Every year when I usually do my trips this beautiful land of my ancestors, delivery to the people of Israel about the eternal promise to Abraham, step by many biblical and archaeological sites, but undoubtedly one of the most impressive is Caesarea Maritima.

The Old City of Caesarea is located on the Mediterranean coast, midway between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Archaeological excavations during the decades of 50 and 60 revealed remnants of many periods and particularly the fortifications complex of the Crusader city and the Roman theater. The city is now only a small part of modern Israeli town of Caesarea, one of the most modern and richest in the country.

 

During the past 20 years, major excavations conducted by numerous archaeological expeditions from Israel and abroad that have exposed impressive remains of distant grandeur of the Roman town and later city of the Crusaders.

The City of Roman Period

Caesarea was founded by King Herod in the first century a.E.C. up the foundations of an old and small Greco-Phoenician city, the location of a small commercial port called Straton's Tower.

Caesarea played an important role in the history of early Christianity. It was here that according to the book of Acts, there was the baptism of the Roman centurion Cornelius (Acts 10: 1-5, 25-28) and all your family. The Apostle Paul left here for your journey through the eastern Mediterranean, and here it was taken prisoner and sent to Rome for trial (Acts 23: 23-24).

The great aqueduct of Caesarea

The great aqueduct of Caesarea was built to ensure an abundant supply of water. It was built in the Herodian period, and later repaired and doubled to lead water into a dual channel, because of the growth of the city population.

Caesarea in the Byzantine Period

During this period, Caesarea became an important center Roman Christian. Origen, one of the Church Fathers, founded a Christian school in the city that had a library with over 30,000 manuscripts. At the beginning of the fourth century, Eusebius theologian, who was bishop of Caesarea, composed here his monumental Historia Ecclesiastica of early Christianity and Onomasticon a comprehensive geographical-historical study of the Holy Land.

Caesarea during the Arab period

In 639, Caesarea was conquered by the Arabs and its importance and population declined, decreasing dramatically due to abandonment. Urban areas were abandoned and replaced by agricultural terraces. The Arab town was surrounded in the tenth century of the Christian era, by a wall of 3 m thick, whose remains were found during excavations.

Caesarea in the period of the Crusaders

In 1101, the Frankish army under King Baldwin I conquered Caesarea hands of Muslims. This has become a headquarters for a bishopric and in addition to the Franks, they were also established Eastern Christians and Muslims. The Genoese found in the city a green glass vase and declared that it was the Holy Grail, the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. They took him to Genoa and placed in the Church of St. Lawrence in Italy.

Caesarea was later captured by Saladin in the year 1187 of the Christian era, after a short and hard siege. It was retaken in 1191 by Richard the Lionheart, King of England, who exiled its Muslim inhabitants.

Caesarea is one of the most majestic archaeological sites in Israel which is open to the public. The new excavations in the 90s were conducted by two expeditions: the Israel Antiquities Authority was directed by S. Porat; and the Joint Expedition of Caesarea, was organized by the Maritime Research Centre of the University of Haifa, directed by A. Raban of the University of Maryland, led by K. Holum, and the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, directed by J. Patrich.

Another impressive archaeological discovery in National City Caesarea Park, on the coast of Israel.

In an archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority in the National Park Caesarea, initiated by the CDC and the Rothschild Foundation, was discovered this morning (Thursday, 12/24/2015), a marble statue of a ram near of an ancient building of a church from the Byzantine period.
The lamb that appears in Christian art, as he carried on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd (Jesus, described as a shepherd who cares for his sheep), and sometimes was on the right or left. The lamb is the believers in Christianity or Jesus himself, in his suffering and death, which had been intended, according to the faith, to atone for the original sin. (John 29: 1)

In Roman art the lamb appeared alongside Hermes in Greek mythology or Mercury, or Egyptian mythology representing the god Amun.

According to Dr. Peter Gendelman and Mohamed Khater, directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "Caesarea never ceases to amaze and now this statue was amazing discovery.

 

 

Bethlehem is called the city of David in the Old Testament and the City of the Messiah in the New Covenant.

Bethlehem or House of Bread is the born village of Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah.

Bethlehem of Judah was a small Jewish village in the first century where Jesus, the Messiah born and today is one of most important city in the Palestinian Territory.

The Christian Era

In the NT Bethlehem is mentioned as the birthplace of the Messiah Jesus (Mt 2:1,5; Lk 2:4,25) in consequence of which event occurred Herod’s “massacre of the innocents” (Mt 2:8,26). Inasmuch as Hadrian devastated Bethlehem and set up there a sacred grove to Adonis (Jerome, Ep. ad Paul, lviii.3) it is clear that veneration of this spot as the site of the Nativity must go back before 132 AD.

BETHLEHEM JUDAH

Bethlehem Judah, or EPHRATH or EPHRATHAH (which see) is now Beit Lahm (Arabic = “house of meat”), a town of upward of 10,000 inhabitants, 5 miles S. of Jerusalem and 2,350 ft. above sea level. It occupies an outstanding position upon a spur running E. from the watershed with deep valleys to the N.E. and S. It is just off the main road to Hebron and the S., but upon the highroad to Tekoa and En-gedi. The position is one of natural strength; it was occupied by a garrison of the Philistines in the days of David (2 Sa 23:14; 1 Ch 11:16) and was fortified by Rehoboam (2 Ch 11:6).

The surrounding country is fertile, cornfields, fig and olive yards and vineyards abound. Bethlehem is not naturally well supplied with water, the nearest spring is 800 yds. to the S.E., but for many centuries the “low level aqueduct” from “Solomon’s Pools” in the Artas valley, which has here been tunneled through the hill, has been tapped by the inhabitants; there are also many rock-cut cisterns.

“Bethlehem,” ISBE, n.p.

Beit Tsaida in Hebrew is mean House of Fishing or House of Hunt.

The ancient of biblical city of Bethsaida is located in the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, in a fertile plaint so far from the river of Jordan.

Bethsaida was one of three cities mentioned in the apocalyptical prophecies of Jesus in Matthew chapter 11 during his ministry. 

The St. George Orthodox Monastery is a monastery located in Wadi Qelt in the Desert of Judea Heart.

The sixth-century cliff-hanging complex, with its ancient chapel and gardens, is active and inhabited by Eastern Orthodox monks and is one of most visited place in the Holy Land.

This place is also knowledge as the Monastery of St. George of Choziba in the eastern West Bank. It is reached by a walkers the bridge across the Wadi Qelt, which many believe to be Psalm 23's, the Valley of the Shadow described by the King David.

The Jesus Trail and Gospel Trail turn your travel in Israel to a real experience of faith and trans-culturization, crossing the land where Jesus develop his ministry and see the same landscapes, your life will never be the same as was.

The Jesus Trail promoted by Israeli Tourism Ministry offers pilgrims and tourists, individuals and groups, the opportunity to revive the cradle of Christianity by personal experience, the path is in the same biblical landscapes and cross the sites of the Galilee where Jesus and his disciples once walked.

On our journey we will be revealing to you a little about the third most holy city for Christians in the Holy Land, located in the Lower Galilee.

Nazareth is undoubtedly a rose in the village flower garden in this biblical region.

In the New Testament, the expression "Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus the Nazarene" appears seventeen times while the Greek has the form "Jesus of Nazareth."

Nazareth is visited every year by millions of people all over the world and also by many Israeli Jews, because the city is known for its cultural variety and its cuisine, in addition, it offers more interested in tourism, all sorts of options, good hotels with good prices, Arabic food restaurants of good quality, wineries, bars, market, centuries-old churches, Turkish baths and even the Nazareth village, an attempt to play would be like Nazareth 2000 years ago, in the days of Jesus .

In 2014 the city's population was about 75,000 people, of whom 70% were Muslim and 30% Christian, the nearby town, Nazareth Illit is fully Jewish, with a population of 40,000 inhabitants, together they form the largest city of Galilee. Nazareth is also considered the Arab capital of Israel, for both Christians and Muslims are of Arab

The Baptism Site of Jesus

Located in the border of Israel and Kingdom of Jordan, Qasr el Yahud is the original site of baptism in the waters of Jordan river, it place is one of most visited by Christians from the first century until today and was recognised official by the church in the byzantine era.

Etymology

The traditional Arabic name of the baptism site is Al-Maghtas, which has been used for an area stretching over both banks of the river, since the pilgrimage site has also slightly moved during history. Apparently for administrative reasons, the Jordanian side of the site is using the names Al-Maghtas, Bethany beyond the Jordan and simply Baptism(al) Site, while the western part is officially called Qasr el-Yahud. The latter name is actually inaccurate, since it is borrowed from the nearby Greek Orthodox Monastery of St John the Baptist, which has a castle-like appearance (thus qasr, "castle"), allegedly conflated with the tradition of the Israelites' crossing of the river at this spot (thus el-Yahud, "of the Jews").

Capernaum, the pearl of Galilee

Capernaum is the most important site after Jerusalem to Christians around the World, it was the town of the Messiah and also the place where Jesus made great part of his miracles describes in the Christian Bible.
Thousand of believers visit it small place every year and transform it one of most important pilgrim station outside Jerusalem.