Powder Puff Hills in the West Bank

Today, we were initiated into the world of full-day field studies. We piled onto the bus at 7 am, bright and too early, to begin our survey of the West Bank. Standing on top of Mt. Scopus (of the Mt. of Olives range), we gazed down over the terrain and saw where west divided from the east, where the lush, green Cenomanian stratus becomes a white, powdery Senonian stratus, where farming ends and sheep herding begins, and where Israeli territory becomes Palestinian territory.

Working on maps while gazing out on the valleys and hills

Anathoth, the birthplace and home of the prophet Jeremiah. It makes sense, then, why Jeremiah would use so much wilderness imagery and often fondly.

Poor Stewie didn’t feel so well.

While there may not appear to be many positives about the east, especially geographically, the people from this section of land are impressively tough. These people have been able to survive—and, in fact, thrive—on powdery, arid land, with only very sparse tufts of grass for livestock to graze on. Everyday when they go out with their livestock, they risk their lives to robbers, ruffians, and rebels; and this is the place to which those in exile flee (i.e. David during Absalom’s coup).

Given the differences in the land and demographics between the east and the west, it is not surprising there is lots of tension between the two. The west is especially suspicious of the east. However, they are co-dependent, because while farmers in the west provide for the nation’s agricultural needs, the shepherds in the east provide meat, milk, and other animal products.

An ancient tomb, like one Lazarus would have been buried in.

Nick, from the Western Seminary group

"You're actually going to crawl in there??"

"ABSOLUTELY."

Solomon and Jon in the mini-cave behind the burial niches.

The first thing Lazarus saw after he was brought back to life. =P

CIU: Represent

Looking out at Jerusalem from inside a church on the Mt. of Olives

Carving names on cacti instead of tree trunks?

The happiest little Greek Orthodox priest I have seen yet, practically bouncing down the hill

And then he decided to solicit the help of a random kind tourist.

At the Garden of Gethsemane, we saw olive trees dating back to the time of Jesus, as well as possibly one of the most beautiful churches I have seen. (It’s a personal favorite, at least.)

Can you believe this tree dates back 1,500-2,000 years ago?

Inside the church: I love the colors and design—unlike any other church I’ve seen before.

How awesome would it be to have this door panel in your room at home?

The front side of the church

It is fascinating to me, though, the great lengths the Jews have taken to prevent the return of a Messiah they believe to be false. You would think that if they didn't believe him or his claims, they would just dismiss him, correct? Instead, because Jesus is supposed to enter Jerusalem through the East Gate when he returns, they've blocked off the gate. They've also covered the hillside to the east of Jerusalem in cemeteries, so that if Jesus were to come from the east as prophesied, he would have to walk through the cemetery and, therefore, be unclean.

The East Gate closed off

The cemetery leading east to Jerusalem

Pause for a picture!

Our next stop was the Herodium, a large hill on the West Bank where Herod built one of his residential palaces. After he died, they closed off the palace so that no one else could reside there. Herod himself was a controversial governor. The personification of syncretism of his day, he was part Jewish, part Roman, and Hasmonean--he was Jewish, but not really. He was tyrannical, and paranoid, but very good at his job. Therefore, the Jewish people hated him, but Rome loved him.

Looking down at the palacial ruins

Following along with Aubrey on the maps

Mayonne, stylin' it in her shades

Looking down on the land from the Herodium also revealed a lot of context for certain biblical passages. For example, Psalm 23 looks completely different from the land than in my mind's eye. Green pastures? These are the occasional tufts of green grass interspersed throughout the dusty Senonian hills. Still waters? The only water nearby are the wadis, which are usually dry, but sweep people away every year with their unexpected current when they are filled. Therefore, still waters are a big deal. This is, like I said, the land of robbers, ruffians, and rebels, so the peace and protection of the Lord was tangibly significant. What about the table? According to Aubrey, the staple food of the shepherds back then was a kind of yogurt that was preserved in a way it could last for two years! A full meal prepared at a table, then, was a HUGE deal!

Check out the three-rowed Mercedes taxi!

Finally, we concluded our very looong day (and subsequently, this very looong post) with a visit to Bethlehem. What first caught the American eye?

Stars & Bucks!

At the church marking where it is claimed Christ was born, I met Miguel. No larger than a 7-year old with contorted limbs, he sat on his bike in the courtyard holding out a little card in English that explained his condition. Turns out Miguel is from Barcelona, and he's been here in Bethlehem for the last two years. After just a brief conversation with him in Spanish about Spain, I couldn't stop thinking about Miguel for the rest of the day. Why do people like him with crippling disabilities have to feed themselves by begging? He was such a sweet man. There's so much more he could do with his life, despite being disabled. Granted, I don't know his entire story, but what happened to coming alongside the needy to free them up for a purposeful existence? There's only so much I can do for Miguel in this given situation. Nevertheless, I can pray for him and others like him, that they will be blessed by the Lord and others.

Again, I apologize for the length of this post, but considering the length of our first full day in the field, perhaps you can pardon me for the magnitude of a mere fraction. I would like to conclude, though, with a quick tribute to the man who will exist for the next three weeks in nothing but orange and khaki:

Just saying, this man is a riot to travel with. =D