in the middle east

We got the chance to take a tour of the Judean hills and Jericho. Because of the Israeli military occupation, Jericho is not always a welcome place for tourists, but we found a guide who would take us for the day and it was well worth it. We saw a number of cool places in the desert hills on the way to Jericho, some very old monestaries and mosques. The most memorable thing was Jericho itself. It is one of the oldest cities on the planet; humans have settled in this area dating back to 8,000 BC. It's significance in the Bible is well-known: the battle of Joshua and Jericho, the tax-collector Zaccheus climbs a tree to see Jesus. However, the modern city is under quite alot of duress due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Israeli military has trapped the city's population by road blocks and demolitions, and controls the only entrance in and out. The city's inhabitants are allowed to leave into the West Bank (their own country) only under limited permission. This has created what is practially a large ghetto within the city limits. It was very clear driving around that life is hard here, for the economy has little room to grow, and work is limited due to the conflict. It was hard to be there and know that there was nothing immediately relevant I could do for these people. Their hope lies in the international community awaking to the serious oppression taking place here by the Israeli government. I will be showing more about this in other places we've been recently, but for now, take a look for yourself at the wonders and tragedies surrounding Jericho. Click Here.

We've been blessed to have Jessica's parents, Jack and Joyce, with us here for the holidays. Because Christmas is not celebrated in Judaism and Islam, and because this makes up the majority of Jerusalem's inhabitants, it's been a challenge to feel festive. No Christmas lights or trees or anythings except in a few Western hotels. We did, however, go to a Christmas eve service in Bethlehem at a Palestinian Lutheran church just up the street from Manger Square. It was surreal to celebrate the birth of Jesus with our Palestinian brothers and sisters whose families have lived in Bethlehem for over 1,000 years and who are suffering so much due to the apartheid wall being built around the West Bank. For more about their situation, Click Here. With Jessica's parents here, we've been walking our legs off all around the city, and have taken some shorter day trips to Bethlehem, Jericho, and Hebron. We leave tomorrow for a 5-day adventure up north: Nazereth, Galilee, Golan Heights, Haifa, and more. So, I won't be posting for a little while, but I've been collecting some really interestings things for future blogs: Apartheid in the West Bank; Peace, Love, and Hannuka in Jerusalem; Christmas Eve in Bethlehem; the Economic stranglehold around Jericho, and more. Stay tuned and I'll try to keep things coming in future weeks. Merry Christmas!

The second of my Albright field trips took us up the furthest northern point of the Israeli territory: the Golan Heights. The 6-day war of 1967 could actually have been the 4-day war, but Israel pressed on to gain more territory than it previously had, namely, the Golan Heights. The precious water resources of this land could then be directed towards their agriculture. The region is directly above the Sea (Lake) of Galilee, and boasts some of ancient Israel and Canaan's best preserved cities. We first went to to the gigantic mound of ancient Hazor. There was a large Canaanite temple and city here, and later the Israelites built a major fortress city as well (see 1Kings 9:15). It was strategic because it controlled a main road from the norther hill country to the fertile Hula Valley below, where the Jordan river supplies the area with irrigation. Our next stop was to the city of Dan. The major period revealed by excavations is the fortified city from the time of Ahab, the mid-9th cent. There was a marvelous stone plaza, a city-gate gate courtyard, and the ancient sacred temple area that Jereboam constructed to rival the temple in Jerusalem (see 1Kings 12). It is housed in the Tel-Dan Nature Reserve; a beautiful haven of a park. In the middle is a natural spring that is one of the largest sources of the Jordan river. Last of all we went to Banias, known in antiquity as Caesarea-Philipi. This is a huge rock wall, along which was built a large temple complex in the last centuries BC. A natural spring issues from the base of the rock producing a series of cascading pools. As we traveled about, the border with Lebanon was just a few kilometers to the North-West, and the Syrian border to our North-East. This is truly one of Israel/Palestine's most beautiful regions, so see some more by clicking here.

The last two weeks I've been able to take some outstanding field trips with the Albright Archaeology Institute. I know some of you may not be interested in ruins and dirt, but I think it's fascinating and thought you may be interested. The first trip was to the central coastal hills, where we saw two sites, ancient Gezer and Gath. Gezer was a major Canaanite and later Israelite city, built high on a hill that overlooks the entire coastal plain. Here was found the oldest complete Hebrew text (the Gezer Calendar, to see it click here). The city of Gath was an ancient Canaanite, later Philistine, and later Israelite city. It is most famous as the home town of Goliath. Last of all, we went to the ancient city of Ashkelon. It was a major port town in the Canaanite and Philistine periods, where they exported purple-dyed cloth, wine, olive oil. It was apparently the Paris of ancient Canaan. All three sites were large, impressive, and filled with ancient history and significance. The views that these large Tels (tel = mound) offered up and down the coastal plains were outstanding. Take a peek if your interested. Click Here.

While the modern city of Jerusalem has expanded far in all directions, at the center lay the old city itself, built along a series of hilltops which have been inhabited for some 4,000 years. The shape of the old city today is defined by its tall walls, which date from the mid-1500's when the famous Sultan Suleyman of the Ottoman empire captured the city and fortified it. Over the past few months, Jessica and I have been piecing together the city's "biography" by means of the walls and gates. There are today 8 functioning city gates, and two others that are no longer in use. You can also pay a small entrance fee to gain access to the Ramparts Walk, which takes you along the the parapet of the wall almost all the way around the city. It's a great way to see everything. So, here is a tour of the wall and gates of the old city, starting on the West side, and circling clockwise all the way around. Enjoy. Click Here.