ISRAEL DIARY
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1998
To Dan and Back

We finished our Israeli breakfast and went uptown in Tiberias to the boat dock near the Chinese restaurant.  We would take one of the "Jesus Boats" across the Galilee to Ginosar. 

The Sea of Galilee is the largest fresh-water lake in Israel.  It is fed mainly by the Jordan River and drained by the Jordan River.  It is in the shape of a harp, large in the north and much smaller in the south.  It is mentioned in Numbers 34:11 and Joshua 13:27.  The lake for the survival of the people of Israel.   It is their primary water source.

The weather on the lake was chilly and forbidding but the water was smooth.  The trip was enjoyable.  I think that this was the best trip across the Galilee that I have taken.

Good conversation, oohs and ahs and the typical joy of a boat ride.   It was fun.

When we were a good bit of the way to Ginosar, the engines were turned off and we had a devotional time. 

I continued to be impressed with the personal devotionals that the members of our group shared.  They expressed the Lord's blessings and importance in their lives.  JOY.

There was a time for questions of our Israeli guide.  Although she wasn't a senior citizen, she had many years of experience (20 I think) and was willing to field all of our questions.  The view encouraged thoughts and images about New Testament times.  Since several of our group are scholars, they had a lot of questions about Israel.

The boat ride was a worthwhile part of our journey.  I will not forget that on future trips. 

We left the boat at Ginosar and traveled further north around the lake to Tabgha. We were just east of the Tiberias-Rosh Pina road.  The Greek name for Tabgha is Heptapegon, meaning "seven springs".  This is the traditional site where Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Mark 6:30-44 and Matthew 14). 

It is a place of beauty and peace.

The present church, the German Benedictine Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes was dedicated in 1982.  It is a reproduction of a Byzantine church from the mid-5th century AD.

I love the date palms in Israel.  You may note that I take a lot of pictures of them.  This particular tree is expansive and pretty.  Enjoy.

Immediately next to Tabgha is the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter.  It is built on the edge of the water and commemorates the appearance of Jesus in John 21. 

Gilla was looking for a book that she had brought.  We were still asking questions.

We gathered on the shore to listen to the story.  Steve taped the event and we listened.

Scott shared form the New Testament story.

We walked on the shore and thought of that time. 

Jesus is Lord.

About 2 miles east of Tabgha is Capernaum, "The Town of Jesus".

Capernaum is an ancient fishing town on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  The site has been uninhabited since the 8th century AD.  Jesus settled here after he left Nazareth (Matthew 4:13).

  The partly restored synagogue in Capernaum is dated to the latter part of the 5th century AD.  This is not the synagogue that Jesus taught in but may be over the original synagogue of Capernaum.

John led in our devotional in the synagogue. 

Near the synagogue is the traditional location of the House of St. Peter.   There is a spaceship like edifice suspended in space over Peter's house. 

Jesus taught here, called most of disciples here and worked many miracles at this place. 

The Franciscan Order acquired this site in 1894.  Their mission in the Holy Land is to acquire and preserve sites sacred to Christianity.  This location is an important place for Christians to visit. 

This olive press is made from volcanic basalt.  It's advantages over limestone created an export industry for this area in ancient times.

On a low basalt hill about 2 miles north of Capernaum is the town of Chorazin.  This was one of the largest Jewish settlements in the Lower Galilee in the time of Jesus.  It is mentioned in Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13 as a city where Jesus preached. 

They had a significant synagogue at Chorazin. 

Harold led our devotional in the Chorazin synagogue. 

This is well preserved village.  It gives a sense of the size and shape of a typical village around the Sea of Galilee.

Pottery at Chorazin.

We completed our visit to Chorazin and headed north.  Our tour turned north and we traveled north on Route 90.  We passed the McDonald's at Rosh Pina without stopping.  I always enjoy that stop but we had too many miles to go this day.   We went up the Hula Valley all the way to Kiryat Shmona and turned right on Route 99 to the Dan Nature Reserve where we would stop for lunch.  

The Dan Cafeteria is a great place to stop for lunch.  The place is clean, the food is good and the people are friendly. 

We ate too much and talked too long but we had a good time.  Also, several were beginning to show the wear and tear of the plane ride and the fast paced two days of touring that we had done.  We were moving slower.

When we left Dan, we stopped for a quick picture of the ancient gate at Dan that dates to the time of Abraham. 

Banias, which we know from the Biblical account as Caesarea Philippi, was not far from Dan.   This was a cult center dedicated to the worship of Pan, the son of Hermes.   This place was the site of hedonistic worship that was too hedonistic for even the ancient Greeks. 

Herod's son, Philip, renamed this place Caesarea Philippi to distinguish it from his father's city of Caesarea.

This is a place of water and natural beauty.  We enjoyed the forest walk and the water sounds. 

Gideon, our driver, did a good job of getting us to where we wanted to go.  We are grateful for his careful driving and attention to our transportation needs.  Thanks!

Commanding a strategic point on the Via Maris where trade routes from the north, east and west joined to enter the Promised Land is the huge ancient tel of Hazor.   In the 18th and 13th centuries BC, Hazor covered 200 acres.  It was an important trade city in the Middle East.

Tel Hazor was built and rebuilt a total of 21 times.  

This picture is the eastern edge of the upper city of Hazor. 

Hazor is mentioned in Joshua 11:13. 

The view south from the Upper City is awesome.  It gives some indication of the strategic location of the tel.

The water system was developed by King Ahab and is as complex as his water tunnel construction at Megiddo. 

This is a view of the Solomonic gated entrance to Hazor.  This particular type entrance has three rooms on each side of the entrance.

Time was now important.  We planned to get to the Mount of the Beatitudes before 5 p.m.  We made it.

This site is operated by the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  This building was designed by the Italian architect Barlozzi and is octagonal.  Each of its eight walls commemorate on of the Beatitudes.  The mosaic floor is decorated with symbols of the seven virtues of man referred to in the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew 5:3-11.

The gardens are beautiful. 

We paused for a devotional.

Gorgeous palms.

We were overloaded with seeing the Biblical events and our personal experiences of the day.  I assured several that when they returned home that many of the emotions of this day would return at various times that they were reading Scripture.   This journey to the Holy Land is a lifetime experience that stays with us for the rest of our lives.