October 31, 2008

Galilee Trip Day 2

After a restful night at En Gev holiday village our group set out for the Huleh Basin and the Golan Heights. It is amazing to think of the difference between this fertile, wet area of the country and the dry, dead Negev and it is only separated by a couple of hours of driving. The difference is 180˚ and it is reflected in the peoples and the cities. In the Negev there are sparse settlements and nomadic peoples, but in the Galilee region it is very heavily populated and farmed. The second day of our Galilee trip was spent looking at the fertility of the region by going to four main sites – Hazor, Dan, Banias (Caesarea Philippi), and Har Ben Tal.
The first site of the day was Hazor. It sits along the International Route that connects Egypt with Mesopotamia at a natural crossing point that sits above the swamps of the Huleh Basin along the northern rim of the Rosh Pinna Sill. All travelers going north or south would have passed by this city – possessing Hazor is extremely vital to protection and economic stability. This is seen clearly through historical texts (the Bible, Mari archive, and Ostracon found at Hazor) and archaeology. During the time of the Conquest and Judges Hazor played a vital role – the ruler of Hazor (Jabin) was called the “head of all those kingdoms” in Joshua 11:10 and the “King of Canaan” in Judges 4:23-24. Apart from the Biblical connections Hazor is probably the most important archaeological site in the country, because it was the first site that was completely carried out by Israeli archaeologists. Excavations began in the 1950’s under the direction of Yigal Yadin. Current excavations are being directed by Amnon Ben Tor of Hebrew University and as of now it is my top choice for digging this summer.
Iron Age I gate built by Solomon – there are similar gates at Megiddo and Gezer - 1 Kings 9:15 And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the LORD and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer

Side-note – while we were at Hazor I was attacked by a playful mongrel who did not understand that jumping on people in the mud is not a good thing – and who caused me to break the commandment against murder “by hating…in my heart.” On second thought maybe Hazor is not my first choice – I might get arrested if I come into contact with that mangy mutt again.

After Hazor we went to one of the coolest places in the country – Tel Dan. Dan sits along the northernmost border of Israel in both ancient and modern times “Dan to Beersheba” (1 Sam. 3:20). The tel sits on one of the four major springs that merge and form the Jordan River (Dan spring). Throughout the site there are streams and rapids that would remind anyone of Big Sur in California or even the Road to Hana in Maui. Historically speaking Dan is usually the first to fall whenever attacks come from the north (Syria, Assyria, etc.). It is mainly mentioned in the Biblical text in reference to Jeroboam the son of Nebat (who caused Israel to sin) who made Dan a holy place by setting up and altar and calf there (1 Kings 12:29) – a direct violation of the 1st commandment (Exodus 20). Dan is also an important site in the discussion of the historicity of King David. In the early 1990’s Avraham Biran found an inscription on a stone that was in secondary use (built into a later wall) that mentions “beit david” the house of David.
Headwaters of the Jordan at Dan (5,000 gallons/minute)

The last major site of the day was Banias (Caesarea Philippi), which is only 2 miles away from Tel Dan. This site, like Dan, sits along one of the springs that merge into the Jordan River, the Banias spring. Banias was important during the time of the New Testament, because Herod built a temple to the god Pan (Roman fertility god that has the appearance of a faun – think Mr. Tumnus) and his son Philip the Tetrarch developed the town even more. Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the “Messiah the Son of the Living God” at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 17).

The last site of the day was at the top of Har Ben Tal which was a key strategic spot in the Six-Day War (1967) and the Yom Kippur War (1973). It is a volcanic cone that sits in the midst of the clouds. During biblical times it was also a key strategic spot for the many battles between Israel and Aram-Syria.
On top of Har Ben Tal – you can’t see much, but it is a good pic of me and my beautiful bride, so there you go

October 30, 2008

Galilee Trip Day 1

The first day of our Galilee trip was spent along the coast and in the Jezreel valley. The day was clear at first, but quickly became hazy and rainy. A lot of the day was spent getting to the Galilee, so we did not go to a lot of different sites. The day was focused on three major stops: Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, and Megiddo.

Herod the Great built the town of Caesarea around 20 B.C. atop the Phoenician port, which is known as Strato’s Tower. It is one of the most amazing achievements of Herod’s much-storied building career, which includes Masada, Herodium, the Temple Mount, and numerous other massive projects. The three most astonishing structures in the city of Caesarea are the palace in the sea, the harbor, and the aqueduct. The palace of Herod was built upon a Khurkar rise (calcified sand – basically sand-stone) that juts into the sea. In the middle of the palace there was a fresh water swimming pool for Herod and his distinguished guests. The harbor was built out of the local kurkar and underwater cement imported from Rome. It is built in an area where there is no natural port, nothing to hold on to or even to block the winds from the north or the sands and silt from the south. Its construction is truly one of the marvels of the ancient world. The well-preserved aqueduct stretching from Mt. Carmel to the city is also a monumental piece of ancient construction.
Mindy overlooking the Mediterranean and Herod the Great’s palace with fresh water pool in view at Caesarea


Herod the Great’s aqueduct that takes water from the spring atop Mt. Carmel 12 miles south to the city of Caesarea


“Racing” in the Hippodrome at Caesarea

Caesarea is a major city in the time of the early church. Paul comes here numerous times during his missionary journeys (Acts 9:30, Acts 18:1), as well as being imprisoned here before being sent to Rome (Acts 23-26). Peter witnessed to Cornelius here (Acts 10,11). King Agrippa I was killed by God here, because he did not “give God glory” (Acts 12 and Josephus).

Our next stop was an overlook of the Jezreel atop Mt. Carmel – the view was not good – it was very, very hazy, but we made do. Dr. Wright used the surrounding storms and thunder to illustrate Psalm 29 and the Psalmists imagery of God’s awesome voice and attributes through the powerful effects of the thunderstorm upon Israel’s environment. We also discussed the story of Elijah vs. the prophets of Baal or more specifically Yahweh vs. Baal (1 Kings 18).

The last site of the day was Megiddo – since we only had 30 minutes to run through the site – we mainly discussed the geographical features that make Megiddo the most important site in the Jezreel Valley and one of the most important sites along the International Highway. This site has much controversy surrounding it mainly pertaining to the different theories put forth about the Iron Age gate that matches the gates at Hazor and Megiddo. (1 Kings 9:15 And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the LORD and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer.) All in all it was a good day in the field with Caesarea being the main highlight visually and Mt. Carmel the main highlight spiritually.


Early Bronze Age altar in the “trench” of Megiddo – the cultic site has three different temples surrounding this altar

October 16, 2008

Travels in Haeretz

We visited some of my favorite sites during this travel-packed day. We began by hiking west of Jerusalem deep into the Sorek system. Here we discussed the meaning of 1 Kings 4:20-34, particularly the meaning of the phrase “each man under his own vine and fig tree.” It was very interesting to visualize what physical fulfillment meant to Iron Age Israel. Physical fulfillment did not mean a 401 (k) plan, a paid off mortgage, or a three-car garage, it meant a self-sufficient, peaceful life in service to the king. This was particularly interesting when we looked at a cave along the trail that in all probability was the dwelling of an Israelite villager during the time of Solomon (based on the dating of the wall in front of the cave to the Solomonic period 940-900 B.C.). This place had it all: water (two springs), food (grapes, pomegranates, and other winter fruits), and even shade (cave and forested wadi side).





After hiking in the Sorek system we went to Beth-Shemesh, which is also in the Sorek system, the Sorek valley. In Biblical times this was occupied by Israelites during the judicial and monarchical period and was the location of the re-acquiring of the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 6). It is also central to the Samson story as it sits right between Samson’s home (Mahane Dan) and Timnah (Judges 13-16).



Azekah in the Elah Valley was our next stop. Azekah has a wonderful overlook of the geographical places mentioned in the David vs. Goliath story (Socoh, Ephes Dammin, Azekah, and Elah Valley) found in 1 Samuel 21. From this vantage point I could grasp the battle plan and the transitory nature of the Shephelah.



Lachish was our last stop in the Shephelah. Gabi Barkay excavated here for 30 years and uncovered some of the most important material in all the land of Israel, most notably the Lachish Ostracai. During the time of Hezekiah, Lachish was one of the most important cities in all of Judah. It sits in the middle of the Lachish valley, which is the last major valley in the Shephelah (Adoriam is not as strategically important), and was Hezekiah’s last toehold into the International Coastal Highway. Around 705 B.C. Sennacherib besieged Lachish and brutally ransacked the city. The archaeological evidence bears witness to the Assyrian siege. There is a very large siege ramp in the front of the tel, a counter-siege ramp just inside the wall, and a multitude of arrow-heads scattered on both sides.

Our last stop for the day was Ashkelon, this was largely for entertainment and aesthetic purposes, but some of my classmates made the visit to the Philistine city-state very worthwhile, as they had both dug there for the last few summers. The sunset over the Mediterranean was beautiful and the MB gate was very interesting.