On Wednesday we drove in a north-easterly direction which climbed east of the Carmel range and across the Armageddon Plain. Armageddon is mentioned in the Book of Revelation and has an apocalyptic connotation but the Hebrew words mean simply Strong Mountain. Being at a strategic point on many ancient trade routes, this area has seen many battles and a number of cities built and destroyed. We were told that a small hill is actually a site on which several cities had once existed, each built above its predecessor (presumably destroyed or abandoned). Whether or not this spot (mentioned frequently in the Old Testament as Meggido) will be the scene of a literal or symbolic apocalypse, it is today set in a beautiful region of Israel, not unlike northern Italy. On this stretch of road, which changes from mountain pass to deep valley rather frequently, we caught several views of Mount Tabor, a 2000 feet unusually rounded hill believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus.
Mt Tabor – The Mount of the Transfiguration
Our first stop was in the city of Nazareth. The city is built on a steep hillside and houses the Church of the Annunciation and the Church of St Joseph, both built on the presumed sites of Mary’s and Joseph’s homes.
The Church of The Annunciation, Nazareth
The Church (Basilica) of the Annunciation is a particularly attractive and tranquil sanctuary, especially compared with the frenetic chaos inside the Bethlehem nativity site. The cave-like home is on the entry level to the church and has a simple altar and a peaceful ambiance. The modern church above is relatively simple but quite beautiful and the walls are adorned with mosaics of the Virgin donated by Churches from around the globe.
Mary’s Home
The Church of St Joseph is more modest but has excavations that reveal a site that could have been either the home or the carpentry – or, since the Crusaders had also built on this site – neither. Once again we were conscious of the fact that two thousand years have elapsed and that it was perhaps four hundred years before anyone tried to identify specific sites in the first centuries of Christianity. It is not surprising, therefore, that there could be confusion as to the exact locations of any Biblical site. We were nevertheless in Nazareth and the fact that we may or may not have seen the exact place of Joseph’s shop (or indeed of Mary’s birth) was of little consequence. This was not the interpretation of many of our fellow visitors who chose to accept these small caves or ancient stones as a truly Holy site and acted with due reverence. It must also be said that there was the other extreme in tourists who seemed more intent on being photographed (sometimes in glamor magazine fashion) in front of these sites than on any religious, historical or cultural experience.
Joseph’s Home
From Nazareth we descended to catch our first glimpse of the Sea of Galilee and passed through the village of Cana, where water was turned into wine to prolong the festivities at the Wedding Feast. We also saw the city of Tiberias which had been built by one of the two sons of Herod the Great in honor of the Roman Emperor. Our guide suggested that it was probably not visited by Jesus, perhaps due to its Rome connections but more likely as it was a town of Judea where the new teachings would not have been well-received. It should be noted, however, that the Sea of Galilee is often referred to as the sea of Tiberias so there is room for further confusion and doubt.
We were now at the Sea of Galilee, which is 600 feet below sea level, below that of Death Valley in the USA but significantly higher than the Dead Sea to the south. Our first stop on the side of the lake (it is only 64 square miles) was at the Church of the Multiplication of Fish and Loaves where Five Thousand were fed. The church here is also very peaceful and simple and the only feature relating it to the event is a rock marking the site of the miracle, covered by a simple altar.
The Rock under the altar marks the presumed site of The Multiplication
Not far from this Miracle Site is the Town of Capernaum, commonly referred to as the Town of Jesus. It was actually the home of St Peter but where Jesus spent much of his time. A church has been built here over the site of the home and in this case it has been done without destroying the archeological site below by simply placing the church on legs that straddle the old buildings. Very close by is a synagogue (actually two – one built directly on the foundations of the earlier one) where Jesus might have taught.
The Synagogue where Jesus might have taught
The Church of St Peter, Caperneum
A beautiful statue of St Peter sits in a pleasant courtyard overlooking the Sea of Galilee and – in the absence of tourists wishing to be seated at its base for the inevitable photograph – provides a very attractive scene. With the odd fishing boat out on the Lake, one could easily imagine it as a scene that Jesus Himself would have recognized as much of his ministry was centered in this area.
St Peter with the Sea of Galilee in the background
We then drove around the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, having crossed the Jordan River at its point of entry to the lake. We were then at the base of the Golan Heights, an area that has seen much conflict and one which was taken by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War. This, a large section of Jordan west of the Jordan River (The West Bank) and the Gaza Strip were each brought into the State of Israel as a result of that short but one-sided war against Syria, Jordan and Egypt. The drive along the eastern shore, in this annexed region of the Golan Heights, was very attractive and the hills to the east and north were again very reminiscent of northern Italy. At first glance it appeared that the hillsides we could see were unoccupied but closer inspection revealed dozens of villages and towns, filled with new Israeli citizens!
At the southern end of the Sea of Galilee we crossed the Jordan River to the west and made our final stop for the day at the Baptism Site. This is a well-organized and commercial site that may or may not be the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. But it does sit on the western bank of the Jordan River, is close to Jericho and has been designated as such for those who wish to accept. When I mentioned to our guide that we had visited “the Baptism Site” on the other side of the river and further south in Jordan, he simply responded that no-one claimed this as the one true place. The site we had visited several years ago was not actually “in” the river, although not more than a few yards from the slowly flowing water. An early church had been built at that site in Jordan; no such “statement of authenticity” had been made here.
The Baptism Site
However, this site in Israel was actually on the River Jordan and areas had been prepared and surrounded by railings so that those inclined could be baptized in safety and, with the aid of a robe available from the gift shop for $25, in relative modesty. Although there were a number of obvious church groups here and some may well have had ordained ministers to perform the ceremony, it would appear that immersion baptisms here were mostly self-imposed or performed by friends or family. It is not for those like us, who simply chose to watch, to challenge either the authenticity or its impact on those who actually participated.
Final look at the Sea of Galilee
Following this visit it was time to leave the hot valley (high temperature for the day was almost 100F) and take the two hour drive back to Tel Aviv. The climb out of the river valley was steep and had spectacular views of the River Jordan and the Sea of Galilee and much of the rest of the way was through the fertile plains and modest hills of Central Israel. We arrived back at the hotel almost exactly 12 hours after we had left, tired but so pleased that we had taken this tour “In the Footsteps of Jesus”.
This essentially ended our visit to the Holy Land as we used Thursday to simply relax and wind down after a hectic but moving eight days in this wonderful country. On Friday it was on to more familiar territory in England.
