Day five of our excursions: we set out driving due north from the Sea of Galilee. This region is known as Upper Galilee. We were headed to a pair of national parks from which flowed the origins of the Jordan River. As we drove north, we passed numerous orchards and fields situated among rolling hills. We were anticipating the climbs and walks of the day with varying degrees of enthusiasm, as some of us were still sore from yesterday’s climb and descent of Mount Tabor.
At the end of our drive, we entered the city of Qiryat Shemona, in far northern Israel where we stopped for a replenishment of cash from an ATM. We also declined to give a ride to three young hitchhikers (“absolutely not”) and then proceeded to Tel Dan National Reserve. It was impressive to see the water flowing so strongly there underneath bright sunshine and a cloudless sky. The rushing waters here were quite clean and cold. We have so far not seen any rain during our stay in Israel. We trekked over a rocky path under and between the trees in a heavily forested area. Tel Dan is also home to the ruins of one of the worship sites created by Jeroboam, first king of the northern kingdom of Israel after its secession from Rehoboam, son of Solomon. In order to dissuade his subjects from traveling to Jerusalem to worship, Jeroboam built two temples and installed a golden calf in each one as alternate worship sites. Here in Tel Dan we saw the foundations and some of the walls of the temple at this site, as well as the location of the altar that would have been used to offer sacrifices.
This is a good time to mention that a “Tel” is a site where repeated construction has occurred across different historical periods. Each subsequent period built on top of the ruins of the previous period, which gradually increased the elevation of the site. Archeological excavations had unearthed a classic Bronze Age archway that marked one of the entrances to the Bronze Age city on the site. This is the only one in the country that has been found so far. At another location, we saw the foundations and layout of the later Iron Age entrance to the Iron Age city on the site. The main innovation here compared to the Bronze Age was a series of switchbacks and turns, along with additional gates, which provided much better protection for the city from attacks.
Our next stop was Banias, another major source of water for the Jordan River. Banias was a major pagan worship site, principally to the Greek/Roman god Pan (hence the name Pan-ias from which Banias is a corruption). At one time, a strong spring flowed out of a cave, and a temple complex was built in and near it. Currently, the underground streams bypass this cave entrance and flow out of the ground at other locations, but the cave remains well defined. Because of the mythological connections and beliefs, this cave mouth was known at the time as the “gates of the netherworld.” Since the site is also the location of the ancient city of Caesaria Philippi, we gained new insight into Peter’s confession in Matthew’s gospel that tradition says occurred at this location. In the context of the location, Jesus’ reference to the “gates of the netherworld” not prevailing against the church would have had a rich meaning for his disciples.
We stopped for lunch at a Druze restaurant, where the main speciality was Druze pitas. These were made with olive oil and cheese made from sheep’s milk, all wrapped in a very thin pita bread, lightly toasted. We ate our lunch with gusto and then enjoyed the views of the adjacent lake, which was the water-filled crater of an extinct volcano. Something in the climate or soil or a combination of all of these has made the site quite fertile for roses. The parking lot of the restaurant was surrounded by rose bushes that were taller than humans and covered in roses of varying colors. The blooms were quite fragrant.
The afternoon was composed of a quick series of stops. The first site gave a magnificent view of Mount Hermon, which still has snow at the top from the winter. The next stop was on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, where we saw the excavated ruins of a 6th century Byzantine monastery. Tradition has claimed this location as the site of Jesus’ miracle healing of the Gadarene demoniac. On the steep hillside, there were the ruins of a small chapel that had once commemorated the event at this location. Finally we stopped in Yardenit, near where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee on its south side. At this location, various Christian pilgrim groups came to administer baptisms in the Jordan River. We saw a group of people, all dressed in white, descend into the river to be baptized.
At the end of a long day, we gratefully returned to our guesthouse on the Mount of the Beatitudes. The afternoon sun and heat were especially strong today, so a shower and time spent within the air conditioning were especially welcome! The rest will be welcome tonight before another full day tomorrow.
Br. Elias, O.S.B.
At the end of our drive, we entered the city of Qiryat Shemona, in far northern Israel where we stopped for a replenishment of cash from an ATM. We also declined to give a ride to three young hitchhikers (“absolutely not”) and then proceeded to Tel Dan National Reserve. It was impressive to see the water flowing so strongly there underneath bright sunshine and a cloudless sky. The rushing waters here were quite clean and cold. We have so far not seen any rain during our stay in Israel. We trekked over a rocky path under and between the trees in a heavily forested area. Tel Dan is also home to the ruins of one of the worship sites created by Jeroboam, first king of the northern kingdom of Israel after its secession from Rehoboam, son of Solomon. In order to dissuade his subjects from traveling to Jerusalem to worship, Jeroboam built two temples and installed a golden calf in each one as alternate worship sites. Here in Tel Dan we saw the foundations and some of the walls of the temple at this site, as well as the location of the altar that would have been used to offer sacrifices.
This is a good time to mention that a “Tel” is a site where repeated construction has occurred across different historical periods. Each subsequent period built on top of the ruins of the previous period, which gradually increased the elevation of the site. Archeological excavations had unearthed a classic Bronze Age archway that marked one of the entrances to the Bronze Age city on the site. This is the only one in the country that has been found so far. At another location, we saw the foundations and layout of the later Iron Age entrance to the Iron Age city on the site. The main innovation here compared to the Bronze Age was a series of switchbacks and turns, along with additional gates, which provided much better protection for the city from attacks.
Our next stop was Banias, another major source of water for the Jordan River. Banias was a major pagan worship site, principally to the Greek/Roman god Pan (hence the name Pan-ias from which Banias is a corruption). At one time, a strong spring flowed out of a cave, and a temple complex was built in and near it. Currently, the underground streams bypass this cave entrance and flow out of the ground at other locations, but the cave remains well defined. Because of the mythological connections and beliefs, this cave mouth was known at the time as the “gates of the netherworld.” Since the site is also the location of the ancient city of Caesaria Philippi, we gained new insight into Peter’s confession in Matthew’s gospel that tradition says occurred at this location. In the context of the location, Jesus’ reference to the “gates of the netherworld” not prevailing against the church would have had a rich meaning for his disciples.
We stopped for lunch at a Druze restaurant, where the main speciality was Druze pitas. These were made with olive oil and cheese made from sheep’s milk, all wrapped in a very thin pita bread, lightly toasted. We ate our lunch with gusto and then enjoyed the views of the adjacent lake, which was the water-filled crater of an extinct volcano. Something in the climate or soil or a combination of all of these has made the site quite fertile for roses. The parking lot of the restaurant was surrounded by rose bushes that were taller than humans and covered in roses of varying colors. The blooms were quite fragrant.
The afternoon was composed of a quick series of stops. The first site gave a magnificent view of Mount Hermon, which still has snow at the top from the winter. The next stop was on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, where we saw the excavated ruins of a 6th century Byzantine monastery. Tradition has claimed this location as the site of Jesus’ miracle healing of the Gadarene demoniac. On the steep hillside, there were the ruins of a small chapel that had once commemorated the event at this location. Finally we stopped in Yardenit, near where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee on its south side. At this location, various Christian pilgrim groups came to administer baptisms in the Jordan River. We saw a group of people, all dressed in white, descend into the river to be baptized.
At the end of a long day, we gratefully returned to our guesthouse on the Mount of the Beatitudes. The afternoon sun and heat were especially strong today, so a shower and time spent within the air conditioning were especially welcome! The rest will be welcome tonight before another full day tomorrow.
Br. Elias, O.S.B.
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