Cesarea

We are passing through the Sharon area.  "Sharon" means "forest," although this was probably a swampland in Biblical times.  There are trees here now--not a whole lot.  It looks just like any other urban area.

We are at Cesarea now, going into the Roman theater.  The city was built because there is a natural port here with a barrier that blocks the silt that comes from the Nile.  The theater was found only about 30 years ago.  

It was under the sand and appeared to be just a sand dune.  This theater is probably the place where Paul was judged.  There is a place between here and the palace that is supposed to be his prison.  This is a coliseum, not an amphitheater, because it is not built into a hillside as the Greeks did.

Mt. Carmel

At Carmel we can look across the valley of Megiddo at Nazareth.  Jesus grew up overlooking the site where the final battle will be.

Stopped for lunch, falafel, at a Druse shop.  Rich is addicted.

Megiddo

Megiddo was the crossroads between three continents in ancient times (which is why it is a logical spot for the last battle).  It was necessary to go through here to go north or south along the Via Maris in ancient times.  It is the only place where it is possible to go into Jordan without having to cross mountains.  Strategic place for a fortress.  The trenches show 25 layers of civilization.

Entrance to ancient cities required a sharp left turn after the gate, because the sword is carried in the right hand, making an enemy vulnerable while making the turn.

Megiddo is where Thutmose III had a fortress before the land was settled by the tribe of Manasseh.  An ancient document complains that the Hebrews won't pay taxes to the Pharaoh.

Nazareth

We are climbing up to Nazareth.  It is at the top of the mountain.  Fairly steep and winding climb.

Nazareth is a very crowded city--80,000 Arabs and 40,000 Jews.  Arabs are split roughly 50% Muslim, 50% "Christian."  There is quite a bit of dispute here because Muslim Arabs want to build a mosque.  Streets are very narrow.  We are proceeding at a snail's pace.  Not because there is a lot of traffic, but because the street is so narrow and there are pedestrians.  Reminds me of Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  Very slow going to get through here.

We are walking through an Arab bazaar to get into the old city now.

We are stopped at the synagogue--supposedly where Christ preached before they tried to throw him off the mountain.  This synagogue is old enough that it is probably the actual place.  It is not likely that there would have been another synagogue.

We were unable to get into the synagogue, because there was no one to open the doors.  I bought a postcard from an Arab vendor showing the inside.  It is a very small place.

The word "Nazareth" is related linguistically to the "root from the stump of Jesse" used in Isaiah 11 to prophesy the lineage of the Messiah.

We are at another site that is known as Mary's well.  Supposedly, Mary came here to draw water.  It is possible that here is the place where Gabriel made the announcement to her.  Just across the way is the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation.

All of the things we have seen in Nazareth are within an area of just a couple of square blocks.  The original city of Nazareth was very small.  That's why the synagogue was small.  There were only a few people in it.

The buildings here are made of stone and brick.  There is very little wood used, if any at all.  Although, Jesus and Joseph were called carpenters, the word actually means "stone mason."

Nazareth is divided pretty much into sections  The old city where we have been is in the Arab section.  We are now approaching the Jewish section, which has more modern-looking homes.

Some of these little villages are so close together that you can't tell, really, when you've gone from one to another.  It's a matter of a block or so of empty space between them.

We are just a very short distance, less than five miles, out of Nazareth and we have come to a very large village.  This is the village of Cana, where Jesus changed the water into wine.  Now there are many, many churches claiming to be the site where the miracle occurred.  Probably, none of them is correct.  This would have been about an hour to and hour-and-a-half walk for Jesus and Mary--downhill from Nazareth.

Arbel

The village is called Arbel.  It existed in the time of Jesus.  There was a fort here.  The village and fort were completely destroyed by the Romans.  Today there are almost no reminders of the city.

Directly across the lake from us are the Golan Heights.  The name is derived from "Gaul."  That area belonged to the French at one time.

Tiberias

Again, Ken and I have what appears to be a suite.  The hotels so far are nearly empty, so we assume they are giving us the best rooms to encourage business.  Sabbath has begun at about the time we arrive, and there are a number of local families who have come to the hotel for the night to have their "Shabot" apart from the need to work (i.e., cooking, etc.)  The hotel prepares food in advance, so that there is no need to "work" for the hotel staff.  One man asked a member of our group to push the elevator button for him, so that he would not have to "work" on the Sabbath.

 From the balcony we can look down on the wharf and lake.  There is a cruise boat going back and forth.  We can hear dance music, much of it American hits from the 50's and 60's.

We have been treated to wonderful meals in the hotels.  The food is laid out buffet style.  The buffet is huge.  All of the food is kosher, so we are learning to try some new things.  Breakfast is done the same way.  Breakfast is the only time we have milk, since there is no meat with breakfast.  All of the meals include several kinds of fruit and vegetables, both familiar and unfamiliar.  The meat is absolutely lean.  Surprisingly, I have seen no mutton of any kind.