When you think of Bethlehem you may think of sheep and shepherds in fields like this one where I last saw such a thing…. Or images like this… Or this… The main focus should be on the church of the Nativity, commissioned and funded by Queen Helena the mother of Constantine who came here in 336, and what remains is one of the oldest churches in the world, recently refurbished, and looking much better than in previous years when I’ve... Read more

Since we are in the northern part of the land we will go to Zippori aka Sepphoris next which is just on the back side of Nazareth, only a few miles over the hill. It is possible that Joseph and his boys worked there because a huge building project was underway, as Herod Antipas was building himself a second main city of sorts.  Here are some shots from Sepphoris, which famously has a very unorthodox synagogue, but it dates to... Read more

Having been to Israel numerous times since 1985, I will focus on some things I’ve not posted, or not posted much about on the blog, for instance what’s in the Israeli museum.  But perhaps first it will be wise to present you with the recreation village, Nazareth village, to give you a sense of daily life in Jesus’ day and hometown.  The site is located right in the middle of downtown, and it is amazing they got this land to... Read more

This is a Roman milestone found in the Nabatean kingdom, showing the Romans had already surveyed the region by the late second century.   Roman miles were shorter than modern American miles. The Roman mile was a thousand paces, or 4860 feet compared to our 5,280 feet. Gadara was an important city, indeed it was a cultural center which once had a great temple…. It was the home of the great poet Meleagrus The earliest representation of human figures was in... Read more

The new Amman archaeological museum in downtown Amman is excellent, and it’s not even finished yet. It is perhaps most well known for housing  some Qumran documents, most famously the Copper Scroll. In case you are unfamiliar with this scroll carved into metal sheets, which is the most unique of all the Dead Sea Scrolls because of the material that was used to preserve these writings– actually copper.  It was found in Cave Three, and was originally one scroll about... Read more

Going to Mt. Nebo can be quite emotional.  Here is the spot where the Biblical text says Moses was allowed to look into the promised land, but not to enter it.  This memorial, above is of the bronze serpent lifted up on a stake, and the reference to that story on the lips of Jesus in John’s Gospel. This sign is very helpful and gives you good clues of where to look. Yes that’s the Dead Sea down there, not... Read more

Though we were only in Jordan for a single day (and that was a happy accident as our flight to Cairo from Tel Aviv was canceled and so we went to Jordan for the day instead), it was jam-packed.  We went to Madaba, Mt. Nebo, and the new Amman Archaeology Museum which is excellent.  Let’s start with Madaba/Medaba.  Medaba is probably the most Christian town in all of Jordan. There are various historic churches there, like the church of the... Read more

This is the last of our posts on Egypt as we must move on to our time in Jordan, but let us start with some more, and very different papyrus art including war scenes. Notice how much darker the colors are in these scenes on papyri.   Notice the trampling of enemies under the feet. In this image the vultures, the bird of carrion can’t wait to swoop in after the kill. This gives new meaning to a war chest.... Read more

One of the real highlights of the Cairo museum is the papyrus art, as you will now see some of which needs not explanation, and some of which begs for it. This is a scene of a woman making her offerings… notice these are all food offerings including one example of game.   What in the world is this guy doing to this giant bird?  Trying to prevent it from flying off? Little girl tries to fly, with the help... Read more

When a British boy says, ‘I want my mummy’ that means one thing.  When an ancient Egypt said words to that effect, they meant something entirely different. Mummification was an art perfected by the Egyptians long before the time of Jesus.  Just one problem— it was based on a faulty anthropology.  The Egyptians like many ancients assumed that the internal organs were what really matter, and the heart was the control center of the person, the center of thought, feelings,... Read more