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| From Holy Land Tour Day 7 2 16 09 |
Our morning began with a breakfast and then on the bus at 7:45 for a short ride across town for a lecture with Fr. Jerome Murphy O’Connor at the Ecole Biblique. He wrote a book published by Oxford press called; The Holy Land. He talked for just about 50 minutes about Jesus last few days in Jerusalem. It was fascinating as he made the scriptures come alive.
We then climbed aboard the bus and head for the Temple Mount. We went to see the Dome of the Rock. It is a holy place to pray for Muslims. There is no worship inside, but only a place to pray. The worship takes place next door at the El-Aksa Mosque.
The Dome of the Rock was build when the Muslim's controlled Jerusalem. It is built on the site that Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac. They claim it was not Isaac but Ishmael. It is on the grounds and close to the place where the Holy of Holies was in the second Temple build by Herod.
Right next door is the West Wall of the Temple. Oldest part of the wall still standing and was built by the poor. It is close to where the Temple was built on Mount Zion. It is sometimes called the Wailing Wall, as has water form on the stone that looks like tears. There were Bar Mitzvah happening while we were there. The Torah is read on Tuesday and Thursdays. So they would bring the Torah out to be read, by the 13 year old boys coming of age. You have to cover your head, as you don't want God to be angry with you. Also some do not turn their back on God, but back away from the wall backwards.
There was the blowing of the shofars and drums to celebrate weddings, and Bar Mitzvah.
It is amazing to see how this important wall and the Muslims mosque and here they are right next to each other. It is no wonder why this is the hot spot in the world.
Then we drove over to The Israel Museum. Here we saw a 1/50 replica of The Second Temple built by Herod. This was what Jerusalem looked like during Jesus time in Jerusalem.
They also have the Dead Sea Scrolls. We went for a tour--but we could not take pictures. It was amazing.
We went to lunch at a Kibbutz.
Then we drove on to Bethlehem. This meant that our bus, driver and guide could only take us to the wall. A Palestinian guide and bus driver - then took us to see the Church of the Nativity.
This is the traditional place that Jesus was born. It had some floor tiles from Constantine and it is the oldest church in the world 1500 years. The Persians didn't destroy the church, because of a mural of the wise men - who came from Persia. The door was made smaller so the crusaders wouldn't ride their horses into the church, and animals couldn't just wander in. It also makes one humble as you have to stoop and bow to get in.
The inside is shared between three Christian churches and a Muslim watches over the time as a neutral party so everyone is treated fairly. The stable was in the lower level of a home, so under the church, where a stable would be in a home, is the place where Jesus was born and laid in a manger. Much history to be seen and a very holy place.
We then drove to the East past the Field of Ruth where Ruth, the Moabite, met Boaz.
Adjacent to Bethlehem is Shepherd's Field -Here we saw a cave where shepherds would tend their sheep at night. Why would God come to shepherds? They were raising sheep for the sacrifice-God is telling them, that they now can tell those who come for lambs, that God has sent Jesus as the lamb of God. We also read John 10--the Good Shepherd chapter from the Bible.
Above the cave is the Church of the Angels that announced the good news to the shepherds.
We stopped at a shop in Bethlehem that specialized in Olive Wood Carvings. It is the main source of income for Palestinian Christians. We went back through the security wall and returned to Jerusalem in our hotel.
Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem
Tomorrow the Dead Sea
Overnight: Jerusalem, Israel
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