Top Christian Sites in The Holy Land

[Walter D.]

I've always wanted to travel to The Holy Land and follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. I'd love to know what the best sites are to visit. Thanks!

 

[prodromos]

I'd love to visit the Holy Sepulchre when Pascha is celebrated, but then I'd love to visit all the places that still to this day, witness to Christ our God having walked that land. For example, on Mt Tabor on the feast of the Transfiguration, a cloud comes down and covers the mountain, and at the Jordan, on the feast of Epiphany when Christ was baptised, part of the river flows against the current when the cross is thrown into the water. There is also a great miracle of the Holy Fire which occurs every Pascha at the Holy Sepulchre.

 

[Deadworm]

Mount Carmel, the traditional site of Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal, is one of my favorite sites because it provides a view of Nazareth in the huge valley below and the plains of Megiddo of Armageddon fame.

My chief take-away from my trip to Israel was this: the sights that impacted me most were not what I expected. For example, the traditional spot where the risen Jesus is alleged to have appeared at dawn to his fishing disciples and then cooked breakfast near the shore (John 21:1-14) was far more powerful for me than either the site of the Sermon on the Mount or the house of St. Peter at Capernaum. A large flat rock there is thought by many to have served as the site of Jesus' fire and a small beautiful Franciscan chapel is built over part of this rock. My preconception was that the historical ifiness of this site would make it less meaningful than Capernaum (Jesus' headquarters) and the lovely Mount where Jesus is thought to have taught, but I seemed to be reliving the surprise and delight of Jesus' disciples when they spotted the risen Jesus at dawn along the shore.

We were rebaptized in the Jordan River, but due to its use for irrigation, it was a disappointment because it is rapidly vanishing. We stayed a couple of nights across the Sea of Galilee from Tiberias and the night lights of Tiberias made the sea shine like a pearl in the dark as I meditated on Jesus' miracles on and along this sea. I also enjoyed sailing the Sea of Galilee ia a replica of a first century fishing boat. I thought Jerusalem would be my favorite site and the Temple Mount was the highlight for me there, but the Sea of Galilee provided sweeter memories, and so did our stay at a luxury hotel by the southern end of the Dead Sea--the lowest land spot on Earth! We swam in the Dead Sea and bathed on its shore, but despite the 105 degree heat, we could not get a tan or sunburn because the ultraviolet light was filtered out!

I'd rank the highlights of the Dead Sea desert this way: (3) Qumran, the monastic site where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered; (2) the mountain fortress of Masada, where the Jewish Zealots held out against the Romans in 73 AD before they committed mass suicide; (1) the oasis at Engedi--4 waterfalls cascading from a cliff high above, creating swimming pools and lush vegetation below, with antelopes and gazelles lurking on the outskirts, waiting for the tourists to leave. Masada is the top tourist destination in Israel and Israeli army recruits take their oath of allegiance on top of it. One can still see the site of the ancient Roman encampment at its base. Engedi is mentioned a couple of times in the Old Testament, most notably in the story of David's hideout from King Saul in a series of caves that we witnessed. What made Engedi uniquely special is that it was hard to imagine a beautiful fertile oasis like this in such a dry and barren desert.

One major disappointment was our tour director's decision to take us to the Jerusalem Garden Tomb instead of to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. True, the Garden Tomb better fits our preconceptions of the area of Jesus' tomb in His day and the nearby rock hill looks like a skull (Golgotha means "the Place of the Skull."). But the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has a far greater claim to house both the remains of Jesus' tomb and His place of crucifixion.

My friend Ken and I kinda highjacked our tour so that we skipped Mary's well and the ancient churches in Nazareth, so we could visit Sepphoris 3 miles away. In Jesus' day, Sepphoris was a city of 25,000, whereas Nazareth had only about 400 people. At Sepphoris, we visited the marketplace area, where Joseph and Jesus sold their carpentry goods and the ruins of the ancient synagogue on the site where Jesus preached at a slightly earlier synagogue. We also visited the villa on a hill there devoted to the Greek god Dionysos, the cult that taught that the god changed water into wine once a year. Jesus got his idea for his wine miracle from that cult! Sepphoris is more magical than Nazareth because there are so many more standing ruins from the New Testament era. In the Dionysos villa we saw a mosaic of "The Mona Lisa of Galilee," the face of a beautiful young woman who may have seen Jesus. Google this title and you will see why this mosaic is so magical. Sepphoris is not on most standard tours, so if you visit Israel, make sure your guide will take you there.

I was disappointed that we didn't get to visit 2 biblical sites: (1) the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built over the cave where Jesus is thought to have been born; (2) Jericho. where the tumbled walls from Joshua's time are still visible.

When we visited the site where David slew Goliath with his slingshot, I took a small smooth stone from the creek bed from which David picked stones for his slingshot and later used that stone for a children' sermon when I returned home!

 

[prodromos]

We also visited the villa on a hill there devoted to the Greek god Dionysos, the cult that taught that the god changed water into wine once a year. Jesus got his idea for his wine miracle from that cult!

There is no mention of Dionysos changing water into wine in any Greek mythology that I am aware of. Neither do I imagine that the One through whom all things were created, who is before anything came into being, would get an idea from something you claim to have been believed by Greeks millenia after the world came into being.

 

[Deadworm]

prodromos: "There is no mention of Dionysos changing water into wine in any Greek mythology that I am aware of."
Well then, I guess you actually need to read a scholarly commentary on John like Rudolph Bultmann's magisterial "The Gospel of John: A Commentary, pp. 118-119:

"The motif of the story, the changing of the water into wine, is a typical feature of the Dionysus legend. In the legend this miracle is the miracle of the epiphany of the God, and was therefore dated on the day of the Dionysus Feast. that is on the night of the 5th to the 6th of January. This relationship was still understood in the early church, which saw the Feast of Christ's Baptism as His epiphany and celebrated it on the 6th of January. Equally it held that the 6th of January was the date of the marriage at Cana."

prodomos: "Neither do I imagine that the One through whom all things were created, who is before anything came into being, would get an idea from something you claim to have been believed by Greeks millenia after the world came into being."

The beginning of wisdom is knowing what you don't know. The Bible teaches that Jesus, being fully human, was subject to every human limitation, including limitations in knowledge (Hebrews 4:15; 5:7-8), and therefore needed to "grow in wisdom.. and favor with God and men (Luke 2:52)." In Jesus' day Palestine was thoroughly Hellenized and Jewish knowledge of the Greek language and culture was widespread. Gentiles who heard about Jesus' changing of the water into wine would immediately think of competing stories about Dionysus. Indeed, the traditional early Christian dating of this miracle on the date of the Feast of Dionysus demonstrates just how powerful this association was in the early Christian mindset. Jesus' miracle served as an important mission tool to arouse Gentile interest in His message.

The Dionysos villa at Sepphoris is just a short uphill walk from the marketplace where Joseph and Jesus sold their carpentry goods. Sepphoris was therefore a highlight for many of us on our tour of Israel.

 

[prodromos]

prodromos: "There is no mention of Dionysos changing water into wine in any Greek mythology that I am aware of."
Well then, I guess you actually need to read a scholarly commentary on John like Rudolph Bultmann's magisterial "The Gospel of John: A Commentary, pp. 118-119:

"The motif of the story, the changing of the water into wine, is a typical feature of the Dionysus legend. In the legend this miracle is the miracle of the epiphany of the God, and was therefore dated on the day of the Dionysus Feast. that is on the night of the 5th to the 6th of January. This relationship was still understood in the early church, which saw the Feast of Christ's Baptism as His epiphany and celebrated it on the 6th of January. Equally it held that the 6th of January was the date of the marriage at Cana."

prodomos: "Neither do I imagine that the One through whom all things were created, who is before anything came into being, would get an idea from something you claim to have been believed by Greeks millenia after the world came into being."

The beginning of wisdom is knowing what you don't know. The Bible teaches that Jesus, being fully human, was subject to every human limitation, including limitations in knowledge (Hebrews 4:15; 5:7-8), and therefore needed to "grow in wisdom.. and favor with God and men (Luke 2:52)." In Jesus' day Palestine was thoroughly Hellenized and Jewish knowledge of the Greek language and culture was widespread. Gentiles who heard about Jesus' changing of the water into wine would immediately think of competing stories about Dionysus. Indeed, the traditional early Christian dating of this miracle on the date of the Feast of Dionysus demonstrates just how powerful this association was in the early Christian mindset. Jesus' miracle served as an important mission tool to arouse Gentile interest in His message.

The Dionysos villa at Sepphoris is just a short uphill walk from the marketplace where Joseph and Jesus sold their carpentry goods. Sepphoris was therefore a highlight for many of us on our tour of Israel.

Again, there is no evidence whatsoever that there was an annual miracle of changing water into wine in the cult of Dionysus. That is what you claimed was behind Jesus first miracle and there is zero to back it up. Rudolph Bultmann's commentary does not make the claim either, and I would love to see what evidence he has to back up his opinion that the early Church 'understood' a relationship between Christ's first public miracle and the cult of Dionysus. I've never read anything to suggest such a thing.

 

[Deadworm]

You totally miss the point: Bultimann and I referred to the "legend" of Dionysus changing water into wine, a legend believed to be true by devotees. It is belief in that legend that influenced Jesus' miracle story. The role of Dionysos mythology in early Christian art and the fact that the traditional date of the Water into Wine Miracle is the same as that of the Feast of Dionysos (both Ephiphany feasts!) is sufficient grounds to establish the connection. You obviously have read no books on the Cult of Dionysus and its influence.

 

[Walter D.]

Mount Carmel, the traditional site of Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal, is one of my favorite sites because it provides a view of Nazareth in the huge valley below and the plains of Megiddo of Armageddon fame.

My chief take-away from my trip to Israel was this: the sights that impacted me most were not what I expected. For example, the traditional spot where the risen Jesus is alleged to have appeared at dawn to his fishing disciples and then cooked breakfast near the shore (John 21:1-14) was far more powerful for me than either the site of the Sermon on the Mount or the house of St. Peter at Capernaum. A large flat rock there is thought by many to have served as the site of Jesus' fire and a small beautiful Franciscan chapel is built over part of this rock. My preconception was that the historical ifiness of this site would make it less meaningful than Capernaum (Jesus' headquarters) and the lovely Mount where Jesus is thought to have taught, but I seemed to be reliving the surprise and delight of Jesus' disciples when they spotted the risen Jesus at dawn along the shore.

We were rebaptized in the Jordan River, but due to its use for irrigation, it was a disappointment because it is rapidly vanishing. We stayed a couple of nights across the Sea of Galilee from Tiberias and the night lights of Tiberias made the sea shine like a pearl in the dark as I meditated on Jesus' miracles on and along this sea. I also enjoyed sailing the Sea of Galilee ia a replica of a first century fishing boat. I thought Jerusalem would be my favorite site and the Temple Mount was the highlight for me there, but the Sea of Galilee provided sweeter memories, and so did our stay at a luxury hotel by the southern end of the Dead Sea--the lowest land spot on Earth! We swam in the Dead Sea and bathed on its shore, but despite the 105 degree heat, we could not get a tan or sunburn because the ultraviolet light was filtered out!

I'd rank the highlights of the Dead Sea desert this way: (3) Qumran, the monastic site where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered; (2) the mountain fortress of Masada, where the Jewish Zealots held out against the Romans in 73 AD before they committed mass suicide; (1) the oasis at Engedi--4 waterfalls cascading from a cliff high above, creating swimming pools and lush vegetation below, with antelopes and gazelles lurking on the outskirts, waiting for the tourists to leave. Masada is the top tourist destination in Israel and Israeli army recruits take their oath of allegiance on top of it. One can still see the site of the ancient Roman encampment at its base. Engedi is mentioned a couple of times in the Old Testament, most notably in the story of David's hideout from King Saul in a series of caves that we witnessed. What made Engedi uniquely special is that it was hard to imagine a beautiful fertile oasis like this in such a dry and barren desert.

One major disappointment was our tour director's decision to take us to the Jerusalem Garden Tomb instead of to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. True, the Garden Tomb better fits our preconceptions of the area of Jesus' tomb in His day and the nearby rock hill looks like a skull (Golgotha means "the Place of the Skull."). But the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has a far greater claim to house both the remains of Jesus' tomb and His place of crucifixion.

My friend Ken and I kinda highjacked our tour so that we skipped Mary's well and the ancient churches in Nazareth, so we could visit Sepphoris 3 miles away. In Jesus' day, Sepphoris was a city of 25,000, whereas Nazareth had only about 400 people. At Sepphoris, we visited the marketplace area, where Joseph and Jesus sold their carpentry goods and the ruins of the ancient synagogue on the site where Jesus preached at a slightly earlier synagogue. We also visited the villa on a hill there devoted to the Greek god Dionysos, the cult that taught that the god changed water into wine once a year. Jesus got his idea for his wine miracle from that cult! Sepphoris is more magical than Nazareth because there are so many more standing ruins from the New Testament era. In the Dionysos villa we saw a mosaic of "The Mona Lisa of Galilee," the face of a beautiful young woman who may have seen Jesus. Google this title and you will see why this mosaic is so magical. Sepphoris is not on most standard tours, so if you visit Israel, make sure your guide will take you there.

I was disappointed that we didn't get to visit 2 biblical sites: (1) the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built over the cave where Jesus is thought to have been born; (2) Jericho. where the tumbled walls from Joshua's time are still visible.

When we visited the site where David slew Goliath with his slingshot, I took a small smooth stone from the creek bed from which David picked stones for his slingshot and later used that stone for a children' sermon when I returned home!

Thanks for the informative post, Deadworm!
Did you bring back any souvenirs from the holy places you visited? I don't know if I will ever make it myself (very expensive), but I'd love to at least have something always with me from The Holy Land!

 

[prodromos]

You obviously have read no books on the Cult of Dionysus and its influence.

Bultimann has his 'facts' wrong. There is no legend of Dionysus turning water into wine ever, let alone once every year.