Sunday, April 12, 2009
In the Jordan River
Happy Easter all! I’ll post Easter photos in a few days. In the meantime, the end is in sight for my Israel posts, so I’ll keep chugging along.
There are two locations on the Jordan River where Christians believe Jesus was baptized. The traditional site is further south from the Sea of Galilee, near the Judean desert, however since that site was on the Israel-Jordan border during the Arab-Israel conflict, the Yardenit site, where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee toward the Dead Sea, was developed by Kibbutz Kinnereth for pilgrims who wanted to participate in baptism ceremonies in the Jordan River.
Yardenit is set up with several wading areas along the shoreline, specially-designed for baptisms. While we were there, two of these areas were being used -- the individuals in white are waiting to be baptized. Along the wall behind the walkway leading to the wading areas are numerous translations of Mark 1: 9-11 -- in almost every language imaginable.
A sign here claims that scripture indicates Jesus was baptized “very close to this part of the Jordan River” since archaeologists believe that a nearby “tel” is Bethabara, which is where Jesus was baptized. The sign also claims that the “time factor” precludes the Church of the Twelve Apostles near the Judean desert from being the true location since that’s a five- to six-day walk to Cana, which is where Jesus was three days after his baptism.
Regardless of which location is the actual site of Jesus’ baptism, there’s no doubt that he was baptized in the Jordan River ... so I took the opportunity to wade in the holy waters myself. It was chilly at first, but it didn’t take long for the water to feel comfortable. This wading area wasn’t being used for baptisms -- it was a little further south, but still within view of the others.
The Jordan River has a dam that traps water to bring it to southern Israel. It actually closes the river to keep 90% to 95% of the water. Jordan also gets water from here for its agricultural needs as part of a peace treaty -- regardless of the amount of water available (from rain and the three springs that lead from the Hermon Mountain to here). Because of this, the Sea of Galilee is approximately nine feet lower than usual. The water is cleaned in a reservoir then pumped out via an intricate pipe system. This view is looking south, as the water leaves the Sea of Galilee.
This was our last view of the Sea of Galilee, as we headed back south toward Tel Aviv -- as the sun began to set across the fertile land.
Once again, we passed the Horns of Hattin, where the Crusaders were defeated by Muslims in 1187. It definitely looked different with the long, evening shadows descending upon the land.
We had a long day in Galilee, but it was a very worthwhile trip. I even ate fish from the Sea of Galilee for lunch that day. Some people decided to simply rest at the hotel or walk through Tel Aviv instead of opting for the long day of sightseeing, but I wasn’t sure if I’d ever make it back to Israel, so had to take this opportunity to see as much as feasibly possible ... and I’m glad I did!
There are two locations on the Jordan River where Christians believe Jesus was baptized. The traditional site is further south from the Sea of Galilee, near the Judean desert, however since that site was on the Israel-Jordan border during the Arab-Israel conflict, the Yardenit site, where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee toward the Dead Sea, was developed by Kibbutz Kinnereth for pilgrims who wanted to participate in baptism ceremonies in the Jordan River.
Yardenit is set up with several wading areas along the shoreline, specially-designed for baptisms. While we were there, two of these areas were being used -- the individuals in white are waiting to be baptized. Along the wall behind the walkway leading to the wading areas are numerous translations of Mark 1: 9-11 -- in almost every language imaginable.
A sign here claims that scripture indicates Jesus was baptized “very close to this part of the Jordan River” since archaeologists believe that a nearby “tel” is Bethabara, which is where Jesus was baptized. The sign also claims that the “time factor” precludes the Church of the Twelve Apostles near the Judean desert from being the true location since that’s a five- to six-day walk to Cana, which is where Jesus was three days after his baptism.
Regardless of which location is the actual site of Jesus’ baptism, there’s no doubt that he was baptized in the Jordan River ... so I took the opportunity to wade in the holy waters myself. It was chilly at first, but it didn’t take long for the water to feel comfortable. This wading area wasn’t being used for baptisms -- it was a little further south, but still within view of the others.
The Jordan River has a dam that traps water to bring it to southern Israel. It actually closes the river to keep 90% to 95% of the water. Jordan also gets water from here for its agricultural needs as part of a peace treaty -- regardless of the amount of water available (from rain and the three springs that lead from the Hermon Mountain to here). Because of this, the Sea of Galilee is approximately nine feet lower than usual. The water is cleaned in a reservoir then pumped out via an intricate pipe system. This view is looking south, as the water leaves the Sea of Galilee.
This was our last view of the Sea of Galilee, as we headed back south toward Tel Aviv -- as the sun began to set across the fertile land.
Once again, we passed the Horns of Hattin, where the Crusaders were defeated by Muslims in 1187. It definitely looked different with the long, evening shadows descending upon the land.
We had a long day in Galilee, but it was a very worthwhile trip. I even ate fish from the Sea of Galilee for lunch that day. Some people decided to simply rest at the hotel or walk through Tel Aviv instead of opting for the long day of sightseeing, but I wasn’t sure if I’d ever make it back to Israel, so had to take this opportunity to see as much as feasibly possible ... and I’m glad I did!
