Day 5: Israel Trip 2008

We started our day again with a delicious breakfast and then headed down to the Old City to walk the Via Dolorosa (The Way of Suffering). There are 14 Stations of the Cross along this walk which mark significant events as Jesus carried the cross. We visited the churches built to commemorate specific events such as the flogging of Jesus (Church of the Flagellation) and the traditional spot where Jesus was condemned to death (Church of the Condemnation and Imposition of the Cross) and the traditional burial site at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Some of these sites are contested, of course, but the walk is informative and well worth it.

We entered the Old City through the Lion's Gate. The gate is about 300 feet from the Via Dolorosa.

There are eight gates into the Old City. The Golden Gate (Eastern Gate/King's Gate) is closed. The other seven gates are usable. They are the New Gate, the Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate,the Lion's Gate, the Dung Gate, Zion Gate and Jaffa Gate or Tower of David).

           Church of the Flagellation stained glass window.

Church of the Flagellation: Crown of thorns in the ceiling.

Stone revered as the site used to wash the body of Jesus when He was removed from the cross. 

             Depiction of removing Jesus' body from the cross.

                               Section of the Via Dolorosa

                      Mary with Jesus at a Station of the Cross

                                          Pool of Bethesda Sign

                                 The Pool of Bethesda

Bethesda means "house of mercy." Water was supplied from a nearby spring. Archaeological digging has confirmed the Bible's description of five porches.

"After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked" - John 5:1-9

            We shared a Palestinian bagel near the Damascus Gate.

Our tour bus took us to the Bethlehem wall. Since Bethlehem is under Palestinian control Schlomo could not go with us and our bus couldn't enter. So, we got off of our bus and walked across the border and boarded a Palestinian bus with our new Christian, Palestinian guide, Avraham.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/upyernoz/2877428954/sizes/z/in/photostream/

                               Separation Barrier

Avraham took us to a restaurant for lunch. We had lamb shish-ca-bobs, which tasted great and then headed out to the Fields of Boaz.

I was quite taken with the idea of being in the fields where Ruth may have met Boaz. Nature is so permanent as opposed to all these churches that have been built, destroyed and rebuilt through the years.

The Fields of Boaz, about a mile and a half from Bethlehem, are home to the Shepherd’s Grotto (cave), and The Church of the Shepherd's Field which is shaped like a nomadic tent and has a dome that allows the chapel to be flooded with light to commemorate the Star of Bethlehem.

Mike and the 2009 group entering the Shepherd’s Grotto, a cave which the shepherds who were visited by the angels may have used for shelter in bad weather.


Inside the Shepherd’s Grotto.  Our guide, Avraham practically preached during our visit in 2008.

Avraham spoke 5 languages and was very knowledgeable. He told us all about the historical sites, as Schlomo did, but he also shared his Christian faith. That added a whole new dimension to his talks.



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                The Church of the Shepherd's Field

                     Dome of The Church of the Shepherd's Field

Picture of the shepherds being greeted by a heavenly host, inside The Church of the Shepherd's Field. 

Then we visited the Church of the Nativity. St Justin Martyr identified it as the site of Jesus' birth in the second century. The entrance door was only about 4 feet high. This forces people to humble themselves to enter. The church covers about 36,000 square feet. It houses a number of chapels and several convents of  different ‘denominations.’ It is believed to be the oldest continuously operating Christian church in the world.

   

                                        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity
The Door of Humility: Main Entrance into the Church.

The entrance to the church is a low doorway that has its own legends. One story is that the door was installed by the Muslims during their rule to remind Christians that they were guests in the country and must bow to their hosts. An alternative explanation is that the height of the door was designed to prevent unbelievers from entering the church on horseback. Yet another version holds that it was to protect the Christians from their hostile neighbors.

 http://www.farsinet.com/christmas/nativity_church.html

                                         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity
 Interior of the Church of the Nativity beyond the Door of Humility.

                                       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity

Believed to be the birthplace of Jesus in the cave beneath the church. A 14 point silver star marks the spot.

A newer section of the church is used every year to broadcast Christmas services worldwide.

Finally, we  visited another cave under the church where Jerome lived for 35 years or more translating the scriptures into the Latin Vulgate. Mike commented that he thought I could do that! (Occupy myself for 35 years with some kind of project! :-)  Jerome was also buried there.

From the Church of the Nativity, we went to a local Bethlehem gift shop. Mike got a replica of the Ark of the Covenant carried by priests. I got a 12 stone ephod necklace and a few knickknacks. Then we went back to the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem for the night. Our week was almost over!  It went too fast.