Holy Week is the last week of Jesus' life. Holy Week is a big deal in most Christian faiths, but for some reason it isn't as large among the Mormon faith. Holy Week started today with Palm Sunday. All four gospels contain accounts of Jesus' triumphal entry from Bethany into Jerusalem. Jesus rode on a donkey while people shouted praises and also laid their clothes and branches before him. The Church of Bethphage is the traditional location where Jesus began his triumphal entry. We went there to participate in the Palm Sunday walk. A lot of students and myself included bought palm branches to carry and wave during the walk. The walk went all the way into the Old City making it about two miles long. There were so many pilgrims there. Along the way we sang a bunch of hymns. Other groups of pilgrims were also praising Jesus through song. Most of the time we were walking in front of a group that had drums and guitars along with their voices. We were able to pick up a lot of their tunes because they were really simple. This whole experience was just a wonderful time to joining with other Christians in praising Jesus.
The Bible teaches us that Jesus went to the temple after his triumphal entry to cleanse it. To honor that event I went to the temple mount in the morning. While waiting in line to enter the temple mount I went over to the Western Wall. It was nice to go to the Western Wall in the morning because there weren't very many people there. I wrote a little prayer and stuck it in a crack of the wall as many people do.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Galilee Day #11 - Mt Carmel, Caesarea
Leaving Galilee was a little sad. We spent 11 days there so I became attached to it. The view was always gorgeous, and I loved the significance of all the places we visited.
We went to Mount Carmel which is where Elijah dueled with the priests of baal (1 Kings 18). We reinacted the whole scene which was pretty fun.
The last visit before going home to Jerusalem was Caesarea. Caesarea was a Greco-Roman city built by Herod the Great. One very impressive thing they did when building this city was create a man made port. This is where Peter testified before King Agrippa and impressed him with his powerful testimony of Jesus.
We went to Mount Carmel which is where Elijah dueled with the priests of baal (1 Kings 18). We reinacted the whole scene which was pretty fun.
The last visit before going home to Jerusalem was Caesarea. Caesarea was a Greco-Roman city built by Herod the Great. One very impressive thing they did when building this city was create a man made port. This is where Peter testified before King Agrippa and impressed him with his powerful testimony of Jesus.
Galilee Day #10 - Chorazin, Sepphori, Akko
Chorazin is a city that Jesus cursed (Luke 10:13). While in Chorazin we read the Savior's rebuke of the Pharisees found in Matthew 23. I am starting to see a lot of parallels in my life to the Jews that had gone astray. It is easier to focus on rules than to focus on the two great commandments to love God and love one another. We can never forget the purpose behind the standards that we keep.
Our second stop was Sepphori. Sepphori is only an hour walk away from Nazareth and was going through a period of construction during Jesus' life. Hence Joseph and Jesus possibly came to Sepphori to work. Sepphori is also an important site for Jews because it is where the Mishna was written which is an important book of scripture for the Jews.
The last visit of the day was Akko. Akko is a city along a city on the Mediterranean coast. This was the final hold out of the crusaders so there are a bunch of buildings constructed by the crusaders. This city was visited by Paul in his preaching.
Our second stop was Sepphori. Sepphori is only an hour walk away from Nazareth and was going through a period of construction during Jesus' life. Hence Joseph and Jesus possibly came to Sepphori to work. Sepphori is also an important site for Jews because it is where the Mishna was written which is an important book of scripture for the Jews.
The last visit of the day was Akko. Akko is a city along a city on the Mediterranean coast. This was the final hold out of the crusaders so there are a bunch of buildings constructed by the crusaders. This city was visited by Paul in his preaching.
Galilee Day #9 - Hazor, Dan
The first ruins we visited today were from the ancient city Hazor which is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. In Joshua 11 the Canaanite city Hazor was burned in the conquest of the land. The coolest part of this site is that we could see the burn layer on the ruins which more or less archaeologically proves that biblical account.
The writers of the Old Testament often used the phrase 'from Dan to Bersheba' to mean all of Israel because Dan was the northernmost city and Bersheba was the southernmost city. We visited Bersheba during the first month, and today we visited Dan so now I can say that I have been 'from Dan to Bersheba.' The most interesting archaeology to me was a arched city gate that dates back to the time of Abraham. When Abraham came here (Gen 14:14), it is likely that he passed through this gate. At this site they have also discovered the ruins of the high place / altar that the apostate Israelite Kingdom used instead of the Jerusalem Temple. Right behind the altar are some trenches from the pre-1967 border. From this outlook we could see Syria and Lebanon. In the mine field in front of us there were cows grazing. I don't know if I believe this but our professor said that the cows are used to de-mine the field (I guess it is better for cows to be blown up than humans). The rest of Dan was beautiful with a bunch of trees, plants, and springs.
Caesarea Philippi was the most spiritually significant site of the day for me. The account of Peter testifying "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" occurred in this region. I learned a few contextual facts that made the verses in Matthew 16:13-20 more meaningful to me. The city Caesarea Philippi was a Greco-Roman gentile city with temples to pagan gods. One of the temples was dedicated to Caesar Augustus who claimed to be 'the son of god' because his step father Julius Caesar had been proclaimed god by the Roman senate after his death. This concept contrasts with Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of the LIVING God. Also there is a large stone face where the pagan temples were and also where a spring began. Possibly Jesus used this stone outcropping as an example when explaining that Peter would be the rock upon which He would build his church. Bro Harper did an excellent job of explaining that the best way we can know anything is from divine revelation which is the way that Peter knew that Jesus was the. Savior.
The rest of the day was full of nice walks and cool views. We walked around some waterfalls near Caesarea Philippi. We also went to Nimrod's castle which is a 13th century Malmuk fortress which would have been quite an impressive building back in the day. The final place we went was another former border of Israel. On top of this mountain they had old trenches and bunkers. We could also see Syria from the top.
The writers of the Old Testament often used the phrase 'from Dan to Bersheba' to mean all of Israel because Dan was the northernmost city and Bersheba was the southernmost city. We visited Bersheba during the first month, and today we visited Dan so now I can say that I have been 'from Dan to Bersheba.' The most interesting archaeology to me was a arched city gate that dates back to the time of Abraham. When Abraham came here (Gen 14:14), it is likely that he passed through this gate. At this site they have also discovered the ruins of the high place / altar that the apostate Israelite Kingdom used instead of the Jerusalem Temple. Right behind the altar are some trenches from the pre-1967 border. From this outlook we could see Syria and Lebanon. In the mine field in front of us there were cows grazing. I don't know if I believe this but our professor said that the cows are used to de-mine the field (I guess it is better for cows to be blown up than humans). The rest of Dan was beautiful with a bunch of trees, plants, and springs.
Caesarea Philippi was the most spiritually significant site of the day for me. The account of Peter testifying "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" occurred in this region. I learned a few contextual facts that made the verses in Matthew 16:13-20 more meaningful to me. The city Caesarea Philippi was a Greco-Roman gentile city with temples to pagan gods. One of the temples was dedicated to Caesar Augustus who claimed to be 'the son of god' because his step father Julius Caesar had been proclaimed god by the Roman senate after his death. This concept contrasts with Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of the LIVING God. Also there is a large stone face where the pagan temples were and also where a spring began. Possibly Jesus used this stone outcropping as an example when explaining that Peter would be the rock upon which He would build his church. Bro Harper did an excellent job of explaining that the best way we can know anything is from divine revelation which is the way that Peter knew that Jesus was the. Savior.
The rest of the day was full of nice walks and cool views. We walked around some waterfalls near Caesarea Philippi. We also went to Nimrod's castle which is a 13th century Malmuk fortress which would have been quite an impressive building back in the day. The final place we went was another former border of Israel. On top of this mountain they had old trenches and bunkers. We could also see Syria from the top.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Galilee Day #8 - Mount of Transfiguration, Megiddo, Natural Springs
There are two different mountains that people claim to be the Mount of Transfiguration. One is called Mt Hermon and is located in Syria right outside of modern day Israel. We went to the other option which is southwest of the Sea of Galilee and is called Mt Tabor. Once on top of the mountain we found a small chapel inside the Franciscan church where Bro Harper lectured on the significance of what transpired when Jesus was transfigured and Moses and Elijah appeared before Peter, James, and John.
We also went to Megiddo. A couple of biblical events occurred there such as the defeat of Josiah and tbe building of Salomon's stables. Meggido is best well known for its apparent connection to Revelation 16:16 where the battle of Armageddon is mentioned. Many believe that Armageddon can be translated to mean Mount Meggido which would make this the location for the apocalyptic battle. However, Bro Harper explained to us that most likely that scriptural reference of a final battle is more symbolic or figurative than literal, and I agree with that anaylsis.
We ended the day by going swimming in a natural spring. The water was warm and really clear. It almost looked and felt like a large and deep pool with natural borders and bottom. At the end of the pool was a waterfall which was fun to stand under.
We also went to Megiddo. A couple of biblical events occurred there such as the defeat of Josiah and tbe building of Salomon's stables. Meggido is best well known for its apparent connection to Revelation 16:16 where the battle of Armageddon is mentioned. Many believe that Armageddon can be translated to mean Mount Meggido which would make this the location for the apocalyptic battle. However, Bro Harper explained to us that most likely that scriptural reference of a final battle is more symbolic or figurative than literal, and I agree with that anaylsis.
We ended the day by going swimming in a natural spring. The water was warm and really clear. It almost looked and felt like a large and deep pool with natural borders and bottom. At the end of the pool was a waterfall which was fun to stand under.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Galilee Day #7 - Bike Ride
After classes in the morning the rest of the day was free so I ended up going on a bike ride. My friend Brennan set it all up and eleven of us ended up renting bikes for the afternoon. We biked along a path that hugs the coast of the Sea of Galilee. Round trip we biked 24km/15miles. Part of the path was through a banana field. I don't think I have ever seen upclose how bananas grow so that was a first. Halfway through the ride we reached a small town so we stopped there to get some ice cream before heading back. I have enjoyed so much the outdoor actives (rafting in the Jordan River, swimming in the Sea of Galilee, hiking in the Golan Heights, biking along the coast) that I have been able to do here.
Galilee Day #6 - Church in Tiberias
The Sabbath was a very rejuvenating day. My class didn't have to go to church until two in the afternoon so we had the entire morning to ourselves. I spent most of the morning on the shore of the Sea of Galilee reading scripture and writing about my experiences. Before going to church we went to the outlet of the Galilee where the Jordan River begins again. It is a placed called Yardenit, and a lot of people come there to get baptized. My Ancient Near East professor Dr Jared Ludlow was baptized there when he was eight years old because his father was a professor at the Jerusalem Center at the time so his family lived in Israel when he turned eight.
Another member of the faculty named Dr Jackson claims that the view from the Tiberias church building is the second best in the whole church with the the very best view being the Jerusalem Center. I agree with him. The Tiberias church is a large house built on a hill in a nicer neighborhood that they have remodeled to fit the needs of a small branch. The room where the sacrament meeting is held has one side of all windows which makes for a great view of the Sea of Galilee. I sang in a mens quartet for a musical number. A talented student named Jason Cassel took words from Alma 29 and aligned them with the tune of If You Could Hie to Kolob. I'm actually going to be rooming with Jason this summer which should be pretty fun.
Another member of the faculty named Dr Jackson claims that the view from the Tiberias church building is the second best in the whole church with the the very best view being the Jerusalem Center. I agree with him. The Tiberias church is a large house built on a hill in a nicer neighborhood that they have remodeled to fit the needs of a small branch. The room where the sacrament meeting is held has one side of all windows which makes for a great view of the Sea of Galilee. I sang in a mens quartet for a musical number. A talented student named Jason Cassel took words from Alma 29 and aligned them with the tune of If You Could Hie to Kolob. I'm actually going to be rooming with Jason this summer which should be pretty fun.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)