Jericho

The Oldest City in the World

Jericho may be known as the oldest city in the world (Damascus also claims this distinction), but it is also known as the city where the walls came a' tumblin' down. Read Joshua chapter 2 and chapter 6 for the original story of how this happened.

Well, by the time we got there, there really wasn't that much to see. Maybe because the walls fell down over four thousand years ago has something to do with that. Actually, Jericho is a small but fairly modern city today, which happens to contain the ruins of the ancient city of Jericho written about in Joshua. It's more or less on the way from the Dead Sea to Jerusalem, and it's worth going there, just to see the place.

Jericho falls under the jurisdiction of the Palenstinian Authority today (or at least it did in May 2008), and as such, our Jewish guide Mickey could not accompany us. He got off the bus at a roadside stop, and we crossed through a border checkpoint where a Palestinian soldier boarded our bus holding a submachine gun and checked us all over to make sure we weren't going to cause any trouble.

After a short drive into the center of Jericho, which is actually a fairly nice-looking small city, we came to the archaeological site and got off the bus. A brief walk up the hill brought us to the ruins, but there really isn't that much to see. Nonetheless, the sense of history and the connection to the land where the biblical story took place is profound.



After shopping in a nearby Palestinian-style mall, we boarded the bus for Jerusalem, went back through the border checkpoint, and picked up Mickey.

Soon we would be in Jerusalem, the holy city of three major world religions.

Qumron

Hopefully, when you think of Qumron, you think of the Dead Sea Scrolls. That would be correct, as there is a fairly clear account of when and how they were discovered, and exactly where, and by whom.

Again, I've returned to Wikipedia as a source of information on Qumron (alternately spelled Qumran), as well as information on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The one piece of information that stands out in my mind about Qumron is the fact that the scrolls found there confirm and verify the authenticity of the Old Testament portion of the Bible. Prior to their discovery, the oldest known texts were dated from about 900 A.D. The scrolls from Qumron have been dated to the second century B.C., over a thousand years earlier. Almost the entire Old Testament, with the exception of the Book of Esther, have been found there, at least in part, but many texts in whole. Many of the scrolls are now being kept in Jerusalem in the Israel Museum, which we visited a few days later.

Near the Entrance to Qumron


The Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem

Art Auction

I'm honored to be able to donate a large print of one of my photographs to a worthy cause. Over at Shepherding the Nations, they're having a silent art auction as a fundraiser to support indigenous pastors in India. One of my photos of the Dead Sea is featured, and I hope it brings a good price to support the work being done over there.

Update: This and two other framed prints sold for a good price, bringing money for God's work in India. See their website for more information.

Engedi

From Masada, we traveled a short distance to Engedi, which is written about in the Bible in several places, not the least of which is in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 24. In it, the story is told of how David was hiding from Saul and taking refuge at Engedi. When Saul found out, he pursued him there, and was "relieving himself" in a cave, not knowing that David and his men were hiding in the same cave. You can read the rest of the story yourself, but one of the main points is that David did the right and honorable thing, for which he was proven later before Saul.

There are numerous caves at Engedi, as well as a stream and several pools fed by a spring. It's easy to see it as a place of refuge - it's quite beautiful and refreshing. A few of us hiked up to the "Waterfall of David," named for obvious reasons after King David. On the way we stopped at a pool with a small waterfall and took a quick dip in the water, which kept us cool for the rest of the hike. When we got to the top, Patrick, Mark, Harold, Andrew, Shirley, myself and I don't remember who else of our party took some time to read one of David's Psalms that may well have been written in the very spot. It sends chills up my spine just thinking about it.

We in America have such a short history. 230+ years since the country became independent is but a fraction of the time spanned by the history of Israel. More than 5,000 years of history are recorded in this place, and all I can say is, "you gotta go." It's incredibly inspiring.

Masada

After breakfast in our hotel on the Dead Sea (this was May 21, 2008), we packed up and headed up the road to Masada. Now, Masada is not covered in the bible, as its historical significance came into view after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., which is after most of the bible was written. But it is very significant in the unfolding of history, especially to the nation of Israel. The events which took place there made a permanent mark on the Jewish psyche that lasts to this day.

Wikipedia, once again, is a source of some good information on Masada and the events which took place there. There are many other resources on the web, which I will leave the reader to discover independently.

In recent years, the Israel National Parks Authority has built a modern cable car system that takes tourists up and down the mountain. Previously, the only way up was a long, arduous hike in the hot sun. I was thankful for the cable car, as we were looking at a very full day before us, Masada being only the first stop among several.



The sense one gets atop Masada can only be described as solemn. The site itself speaks of the mass suicide of the Jewish rebels, the Roman seige evidenced by the huge ramp on the western side, and the Roman encampments visible on the ground around the base of the mountain. As always, though, Mickey did full justice to telling the story and showing us the areas of the city on top of the mountain where these events happened in the first century. Jewish or not, you have to appreciate the hardiness of the Jewish spirit when you see Masada.

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is truly one of the more amazing locations on the earth. I had heard about it from others who had been there, but one has to truly experience it to appreciate it. The shore of the Dead Sea is the lowest elevation you can go to on the earth and not be under water. And, it's salty. Really salty. The ocean contains 3% salt; the Dead Sea contains 30% salt. It's so salty, that it feels oily or slimy, because of the mineral content. It's so salty, that nothing can live in it.

We had been given some pointers by Mickey: don't get your face or ears in the water; if you have any cuts or abrasions on your skin they will hurt; and you will float like a cork.

Mari and I took our time walking down to the sea after arriving at our hotel room. By the time we got down there, most of the others in our group were already in the water. So I waded into the water, wearing my sandals, and was told that when I get to about waist-deep, just lean backwards. So I did, and to my amazement and surprise, my feet bobbed to the surface like they were filled with air. I couldn't stop laughing. I swam out to where it was a bit deeper, and tried to get my feet beneath me. I could hardly do it. They wanted to float. I had to struggle to get my feet down underneath me, but once I did, treading water was effortless.

On the way there, the landscape looks desolate.


And there is a very large factory that processes the salts from the Dead Sea into various chemicals.



More information about the Dead Sea can be found in this Wikipedia article, and in other places on the web.

Timna Copper Mines

Another stop within a relatively short distance, on the same day as Solomon's Pillars, the Egyptian Miners' Temple and the Tabernacle. Later it's on to the Dead Sea.

One thing that impressed me about this place is that there is absolutely nothing growing here at all. Not a stick, a leaf or a twig anywhere. It's difficult to imagine, in 5,000 B.C., how the slaves who worked these mines could survive. In fact, it's very likely they knew they would die here, as apparently most of them did.

Here's a link to an article about the area.