On a picturesque bend of the Jordan River, where huge eucalyptus trees droop into the quiet water, this spot was developed as a baptism site for Christian pilgrims.
The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (John 1:28) is traditionally identified with the southern reaches of the Jordan River, near Jericho. But when that area became a hostile frontier between Israel and Jordan, pilgrims began to seek out accessible spots beyond the conflict zone.
The Jordan River runs through the land and history of the Bible, giving its waters a spiritual significance that sets it aside from other rivers.
The Jordan is significant for Jews because the tribes of Israel under Joshua crossed the river on dry ground to enter the Promised Land after years of wandering in the desert.
It is significant for Christians because John the Baptist baptised Jesus in the waters of the Jordan.
The river falls 950 metres from its source to the Dead Sea. For most of its course down the Jordan Rift Valley, it flows well below sea level. Its name means “Dan [one of its tributaries] flows down”.
Flowing southward from its sources in the mountainous area where Israel, Syria and Lebanon meet, the Jordan River passes through the Sea of Galilee and ends in the Dead Sea. A large part of its 320-kilometre length forms the border between Israel and Jordan in the north and the West Bank and Jordan in the south.
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| You often see groups of pilgrims being immersed in the river amid prayers and hymns and expressions of joy. |
Baptism in the Jordan River
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| Motzie and Ms. Maxine. Ms. Maxine felt a spiritual bond to Crystal and after getting to know one another they realized that they had some connections such as both growing up in Columbia, SC. Ms. Maxine became her adopted grandmother for the trip. |
Beit She’an (Scythopolis)
Beit She’an offers the most extensive archaeological site in Israel, with some of the best-preserved ruins in the Middle East. We walked through the incredible excavation of the largest ongoing archaeological dig in the land of Israel, with its amphitheater, colonnaded Roman streets, mosaics and Roman bathhouse
The extensive remains of lavish ancient structures at this archaeological treasure trove make it one of Israel’s most notable sites. Late Roman and Byzantine (2nd-6th centuries AD) city was known as Scythopolis.
A city mentioned in the Bible, later a Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine city which was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 AD. It was here that the Philistines hung the bodies of Saul and his sons on the walls of Beit She'an (1 Samuel 31:10-12).
Excavations have revealed:
A three-tiered theatre for dramatic performances. The semicircular Roman theater was built of contrasting black basalt and white limestone blocks around AD 200. The theater is the largest and best preserved in Israel with an estimated original capacity of 7,000 to 10,000 people. The large stage and part of the backdrop have been restored.
A huge bath and gym complex with swimming pools and halls heated by hot air from furnaces. Its public toilets had channels underneath with running water. The elaborate Byzantine bathhouse covered more than 1 1/4 acres.
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| Beneath the floor in the steam room, fireplaces heated the clay columns so as water flowed through the columns it would produce steam. |
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| Fireplace to the left and water channel in the center. |
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| Roman toilet with water channel to "flush" waste. |
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| Roman tub |
Roman pool. |
| Note the marble and granite adorning the sides of this pool. |
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| Pool |
A mosaic of Tyche, the Roman goddess of good fortune, wearing the walled city of Scythopolis as a crown and holding the horn of plenty in her hand.
| The enormous haul of marble statuary and friezes says much about the opulence in its day especially when you consider that there were no marble quarries in Israel so all stone was imported from what is today Turkey, Greece, or Italy. |
Scythopolis’ downtown area had masterfully engineered colonnaded main streets converging on a central plaza that once boasted a pagan temple, decorative fountain, and monument. On the main thoroughfare are the remains of Scythopolis’ amphitheater where gladiatorial combats were once the order of the day.
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| The bricks in the main street were laid diagonally in order to prevent the horse cart wheels from getting stuck between the bricks. |
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| Scale model of the city |
Beit She'an was a spectacular marvel of history. Just as amazing as the site itself was the story of its discovery. Our tour guide, Anot, shared the tale. A soldier was heeding the "call of nature" and found a private spot away from his company to relieve himself. He noticed something sticking out of the ground and went to investigate. It turned out that he'd discovered one of the tallest pillars poking through the earth. That was the beginning of the discovery and excavation of the fascinating city of Beit She'an. The moral of the story...in Israel, the next big discovery is just a pee away.
Bethlehem
The city of Bethlehem is actually located behind the infamous West Bank which is a Palestinian controlled territory. Although it's safe for tourists and Christian pilgrims, it can be quite dangerous for Israeli citizens. The Church of the Nativity and The Shepherd's Fields are located within Bethlehem so we briefly traveled behind the wall.
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| A subtle reminder to Israeli citizens that they're not exactly welcome behind the wall. |
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| On our way to Bethlehem, the landscape became more barren and desert. Honestly, this is how I envisioned all of Israel complete with camels on the horizon. |
Church of the Nativity
Today’s basilica, the oldest complete church in the Christian world, was built by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It replaced the original church of Constantine the Great, built over the cave venerated as Christ’s birthplace, and dedicated in AD 339. Before Constantine, the first Christian emperor, the Romans had tried to wipe out the memory of the cave. The Church of the Nativity sits atop the remains of the cave that was Jesus' birthplace.
Entering the church that marks the site of Christ’s birthplace means having to stoop low. The only doorway in the fortress-like front wall is just 1.2 metres high.
The previous entrance to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was lowered around the year 1500 to stop looters from driving their carts in. To Christians, it seems appropriate to bow low before entering the place where God humbled himself to become man.
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| Upon entering the church on the main level, you have to navigate a small spiral staircase to the lower level where the cave is located. In this picture, our group is crowding into the small doorway to navigate the semicircular stairs that lead to the Grotto of the Nativity. |
This cave is the animal shelter in which Mary gave birth to Jesus (Luke 2:4-7). From the fourth century to the present, the cave’s location has been marked by a Christian building.
This space is what is left of the birth cave of Jesus
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The Church of the Nativity is the second holiest place for Christians behind the Holy Church of the Sepulchre and the oldest Christian church in the Holy Land.
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The Church of the Nativity survived when other churches did not because of a piece of artwork. The marauding Persian invaders (AD 614) destroyed all the Christian churches in the promised land except this one because of a mosaic on an interior wall depicting the Three Wise Men in Persian dress. Because the people in the artwork resembled them, the Persian attackers spared the building.
Under the large wooden doors on the floor are beautiful mosaics that adorn the floor of the church built by Helena, the mother of Constantine (AD 339).
In 2013, restoration of the church’s wall mosaics began and are the best preserved in the Holy Land.
Shepherd's Field
The fields tradition has linked with the Christmas shepherds (Luke 2:8-20). At the Franciscan Shepherd’s Fields, Byzantine Christians established a religious compound to remember the angelic birth announcement.
The traditional place of the angel’s visit is the town of Beit Sahur. Originally known as the Village of the Shepherds, it is now an eastern suburb of Bethlehem.
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| The famous Jerusalem Cross present throughout Jerusalem. |
Caves where shepherds “kept watch over their flock” still abound in the area east of Bethlehem. Here, the Gospel of Luke tells us, an angel announced the birth of Jesus.
The angel’s good news was not given to the noble or pious, but to workers with a low reputation. Jewish literature ranked “shepherd” as among the most despised occupations of the time — but Jesus was to identify himself with this occupation when he called himself “the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11).
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| Natural caves that were pressed into service as animal shelters. |
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| Welcome signs are in abundance, but how often do you see a Good Bye sign? |
The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (John 1:28) is traditionally identified with the southern reaches of the Jordan River, near Jericho. But when that area became a hostile frontier between Israel and Jordan, pilgrims began to seek out accessible spots beyond the conflict zone.
The Jordan River runs through the land and history of the Bible, giving its waters a spiritual significance that sets it aside from other rivers.
The river falls 950 metres from its source to the Dead Sea. For most of its course down the Jordan Rift Valley, it flows well below sea level. Its name means “Dan [one of its tributaries] flows down”. 
Flowing southward from its sources in the mountainous area where Israel, Syria and Lebanon meet, the Jordan River passes through the Sea of Galilee and ends in the Dead Sea. A large part of its 320-kilometre length forms the border between Israel and Jordan in the north and the West Bank and Jordan in the south.
The extensive remains of lavish ancient structures at this archaeological treasure trove make it one of Israel’s most notable sites. Late Roman and Byzantine (2nd-6th centuries AD) city was known as Scythopolis.
A city mentioned in the Bible, later a Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine city which was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 AD. It was here that the Philistines hung the bodies of Saul and his sons on the walls of Beit She'an (1 Samuel 31:10-12).
Scythopolis’ downtown area had masterfully engineered colonnaded main streets converging on a central plaza that once boasted a pagan temple, decorative fountain, and monument. On the main thoroughfare are the remains of Scythopolis’ amphitheater where gladiatorial combats were once the order of the day.
The city of Bethlehem is actually located behind the infamous West Bank which is a Palestinian controlled territory. Although it's safe for tourists and Christian pilgrims, it can be quite dangerous for Israeli citizens. The Church of the Nativity and The Shepherd's Fields are located within Bethlehem so we briefly traveled behind the wall.
Today’s basilica, the oldest complete church in the Christian world, was built by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It replaced the original church of Constantine the Great, built over the cave venerated as Christ’s birthplace, and dedicated in AD 339. Before Constantine, the first Christian emperor, the Romans had tried to wipe out the memory of the cave. The Church of the Nativity sits atop the remains of the cave that was Jesus' birthplace. 
Entering the church that marks the site of Christ’s birthplace means having to stoop low. The only doorway in the fortress-like front wall is just 1.2 metres high.
The Church of the Nativity survived when other churches did not because of a piece of artwork. The marauding Persian invaders (AD 614) destroyed all the Christian churches in the promised land except this one because of a mosaic on an interior wall depicting the Three Wise Men in Persian dress. Because the people in the artwork resembled them, the Persian attackers spared the building.
Under the large wooden doors on the floor are beautiful mosaics that adorn the floor of the church built by Helena, the mother of Constantine (AD 339).
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