Discoveries in the Holy Land

               One of the early tells we went to was a place called Merisha. It was in the Shephelah of Judah and had lots of history connected with it. Archeologists have uncovered many caves in the area used for different purposes like housing pigeons or pressing olives. In some areas, the caves are still in the midst of excavation. We went  to go on our own excavation trip. It was a warm day, although not as hot as in summer when most excavations happen in Israel. A petite woman dressed in a denim skirt and white blouse welcomed us and proceeded to give the fastest lecture on a historical site I’ve ever heard. I think she knew we wanted to get to the digging.               She led us into a tent where the air felt sticky. But after descending a hole in the middle, the air suddenly felt cool and refreshing. I understood why she said their caves were air-conditioned. At the bottom of the cave...

The north of Israel is dramatically different from the south. For most purposes in the Bible, a place called Dan is the top of Israel, the northern border of the “Dan to Beersheba” boundaries. We came to this site about a month after our Negev trip. Upon arriving, we ambled through a beautiful nature reserve to see the ancient ruins. Along the way, we saw the spring where the Jordan River Begins. It flows at a rate of 5,000 gallons per second. Flowing water from the Dan spring rushes south towards the Jordan The cultic site at Dan was found in the middle of a clearing. There was a low, square wall made of big blocks. In the center was a metal structure in the shape of a four horned altar. It was bigger than any altar I have seen. I wonder how it would compare to the altar outside the temple in Jerusalem. This is one place where Jeroboam set up a golden calf so the northern ten tribes wouldn’t worship in Jerusalem but in his own territory. He was afraid that their allegiance would be dr...

The sound a camel makes when mounting it for the first time is unlike any other sound. The closest comparison I imagine is like a watery burp 10 times louder than any a human can make  and about twice as long. It can easily catch the novice rider off-guard because camels usually have such an austere appearance, their huge, knowing eyes with long eyelashes look like they see exactly what you’re thinking. But when they belch out their curious groan, I hardly know what to think. Throughout the time we’ve been in Israel, we’ve gone on several multi-day trips in the Land. The first one of these was a 5-day trip to the southern land of Israel—the Negev. The camel I rode takes a break after her walk.  Her name was Rabab which is an Arabic name  meaning white cloud. The Negev is a land of rocks and sand. It is dry and hot and it’s quite surprising that people in Bible times could live without the modern conveniences we have today. On one of our nights, we stayed on a camel ranch ...

  The Jewish feasts are a fascinating topic. In the Old Testament, God instituted many feasts which were either pilgrimage feasts to Jerusalem or appointed times of national celebration called Moedim. Some biblical feasts were not instituted in the Tanak - the five first books of the Jewish Law, and one of these was the feast of Purim. Students gather together for a Purim celebration On Purim, we were all seated around long tables in the shape of a square with confetti and party props strewn everywhere. Normally, these tables would be lined in rows and we would all be facing the front of the classroom learning about Biblical geography, Hebrew, or Jesus’ life, but today after class, it was time for reading and celebration. I haven’t written much about Jewish culture in this blog until now. Much of my focus has been on the ancient sites of the Bible and the different lessons I learned from them. But so much of the history of the Bible is also tied up in its celebrations. In America, ...

  Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, from a tomb much like this one. It felt like the middle of the night when I got up. It practically was. My phone alarm jolted me up at 4:30, and I tumbled out of bed. I was surprised at how awake I felt, but I knew today would be long. After changing into the nicest pants I had brought and a red and blue plaid shirt, I went outside to test the temperature. I quickly decided to take off the sweater I had put on. It was already warm in the darkness of the morning. Two millennia ago, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene also arose and came to the tomb where Jesus was laid (John 20:1). It was probably right before sunrise because Mark records that Mary and two other women came to the tomb “when the sun had risen” (Mark 16:2). They came to bring spices and anoint their dead Lord, but what they found astonished and shocked them.  The other students and I quietly gathered in front of the dimly lit hotel reception. The night receptionist pe...

The City was dark and silent as we traveled in the same city Jesus walked in on his last night   Bang, bang, bang, bang! As we walked through the low stone arch, the clanging on the metal door startled me as if from a dream. “Everyone out!” a man shouted over the hum of a lingering crowd. It was ten o'clock at night and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was closing its doors. On most nights, there probably wouldn’t be a large crowd at this late hour, but tonight was a special night.  The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a proposed location of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. It probably has the best claim to being the place, since it was outside the city walls in the first century and has a long-held tradition of being the place of his death. Thus, it was no surprise to see many people flocking to the spot on the night of Good Friday. The man started banging on the gate as soon as we entered the church courtyard. Slowly, people trickled out the doors, taking a few final l...