Even though it was
raining cats and dogs and it was very cold, about 35 participants (of
Our guide for the day:
Pastor Al Nucciarione; our driver, Joseph, a Christian Arab, originally from
Taybeh.
Because of the cold weather, the
foggy bus windows didn’t allow us to see much of the beautiful road we were
taking – the so-called “Derech haGav"- 'road of the back'.
This ancient
route runs all the way from Lebanon in the north to the Red Sea in the south.
The high hills/mountains
of this area form the biblical 'Heartland'. Here, God gave His people many
promises. Beit El (Bethel)'s and Hebron's mountains are about 1.000 meters
high, while Jerusalem lies at a height of 865 meter.
Just after going through
the military checkpoint at Pisgat Zeev, we enter the area that was given to the
Biblical tribe of Benjamin. Jacob called his son a 'ravenous wolf', hence you'll
find many road signs with a wolf. We were now 'behind' the wall which protects Israeli
citizens against terror attacks.
Geva Binyamin (the hill
of Benjamin) is also called Adam (see Jozua 18:24). It is situated between the
Arabic Jabah and Mikhmus (Geva and Michmas).
At about 839 meter above
sea level lies Gibeah (of Saul), Tel el-Ful (hill of beans) in Arabic. Gibeah
was a very important city in
Bible times. Judges 19-21 tells us the story of the Levite and his concubine.
Israel's first king, Saul, ruled 38 years from Gibeah (1 Samuel 8:31). In the
time of the divided Kingdom the city is mentioned by several prophets: Hosea
5:8-10; Isaiah 10:29). During the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD the 10th
Roman Legion camped here. Between 1948 and 1967 this area was in the hands of
the Jordanians. On this spot, where king
Saul had reigned, King Hussein began to build a summer palace. It was never
completed, because Israel conquered the territory during the Six Day War.
Not far from Gibeah, on
the side of Road no. 437 we pass a stone wall called "Kubur Bani
Yirsae'il" – "the graves of the Children of
Israel", which are about 2000 years old. Archeologist and Bible scholars
believe that the grave of Rachel is here, and not as supposed near Bethlehem.
Genesis 35:19. Joshua
18:23 mentions the city Farah, also called Efrat (has the same Hebrew root).
Because this town was situated in
an area which had many barley and grain fields, it was called "Beit
Lechem" – House of Bread. The Arabic name kept the Hebrew tradition alive.
In the 19th century, this helped the archeologists to locate and find many
original Biblical cities. Barren hills carry sound for long distances. That's
why it is possible what Jeremiah describes in 31: 15 that the mourning for
Rachel could be heard in Rama.
We pass the Arab town
Mukhamas and the sign for the Jewish settlement of Ma’aleh Michmash. Michmash is
featured in the story of Jonathan and his weapon bearer in 1 Samuel 10; 1
Samuel 13-14. The two stone teeth in the
wadi are called Bozez (Philistine side) and Seneh (Israeli side).
According to the Bible,
Migron was the area where Saul and his 600 soldiers pitched their tents before
attacking the Philistines who were camped in Michmash (1 Samuel 14:2) with the
dry riverbed (wadi) between them. In February 13, 1918, British troops prepared
to attack the Turks also camping at Michmash. The British army knew they would lose
many soldiers in this attack. On the evening before the battle, Major Gilbert
leafed through his Bible in search of a name that seemed to elude him. He found
the story in 1 Samuel 13 and 14 and after reading it, he awoke General Watson
to share the story with him. Figuring that the area had not changed much since
Biblical times, the general sent out scouts. They found the pass, which was
lightly guarded by the Turks. Instead of sending out a brigade, that night the
general sent an infantry unit through the pass, between the stones of Bozez and
Seneh, that overpowered the Turkish guards. The next day, presuming they were
surrounded by many British soldiers, the Turkish soldiers panicked and ran
away. A few thousand years later, Jonathan's tactic again proved successful.
We pass the Arab city of
Dayr (Deir) Dibwan, which means "the monastery of the Council".
According to many, this
was the place where the prophet Elisha, on his way to Bethel, was taunted by a
group of children, calling him, "Bold head!" 2 Kings 2:23. (Because
Elisha cursed the children, two bears mauled 42 of them. Deir Dibwan (Doobee =
bear in Hebrew) – the monastery of the two bears – that seems more plausible.
Mizpah/mitzpeh is a watch
tower, which you can see scattered in the fields of this area. In Biblical
times families lived in them during the harvest season. When part of a city
wall, they also had a military function.
Road no. 60 is also
called the Trans-Samarian Highway. This ancient road from Shechem (Nablus) to
Jerusalem has become much better compared to the picture taken in 1911!
We pass the Arab ghost
town of Turmus Aya, where empty villas, built by rich American Muslim
millionaires, are waiting for their owners to come and live in them. One day...
Ma'aleh Levonah means
"the ascent of the frankincense". The area was known for its bushes
giving off white fragrant resin. This was used as frankincense in the
Tabernacle in Shiloh, not far from there. In Judges 21:29 we read about a
village with that name. The Arabic village still carries the same name:
AlLubban ash-Sharqiya (east Levonah).
In an Arab village, we stop
for sweets, coffee and toilets!
On our way to Mt. Gerizim
(near Shechem) we pass through a long village called Huwara, well known because
of its excellent car mechanics. Before the Intifada (uprising) these Arabs used
to work in Shechem (Nablus). When
business closed (due to the many terror attacks) these mechanics opened their
own car repair shops in Huwara – with great success!
Today, the Tappuach
junction is freely accessible. During the Intifada it looked like a military
stronghold with many security measures to protect Israelis against the constant
terror attacks. Kfar Tappuach is a village near this biggest central junction
in Israel. From this point one can travel through all parts of the country. Joshua
12:4 speaks about a village Tappuach (Apple). The fields belonged to the tribe
of Menashe, but the village belonged to Ephraim. It lies on the Road of the
Patriarchs, which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob travelled on their journey south.
Entering Nablus, (the
Roman name) or Shechem, the Biblical name, we drive to the Greek Orthodox
church to visit Jacob's Well (also known as Jacob's fountain and Well of
Sychar). The well is 76 meters (249 ft) from the archaeological site of Tell
Balata, thought to be the site of biblical Shechem, but now a notorious refugee
camp.
Jewish, Samaritan,
Christian, and Muslim traditions all associate the well with Jacob. The well is
not specifically mentioned in the Old Testament, but Genesis 33:18-20 states
that when Jacob returned to Shechem from Paddan Aram, he camped
"before" the city and bought the land on which he pitched his tent
and erected an altar.
The well is accessed by
entering the church on the monastery grounds, and descending the stairs to a
crypt where the well still stands, along with "a small winch, a bucket,
ex-voto icons and lots of lit candles."
Based on a measurement
made in 1935, the total depth of the well is 41 meters (135 ft).
Samaritan sources tell of
struggles between Samaritans and Christians who wished to remove Joseph's
bones. Joseph's Tomb often witnessed intense sectarian conflict. Samaritans and
Christians disputing access and title to the site in the early Byzantine period
often engaged in violent clashes. After the 6 Day war, Muslims were prohibited
from worship at the shrine and it was gradually turned into a Jewish prayer
room. Interreligious friction and conflict from competing Jewish and Muslim
claims over the tomb became frequent. At the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada
in 2000, just after being handed over to the PNA, it was looted and razed by
rioting Palestinian. Presently, the tomb is guarded by PA police and no one is
allowed to enter the tomb.
We drive up the mountain,
pass the Jewish village Beit Bracha (House of Blessing) and ascend a steep road
up to Mt. Gerizim (Jebel etTor). This for the Samaritans holy mountain is the
home for about 376 Samaritans, the rest of the group live in Holon, near Tel
Aviv. Today, there are only 812 Samaritans left.
We watch a movie about
the ancient city and the Sacred Precinct, which now has become a national park.
It was too cold and windy to walk around, and we were glad to be back in the
(unheated) bus.
Opposite Mt. Gerizim (886
meters) lies Mt. Ebal (938 meters), with Shechem (Nablus) in between. These were the mountains where Joshua and the Israelites spoke the blessing and the curse in the "Valley of Decision".
The Canaanite /Israelite
city was called Tel Balata – now a notorious refuge camp. Moses told the people
of Israel to bless Mt. Gerizim and curse Mt. Ebal. (Deuteronomy 27:11-13.)
During the Roman Empire this ancient city was called "Flavia
Neapolis". Because no one could pronounce it, the people called it
"Nablus".
Our next stop was the
Samaritan museum, where two young people gave us a short introduction on the
traditions and beliefs of the Samaritans.
These "Guardians/Keepers/Watchers
(of the Torah" are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Israelites
(or Hebrews). Ancestrally, Samaritans claim descent from the tribe of Ephraim
and tribe of Manasseh (two sons of Joseph) as well as from the Levites, who
have links to ancient Samaria from the period of their entry into Canaan.
Samaritanism, closely related
to Judaism, is based on the Samaritan Pentateuch – the Five books of Moses.
The Samaritans believe
that Mount Gerizim was the original Holy Place of Israel from the time that
Joshua conquered Canaan. The major issue between Jews and Samaritans has always
been the location of the Chosen Place to worship God: The Temple Mount of
Moriah in Jerusalem according to the Jewish faith or Mount Gerizim according to
the Samaritan faith.
We had the privilege to
meet the present high priest, who also shared something about their customs.
When we head back to the
main road in the valley, we see a palace on a hill. This house was built by an
Arab who had become very rich from helping the Americans during the Gulf War.
He created beautiful gardens and imported marble from Italy and Greece to
decorate his palace.
The plan was to have
lunch around 2.30 p.m. in Taybeh, but the weather-related traffic jam caused us
to arrive about an hour later.
Taybeh, the only
Christian town left in Israel, is where our bus driver, Joseph, was born.
“Jesus therefore no
longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called
(Taybe) Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with
the disciples.” (John 11:54) Taybeh (pronounced Tie-bay) is 30 kilometres
northeast of Jerusalem. From its elevated site between biblical Samaria and
Judea, it overlooks the desert wilderness, the Jordan Valley, Jericho and the
Dead Sea. Living amidst Muslim villages, Israeli settlements and military
roadblocks, Taybeh’s inhabitants (numbering 1300 in 2010) are intensely proud
of their Christian heritage.
Lunch was served in the very
cold and dark church hall, because the strong winds had knocked over one of the
electricity poles. After eating a nice Arab lunch, by the time we left, it
started to rain again.
Thankfully, the trip to
Jerusalem went smooth, no more traffic jams, and we dropped off near the church.
Despite the rain and cold
and leaking bus, it had been a special day. We were grateful for the Lord’s
protection and the wonderful things we learned and experienced that day.
To be continued – Lord
willing, our next JBC tour will be to Hebron!
Definitely in better weather! 😊
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| The 'Valley of Decision' - Shechem in the valley |
click here for a: video impression of the tour
