Churches in the Holy Land

[Uriah S]

I wasn't very thorough with taking pictures on my recent trip to Israel - if you want photos of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, I'm sure Google can find some - but I wanted to share a couple as I found the sites interesting.

The first is at Masada. In the 6-7th Centuries, after the siege and the history most people are interested in, there was a "Byzantine" community living there. There were a few cells and other ruins remaining. Their church was quite well preserved. I don't know the dedication, but if we could see through the haze beyond it, we'd see the plain of Sodom, the lower end of the Dead Sea, and out across to the hills of Jordan on the other side of the valley.

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The second image is of the Church at St Gerasimos Monastery, which I believe is Greek. It's between Jericho and the baptismal site on the River Jordan. We literally stumbled across it, and I feel so blessed to have been there.

 

[ArmyMatt]

great pics! thanks!

 

[Unqualified]

But I did feel great in the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River.

 

[ArmyMatt]

They all seemed to be Catholic works of art and not for worshipping.

what would you say they they should look like if they are places for worshipping?

 

[Uriah S]

So I didn’t feel holy where Jesus was, just this big church improvement obstruction the view of the land.

That's a shame really. I loved the Mount of the Beatitudes. The nuns there were so kind. That said, I didn't feel holy anywhere and was being careful not to make an idol of any place. But I just prayed wherever and whenever I wanted, even in Synagogues. My faith was boosted by seeing biblical places, and it helped me feel closer to the Scriptures.

 

[Unqualified]

what would you say they they should look like if they are places for worshipping?

No graven images, maybe open air. That’s how I imagine heaven, under the stars or clouds. When I was on Guam the clouds, sky and sunset formed a huge cathedral.

 

[Uriah S]

I suspect this may be one of those times when a post is made to a very specific board, in this case Eastern Orthodox, but CF blurs that when showing posts to the entire site. It was raining heavily when we went to the places around Galilee, so I was grateful for some shelter from the elements. There are of course amazing natural places in Israel, which I might share elsewhere on this site, but I wanted to share images of Orthodox churches with Orthodox believers.

 

[ArmyMatt]

No graven images, maybe open air. That’s how I imagine heaven, under the stars or clouds. When I was on Guam the clouds, sky and sunset formed a huge cathedral.

that’s not how God told Moses to design the Tabernacle (and subsequently, the Temple and early Churches), which are all patterned after the heavenly worship he saw.

 

[E.C.]

There are of course amazing natural places in Israel, which I might share elsewhere on this site, but I wanted to share images of Orthodox churches with Orthodox believers.

Thank you for sharing! I've never been to the Holy Land, but one day hopefully I will.

 

[Ioustinos]

Thank you for sharing! I've never been to the Holy Land, but one day hopefully I will.

If you ever want to go then I suggest Orthodox Tours with Fr. Ilya Gotlinsky. He is an excellent guide and curates the tour with Orthodox interests at the heart. But don't be worried, because as a lover of history he also incorporates those sorts of excursions into the tours as well.

I traveled with him to Israel and Jordan a couple of years ago and had a great experience. God willing, if time allows, I will try to join one of his other tours to Orthodox lands.

 

[Phronema]

Thank you for sharing these outstanding pictures!

 

[Uriah S]

that’s not how God told Moses to design the Tabernacle (and subsequently, the Temple and early Churches), which are all patterned after the heavenly worship he saw.

This is what gets me about Orthodoxy. Solid ideas, built on rock.

 

[Uriah S]

Thank you for sharing! I've never been to the Holy Land, but one day hopefully I will.

This was my first visit, and I'm quite old already. First thing was to decide I was going, then started putting funds aside, and sticking to the plan was probably the important part. Just pray about it.

 

[ArmyMatt]

This is what gets me about Orthodoxy. Solid ideas, built on rock.

yep