from our group to be baptised in the Sea of Galilee by Drs. Lutzer & Rydelnik.

Ken Baptised in Sea of Galilee

For those of you unfamiliar with the practice of adult baptism, please see the note on my Post on the Jordan River.

This was a great opportunity for anyone who had not previously been baptised.  Being baptised in the Sea of Galilee, where Yeshua conducted such a large part of his ministry, will be a memory of a lifetime for those who participated – I was privileged to be able to take photos of every one of the twenty-some-odd baptisees (is this a word?).

Not much to say – just enjoy the photos!

Karen Baptised in the Sea of Galilee

 

 

 

Let’s Travel the World!!

MHong

 

Photos by Marshall Hong

 

Gretchen Baptised in the Sea of Galilee

Frampton Baptised in the Sea of Galilee

Gretchen & Frampton - Freshly Baptised!

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Capernaum, Sea of Galilee, Israel – March 14, 2011

Posted on May 1, 2011 by admin

Located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum is known as the “Town of Jesus“, as it was the home base for His ministry.  In Israel, the spelling and pronunciation of the town name are somewhat different.  As you can see from the photos, the spelling is Capharnaum, or Capharnahum.  The name means Nahum’s Town.  Our guide, Mr. Eran Salamon, took a few minutes to correct us in our pronunciation.

Capharnaum Town of Yeshua

Town of Capharnaum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to Matthew, Yeshua (Jesus) left his home in Nazareth to go and live in Capernaum to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah (see Matthew 4:13-17).

Yeshua recruited some of His twelve apostles from Capernaum:  Simon (also called Peter) and his brother Andrew were fishermen from Capernaum (see Mark 1:29-31).  Visitors can still see the foundation and remains of the home of Peter and his mother-in-law, whom Yeshua healed of a fever.  The Zebedee Bros. (James and John) were also from Capernaum involved in the fishing industry with their father (see Mark 1:19-20).  And Matthew lived and collected taxes in Capernaum (see Matthew 9:9).

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The Sea of Galilee (Part One), Israel – March 14, 2011

Posted on April 16, 2011 by admin

From Bet She’an/Scythopolis, we continued north to our next hotel – arriving in the evening of March 13, 2011, at the Gai Beach Hotel in Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Wait a minute . . . the SEA?  Now, as a native of Chicago and one-time resident of the State of Michigan, I have lived my whole life on the shores of the Great Lakes.  To me, it seemed amusing to think of this particular body of water as a “sea”.  Not only is it relatively dinky (13 miles long by 8 miles wide), but it contains fresh water.  Standing by the pool at our hotel, we could see the entire 33 mile circumference of the Sea.  This “sea” is therefore more accurately a lake, and in fact it is also referred to in Scripture by the alternative names of the Sea of Gennesaret (see Luke 5:1), Lake Kinneret (see Numbers 34:11), and Lake Tiberias (see John 6:1).

Galilee Fishing Boats in Harbor

The above observation notwithstanding, out of custom and tradition, I will use the more familiar Sea of Galilee.  I also just like this name better than the above-listed alternatives.

In any case, they say all things are relative, and the Sea of Galilee is the largest body of fresh water, not only in Israel, but in the entire region.  Even a cursory look at a map of the Middle East reveals that the nearest bodies of water of any notable size are the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the Dead Sea to the south (with a considerably higher concentration of salt than the world’s oceans and seas), and the Red Sea even further south.  The region is otherwise surrounded by desert, with the nearest “lakes” appearing hundreds of miles to the east in Iraq and Turkey.  The largest of these, Lake Van in Turkey, is itself a salt lake.

Fishing Boat and Gulls on Sea of Galilee

Raising the Stars and Stripes on the Sea of Galilee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thus, the Sea of Galilee, in ancient as well as modern times, despite its relatively small size, is nevertheless an important and valuable natural resource.  It is a source of drinking water and fish for the region.  In the First Century A.D. it was a center of commerce for both Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish) communities.

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Bet She’an National Park, Israel – March 13, 2011

Posted on April 9, 2011 by admin

After our lunch break at Ein Harod (Spring of Harod), we had a fairly short journey to Bet She’an National Park (later known also as Scythopolis).  This was our final stop of the day before arriving at our second hotel at Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee.

Bet Shean National Park

Bet Shean Panorama

This was a really cool site!  At one time it was the capitol of the Decapolis, the “Ten Cities” that were the centers of Greco-Roman culture.  The Roman architecture was immediately recognizable upon entering the site.  There was a Roman theatre*, a bath-house, and a pillar-lined street (Palladius Street – see below).  This site reminded me of the excavation site at the ancient Roman city of Pompei (in Italy, near Napoli (Naples) – check back in the future for my Posts about Pompei & Napoli), although on a much smaller scale.

The baths were warmed by a system of hot-air flowing through a series of pylons underneath the baths.  Although the baths no longer remain, we could view the under-floor heating system.  (see photo below)

History & Biblical References:

The ancient city of Bet She’an controlled the Bet She’an Pass, which connected the Jordan River Valley with the Jezreel Valley, essentially controlling access from the interior to the coast.  Pharaoh Thutmose III, of Egypt, conquered the city in the 15th century B.C.  A large number of Egyptian-style artifacts have been found here.

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Ein Harod, Israel – March 13, 2011

Posted on April 9, 2011 by admin

After our visit to the top of Mt. Gilboa, we stopped for lunch at Ein Harod (“Spring of Harod”), at the foot of Mt. Gilboa.  In addition to lunch, Steve Wiggins and Sarah Weir led the group in a couple of worship songs (I neglected to keep track of Steve & Sarah’s set lists), and Dr. Michael Rydelnik discussed the Biblical/historical background of the site.

Steve Wiggins @ Ein Harod

Sarah Weir @ Ein Harod

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Old Testament Book of Judges, Gideon led the Israelites in battle against the Midianites.  Prior to going into battle, Gideon (a/k/a/ Jerub-Baal) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod (Ein Harod).  Judges 7:1.

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Mt. Gilboa, Israel – March 13, 2011

Posted on April 9, 2011 by admin

After leaving the site of Jesus’ Baptism on the Jordan River, we proceeded further north to Mt. Gilboa (Gilboa Nature Reserve/Mt. Barkan National Park).  Mt. Gilboa overlooks the Jezreel Valley, and is the place at which King Saul and his sons died while fighting the Philistines (see below).  From the top of the mountain, we could also see the Jordan River Valley, and on the other side of the Jordan River, the modern nation of Jordan.  There was also a lookout tower, providing an even more comprehensive view of the surrounding valleys and mountains.

Gilboa Nature Reserve

The Jezreel (Yizrael) Valley runs from east to west across the northern part of Israel.  The Valley cuts through the mountain range, and therefore provides the easiest access from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River Valley.  This was especially true in ancient times.

Geography and Topography of Israel/Palestine:

Our guide, Eran Salamon, explained to us the basic topography of Israel.  As you travel from west to east across Israel, you will encounter coastline, mountain range, valley, and then another mountain range.  The mountain ranges run north to south, into the Negev Desert in the southern part of Israel.

View from Mt. Gilboa

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Jordan River, Israel/Jordan – March 13, 2011

Posted on April 4, 2011 by admin

From the Le Meridian Hotel at the Dead Sea, we boarded our buses to head up north to Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee.  This route took us again through the West Bank, generally along the Jordan River.  Our first stop of the day was at a point on the Jordan River, directly east of the City of Jericho.  The Jordan River is mentioned numerous times in both the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible.  The particular site we visited figures importantly in several Books of the Bible (see below).

Military Zone - No Photography

Because the Jordan River forms the border between Israel (on the west bank of the River) and Jordan (on the east bank), this area has previously seen some fighting between the two countries (during the Six-Day War of 1967).  Even today, the area appears to be a demilitarized zone.

Israel-Jordan Border Area

To access the site, we turned off the main highway, onto a dirt road.  As we approached the River, we had to stop and wait for entry through the barbed-wire fence, into the border zone.  We were greeted by a sign that read, “Military Zone No Photography”.  Of course, this command was flagrantly and totally disregarded by everyone in our group with a camera!

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Qumran National Park, Israel – March 12, 2011

Posted on April 2, 2011 by admin

After En Gedi Oasis, our next and final stop for the day (March 12, 2011 – our first full day in Israel) was at Qumran National Park, the site at which the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947.

Qumran Brochure

Qumran Brochure - Israel Nature and Parks Authority

Qumran is located in the West Bank*, on the north-western shore of the Dead Sea, in the Judea Desert.  In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd discovered seven ancient scrolls in a cave at this site.  Later, in the 1950s, a team of French archaeologists conducted further excavation and discovered additional scrolls.  To date, nearly 900 scrolls of Scripture and other religious texts have been found here.

The scrolls appear to have been hidden in the cave around the time of the Jewish Revolt against Rome in A.D. 67-70.  At that time, the inhabitants of Qumran were the Essenes, and they likely hid the scrolls to protect them from being discovered by the Romans.  The scrolls were hidden in jars and preserved for nearly 2,000 years until their recent discovery.

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En Gedi Nature Reserve, Israel – March 12, 2011

Posted on March 31, 2011 by admin

From the Fortress of Masada, we traveled further north along the shore of the Dead Sea to En Gedi Nature Reserve.

En Gedi View of Dead Sea

View of the Dead Sea from En Gedi Oasis

En Gedi is an oasis, located in the Judean Desert, on the western shore of the Dead Sea (the lowest place on the surface of the earth – approximately 1,385 feet below sea level).  The name “En Gedi” means “spring of the wild goat”, and we did see one small wild goat taking a casual stroll through the park.

En Gedi has been designated as one of Israel’s National Parks.  The oasis features caves, springs, and waterfalls (see below), as well as a diversity of wildlife, including the wild goats, fox, leopards, wolves, hyenas, bats, and rock badgers.

En Gedi in the Bible:

1.  David hid in the caves here from King Saul, and may have composed some Psalms here (Psalms 57; 142).

[Hong’s Note – for those unfamiliar with the Old Testament, I provide here a brief, oversimplified summary background of David and Saul:  The Israelites pleaded with God to give them a King, “such as all the other nations have.”  I Samuel 8:4 ** God answered the pleas, albeit with a warning, and anointed Saul as King of Israel.  I Samuel 9 & 10.  Later, because of Saul’s disobedience, God rejected Saul as King over Israel.  I Samuel 15:23. While Saul was still on the throne, God chose and anointed David to be the next King of Israel.  I Samuel 16:12-13.

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Masada National Park, Israel – March 12, 2011

Posted on March 28, 2011 by admin

The first site we visited in the Dead Sea area was the Fortress of Masada (now designated as a national park).  Located on the western shore of the Dead Sea, Masada sits atop a mountain, approximately 1,432 feet above the Dead Sea.  The Dead Sea is the lowest place on the surface of the earth, at 1,385 feet below sea level.

The mountain top can be accessed either by cable car, or on foot by climbing the “Snake Trail” (see images below).

Masada National Park

Masada National Park

 

 

King Herod the Great constructed a fortress and palace at this site sometime between the years 36 and 30 B.C.E.  The fortress included a wall, defense towers, storehouses, cisterns (which were filled by rain water), barracks, arsenals, and Herod’s personal palace and ballroom (click HERE for Map).  Herod used Masada as a refuge from his enemies, and as his winter palace.

First Century Palestine (at that time the region was known as Judaea) was occupied by the Roman Empire.  After Judea was annexed by Rome in 6 AD, the Romans stationed a garrison at Masada.

The story of Masada was recorded by Josephus Flavius, the commander of the Galilee during the Great Revolt, who later surrendered to the Romans.  Josephus later became a Roman Citizen and chronicled the revolt.  His writings are important as they often provide extra-Biblical corroboration of the events detailed in the New Testament.

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