Shephelah, Beersheba, and Dead Sea Area

Last weekend my Historical Geography class went to the Shephelah, the Negev, and the Dead Sea area. I'll stick to the formula. Post pictures, and then comment on them.



We went to Sataf. This is a Roman era house that was built on the hillside. It's a beautiful site full of mikvot baths, water systems, and almond blossoms.








Beth-Shemesh. It's the big city that once overlooked the areas where Samson busted some heads (Timnah, Zorah, and it leads to Gaza).





Beersheba on the Nahal Beersheba and Nahal Hebron.














The city of Arad. Here is a sacrificial altar and the Holy of Holies in a "mini-Temple"







The tomb of David ben Gurion, a founder of the modern state of Israel and its first Prime Minister. He is buried near a kibbutz on the Nahal Zin.




We went to Avdat which is kind of a mix of different times and peoples. It was a Nabatean trade route stop, but that died out with Roman conquest. It was pretty much abandoned until the Byzantine Era when it was turned into a religious site. There were forts, houses, and a couple of churches in this place. It was beautifully rebuilt too. This was probably my favorite place that we went to that weekend.



The Machtesh Ramon. This is the largest erosion crater in the world. It's huge and amazing. You can see the descent pretty well in this picture. Keep in mind though, that if you were to turn maybe 90 degrees clockwise from this point, you wouldn't be able to see the other side of the "bowl."






We also went to Masada. Masada is pretty amazing. It's a for that Herod the Great built on top of a big mountain in the middle of the desert. He created this crazy aqueduct system to keep it watered and it was totally revolutionary in terms of architecture. The Jewish rebels against Rome took this place as a fort until 73AD. Uncle Larry was in a TV movie about this. Basically, Rome destroyed it and according to Josephus, the Jews inside killed themselves with honor before the Romans could get in.




Qumran cave number 5 (I think). Most of us know this story. Lots of "monastic" type of Jews living away from the debauchery and corruption of Rome eagerly awaiting the Messiah to come and they wrote lots of stuff that gave OT Textual Criticism revolutionary resources.











It was a very nice field study. I got to see lots of incredible sights and I got to swim in the Dead Sea. A+

Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Dormition Abbey

Throughout the last week I've been on a couple of smaller field studies and done some independent traveling in the Old City.


At the Church of the Holy Sepulcher there is a room where tradition says Adam was resurrected at the time of Christ's resurrection. This has become known as the "center of the world" according to my Church in the East prof. This is the dome above that place.








At the entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a rock where tradition says Jesus was prepared for burial. The eggs above the rock all symbolize the different Churches that have a presence in the Holy Sepulcher: Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Ethiopian, Coptic, and Armenian.






Saint Anthony's Church is adjacent to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It is a beautiful Coptic Church that smells richly of incense. When you enter the sanctuary you can actually see the smoke like a thin fog throughout the whole area.









On Thursday, A few friends and I went to the Dormition Abbey by our school. The Dormition Abbey was built in 1906 by Kaiser Wilhelm of all people. Tradition holds that this is the place where Mary died and was brought into heaven. This is its belltower.

The Armenian Church holds this spot to be the home of Caiphas.


Views of the Old City and Mount of Olives from the Dormition Abbey


Statue of Mary, mother of Jesus.


Above that statue is a beautiful mural of Jesus and many righteous women from the Bible and the Apocrypha. They include: Eve, Judith, Ruth, Miriam, and others.






Altars at the Dormition Abbey

I really enjoy these places. I think that since I've arrived here, I've begun to appreciate a variety different faith practices both within and without Christianity. I find myself drawn to places of spiritual significance. It's a beautiful thing when people attempt to draw close to their God and with the faith of their fathers- whether it be at the Wall, the Holy Sepulcher, the Dome of the Rock, or a tiny church in semi-rural Pennsylvania.