November 20, 2008

Jordan Trip Day 4

The last day of our trip through Jordan was not exactly a full day as almost half of it was spent getting back to Israel (the border closes at 3:00 pm). The time we did have was spent looking at the land of Moab and the Medeba Plateau. Our journey brought us to Kir Hareshet, the wadi Arnon, Dibon, Medeba, and finally Mt. Nebo.

The ancient Moabite capital of Kir-Hareshet sits below the massive Crusader castle of Kerak – the most important castle in Palestine in the period. Masada is directly across the Dead Sea from Kir (we looked at it as we had breakfast). In terms of archaeological remains from the Moabite city – there aren’t any visible. But geographically this site like Bozrah and Rabbah is very impressive, unlike the Judean capital of Jerusalem. It is surround on three sides by deep wadis – not as impressive as Bozrah, but still very well situated. As far as direct Biblical connection Kir’s destruction is spoken of in 2 Kings 16:9 and is prophesied against in Isaiah 15; 22:6; Amos 1:5; 9:7.

Looking out of the top of Kerak Castle (on top of ancient Kir-Hareshet of Moab) to the Dead Sea and Masada.

The wadi Arnon is a deep canyon that more or less acts as the northern border of Moab (although Mesha’s capital of Dibon was on the northern side of the Arnon). It is directly across from En Gedi across the Dead Sea. It is very deep and very rugged and was a major obstacle to the Transjordanian highway (known as the “King’s Highway”) .

The wadi Arnon

Dibon was the northern capital of Moab. It is mentioned multiple times in the conquest of the region (Num. 21:30; 32:3, 34; Josh. 13:9,17), a couple in the prophets (Isa. 15:2-9; Jer. 48:18-22), and once in Nehemiah (Neh. 11:25). Based on the Mesha Stele and 2 Kings 3 we know that Dibon was the capital of King Mesha of Moab – there are striking similarities and connections between the Biblical account and the Mesha Stele.

Medeba – specifically the Medeba map is the oldest map in existence (Byzantine period). The eastern oriented map is a primary source for grasping the people’s understanding of the land that they lived in.

Jerusalem of the 6th century A.D. on the Medeba Map - notice the straight street going north-south (the cardo) this street is still visible in Jerusalem today in the Jewish Quarter

Mt. Nebo – this is the traditional place where Moses looked into the Promised Land and then died (Deut. 34). From this vantage point it is impossible to see all of the things that Moses saw (I think God gave him supernatural eyesight), however, from the top of Mt. Nebo you can see a lot. You can see both watershed ridges, the Jordan Rift Valley, the Hills of Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, the wilderness of Judah, the rise of the mountains of Galilee (on a clearer day – I was told), and of course the Dead Sea.

Moses’ view from the top of Mt. Nebo

November 19, 2008

Jordan Trip Day 3

The third day of our Jordan journey was not terribly information heavy – it was more “go look and see”. The first day was the north, the second day was the interior, and the third day was the southern seam – deep into the southern parts of Jordan and ancient Edom. We only visited three places Petra, wadi Dana, and Bozrah.

Most of the day was spent hiking around the Nabatean city of Petra. The ancient city of the Nabateans was an amazing sight to behold. It is a unique place in the world. The Nabateans themselves are barely connected to the Bible (although they are contemporaneous with the intertestamental period through the Byzantine period). They rarely are mentioned in the Biblical text. There are some possible Old Testament connections in Genesis and Isaiah. Genesis 25:13 (1 Chon. 1:29 also) states that Nebiaoth was the firstborn of Ishmael, Genesis 28:9 and Genesis 36:3 mention that Esau married a sister of Nebiaoth (that would be his first cousin –Ishmael was his uncle), and Isaiah 60:7 mentions Nebiaoth in the context of trading caravans off the desert and off the sea. There are also a few indirect New Testament connections. Herod the Great’s mother was Nabatean (Josephus), Herod Antipas married then banished a Nabatean princess causing a military conflict that he lost (Josephus) and for which John the Baptist chastised him (Matthew 14), and some have equated the Nabateans as being the magi mentioned in Matthew 2. The only direct connection to the Nabateans that scripture provides is in 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 where Paul speak of escaping from King Aretas at Damascus. From archaeology and historical documents we know for certain that Aretas (probably Aretas III) was king of the Nabateans.

The “Treasury “ or Kazneh (it’s the façade of a tomb that was cut out of a sheer rock face in a mixed style of Roman/Hellinistic/Egyptian/Nabatean architecture) . We did not see Dr. Jones, but we did remember that Jehovah starts with an “I” in Latin.

The “monastery” at the highest point of Petra

The next stop was at the wadi Dana – it was a quick stop mainly for the purpose of us understanding the landscape of the kingdom of Edom. From this overlook it is quite clear that Edom was very well protected from the south and west.

The wadi Dana – the eastern boundary of the Edomite heartland- its all desert after this.

The last stop of the third day was at Bozrah the capital of the Edomites. The archaeological remains of the site are not that well excavated and therefore not that impressive. However, geographically the ancient tell is highly impressive. It is easy to see the potential dominance and strategic impregnability that the ancient Edomite capital once possessed. Bozrah sits on the edge of the Arabah (the valley below the Dead Sea) and is surrounded on three sides by deep, rugged wadis making it virtually impenetrable from those sides. The only side that does not have a deep natural defendable wadi has a very narrow entrance and then expands to a very massive plateau on which the city rested. Edomite biblical connections are far too numerous to mention (Edom is just another name for Esau). Direct Bozrah connections include: Isaiah 34:6; 63:1; Jeremiah 48:24; 49:13, 22; Ezekiel 27; and Amos 1:12.

The Arabah from the Edomite capital city of Bozrah

November 18, 2008

Jordan Trip Day 2

After sleeping in the thriving metropolitan city of Amman we began day number two of our journey through Jordan. The first day’s objective was to understand the regions around the Jordan Rift Valley and the northern seam of the country, geographically the Jordan Rift Valley, Upper Gilead, and Lower Gilead. The second day’s objective was to gain an understanding of the central interior by taking a cursory glance at the Ammonite Basin and the Dome of Gilead. The sites we visited include: Rabbah (Philadelphia in the New Testament) the capital of Ammon, Gerasa (Jaresh), the Jabbok River, and Tyre (Iraq AL-emir).

Rabbah (sometimes called Rabbah-Ammon) the capital of the Ammonites is centrally located in the large Jordanian capital of Amman (approximately 2 million people) and was heavily populated throughout the Biblical period until the 8th century A.D. It is first mentioned in reference to Moses’ conquest of the Transjordanian area (Deut. 3:11). Later in the prophets Rabbah is prophesied against numerous times (Jer. 49:2-3; Ez. 21:20; 25:5; Amos 1:14). The most detailed mention of the Ammonite capital records Joab’s siege and eventual destruction of Rabbah (2 Samuel 11-12). This account is the background of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah (God accuses David through Nathan saying “you… have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites” 2 Sam. 12:9). From the geography of Rabbah (surrounded on three sides by deep wadis – much more naturally protected than Jerusalem – David’s capital) one can make an educated assumption as to the location of the battle mentioned in 2 Samuel. It is clear that the northern part of the city was the most vulnerable. It is the only side that is not naturally protected by a deep wadi. On account of this it might be the location that Joab concentrated his attack and where David murdered Uriah the Hittite through “the sword of the Ammonites.” Apart from the Old Testament references Rabbah/Philadelphia was an important Decapolis city that has vast remains from the Hellenistic period through the Islamic period.

Probable location for Joab’s siege of Rabbah and the murder of Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11-12)

Gerasa (Jaresh) is the most well preserved city of the Decapolis – it was the largest city in the region, a regional capital. Jaresh’s remains are fascinating – it has been called the “Paris of the Middle East” and the “city of a thousand columns.” Most of the remains are from the Roman and Byzantine period. Its only Biblical connection is found in Mark and Luke’s rendering of Jesus’ healing of the demoniac along the Sea of Galilee (Mark 5:1, Luke 8:26,37) (the debate of Gerasa vs. Gadera vs. Gergesa was already mentioned in Jordan Field Study Day 1).

Remains of ancient Gerasa

The Jabbok River in ancient times was a fresh, clean flowing river – now it is not so fresh or clean. It is basically an open sewer. Naturally it would be crystal clear waters but due to some well-aimed fecal matter and other great pollutants it’s browner than iced tea (Yummy, and the best part about it is that Jordanians let their kids play in it). In Biblical times the Jabbok is mentioned in reference to Jacob wrestling with a man and meeting Esau (Gen. 32-33, Hos. 12) and as the tribal boundary of the tribes of Reuben and Gad (Deut. 2:37; 3:16; Josh. 12:2; Judg. 11:13-22).

The Jabbok River, also known as Jordan’s port-a-potty. This river was so putrid I can imagine that people go out of their way just to defecate in it. (Notice the bubbles – yummy)

Tyre (Iraq AL-emir) was the last stop of the day. Tyre is the fortified palace of Hyrcanus from the beginning of the 2nd century B.C. Flavius Josephus mentions Tyre along with some historical information regarding Hyrcanus. The palace itself is very interesting with many large lions and other large felines decorating the exterior.

Leopard sculpture on the exterior of Hyrcanus’ Tyre pleasure palace (this sculpture would have probably functioned as a fountain with water coming from the hole in his mouth)

Jordan Trip Day 1

For the last field study of the semester our class went to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. My first impressions of the modern state of Jordan was that the nation has been heavily influenced by western culture (especially in Amman – there are dozens of American fast food places – including Popeyes which was ok but nowhere as good as Popeyes in the states) while at the same time still being mired in the Arab/Muslim culture. The marriage of east and west is quite interesting making Jordan very different than other Middle Eastern countries, like Egypt, it is much more western and advanced (which = safer). However, it is far less sophisticated technologically, ideologically, and politically than its neighbor, Israel. Our trip lasted four days in a country that is almost the same size as Israel – there was a lot to see and nearly half of our time was spent driving. The first day of our Jordan trip was spent at three main sites Succoth, Pella, Gadara, and Ramoth Gilead.

Portable “X-Rays” our professor wandered if it made house calls. In reality it’s a highly sophisticated piece of machinery. Here’s how it works. You pull up to it in your bus and get out (leaving your backpack in the bus – I guess those don’t need to be checked) and then put your bag through this “X-Ray”. Of course if you feel so inclined you could just sit on the bus and not put your bag through and no one would be the wiser. In all honesty this is one of the stupidest things I have ever seen.

Succoth (Tell Deir Alla) sits along the edge of the Jordan Rift Valley right at the exit of the Jabbok wadi (wadi means water canyon or valley). It is important geographically because it sits between the Israelite capitals of Shechem and Penuel east of the ford of Adam. It is first mentioned in Genesis 33:17 after Jacob met Esau (it got its name from the patriarch’s building of booths for his livestock– Succoth means booths – it’s the same name as the holiday). It is mentioned in the Bible during the period of the Judges and the united Monarchy, although it remained to be an important city throughout the period of the divided monarchy. During the period of the Judges the people of Succoth were less than hospitable to a bloodthirsty Gideon who “taught them a lesson” for their inhospitableness (Judg. 8). During the reign of king David it is mentioned twice in the nearly identical Davidic psalms (Ps. 60, 108), which speak of God portioning out “the valley of Succoth”. The last biblical mention is during the reign of King Solomon, which mentions that the metal instruments of Solomon’s temple were crafted between “Succoth and Zarethan” (1 Kings 7:46, 2 Chr. 4:17). The archaeology of Tell Deir Alla bears out the fact that the area was used for metallurgy in remnants of slag from a foundry operating in the 10th century B.C. Archaeologically speaking Tell Deir Alla is a very important site because of the discovery of an inscription that mentions “Balaam son of Beor.” It was the first inscription discovered that mentioned a prophet from the Old Testament by name (Numbers 22-24).

Pella was our next stop. Not much information was given about Pella proper, because it is not directly mentioned in the Bible other than its association with the Decapolis cities (Matt. 4:25; 5:20; 7:31). There are remains from the Chalcolithic period until the 8th century A.D that attest to the importance of the site. It is the sister city of Scythopolis (Beth-Shean), which sits to the west across the Jordan Rift Valley. Both Scythopolis and Pella were strategically vital for controlling the intermediary routes from the International Coastal Highway, the Transjordanian Highway, and the Phoenician port of Acco.

Gadara is at the northern seam of the modern country of Jordan. From the top of the site you can look into Israel (the sea of Galilee) and into the Golan Heights of Syria (the Yarmuk River is the dividing line). It is mentioned in Matthew’s recounting of Jesus healing the demoniac (Matt. 8:28) – “Gadarenes”. There is some debate over this account because both of Mark and Luke accounts refer to the region of the “Gerasenes” (about 30 miles southeast). Some have suggested that Gerasa is used in Mark and Luke to “appeal to a wider audience” because it was a much larger city (cited from the Pictorial Library of the Bible Lands – Todd Bolen). The situation is further muddied by the fact that many texts have Gergesa (on the eastern shore of the Jordan – there is a Byzantine church there commemorating the event – there are also churches at Gadara and Gerasa that commemorate the same event), but this seems to be a later harmonization that some have attributed to Origen. In any case Gadara was an important city during the time of the New Testament sitting between Gerasa and Damascus. The archaeological remains from the late Roman period are fascinating. Most notable among the remains are the basaltic pillars and Corinthian capitals.

Basaltic Corinthian capital from Gadara – Basalt is one of the hardest rocks. It is formed from volcanic activity. The intricacy seen here would have been extremely difficult to achieve.

The southern shore of the Sea of Galilee and the rise of the Golan Heights (Bashan) from the Decapolis city of Gadara

The last site of the day was at one of the possible sites for Ramoth Gilead, Tell er-Rumeith. We arrived just as the sun was going down. The remains at the site are not that impressive, but there are remains of an Iron Age fortress. Ramoth Gilead in the Biblical text is an important Transjordanian city with connections that include: it being a city of refuge (Deut. 4:43, Josh. 20:8), a Levitical city (Josh. 21:36-39), and a battleground for the Syrian-Israelite wars (1 Kings 22; 2 Kings 8:28-29; 9:14-16).

Late night snack in Amman – it might be called Popeyes, but not like I remember

November 4, 2008

Galilee Trip Day 4

Our fourth day around the region of Galilee was full of rain, cold, mosaics, and most of all fun. After three days in and around the Galilee region – Day four was the day we had to go home (believe me if I had the choice I would stay – there is so much more to learn and do) and we spent it by stopping at four stops – Sepphoris, Jezreel, Bet Alpha, and Beth Shean.

Sepphoris (Zippori) sits along one of the most highly traveled routes, which would have carried caravans from the port of Acco/Ptolemias to Gennaserat/Capernaum to Hazor to Dan/Caesarea Philippi to Mesopotamia. During New Testament times Sepphoris was the capital of the region of Galilee up until 17 A.D. when in Herod Antipas made Tiberias his capital on top of a cemetery. After the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C. the weapon cache of Sepphoris was captured by Jewish Zealots who then used those weapons to control the city. The rebellion was short-lived being snuffed out by the Romans who in so doing destroyed Sepphoris. Over the next twenty-one years Sepphoris was re-built by the Romans under Herod Antipas’ control. What makes this so interesting, you might ask? Who cares, you might say? Well what is interesting is that Sepphoris is less than a half days walk from Nazareth, the hometown of some guy who lived between 4 B.C.-17A.D. What is even more intriguing is the occupation of that certain someone’s father. (Matthew 13:55a Is not this the carpenter's son?) Carpenter is probably an oversimplified translation of the Greek tekton, which should be understood as craftsman or builder – more than just a woodworker – our common understanding of a carpenter. Joseph would have almost certainly worked at Sepphoris and one could make a good argument that his son worked there as well, he would have been in his teen years and early twenties during the end of the construction.

Theatre at Sepphoris built during New Testament times

Besides the connection to the author of heaven and earth, Sepphoris also has some amazing mosaics from the later Byzantine period, including the “Mona Lisa of the Galilee” and the beautifully crafted floor of a synagogue (albeit very Hellenized).

The “Mona Lisa of the Galilee” crafted during the Byzantine period

Jezreel was a very quick stop due to the downpour, but we discussed the major biblical stories pertaining to the site (Ahab and Gideon). From there we went to a really interesting 6th century A.D. synagogue at the kibbutz of Bet Alpha. This synagogue like the one in Sepphoris has a beautiful floor made out of mosaics. Both of the mosaics include the depictions of the “Binding of Isaac” and the “Zodiac Calendar.”

The last stop of the day was at Beth Shean (Scythopolis in the NT). This city sits in the middle of the Beth Shean Valley centrally located between the two international routes in the country – the International Coastal Highway (west – to Egypt and Mesopotamia) and the King’s Highway (east – to Yemen and Mesopotamia). This site is at the crossroads of three continents connecting all of the best routes together. Saul and Jonathan’s bodies after decapitation were hung on the walls here (1 Samuel 31) and Jesus would have passed the city numerous times in his travels between Galilee and Judea.

Pondering the ancient "deed"in the sophisticated Public W.C.'s of Scythopolis

The 8th century remains of Scythopolis with Tel Beth Shean in the background

November 3, 2008

Galilee Trip Day 3

Day three of our trip was spent in and around the Sea of Galilee. Despite the rain that rolled in and out of the region all day I had a great day. Our major stops for the day were the Sea of Galilee (a boat ride), Kursi, Qazrin, Capernaum, and Mt. Arbel. All of these sites served to open a window into the New Testament world of Israel’s Messiah.

The boat ride on the lake was really enjoyable – it was foggy and rainy which gave us a sense of what the lake would have been like during stormy weather. The first mate of the ship was an interesting fellow who “volunteered” to show us how the cast-net worked in biblical times. His first attempt was unsuccessful – hitting the boat and falling unopened into the sea – but he did not give up he proclaimed, “I will try the other side” – and so he did. This time he succeeded.
Eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee with Hippus (Susita) one of the cities of the Decapolis and the En Gev kibbutz in view

Our next stop was Kursi where there is a church from the byzantine period that commemorates the area as being the place where Jesus healed the demoniac and cast the demons into the pigs (Mark 5). The church was well preserved and the view from the top of the hill was nice.

The Talmudic village of Qazrin was our next stop. The city was discovered and excavated after the Six-Day War when Israel pushed their tanks all the way to Damascus. It has remains from the Talmudic/Byzantine period with many blocked homes called Insula, some of which have been reconstructed. This site is significant to students of the New Testament and/or the Talmud because it preserves the style of homes employed during those periods. This provides a cultural window into this most interesting of periods. These reconstructions provide key insights to illuminating the parables pertaining to everyday life crafted by the Alpha and Omega.

After a quick stop at the Jordan River we went to Capernaum the home base of Jesus during his ministry. When we got to the entrance of the site the bottom of the sky dropped out and we were utterly drenched. We holed up in the Franciscan Church/”Millennium Falcon” until the storm passed. During the storm we looked at the remains of three different churches built on top of one another – many believe that this is the actual site of Jesus home during his ministry and the home of Peter and his mother-in-law. (Matthew 8:14-15 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.) After the storm we went to the 2nd century synagogue that has remains of a 1st century synagogue below it. The synagogue below it in all probability would have been the synagogue where Jesus must have taught regularly over his three plus years of ministry (Mark 1:21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching).
Franciscan church built over the traditional site of Peter’s mother-in-law’s house – it resembles in this author’s estimation Han Solo’s pride and joy.
See for yourself http://blogs.sun.com/kevin/resource/m-falcom.gif

My pride and joy in front of the Capernaum synagogue – the lower basalt (darker) layer is the foundation and remains of the synagogue Jesus would have taught in
Our last stop of the day was Mt. Arbel – this is one of the most amazing places in all of Israel – I think it is my favorite. Arbel overlooks the Sea of Galilee and the surrounding hills and plains. It has a sheer cliff on its face with a sister cliff across from it at the bottom of the cliffs is the “Valley of the Doves” which in Ancient times carried the International route to Mesopotamia (north) and Egypt (south). While we were up there we saw a rainbow above the plain of Gennesserat going over the Sea of Galilee.