Jordan Valley – Journey to Holy Land

Jordan River and Valley of Jordan

webmaster — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 19:26:37 +0000

Qasr al Yahud (Means The Jews' Castle or Villa) is a site on the banks of the Jordan River not far from Jericho. The ancient christian tradition associates the site of Qasr al Yahud with the site of Jesus' baptism described in Matthew chapter 3 and it has been revered as such from at least the fourth century based on Helena, the mother of the first Emperor Constantine.

Many monasteries and churches was built in the area and is testifying to the long christian tradition at Qasr al Yahud. In the Jewish tradition the crossing of the Jordan by the People of Israel under Joshua command was also have taken place in this general area, this fact was described in the Book of Joshua chapter 3.

This place is also associated with the site where Elijah handed over the prophecy to Elisha and rose to heaven on a fiery chariot described in 2 Kings chapter 11.

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").

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Biblical Jericho

webmaster — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 19:19:29 +0000

Jericho is also known as Tell es-Sultan, and it is the most excavated site in Israel after Jerusalem. The bible implies that Jericho was heavily fortified and piles of bricks from the walls were found there, as described in Joshua 6. They say that the destruction occured at the end of the 15th century BC, during the time of the conquest of Canaan.

Mounds of 1,200 ft. long and 50 ft. in height supported four smaller mounds, the highest of which is 90 ft. above the base of the main one.

“And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.”
Numbers 22:1 KJV

Jericho jer′i-kō (the word occurs in two forms. In the Pentateuch, in 2 Ki 25:5 and in Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles it is written יְרֵחוֹ; יְרִיחוֹ, elsewhere): In 1 Ki 16:34 the final Hebrew letter is he (ה), instead of waw (ו). The termination ו thought to preserve the peculiarities of the old Canaanite. dialect. In the LXX we have the indeclinable form, Ἰεριχώ (Swete has the form Iereichō as well), both with and without the feminine article; in the NT Ἰερειχώ, once with the feminine article The Arabic is er-Riha. According to Dt 32:49 it stood opposite Nebo, while in 34:3 it is called a city grove of palm trees. It was surrounded with a wall (Josh 2:15), and provided with a gate which was closed at night (Josh 2:5), and was ruled over by a king. When captured, vessels of brass and iron, large quantities of silver and gold, and “a goodly Babylonish garment” were found in it (Josh 7:21). It was on the western side of the Jordan, not far from the camp of Israel at Shittim, before crossing the river (Josh 2:1). The city was on the “plains” (Josh 4:13), but so close to “the mountain” on the W. (probably the cliffs of Quarantania, the traditional scene of Christ’s temptation) that it was within easy reach of the spies, protected by Rahab. It was in the lot of Benjamin (Josh 18:21), the border of which ascended to the “slope (English VSS of the Bible “side”) of Jeremiah on the north” (Josh 18:12). Authorities are generally agreed in locating the ancient city at Tel es-Sultan, a mile and a half N.W. of modern Jericho. Here there is a mound 1,200 ft. long and 50 ft. in height supporting 4 smaller mounds, the highest of which is 90 ft. above the base of the main mound.

“Jericho,” ISBE, paragraph 30605.

Jesus in Jericho

“And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:1–10 KJV

Jericho Etymology

JERICHO (Jĕr′ ı̆′ kō) Place-name meaning “moon.” Apparently the oldest city in the world and the first city Israel conquered under Joshua. Jericho is situated in the lower Jordan Valley, which, according to Gen. 13:10, “was well-watered everywhere … like the LORD’S garden” (HCSB). The OT town lies beneath Tell es-Sultan near one of Palestine’s strongest springs.

New Testament Jericho, founded by Herod the Great, was about one and one-half miles southward in the magnificent Wadi Qelt. The spring, Ain es-Sultan, issues some 30,000 cubic feet of water daily which falls about 160 feet in the first mile of its course down many channels to the Jordan River six miles away, irrigating about 2,500 acres.

Jericho: place of fragrance, a fenced city in the midst of a vast grove of palm trees, in the plain of Jordan, over against the place where that river was crossed by the Israelites (Josh. 3:16). Its site was near the ‘Ain es-Sultan, Elisha’s Fountain (2 Kings 2:19-22), about 5 miles west of Jordan. It was the most important city in the Jordan valley (Num. 22:1; 34:15), and the strongest fortress in all the land of Canaan. It was the key to Western Palestine.

This city was taken in a very remarkable manner by the Israelites (Josh. 6). God gave it into their hands. The city was “accursed” (Heb. herem, “devoted” to Jehovah), and accordingly (Josh. 6:17; comp. Lev. 27:28, 29; Deut. 13:16) all the inhabitants and all the spoil of the city were to be destroyed, “only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron” were reserved and “put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah” (Josh. 6:24; comp. Num. 31:22, 23, 50-54). Only Rahab “and her father’s household, and all that she had,” were preserved from destruction, according to the promise of the spies (Josh. 2:14). In one of the Amarna tablets Adoni-zedec (q.v.) writes to the king of Egypt informing him that the ‘Abiri (Hebrews) had prevailed, and had taken the fortress of Jericho, and were plundering “all the king’s lands.” It would seem that the Egyptian troops had before this been withdrawn from Palestine.

This city was given to the tribe of Benjamin (Josh. 18:21), and it was inhabited in the time of the Judges (Judg. 3:13; 2 Sam. 10:5). It is not again mentioned till the time of David (2 Sam. 10:5). “Children of Jericho” were among the captives who returned under Zerubbabel Ezra 2:34; Neh. 7:36). Hiel (q.v.) the Bethelite attempted to make it once more a fortified city (1 Kings 16:34). Between the beginning and the end of his undertaking all his children were cut off.

In New Testament times Jericho stood some distance to the south-east of the ancient one, and near the opening of the valley of Achor. It was a rich and flourishing town, having a considerable trade, and celebrated for the palm trees which adorned the plain around. It was visited by our Lord on his last journey to Jerusalem. Here he gave sight to two blind men (Matt. 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52), and brought salvation to the house of Zacchaeus the publican (Luke 19:2-10).

The poor hamlet of er-Riha, the representative of modern Jericho, is situated some two miles farther to the east. It is in a ruinous condition, having been destroyed by the Turks in 1840. “The soil of the plain,” about the middle of which the ancient city stood, “is unsurpassed in fertility; there is abundance of water for irrigation, and many of the old aqueducts are almost perfect; yet nearly the whole plain is waste and desolate...The climate of Jericho is exceedingly hot and unhealthy. This is accounted for by the depression of the plain, which is about 1,200 feet below the level of the sea.”

There were three different Jerichos, on three different sites, the Jericho of Joshua, the Jericho of Herod, and the Jericho of the Crusades. Er-Riha, the modern Jericho, dates from the time of the Crusades. Dr. Bliss has found in a hollow scooped out for some purpose or other near the foot of the biggest mound above the Sultan’s Spring specimens of Amorite or pre-Israelitish pottery precisely identical with what he had discovered on the site of ancient Lachish. He also traced in this place for a short distance a mud brick wall in situ, which he supposes to be the very wall that fell before the trumpets of Joshua. The wall is not far from the foot of the great precipice of Quarantania and its numerous caverns, and the spies of Joshua could easily have fled from the city and been speedily hidden in these fastnesses.

“Jericho,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary, paragraph 3955.

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Beit She’an National Park

webmaster — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 07:50:04 +0000

“nd it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan. And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

1 Samuel 31:8–13 KJV

A site at the junction of the Jezreel and Jordan Valleys (1977.2124) which stands sentinel over the east-west and north-south trade routes that pass through the valleys. The region is fertile with water available from the Ḥarod River which flows north of the site. The summit of Tel Beth-shean/Tell el-Ḥuṣn covers ca. 4 ha. (10 a.) and stands imposingly 80 m. (260 ft.) above the river. Access to the summit is via a saddle of land on the northwest corner where an ancient gate has been located. Otherwise, the slopes of the tell are a daunting 30° incline. The physical characteristics of the site may have contributed to its name, “house of quiet/rest.”

The first biblical references to the site narrate Israel’s inability to conquer it (Josh. 17:11; Judg. 1:27). Apparently the Philistines controlled Beth-shean for some time because they impaled the bodies of Saul and his sons on the city’s temple wall (1 Sam. 31:12). Eventually the city came under Israelite control and appears as part of the Solomonic administrative districts (1 Kgs. 4:12).

Extrabiblical references to the site include Thutmose III’s annals and the Amarna tablets. Stelae at Beth-shean indicate Egyptian presence during the reigns of Seti I, Ramses II, and Ramses III.

During Hellenistic and Roman times, the site was known as Scythopolis (or Nysa Scythopolis; cf. 2 Macc. 12:29) and was part of the Decapolis (cf. Matt. 4:25; Mark 5:20; 7:31).

Excavations at Beth-shean began under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania (1921–33) under the directorships of C. S. Fisher, Alan Rowe, and Gerald FitzGerald. The Israelis have excavated the tell and surrounding areas since 1961, directed by Gideon Foerster, Yoram Tsafrir, Yigael Yadin, Shulamit Geva, Amihai Mazar, and Gaby Mazor.

Until Roman times, most settlements were on the mound. Remains from the Pottery Neolithic B period along with some from the Chalcolithic have come to light (strata XVIII-XVII; the Chalcolithic has been fairly well represented in remains at the foot of the tell). Oval buildings, multi-room structures, and intersecting streets represent the Early Bronze Age (XVI-XI). The distinctive EB III Khirbet Kerak ware appears in abundance.

With only some evidence of tombs from MB IIA, the site appears to have been unoccupied until MB IIB. But even with its resettlement, the unusual feature of the MB IIB period is the lack of fortifications, which were so prevalent at other MB sites.

During the Late Bronze Age, Beth-shean grew, and excavations have uncovered a sequence of temples each built over the remains of the former. Stratum IX preserves the remains of a complex temple enclosure built over the remains of an earlier one and oriented on an east-west axis. Various altars and cult rooms were found and Egyptian remains have connected the stratum with Thutmose III (ca. 1450 B.C.). Few remains of stratum VIII have been found, but the next stratum (VII) had another temple oriented north-south which likely was built during the hegemony of Ramses II (ca. 1270). This temple preserved characteristic Egyptian motifs, and the residents recovered from an earlier period a stela of Seti I and placed it in the temple.

The temple continues in stratum VI, but with some modification. Egyptian presence is further indicated by the numerous Egyptian-style paraphernalia including several cartouches and a basalt statue of Ramses III. The stratum ended with extensive conflagration, which was likely caused by an invasion of the Sea Peoples.

Tell of Beth-shean, with Roman Scythopolis below (Phoenix Data Systems, Neal and Joel Bierling)

The stratigraphy of stratum V is confused, but to this period probably belonged a pair of temples which were oriented to the east. These likely were the temples where the bodies of Saul and his sons were impaled as trophies of war (1 Sam. 31:10; 1 Chr. 10:10). Numerous ceramic cultic vessels with molded serpents, animals, and human figures came from these temples as well as stelae of Seti I, Ramses II, and a statue of Ramses III. The stratum ended by fire, perhaps as a result of David’s capture of the site. Afterward the city became part of Solomon’s administrative districts (1 Kgs. 4:12), and the temple areas seem to have been converted to administrative quarters.

The next stratum had remains of buildings similar to the stables/storehouses of other Israelite towns (e.g., Megiddo, Beer-sheba). The stratum was destroyed by fire, likely by the Assyrian invasion under Tiglath-pileser III (ca. 732). The site was re-occupied with the construction of poorly built buildings, but this settlement apparently ended during the first half of the 7th century.

Bibliography. G. Foerster, “Beth-shean at the Foot of the Mound,” NEAEHL 1:223–35; Foerster, et al., “The Bet Sheʾan Excavation Project (1989–1991),” Excavations and Surveys in Israel 11 (1993): 1–60; F. W. James, The Iron Age at Beth Shan (Philadelphia, 1966); A. Mazar, “Beth-shean,” NEAEHL 1:214–23; A. Rowe, The Four Canaanite Temples of Beth Shan 1 (Philadelphia, 1940); Y. Yadin and S. Geva, Investigations at Beth Shean: The Early Iron Age Strata. Qedem 3 (Jerusalem, 1986).

“BETH-SHAN BETH-SHEAN,” Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, 174-175.

“And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people. And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. And when all Jabeshgilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

1 Chronicles 10:8–12 KJV

Beit She'an National Park

The Beit She'an National Park is the Largest Archeological Park in the Holy Land, the site includes thousand of ancient houses, administration buildings, public baths, churches, largest columns of marble, granite, basalt and incredible ancient architectonical pieces.

Beit Shean was one of most prosperous city from the ancient near eastern and during the byzantine era it population and development grown severals but a natural phenom was the responsible for Beit She'an been in complete abandon, the area is constantly shake by earthquake and the citizens leave the city.

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Qasr el Yahud, the Baptism Site in Jordan River

webmaster — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 08:51:14 +0000

This place is also associated with the site where Elijah handed over the prophecy to Elisha and rose to heaven on a fiery chariot described in 2 Kings chapter 11.

Etymology

The post Qasr el Yahud, the Baptism Site in Jordan River appeared first on Journey to Holy Land.

Jordan Valley – Journey to Holy Land

Jordan River and Valley of Jordan

The Baptism Site of Jesus

Etymology

Biblical Jericho

Jesus in Jericho

Jericho Etymology

Beit She’an National Park

Beit She'an National Park

Qasr el Yahud, the Baptism Site in Jordan River

The Baptism Site of Jesus

Etymology