Here in Israel you will find posters that say, "Jesus didn't ride the bus…..why should you?"
It's an advertisement to encourage people to walk the trail that was made for pilgrims who want to experience Christ's journey through Galilee.
Well, that's all fine and dandy, but this Gallivanting gal will be moving from place to place via an automobile that even comes with a driver….my husband. He does get mis-directed from time to time, but I'm amazed that he doesn't become completely frazzled! The drivers in Israel are ruthless. Honking the horn seems to be the National past time. But I'll elaborate on that another day.
Let's get to the Trail!
Here you see a schematic of the many areas where Jesus was known to have visited during his ministry.
You get the point.
Our original plan was to follow the chronological movement of Jesus. But that would have involved quite a bit of backtracking, and we already were trying to squeeze in as much as humanly possible in one day.
First stop: Mt. Tabor, mentioned many times in the Old Testament and, in the New Testament, believed to be the site of the Transfiguration:
It's an advertisement to encourage people to walk the trail that was made for pilgrims who want to experience Christ's journey through Galilee.
Well, that's all fine and dandy, but this Gallivanting gal will be moving from place to place via an automobile that even comes with a driver….my husband. He does get mis-directed from time to time, but I'm amazed that he doesn't become completely frazzled! The drivers in Israel are ruthless. Honking the horn seems to be the National past time. But I'll elaborate on that another day.
Let's get to the Trail!
Here you see a schematic of the many areas where Jesus was known to have visited during his ministry.
We decided to head out to the west part of the Sea of Galilee to "walk in His sandals"….sort of.
You get the point.
Our original plan was to follow the chronological movement of Jesus. But that would have involved quite a bit of backtracking, and we already were trying to squeeze in as much as humanly possible in one day.
First stop: Mt. Tabor, mentioned many times in the Old Testament and, in the New Testament, believed to be the site of the Transfiguration:
Matthew's Biblical account of this event tells us:
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Mt. Tabor is the highest mountain in southern Galilee. It was no easy feat to get to the top.
In fact, I'd rank the ascent as one of the most frightening events that Marty and I have made. We do owe part of the terror to the Google Maps phone App that Marty insists on using. Lady GPS decided that we should shorten the driving the time by rerouting us through a city that is located on a hill.
Imagine "S"turn streets, one after the other, with parked cars lining either side of a narrow street. Add to that combination a group of high energy little kids darting in and out of the street playing a game of soccer. Or perhaps they were playing 'Scare the Tourists'. If that was the case, then they won hands down for sure!
And, as if that wasn't bad enough, the road was one of the steepest that I've ever encountered. We've driven steep roads in Pittsburgh and in San Francisco, but these roads, believe it or not, out-did either of those cities.
Have you ever experienced the wheels of your car spinning, due to lack of traction, while maneuvering up hill in these type of conditions?
Well…….WE HAVE!!!
Just when we got to the point where we could breathe a sigh of relief, we followed Lady GPS's advice, and found ourself on a macadam road that obviously was the preferred route of travel.
And, I'm willing to bet that we did NOT save any time with Lady GPS's advice!
And we probably have a few more grey hairs as a result!
So, by now, you probably realize that this hill that Matthew speaks of is pretty darn high.
Nearly touching the heavens, as Marty put it.
After parking in the lot and walking to the entrance we could see the Basilica of the Transfiguration in front of us.
Once inside, the central dome of the cathedral is adorned with a mosaic reflecting the Transfiguration of Christ.
Magnificent!
To the right of the main sanctuary there is a small chapel devoted to St. Francis.
The church and grounds, which include a monastery, are run by the Franciscan community.
In the front of the church, there are small chapels: one devoted to Elijah
and the other to Moses.
Although the day was beautiful, the dust storms put a haze on what would have been a glorious view of the countryside.
We walked around a bit, exploring the grounds, which offered a bit of a surprise.
I looked up to see two of these creatures, perched as if ready to pounce, peering down at me.
Marty thought it would be a great photo opportunity, so I handed the camera to him and walked away. Just for the record, I don't do lizards who are looking down at me. Call me feint of heart.
As it was, this guy seemed quite happy to pose for Marty, and his friend scurried away in a different direction, which was fine by me!
We decided to make the trip back down the road lined with cedar trees
through the gate
and continue on the main road, ignoring any advice that GPS Lady had to offer otherwise.
The trip down the hill was relatively uneventful, although I will admit, I never expected to spot a camel munching away by the side of the road!
Before we could reach our next destination, we had to drive through Tiberias, which is quite the bustling city on the Sea of Galilee. Traffic was intense and I was all too happy to find us driving north along the sea on our way to the Mountain of the Beatitudes.
By the time we reached that holy spot, it was closed for lunch, so we headed back down the mountain to Tabgha, to the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes.
The mosaic at the base of the altar represents the loaves and fishes.
The exposed rock under the altar, is believed to mark the spot where Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves and two fish, after his Sermon on the Mount.
The rock is a natural dolman, and is believed by historians to have been a sacred place since before the time of Jesus. It was used originally as the altar in a Byzantine Church erected over this spot in 350 A.D.
Around that time the pilgrim, Lady Egeria, traveled to Tabgha where she found a large Christian community, originally of Jewish descent, who kept alive the memory of Jesus' presence here. She recorded her findings that the local community verified that this rock was, indeed, the one used by Jesus when he performed his miracle.
Pretty amazing, don't you think?
And, I found it rather amusing that the church should feature a fish on the weather vane.
And the plaza in front of the church had a pond filled with all sizes of goldfish.
But there was no bread to be found anywhere!
From here, we walked out of the complex, and down the road just a little way, when we came to the Church of the Primacy of Saint Peter, also known as Mensa Christa.
The grounds here were quiet and peaceful
walking down the path led us to the church made of black basalt.
It was here that Jesus is believed to have appeared to his disciples after his resurrection.
Peter and several apostles were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, fishing, but having no luck. Jesus appeared, told them to cast their nets, upon which the nets became so full that they could not bring them in. Jesus then told them to bring in some of the fish, and then proceeded to share a meal with them.
It was at this meal when Jesus asserted the Primacy of Saint Peter, thereby giving the church its name.
The pilgrim, Lady Egeria has recorded that it was at this spot where Jesus appeared and spoke to his apostles.
The interior of the church features a stone that is believed to have been the table where Jesus shared this meal.
Marty was excited to be able to actually put his hands into the sea of Galilee
and while he was doing so, he spotted a fish
which seemed quite appropriate, don't you think?
He took a photo of the two of us with the Sea of Galilee behind us.
From here, we walked back to the car, and made the drive back up the hill to the Church of the Mount of Beatitudes.
It is located on the hill, near the Sea of Galilee, and not far from the spot where he performed the miracle with the loaves and fishes.
Here is where it is believed that Jesus gave his famous Sermon on the Mount
"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Mt 5:1-5)
Above the entrance to the Sanctuary is a lovely depiction of the Jesus delivering his sermon.
The interior is fairly simple,
but the tiled floors are magnificent.
As you can see, the walk way to the church is beautiful
with stone markers listing the beatitudes along the way
and some interesting mosaics as well.
Truly awe inspiring.
Are you getting tired yet?
Just one more stop, and then we'll be heading back to our hotel.
Nearby stands the ancient village of Capernaum. It was home to Peter, Andrew, James and John, and Matthew, and it is known that Jesus spent much time here. The actual village, once a prosperous fishing town, was abandoned around 700 A.D. and never reconstituted.
Today it is a set of ruins, holding the foundations of the Synagogue where Jesus healed the servant of the centurion and gave his sermon on the bread of life.
The foundation of Peter's house is exposed for view.
And an octagonal church is suspended over the spot where Peter's house foundation stands.
The center of the interior has a round glass window that looks directly down into that foundation.
The engineering behind this mastery is amazing in itself.
From the grounds, a beautiful Greek Orthodox church can be seen in the distance.
And with that, I'm calling it a day.
Hope you enjoyed the accounting of our New Testament Adventure.
You can be guaranteed that there is more to come!
I LOVED "the accounting of (your) New Testament Adventure!" I suspect that this particular day of travel alone would be worth the trip, although I admit that I became queasy while reading your description of the car ride up the mountain. Yikes! As always, Barbara, your photos are beautiful.
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