Greetings from Nazareth!
This morning we were awoken before 6am to the sounds of a film crew setting up in our courtyard to film what appeared to be an commercial for some sort of beverage. It was curious to say the least, though I don't think many of us appreciated the bizarre awakening.
Today we continued our focus on Biblical history, touring around northern Israel by bus. Our first stop was Mount Precipice, which is part of a ridge separating Nazareth from the Jezreel Valley. Mount Precipice is said to be the cliff where Jesus was taken after he preached in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4). Following that we drove through the valley to the other side and up Mount Carmel, which is where Elijah faced off against the prophets of Ba'al (1 Kings 18). Linford (from EMU), serving as our tour guide and reenactment specialist, shared a number of Biblical narratives set down in the valley and surrounding area, and generally helped us locate ourselves in the geography of Jesus' childhood. Between these stories and places and yesterday's time at Nazareth Village, it has been very powerful to imagine first hand what it might have been like for Jesus growing up in Nazareth, from the very sites he might have tread.
This morning we were awoken before 6am to the sounds of a film crew setting up in our courtyard to film what appeared to be an commercial for some sort of beverage. It was curious to say the least, though I don't think many of us appreciated the bizarre awakening.
Today we continued our focus on Biblical history, touring around northern Israel by bus. Our first stop was Mount Precipice, which is part of a ridge separating Nazareth from the Jezreel Valley. Mount Precipice is said to be the cliff where Jesus was taken after he preached in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4). Following that we drove through the valley to the other side and up Mount Carmel, which is where Elijah faced off against the prophets of Ba'al (1 Kings 18). Linford (from EMU), serving as our tour guide and reenactment specialist, shared a number of Biblical narratives set down in the valley and surrounding area, and generally helped us locate ourselves in the geography of Jesus' childhood. Between these stories and places and yesterday's time at Nazareth Village, it has been very powerful to imagine first hand what it might have been like for Jesus growing up in Nazareth, from the very sites he might have tread.
We then drove to Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast and toured around Caesarea National Park, an archaeological site uncovering ruins from the time of Herod the Great. It was pretty incredible to see (and stand on) the feats of architecture and engineering accomplished over 2000 years ago, from the amphitheatre to the artificial harbour. The Romans developed some amazing concrete! Derek was very excited to see all the old "rocks", and we now understand why. A short ways down the shore was the ruins of the 13km aqueduct which brought water from the hills to Herod's palace, another incredible accomplishment. A number of us climbed up and took a short hike along the top. I thought it would be pretty neat to hike the whole 13km, but unfortunately it is missing a number of sections. There was also a beach area there, so we had a chance to cool off in the Mediterranean after a hot, sunny day, which was wonderful!
Tonight after supper we had a guest speaker from Sabeel, an ecumenical liberation theology centre here in Palestine-Israel. This was our first introduction (on the trip) to the current political situation here, and it was fascinating to here about the work of Sabeel and have a chance to ask initial questions, though surely more will arise once we actually Jump In! to the heart of it all next week when we travel to the West Bank.
So much to see, so much to learn! And a fantastic group to do this with. Let's just hope we can all get over this jet lag soon, and avoid too much further sunburn...
-- Aaron N.
So much to see, so much to learn! And a fantastic group to do this with. Let's just hope we can all get over this jet lag soon, and avoid too much further sunburn...
-- Aaron N.