Finally, a Link to Jesus Christ Superstar

If I said we only did three sites today, you'd think we had it easy.  Yet, we were delighted to trudge into the hotel at 4:50 p.m. and promptly dive into bed for a nap before dinner.  This tourism stuff is darned exhausting!

We started the day promptly at 8:00 a.m. with a drive south, much of which was along the border with Jordan with line of sight to Syria even further in the distance.  Our guide, Itai, gave us the history of the relationship with Jordan beginning with its roots as a gift from England to the Hussein family for fighting with them against the Turks.  And I thought Cheryl was extravagant (occasionally)!

Our guide, Itai, explaining the layout of Bet She'an National Par

We eventually arrived at the Bet She'an National Park which houses the spectacular ruins of the glory that was the Roman and Byzantine city of Bet She'an.

Around 1100 BC, Canaanite Beit She'an was conquered by the Philistines, the enemies of the Jews for centuries until King David put an end to their troublemaking.  (Philistine is the origin for the word "Palestinian").

The Philistines used the city as a base of operations for penetrations into Israel. Samuel 31:10 states that "the victorious Philistines hung the body of King Saul (the first king of Israel) on the walls of Beit She'an".


The large mound in the center showing the tree prominently
displayed in the movie, Jesus Christ Supserstar

Our tour there began with a large diorama that shows the entire layout.  And, in the park's center lies a very high mound on which the biblical city of Bet She'an stood.  While we didn't hike to the top of that mound, we did see a single tree sticking out above it and learned that the 1978 movie, Jesus Christ Superstar, was filmed there and that tree was where Judas hung himself (again, in the movie!).

Itai told us that the site is the best preserved ruins of the Romans in all of Israel and it was easy to see why he made that statement.   At the park we saw the life of the everyday Roman albeit in ruins today - from the bath house, including the VIP section of the bathhouse, to the village shops, to the theater (which held 3,000 people), and even to the public toilet.  

The latter was most interesting in that there were marble slats sticking out of the wall, and the user would sit between the slats to do their thing - room for about 20 or 30 at a time!  Those Romans thought of everything.

Members of our group use the marble "toilet seats" in not quite the right manner as done historically.

From the park, we journeyed next to Sephoris or Zippori, also called Diocaesaraea.  Dating back to 200 BC, Sephory, is a village and an archeological site located in the central Galilee north-northwest of Nazareth

Largely a Jewish enclave, the discovery of beautiful mosaics during excavations evidenced the Roman character of the city's pagan population.  They coexisted with the Jews during the period of economic prosperity in the late Roman period.  Destroyed in 363 by an earthquake, it was rebuilt soon thereafter, retaining its social and spiritual centrality in Jewish life in the Galilee.  It is also the traditional birthplace of Mary and just four miles from Nazareth. 

The village itself is in the process of being excavated, and those portions already completed revealed a central road with carriage tracks carved into it (to keep the horses from slipping), and a "sidewalk" made of a beautiful mosaic.  The centerpiece, at the very top of the hill, was a "mansion".  Itai told us that it is a common saying that you can tell who was the richest by how far their bathroom was from the main house, and this one was a part of the house - most impressive.

On to lunch in Cana, and an Arabic restaurant where I was able to greet the

owner with "Keef halak?" ("How are you", and 90% of the Arabic I know from my mother).  He smiled warmly, crossed his hands over his heart and responded, "Al-Hamdolillah" (meaning Thanks God).  I knew my mother would've enjoyed my sharp-witted repartee with this nice gentleman.  And he and his sons (the Avro brothers) put on a nice mini-feast, with Cheryl and I chowing down on lamb schwarmas (maybe the best I've ever had!).

Our final stop of the day was after lunch, Mount Tabor, believed by most Christians to be the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus.  On his way to Jerusalem to face his death, Jesus selected Peter, John, and James as his most trusted disciples to accompany him to the top of Mount Tabor to pray. On the mountain, Jesus began to shine with bright rays of light. Then the prophets Moses and Elijah appeared next to him and he speaks with them. Jesus is called "Son" by God the Father as a voice from the sky, proving his divinity yet again and helping to steel the disciples for what faced them soon enough.

The journey for us mortals was made only halfway up in our tour bus, and it stopped in a Bedouin village on the side of the mountain.  From there, we transferred to "cabs" for the remainder of the trip on switchbacks until we reached the top of the mountain where, in front of us, lay the magnificent Church of the Transfiguration.  It was here where Fathers David and Jim held yet another memorable Mass.

While the Mass was relatively traditional, the setting was spectacular,  And Father Schalk's vestment of gold lame was absolutely stunning and a visual reminder of the dazzling light of the Transfiguration.  What made it extra special was Father Schalk who, as he was leaving, called all of us up onto the dais behind the altar and explained the theology of the symbols behind the altar and on the walls.  It is seldom that you find someone of his calling that feels like he is one of us, and it comes so naturally to him - a gift from God, indeed.

We adjourned outside to a viewing area which overlooks the Valley of Armageddon. As told in the Bible, this place, the Jezreel Valley, will take center stage for the final battle between the forces of light, directed by Jesus Christ, and of darkness, led by Satan or the Antichrist ( Revelation 16:16, Revelation 19:11.)  For today, at least, it was a beautiful vista stretching for miles and miles below us, and a wonderful way to end our day.

Tomorrow the agenda will include a visit to Jericho where "the walls came a-tumblin' down" and end up at our hotel adjacent to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth.   See you then.