Discoveries in the Holy Land

The bus swung around one last curve of the thin road and pulled up to a clearing with a stone arch on the side. Dark-skinned Bedouin merchants crowded around as its doors swung open, and we stepped out into the sunny Benjamin wilderness. We passed through offers to buy trinkets and headdresses made in broken English with soft voices. When we were driving down the steep descent from Jerusalem to the wilderness, our guide pointed out several of the Bedouin camps. At first glance, they looked like nothing more than shanty towns. A handful of low structures were scattered by the highway. Some were covered with corrugated metal, others with tarps. A dusty car or two were parked outside and a few houses had camels, sheep, or goats penned up nearby. Our first location for the day was directly up a hill from where our bus stopped. As we reached the top, we saw before us a deep gorge called Wadi Qilt. “Wadi” is the Arabic name for a steep valley. In Israel, they are usually V-shaped ravines t...

 Jesus in Jerusalem To the east of Jerusalem, a hill rises over the city. The south side of this hill is covered with graves. From a distance, it looks like a hive of boxy, monochromatic homes piled over one another. The top is covered with old and new buildings, among which are the distinctive towers of a Russian church, a hospital, and Hebrew University. A morning view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives The mount of olives provides one of the most iconic views of the old city. Across the Kidron valley, the temple mount stands out like the centerpiece of a tile mosaic. All around are walls and roofs and skyscrapers jutting into the horizon. When I used to see pictures of this city I was often bored by the scene. It had a certain appeal because it was unique, but besides the temple mount, I didn’t know of any important locations there. It wasn’t meaningful to me. Yet now, as I’ve spent time in the city and considered the locations and history, I begin to finally see the...