Holy Ground

While the last few days have mostly consisted of studying for the impending finals, I did manage to sneak away for a minute. I love how, in Jerusalem, "sneaking away for a minute" translates into "visiting world-renown pilgrimage sites of enormous historical and spiritual significance". That's the kind of life I lead. 

For our free day on Sunday, a small group of us took a bus out to Ein Kerem, a small village about halfway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Since the Byzantine period, this has been regarded as the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth, and thus the birthplace of John the Baptist. Above is pictured the Church of the Visitation, which commemorates the visit of the pregnant Mary to Elizabeth. 

A ceramic tile with the text of the Magnificat, the prayer which Mary gives after her meeting with Elizabeth. There was a wall with this text in a dozen languages, but for the benefit of my bloggership I went for the English. 

 This painting within the church depicts an apocryphal story found in the Protoevangelium of James. The text states that Herod, when he ordered the execution of the children in Bethlehem, also sent troops to kill John and his mother. "Elizabeth, when she heard that John was sought for, took him and went up into the hill country, and looked around to see where she could hide him, and there was no hiding place. Elizabeth groaned aloud and said, 'O mountain of God, receive me, a mother, with my child.' For Elizabeth was so afraid she could go no further. Immediately the mountain was rent asunder and received her."

This barrel-vaulted passage is part of a medieval crypt, houses a Byzantine well, and is regarded as the apocryphal cleft in which a Christian saint hid. (History in Israel can get confusing really fast.)

 The rock behind which Elizabeth hid. (The bits of paper you see inside the grate are prayers; it's common to leave them at significant religious sites in Israel. In some places, monks/nuns collect them on occasion and pray for the individuals mentioned thereon. Kinda reminds me of the LDS temple prayer roll.)

Just a cool door depicting Mary.  

We wanted to go into the Russian Orthodox church, but none of us really wanted to shed our underwear, so we decided to pass. Apparently Russian monks go commando. Who knew?

Ein Kerem was probably one of the the most laid back and picturesque sites I've visited in all of Israel. Summer heat has killed a lot of the vegatation in many places we visited, but narrow streets of Ein Kerem were lined with blooming flowers. Apparently the village is a popular spot for artists; we went and saw the studio of a Jewish artist that has been living and painting here for decades. If I decided to retire in Israel, I would want a house here.

The other major site of importance in Ein Kerem is the church of St. John the Baptist, the traditional site of John's birth. As cool as the church itself was, the coolest thing was talking to the Franciscan monk that was there. We asked him if we could sing a him in the church, and not only did he let us sing "I Believe in Christ," but he also joined us in a stirring rendition of "How Great Thou Art". Meeting amazing people of faith has been one of the best parts of visiting the Holy Land.

John the Baptist, in his classic Byzantine style. I envy his hair.  

 The main altar of the Church of John the Baptist. Mary is front and center, and she's flanked by Zacharias to the left and Elizabeth to the right. (I got a shot of the John the Baptist icon adjacent, but it didn't turn out well.)

 The Church of John the Baptist, with the Russian Orthodox Church in the background. 

Oh, you know, just readin' my Hebrew news. In a hammock chair. By John the Baptist's house. While eating gelatto. (I never have a right to ever complain about anything again for as long as I live.)

Today's morning adventure was trip over to the City of David! This National Park covers the oldest part of Jerusalem, the portion of Jerusalem where David's initial capital was situated.

 Me and Breanne, playing David's harp. 

 Sara, as an ANES major, was able to properly geek out with me as we looked over the ruins of First Temple Jerusalem. The valley to the left is the Kidron. David's City was flanked by the Kidron on one side, the Tyropian on the other, making it a difficult site to attack.  

 Possible ruins of King David's palace!

 The 'stepped structure', apparently built by David to keep his palace from sliding off the side of the hill. It's still under excavation. I don't know if the worker on the left fully appreciates the nerdy significance of his job. 

 Sara, Breanne, and me chillin on some ruins traditionally identified as the tomb of David. 

 A shot looking up the Kidron valley up towards Gethsemane. Jesus would have walked down this on his way to be tried before Caiaphas. 

The highlight of the visit was, of course, a hike through Hezekiah's tunnel. It's a shaft through the solid rock, channeling the water from the Gihon spring into the Pool of Siloam, which would have been within the city walls and therefore accessible during siege--which, during Hezekiah's time, was imminent. 

The photos I got didn't turn out well, but I got some sweet videos that will eventually make their way onto Facebook. It was quite a hike; the water came up to mid-thigh for a good part of it. I can't believe that a bunch of eigth-century Judahites managed to dig this with chisels and buckets.  

 "Secret Tunnel....Secret Tunnel..."

 Me at the Pools of Siloam! Jesus might have stood right here! So cool!

If you haven't realized yet...I like ruins. Especially religiously significant ones. Also, see if you can identify what's different about my shirt. :)