Last Saturday in Jerusalem

On Saturday, our group arose early and headed first to the Shepherds’ Fields near Bethlehem — specifically to the Franciscan area.  We went into one of the caves and ended up sharing the space with a group of German Christians.  That was especially fun for me, as we joined with them to sing several Christmas carols in German and English.  (Christmas, for me, has long had a slightly German tinge.)

Afterwards we looked out over the fields from the ruins of an ancient Byzantine monastery.

Then we went to Bethlehem’s Manger Square and its Church of the Nativity, where, unfortunately, the line to enter the actual grotto where (according to tradition) Jesus was born was the longest I’ve ever seen it.  Helpfully, though, that gave me a lot of time to harangue the group.  (One of the advantages of using electronic speakers and receivers — “whisper devices,” they’re called among Israeli and Palestinian tour guides — is that members of the group, if they tire of hearing me, can simply shut their receivers off.  If they occasionally nod and smile and look attentive, I’ll never know any better.)

We paid a brief visit to the grotto and tomb of the great St. Jerome, doctor of the Roman Catholic Church and translator of the Latin Biblia Vulgata, and then headed to the “Tent Restaurant” for a grilled lunch.  Always a popular place.  Afterwards, we went to an olive wood factory store there in Bethlehem that’s owned by a cooperative of local Arab Christians.

We finished the tour day with a visit to the Israel Museum, where we focused on the huge and fantastic outdoor model of Jerusalem as it appeared just prior to the Roman destruction of 66-70 AD; the Shrine of the Book and the Dead Sea Scrolls; and, in the main museum itself, the Pilate inscription from Caesarea Maritima, the ossuary or bone box of the Jewish high priest Caiaphas (of New Testament fame or infamy), the “trumpeter stone” from Herod’s Temple, and a rather chilling specimen from an ancient Roman crucifixion.

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Here are a few items of relevance:

“Herbert headed to Jordan, Israel for trade mission”

“Utah Governor Headed to Jordan, Israel for Trade Mission”

“Utah Gov. Gary Herbert meets with Jordan king during trade mission”

“The Governor of Utah visited the Western Wall”

“Dispatches from Jordan and Israel, pt. 1: Making Utah a premier global business destination”

“Dispatches from Jordan to Israel, part 2: Lowest point on earth, closest point to heaven”

“Dispatches from Jordan to Israel, part 3: Welcome to Startup Nation”

Posted from New York City