Today we pulled into Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was originally an island in the Mediterranean connected to the mainland by a bridge. It is the largest and oldest port in Egypt. The harbor entrance is the Fortress of Quait Bay which is a 15th century medieval castle on the old Pharos Lighthouse. Nearby is Ras El Tin Palace, the summer residence of kings. King Farouk signed his abdication papers there. Alexander the Great founded the library as a clearinghouse of the world's knowledge. He is buried here. This is the second largest city in the Roman Empire and the second largest in present day Egypt. It is also the capital of Egypt. Before the 3rd century, Egypt was ruled by Greece and Pharaohs. In the 3rd century Alexandria was under the Roman Empire until the Ottoman Empire conquered it in the 7th century and trade ceased. The Christians arrived in Egypt in the 4th century. By the 19th century the trade was finally revived. Mohammed Ali helped Egypt fight off the French soldiers in the 19th century. On July 23, 1952 Egypt revolted, had King Farouk sign an abdication, and became a republic with a President. Another revolt erupted on January 25, 2011. In September they will elect a new Parliament and in December they will elect a new President. Now the people realize they need the police that belonged to the previous government under Mubarak. At first they policed themselves, but they still have to work and can't do both. But there's a feeling of hope now that Mubarak is gone.
Alexandria is the result of the Nile River Delta Valley, the first place civilization developed. Egypt is called the Gift of the Nile because the river bestows rich life along its banks. The Nile River starts at Lake Victoria in Africa which floods from the snowmelt of Africa's greatest mountains into the White Nile River. The rotted vegetation flows down through Sudan and merges with the Blue Nile River flowing from Ethiopia's Lake Taua with nitrates and phosphates. This is the perfect fertilizer. Every year the Nile floods in a 7-9 foot width all along its banks and adds rich silt to the fields.
In 3100BC the ancients developed a reliable calendar by watching the sun and moon. Within one generation, they developed written numbers, letters, accounting, geometry, architecture, astronomy, reservoirs, canals, and taxation. The labor before 2200BC on the pyramids was not by slaves, but by farmers and craftsmen who needed jobs when the Nile flooded. This ensured the entire society was at work during the off season.
The Mosque of Mursi Abul Abbas is the largest with 4 domes and a minaret. Egyptians are mostly Muslim. Muslims must pray 5 times a day and must clean their whole body before they pray. Then they must kneel and face the east to pray. The minaret sends out a chant over a loudspeaker when it is time to pray. The devout stop what they are doing and prepare themselves for prayer.
Pompey's Pillar is really a Roman Memorial column dedicated to Diocletian; it is not Pompey's tomb.
In 31 BC Julius Caesar entered Egypt and married Cleopatra, who was the ruler at 16 years of age. They had a son, Caesarium. But Romans killed Julius Caesar and Cleopatra and her son had to be smuggled inside a carpet back to Egypt. Then Cleopatra married Marc Antony. He was killed; then she took her life and left a 13 year old son who was killed also. Then Egypt came completely under Roman rule.
The catacombs in Alexandria were built by a Roman family who adopted the Egyptian style, but added a banquet hall because family and friends that visited would stay all day. They brought food from home and broke pottery when finished. It was okay to bring pottery in, but wouldn't take it back to their house because it had been near the dead. In the banquet hall are 3 benches for the family to sit and lay down on because they always reclined when they ate. For the first 100 years it was private. After that it was opened for anyone. the Greeks and Romans cremated the bodies, but in the catacombs are mummies. The Greeks and Romans wanted to be like the royals and pharaohs, so they started doing mummies. The catacombs has a central shaft. Leading to 3 underground levels; but you cn only access the top 2 levels because an underground stream has deteriorated the 3rd level. Once it was discovered everybody started using it as a cemetery.
We drove through the streets and saw many markets. they stack their wares on the sidewalks and streets so full it's difficult for the bus to pass by without hitting them. You can buy anything here: bread, sponges, clothing, veggies, fruits, purses, shawls, curtains, etc.
Khakotis Village is one of Upper Egypt's towns which Alexander the Great built in 293AD. First the Christians lived here, then it became a Greek community. The Egyptians worshipped animals. The Greeks worshipped animals in a human form. Pompey's Pillar was the highest and largest when it was built. It was made in Aswan and floated down the Nile when it flooded to Aleaxandria. The Greco-Roman Museum used to be a private home in 1922. It was sold to the American Embassy in 1952.
In 3000BC Egypt was divided into 2 countries: Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. This was the time when writing started. It encompassed the old, middle and new kingdoms with the intermediate periods scattered in between when Egyot was attacked many times by the Asians, but not occupied. Queen Hatshepsut was the princess of Moses I. Moses II married his half sister to be able to rule legally. She was 20 and he was 69. She started to wear the double crown to represent both upper and lower Egypt. She reigned for 22 years and it was the most peaceful time Egypt had known. When she died her stepson scratched out her name everywhere.
The Persians were the first people to attack and occupy Egypt. When Alexander the Great arrived in Egypt he told them he was the son of their god, Amon, so they would accept him. Then he helped them defeat the Persians. ST. Mark was the first Christian to visit Egypt and spread Christianity. In the 4th century AD Christians were allowed to practice their religion. They were called Coptic Christians. In the 7th century AD the Arabs entered bringing Islamic culture with them. They made Cairo the capitol.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday 5/15/11
Today the ship docked at Port Said, Egypt. Most of the passengers were taking tours into Cairo. We have already been there, so we stayed on the ship. It was extremely warm out anyway. Ray and Carol went on a tour of the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. The buses were put into a caravan with the military stopping traffic to enable the buses to stay together. We are the first Princess ship to enter Egypt since their unrest started. The Egyptians protect their tourism.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, 5/14/11
Up on the Mount Beatitudes a church was built to mark the spot where Jesus did all of His teachings. Here He did the 8 Beatitudes and the church is on the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is 170 feet deep. You can see the Kaffir Mountains from another window. The 8 Beatitudes are written in stained glass at the top. Every window in the church is exactly in the middle so you can see the Sea of Galilee wherever you sit. The windows are not tall rectangles but long horizontal rectangles. The church was built in the 20th century from 1924 to 1976. From this church you can see all the places where Jesus performed His miracles: the water into wine in Canaan, turning the loaves of bread and a few fish into an amount to feed a multitude, when He calmed the Seas while they were in the boat, and when he walked on the water, the village where He gave life to a small child, when He healed Peter's mother-in-law. There is a gorgeous mosaic floor with all kinds of symbols displayed: a diamond on it's side means holy place, a 6 with it's open side laying down means water, little tiny squares put together in a 3 x 3 grid means land. There is no marble to be found naturally in Israel, so any building with it has been brought from outside.
There are 7 springs here that flow into the Sea of Galilee. The town Capernaum is on the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus found His first five disciples, Matthew, Peter, James, Andrew and John. The church here is called TABA which means 7 springs. It has a door engraved with pictures of Jesus' miracles and His life. The altar in the church is built on top of where Jesus performed the miracle of the bread and the fish. On the floor are mosaics with a peacock, other birds and plants. these are the older mosaics. The newer mosaics have animals, the Nile River and symbols from Egypt because the artist was from Gaza, Egypt. One mosaic is a snake wrapped around a stork's leg. This means if you are going to sin, snake'll get you! the old Christian sign is a Y with an arch over the top. Then the cross was used with slight differences between the Greek, Roman and Russian. The Greek cross has 2 equal lines crossing. The Roman cross has the vertical line longer than the horizontal line. The Russian cross is the same as the Roman except they add a diagonal line towards the bottom to support Jesus' feet.
There is a church in Capernaum called ST. Franciscus done in all black and white volcanic stone. In front of this church is where Jesus gave Peter the staff which became the Church. Today the Pope carries this inside his staff. This is one of the things that Hitler wanted to get. there are carvings on the outside of the church of Jesus' miracles. In this town is Peter's mother-in-law's house. She was a very large woman and when Peter took her to Jesus to heal, he had to lift her out of the roof. They only receive rain during spring, so the roof is remade every spring after the rains. For the first 350 years the Church and the synagogue were in the same building. After Constantine, the shape changed from the central column of The synagogue to 6 columns in the shape of a fishing boat. The steps leading up to the church were 2 small steps then 1 big step. You had to concentrate on climbing the steps to avoid falling, therefore, it forced you to take time to prepare your heart for God. All synagogues around Galilee have 3 entrances.
The Jewish people have to follow 470 laws everyday. They also had to buy their first born from the Rabbi. therefore, they placed a coin under the floor when they built the house. In the synagogue the women had to sit up at the top so they would not distract the men. The Jews say the men are weak. There is a separate room next to the synagogue where the young boys must study the Torah.
The upper mountains of the Golan Heights are snow covered. The snowmelt flows into the Jordan River and then into the Sea of Galilee. The rainy season is in spring. if they don't receive rain then, they won't get any. Between 2 and 5 PM waves from the Mediterranean Sea flow into the Sea of Galilee and it becomes extremely rough. When the Jordan River is brown colored it is because of the sand from the farms.
We visited the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. People pilgrimage here to be baptized in the same spot. the water is a pretty shade of green blue. There were many fish of all sizes there and people were feeding them. Also there were muskrats all over. they are not native to here, but were brought here from South America and have no natural enemies, so they are multiplying rather quickly. The weather here is too warm to use their skins for clothing.
In Nazareth there is 1 church built on the spot where the Angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell of the Immaculate Conception. The door has the whole story of Jesus engraved on it. It starts with Gabriel, Mary marries Joseph, Elijah and Elizabeth, Jesus' birth, Gabriel and other angels telling the shepherds of His birth, Jesus' miracles, Jesus turning over the tables in the synagogue, His crucifixtion , His resurrection. This church was destroyed 3 times, but always rebuilt. On the west wall is a statue of Jesus and on the east wall is one of Mary. Mary has the 3 stars above her head. Mary the Church of the Annunciation is built on top of the grotto where Mary lived with her parents. This is the second tallest church in the world. The tallest is in ST. Peter's in Rome. There is no central column because it is centered over the grotto and it needs to have natural light on it. You have to look down into it. There is also the grotto where Jesus lived with His parents, Mary and Joseph.
There are 7 springs here that flow into the Sea of Galilee. The town Capernaum is on the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus found His first five disciples, Matthew, Peter, James, Andrew and John. The church here is called TABA which means 7 springs. It has a door engraved with pictures of Jesus' miracles and His life. The altar in the church is built on top of where Jesus performed the miracle of the bread and the fish. On the floor are mosaics with a peacock, other birds and plants. these are the older mosaics. The newer mosaics have animals, the Nile River and symbols from Egypt because the artist was from Gaza, Egypt. One mosaic is a snake wrapped around a stork's leg. This means if you are going to sin, snake'll get you! the old Christian sign is a Y with an arch over the top. Then the cross was used with slight differences between the Greek, Roman and Russian. The Greek cross has 2 equal lines crossing. The Roman cross has the vertical line longer than the horizontal line. The Russian cross is the same as the Roman except they add a diagonal line towards the bottom to support Jesus' feet.
There is a church in Capernaum called ST. Franciscus done in all black and white volcanic stone. In front of this church is where Jesus gave Peter the staff which became the Church. Today the Pope carries this inside his staff. This is one of the things that Hitler wanted to get. there are carvings on the outside of the church of Jesus' miracles. In this town is Peter's mother-in-law's house. She was a very large woman and when Peter took her to Jesus to heal, he had to lift her out of the roof. They only receive rain during spring, so the roof is remade every spring after the rains. For the first 350 years the Church and the synagogue were in the same building. After Constantine, the shape changed from the central column of The synagogue to 6 columns in the shape of a fishing boat. The steps leading up to the church were 2 small steps then 1 big step. You had to concentrate on climbing the steps to avoid falling, therefore, it forced you to take time to prepare your heart for God. All synagogues around Galilee have 3 entrances.
The Jewish people have to follow 470 laws everyday. They also had to buy their first born from the Rabbi. therefore, they placed a coin under the floor when they built the house. In the synagogue the women had to sit up at the top so they would not distract the men. The Jews say the men are weak. There is a separate room next to the synagogue where the young boys must study the Torah.
The upper mountains of the Golan Heights are snow covered. The snowmelt flows into the Jordan River and then into the Sea of Galilee. The rainy season is in spring. if they don't receive rain then, they won't get any. Between 2 and 5 PM waves from the Mediterranean Sea flow into the Sea of Galilee and it becomes extremely rough. When the Jordan River is brown colored it is because of the sand from the farms.
We visited the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. People pilgrimage here to be baptized in the same spot. the water is a pretty shade of green blue. There were many fish of all sizes there and people were feeding them. Also there were muskrats all over. they are not native to here, but were brought here from South America and have no natural enemies, so they are multiplying rather quickly. The weather here is too warm to use their skins for clothing.
In Nazareth there is 1 church built on the spot where the Angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell of the Immaculate Conception. The door has the whole story of Jesus engraved on it. It starts with Gabriel, Mary marries Joseph, Elijah and Elizabeth, Jesus' birth, Gabriel and other angels telling the shepherds of His birth, Jesus' miracles, Jesus turning over the tables in the synagogue, His crucifixtion , His resurrection. This church was destroyed 3 times, but always rebuilt. On the west wall is a statue of Jesus and on the east wall is one of Mary. Mary has the 3 stars above her head. Mary the Church of the Annunciation is built on top of the grotto where Mary lived with her parents. This is the second tallest church in the world. The tallest is in ST. Peter's in Rome. There is no central column because it is centered over the grotto and it needs to have natural light on it. You have to look down into it. There is also the grotto where Jesus lived with His parents, Mary and Joseph.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday, 5/13/11
Today we docked at Ashdod, Israel to go by bus to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the largest city and the capital. The second largest city is Tel Aviv and Haifa is the third largest. In 1200BC the Philistines migrated from the Aegean because they couldn't obtain access into Egypt. They are considered the "mysterious sea people ". They called this land Palestine. Ashdod is the ancient city of the Philistine Confederation. They were always a powerful foe of King Saul and David. In fact, they never defeated the Philistines.
Israel is the bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa. Jerusalem is holy to the Jews, Christians and Muslims. The central focus for all 3 religions is Mount Moriah, the highest point. This is where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son to God. King David built an altar here. King Solomon built his Temple around the altar. When it came under Roman rule, King Herod made it his temple. The Romans annexed Judea and Jerusalem into the Roman Empire because they realized its importance. When the Roman Empire fell, the Ottomans took over the temple. This was where Mohammed ascended to heaven from Mount Moriah. They built a dome over the spot and it is called Dome of the Rock and is holy to the Muslims. There is only the west wall (main support wall) left from the original temple of Solomon and this is now in Jewish control. It is called the Wailing Wall where the Jews pray to God and leave pieces of paper on which their requests are written. Israel gained it's independence from Palestine in 1948 and for 63 years now the country is divided into an east bank and a west bank. In 1967 they had the 6 Days War when they regained the Wailing Wall from Palestine.
The walled city of Old Jerusalem was built on 7 hills and has 7 gates into its city. The Lions Gate is the gate Jesus passed through on Palm Sunday. This is the 1st station of the cross. The Mercy Gate (Golden) is never opened. Jerusalem is surrounded by 2 valleys; the Garden of Gethsemane is in one of them. The Desert of Judea goes to the Dead Sea which is 400 meters below sea level and has no outlet. The Negev Desert covers 30% of Israel. Lake Galilee is fresh water and the Jordan River flows out of Lake Galilee and into the Dead Sea. Everything from the Jordan River east is the East Bank and under Palestinian rule. The West Bank is under dispute, but now is under Israel's control. Israel has no natural resources. Oil is all around it, but not in their country. They receive 30 days of rain in the winter. It rains each day for 30 - 45 minutes.
The population of Israel is 8 million. All females from 18 - 20 years of age must serve in the military. All males from 18 - 21 years of age must serve in the military, then they must go into the reserves until they are 30. Israel's main industry is diamonds which they buy rough from Africa, cut, polish and set for sale. There are 3 languages spoken here: Arabic, Hebrew and English. Their currency is the shekel which goes back 2000 years. The city of Jerusalem is a city of layers. Whenever you dig somewhere, you always find something from the past. Today's sidewalks and streets are 20 - 30 feet higher than they were 2000 years ago. Jerusalem is a town that is more than 3000 years old. So the hill of Golgotha is below the street level and is actually inside a church; now called the church of the Holy Sepulcher. It has a large gray dome. This is also a country of contrasts between 3 different religions. All 3 religions call Jerusalem Holy, which leads to many conflicts. After seeing how close all these Holy places are to each other, we can understand why there is always conflict in this region. Judaism is 5078 years old; Christianity is 2000 years old, the Muslim religion is only since the 7th century AD. For the Jews this is where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, Issac, where David built the altar to God and where King Solomon built his Temple which contained the 10 Commandments and the Arc of the Covenant. For the Muslims, this is Holy because Mohammed ascended up into heaven on a horse from on top of this same hill. They built the Dome of the Rock here covered in gold 500 years ago. They made sure their minaret is higher then either the Jewish or Christians churches. For the Christians this is where Jesus was raised, preached and was crucified. So it is their Holy place also. All 3 of these Holy places are all inside the walls of Jerusalem and in the same spot. Friday at 6PM is the start of the Jewish Holy Day, Shabatz, on Saturday. They are not allowed to work, cook, smoke, drive, etc. and must pray 3 times a day. The strict Orthodox Jews make up 20% of the population. The Muslims Holy Day is Friday and that is today. When we rode by a Muslim Temple there were military guards surrounding it. You can hear the Muslims being called to worship with a chant from a loud speaker on top of their minarets. They follow the Koran and must pray 5 times daily.
Via Dolorosa, the Sorrowful Way, is the winding road of Jesus' walk carrying the cross. It is also called the 14 stations of the cross. At the end of the walk is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Inside this church is the hill of Calvary, also called Golgotha. During the Roman Empire Hadrian destroyed it, rebuilt it as the Temple of Venus. Where Jesus' body was prepared for burial after His crucifixion is called The Stone of the Anointing. Hadrian placed the Temple of Adonis here. Jesus was placed in a tomb carved out of the hillside and a stone was rolled in front to cover it up. hat was typical of their burials 2000 years ago. There are no cemeteries inside the city because of diseases. The Garden of Gethsemane is in a valley and it is filled with olive trees. They have it cordoned off so you don't walk on it, but can see it perfectly. It looks exactly the way the picture in my Bible shows it with the trees and the big rocks. Olive trees can live 3000 to 4000 years; therefore some of the really old olive trees we saw were here when Jesus prayed the Lord's Prayer on Maundy Thursday and sweated tears of blood here. It is SO moving being here!!! Jesus' cross was made of olive wood and they sell many small crosses as momentoes of the cross and they are made out of olive wood also. It takes 7 years for the olive wood to dry enough to carve. There is that magic number 7 again.
Constantine's mother, Helen, was a Christian and found all of the places where Jesus was, identified them and built a church in the 4th century AD. The Church of All Nations, the Basilica of Agony is Roman Catholic. Every nation helped to built it. The altar has the stone from Gethsemane on which Jesus prayed. There are 3 mosaics inside: 1- Jesus with the apostles, 2- Jesus in Gethsemane, 3- Judas kissing Jesus. Jesus had holes in his hands and his feet, and a Roman soldier pierced his chest with a sword to be sure He was dead. Jerusalem has a special cross made of 5 crosses to represent the 5 wounds, the 5 nails and the 5 countries. On the back is written the word Jerusalem. This can only be bought in Jerusalem. This symbol was also the symbol of the 5 countries of the Crusades as they were trying Ta save all the Holy places from the Muslims.
There are 14 stations of the cross. The first is at the Lions Gate where Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The 5th station is the rock where Simon leaned against when. The 6th station is where Jesus fell 3 times carrying the cross. it is now inside the Church of Holy Veronica. He was crucified outside of the city and a crucifixtion typically lasts 6- 7 hours. There are 4 stations inside the Holy Sepulcher church which has been rebuilt several times. Jesus lost 1 drop of blood from the cross when He died. When that drop of blood touched the earth an earthquake occurred. It split the earth all the way down through the hill of Golgotha. They couldn't find a grave in which to bury Jesus, so a nobleman named Joseph gave his to Jesus. Station 14 is the tomb. A mausoleum was built in 1810 by the Russian church on top of the tomb. Then the disciples had to hurry before they closed the gates back into the city because it was Friday and the Jewish Sabbath started at 6PM. The statue of the Lion of Judea on his hind legs holding an olive branch is the symbol of Jesus.
We then drove to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity built in the 4th century AD by Constantine on top of the stable where Jesus was born. it was rebuilt in the 6th century. When the Ottoman Turks took over they made the doorway much shorter to prevent horses from entering.There is a painting on the outside wall of the 3 Wise Men coming from Persia. Since they were from Persia, the Turks didn't destroy it. The mosaic floor was laid during Constantine's reign. Later on Pope Justinian raised the floor up and added 44 columns in the 12th century The frescoes are done during the Crusades and Byzantine eras.
Christianity has 13 denominations. The original manger is in Rome in ST Mary's Basilica. The stall marks the spot where the stable was. The stables there 2000 years ago were caves. The stable is divided into 2 parts: one small where the manger was and one larger. All of the different denominations of the Christian church wanted the single oil lamp and the church over the stable. But they ended up sharing all of it. So there are several denominations represented in this church. When the radio broadcasts the Xmas Eve service, it comes from this church. Priest Jerome from Rome translated the Old Testament of the Bible from Hebrew to Latin. Then he translated the New Testament from Greek to Latin, called the Latin Vulgare. He stayed in this cave for 34 years to do these translations. He was buried there, then moved by Constantine to Rome. In the 4th century when the Hebrew was translated to Greek to make the split from Judaism, they also wrote the Greek language from left to right.
Haifa, Israel is the third largest city and it's port was built in 1976. They pipe water from the Sea of Galilee to water their crops. There are not many trees here because when the Ottomans were in control for 401 years, they cut down all the trees. Now they supply veggies for all of Europe in the winter.
Israel is the bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa. Jerusalem is holy to the Jews, Christians and Muslims. The central focus for all 3 religions is Mount Moriah, the highest point. This is where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son to God. King David built an altar here. King Solomon built his Temple around the altar. When it came under Roman rule, King Herod made it his temple. The Romans annexed Judea and Jerusalem into the Roman Empire because they realized its importance. When the Roman Empire fell, the Ottomans took over the temple. This was where Mohammed ascended to heaven from Mount Moriah. They built a dome over the spot and it is called Dome of the Rock and is holy to the Muslims. There is only the west wall (main support wall) left from the original temple of Solomon and this is now in Jewish control. It is called the Wailing Wall where the Jews pray to God and leave pieces of paper on which their requests are written. Israel gained it's independence from Palestine in 1948 and for 63 years now the country is divided into an east bank and a west bank. In 1967 they had the 6 Days War when they regained the Wailing Wall from Palestine.
The walled city of Old Jerusalem was built on 7 hills and has 7 gates into its city. The Lions Gate is the gate Jesus passed through on Palm Sunday. This is the 1st station of the cross. The Mercy Gate (Golden) is never opened. Jerusalem is surrounded by 2 valleys; the Garden of Gethsemane is in one of them. The Desert of Judea goes to the Dead Sea which is 400 meters below sea level and has no outlet. The Negev Desert covers 30% of Israel. Lake Galilee is fresh water and the Jordan River flows out of Lake Galilee and into the Dead Sea. Everything from the Jordan River east is the East Bank and under Palestinian rule. The West Bank is under dispute, but now is under Israel's control. Israel has no natural resources. Oil is all around it, but not in their country. They receive 30 days of rain in the winter. It rains each day for 30 - 45 minutes.
The population of Israel is 8 million. All females from 18 - 20 years of age must serve in the military. All males from 18 - 21 years of age must serve in the military, then they must go into the reserves until they are 30. Israel's main industry is diamonds which they buy rough from Africa, cut, polish and set for sale. There are 3 languages spoken here: Arabic, Hebrew and English. Their currency is the shekel which goes back 2000 years. The city of Jerusalem is a city of layers. Whenever you dig somewhere, you always find something from the past. Today's sidewalks and streets are 20 - 30 feet higher than they were 2000 years ago. Jerusalem is a town that is more than 3000 years old. So the hill of Golgotha is below the street level and is actually inside a church; now called the church of the Holy Sepulcher. It has a large gray dome. This is also a country of contrasts between 3 different religions. All 3 religions call Jerusalem Holy, which leads to many conflicts. After seeing how close all these Holy places are to each other, we can understand why there is always conflict in this region. Judaism is 5078 years old; Christianity is 2000 years old, the Muslim religion is only since the 7th century AD. For the Jews this is where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, Issac, where David built the altar to God and where King Solomon built his Temple which contained the 10 Commandments and the Arc of the Covenant. For the Muslims, this is Holy because Mohammed ascended up into heaven on a horse from on top of this same hill. They built the Dome of the Rock here covered in gold 500 years ago. They made sure their minaret is higher then either the Jewish or Christians churches. For the Christians this is where Jesus was raised, preached and was crucified. So it is their Holy place also. All 3 of these Holy places are all inside the walls of Jerusalem and in the same spot. Friday at 6PM is the start of the Jewish Holy Day, Shabatz, on Saturday. They are not allowed to work, cook, smoke, drive, etc. and must pray 3 times a day. The strict Orthodox Jews make up 20% of the population. The Muslims Holy Day is Friday and that is today. When we rode by a Muslim Temple there were military guards surrounding it. You can hear the Muslims being called to worship with a chant from a loud speaker on top of their minarets. They follow the Koran and must pray 5 times daily.
Via Dolorosa, the Sorrowful Way, is the winding road of Jesus' walk carrying the cross. It is also called the 14 stations of the cross. At the end of the walk is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Inside this church is the hill of Calvary, also called Golgotha. During the Roman Empire Hadrian destroyed it, rebuilt it as the Temple of Venus. Where Jesus' body was prepared for burial after His crucifixion is called The Stone of the Anointing. Hadrian placed the Temple of Adonis here. Jesus was placed in a tomb carved out of the hillside and a stone was rolled in front to cover it up. hat was typical of their burials 2000 years ago. There are no cemeteries inside the city because of diseases. The Garden of Gethsemane is in a valley and it is filled with olive trees. They have it cordoned off so you don't walk on it, but can see it perfectly. It looks exactly the way the picture in my Bible shows it with the trees and the big rocks. Olive trees can live 3000 to 4000 years; therefore some of the really old olive trees we saw were here when Jesus prayed the Lord's Prayer on Maundy Thursday and sweated tears of blood here. It is SO moving being here!!! Jesus' cross was made of olive wood and they sell many small crosses as momentoes of the cross and they are made out of olive wood also. It takes 7 years for the olive wood to dry enough to carve. There is that magic number 7 again.
Constantine's mother, Helen, was a Christian and found all of the places where Jesus was, identified them and built a church in the 4th century AD. The Church of All Nations, the Basilica of Agony is Roman Catholic. Every nation helped to built it. The altar has the stone from Gethsemane on which Jesus prayed. There are 3 mosaics inside: 1- Jesus with the apostles, 2- Jesus in Gethsemane, 3- Judas kissing Jesus. Jesus had holes in his hands and his feet, and a Roman soldier pierced his chest with a sword to be sure He was dead. Jerusalem has a special cross made of 5 crosses to represent the 5 wounds, the 5 nails and the 5 countries. On the back is written the word Jerusalem. This can only be bought in Jerusalem. This symbol was also the symbol of the 5 countries of the Crusades as they were trying Ta save all the Holy places from the Muslims.
There are 14 stations of the cross. The first is at the Lions Gate where Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The 5th station is the rock where Simon leaned against when. The 6th station is where Jesus fell 3 times carrying the cross. it is now inside the Church of Holy Veronica. He was crucified outside of the city and a crucifixtion typically lasts 6- 7 hours. There are 4 stations inside the Holy Sepulcher church which has been rebuilt several times. Jesus lost 1 drop of blood from the cross when He died. When that drop of blood touched the earth an earthquake occurred. It split the earth all the way down through the hill of Golgotha. They couldn't find a grave in which to bury Jesus, so a nobleman named Joseph gave his to Jesus. Station 14 is the tomb. A mausoleum was built in 1810 by the Russian church on top of the tomb. Then the disciples had to hurry before they closed the gates back into the city because it was Friday and the Jewish Sabbath started at 6PM. The statue of the Lion of Judea on his hind legs holding an olive branch is the symbol of Jesus.
We then drove to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity built in the 4th century AD by Constantine on top of the stable where Jesus was born. it was rebuilt in the 6th century. When the Ottoman Turks took over they made the doorway much shorter to prevent horses from entering.There is a painting on the outside wall of the 3 Wise Men coming from Persia. Since they were from Persia, the Turks didn't destroy it. The mosaic floor was laid during Constantine's reign. Later on Pope Justinian raised the floor up and added 44 columns in the 12th century The frescoes are done during the Crusades and Byzantine eras.
Christianity has 13 denominations. The original manger is in Rome in ST Mary's Basilica. The stall marks the spot where the stable was. The stables there 2000 years ago were caves. The stable is divided into 2 parts: one small where the manger was and one larger. All of the different denominations of the Christian church wanted the single oil lamp and the church over the stable. But they ended up sharing all of it. So there are several denominations represented in this church. When the radio broadcasts the Xmas Eve service, it comes from this church. Priest Jerome from Rome translated the Old Testament of the Bible from Hebrew to Latin. Then he translated the New Testament from Greek to Latin, called the Latin Vulgare. He stayed in this cave for 34 years to do these translations. He was buried there, then moved by Constantine to Rome. In the 4th century when the Hebrew was translated to Greek to make the split from Judaism, they also wrote the Greek language from left to right.
Haifa, Israel is the third largest city and it's port was built in 1976. They pipe water from the Sea of Galilee to water their crops. There are not many trees here because when the Ottomans were in control for 401 years, they cut down all the trees. Now they supply veggies for all of Europe in the winter.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Wednesday, 5/11/11
Ephesus, the ancient name, is Kusadasi, Turkey. This is the coast of Asia Minor that ST John could view from the Cave of the Apopylypse while he wrote Revelations. It is on the Aegean Sea, which is an extension of the Mediterranean and is very salty in the summer, with a Mediterranean climate of hot summers (110) and mild winters. It is close to Didymo, Priene, Miletos and Pamukkale, the ancient Greek thermal spas. Ephesus is the most and best preserved ancient city of the world. The ancient city had marble streets and inside the Magnesia gate is the entrance to Hadrian's Temple, Trajan's Fountain, the baths of Scoloastika, the ancient theater and library.
Turkey is a country of 70 million people with 250,000 living in Kusadasi. It is a beach town with a statue of the patron saint of the Ottoman Empire above the town. The oldest part is the castle which is now a hotel. Financially, there are no mortgages; just cash on the table. So young couples need to borrow money from grandparents to be able to buy a home. The houses we can see are terrace homes of the rich for $250,000. There were many apartments further into the city. Alongside an apartment building and the road we were riding on was a horse eating grass. They produce cotton, linen, peaches, apricots, figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives, oil, soap, pine nuts, saffron, Turkish cotton and blue jeans. In Turkey 95% are Muslim and 5% is Jewish. The Muslim ladies wear burkas, long black dresses and cover their hair. 70% of the marriages are chosen by the parents.
In 37 - 42AD when Mother Mary and ST John came here Christians were being persecuted; so they lived outside of the town. Mary's house was built in the 1st century AD for protection in the Moissommi Mountains. When you look up into the mountains all you see are rocks, trees and shrubs. You cannot tell that a house is up there. It wasn't even found until a German nun saw a vision of Mary in that area. A Basilica was built on this spot in the 6th century AD by Emperor Justinian with 6 domes. In 1304AD the Ottoman Empire conquered and turned it into a mosque. It was reconstructed in the late 18th century. Excavations in 1869 revealed a fortress with a large statue of Mary where Paul used to preach and the foundations of her house. The statue of Mary is the largest in the world. The Muslims call her " Mother of Miracles" and consider her holy; but Jesus is just a prophet. They say there are no bones for Mary because instead of dying and being buried she rose up to heaven at this location. Our guide informed us that a lot of young women pray to Mary here to bless them with a child. Now it is in really good shape and they keep it spotless and the shrubbery well trimmed.
Ephesus was founded 800 years before Christ with a tribe of Amazons. During the Roman era, Jews and Christians had visited here. The ruins show they had marble streets and a colosseum to hold 24,000 people. In 300BC they had lead sewer pipes to push the waste out and the drinking water in. They also had a smaller theater to hold only 1400 people. The floors of the rich homes had central heating with separate pipes for hot and cold water between the floors and the floors were mosaic. The Turkish carpets copy these mosaics. In 7AD they had a population of 250,000 and an outbreak of malaria set in. Then a level 10 earthquake occurred and the town was leveled. Whoever was still alive left the town. There was another earthquake from 1365-1370. Nobody lived here until the railroad came through in 1869 when they uncovered the ruins. They used the ruins as quarries for their building materials. In 1927-1930 the Austrian government did the excavations. Ephesus is only 25% excavated and renovated now.
The ruins have Doric (200 BC and vey simple) , Ionic and Corinthian columns. They found a wall of a hospital with markings of herbal treatments. At the gate are columns and a statue of Hercules holding a lion in his hands. There is a statue of Dr, Alexandros without a head. When the Christians had to meet in secret they found symbols written in the marble to direct them where to go. It was a circle with a cross inside. Then it was bisected 2 more times with the ends connected together with 8 curved lines. So what you see is a cross with 8 fish around the circle. The fish and cross represent Christianity. The Fountains of Emperor Trajan is in front of a 2 story building with a statue of Trajan with his foot on a ball which represents the world. The statue of Aphrodite is in front of the building also. Greek mythology has a goddess Neke, which is the goddess of sports; where our Nike comes from. The Temple of Hadrian had a tiny relief of statues in a pediment on the top. The statue of Lady Medussa is on top of the arch with the power of her "evil eye" watching everybody. Inside of the arch is the town's bathroom with 44 toilets for both sexes. They all wore togas so nobody could see anything; therefore, no separate stalls. This was the place to go to hear the latest news!
The Greco-Roman library built by Celsus is the second largest in the world. It is 2 stories and has a space between the floors and walls to keep the humidity away because of the manuscripts and books. When it caught fire, the wooden ceiling between the floors burned. Inside the library was a secret tunnel that led to the brothels. So the males could say they were going to the library and really go to the brothels. Outside the library was the Agora gate that led to the marketplace where slaves were sold. Slaves were prisioners of war, born slaves, sold as a slave by a parent or an African slave. This was a popular lectrue spot. ST Paul shaved his hair and changed his toga color and preached here. When he was put into jail on top of the hill he wrote the book of Ephesians. This was 1 of the 7 churches the saints speak about. During the 4th century AD it became a Christian area.
In the 6th century AD they brought the body of ST John from Rome to be buried here. It is a simple grave with 4 columns.
Turkey is a country of 70 million people with 250,000 living in Kusadasi. It is a beach town with a statue of the patron saint of the Ottoman Empire above the town. The oldest part is the castle which is now a hotel. Financially, there are no mortgages; just cash on the table. So young couples need to borrow money from grandparents to be able to buy a home. The houses we can see are terrace homes of the rich for $250,000. There were many apartments further into the city. Alongside an apartment building and the road we were riding on was a horse eating grass. They produce cotton, linen, peaches, apricots, figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives, oil, soap, pine nuts, saffron, Turkish cotton and blue jeans. In Turkey 95% are Muslim and 5% is Jewish. The Muslim ladies wear burkas, long black dresses and cover their hair. 70% of the marriages are chosen by the parents.
In 37 - 42AD when Mother Mary and ST John came here Christians were being persecuted; so they lived outside of the town. Mary's house was built in the 1st century AD for protection in the Moissommi Mountains. When you look up into the mountains all you see are rocks, trees and shrubs. You cannot tell that a house is up there. It wasn't even found until a German nun saw a vision of Mary in that area. A Basilica was built on this spot in the 6th century AD by Emperor Justinian with 6 domes. In 1304AD the Ottoman Empire conquered and turned it into a mosque. It was reconstructed in the late 18th century. Excavations in 1869 revealed a fortress with a large statue of Mary where Paul used to preach and the foundations of her house. The statue of Mary is the largest in the world. The Muslims call her " Mother of Miracles" and consider her holy; but Jesus is just a prophet. They say there are no bones for Mary because instead of dying and being buried she rose up to heaven at this location. Our guide informed us that a lot of young women pray to Mary here to bless them with a child. Now it is in really good shape and they keep it spotless and the shrubbery well trimmed.
Ephesus was founded 800 years before Christ with a tribe of Amazons. During the Roman era, Jews and Christians had visited here. The ruins show they had marble streets and a colosseum to hold 24,000 people. In 300BC they had lead sewer pipes to push the waste out and the drinking water in. They also had a smaller theater to hold only 1400 people. The floors of the rich homes had central heating with separate pipes for hot and cold water between the floors and the floors were mosaic. The Turkish carpets copy these mosaics. In 7AD they had a population of 250,000 and an outbreak of malaria set in. Then a level 10 earthquake occurred and the town was leveled. Whoever was still alive left the town. There was another earthquake from 1365-1370. Nobody lived here until the railroad came through in 1869 when they uncovered the ruins. They used the ruins as quarries for their building materials. In 1927-1930 the Austrian government did the excavations. Ephesus is only 25% excavated and renovated now.
The ruins have Doric (200 BC and vey simple) , Ionic and Corinthian columns. They found a wall of a hospital with markings of herbal treatments. At the gate are columns and a statue of Hercules holding a lion in his hands. There is a statue of Dr, Alexandros without a head. When the Christians had to meet in secret they found symbols written in the marble to direct them where to go. It was a circle with a cross inside. Then it was bisected 2 more times with the ends connected together with 8 curved lines. So what you see is a cross with 8 fish around the circle. The fish and cross represent Christianity. The Fountains of Emperor Trajan is in front of a 2 story building with a statue of Trajan with his foot on a ball which represents the world. The statue of Aphrodite is in front of the building also. Greek mythology has a goddess Neke, which is the goddess of sports; where our Nike comes from. The Temple of Hadrian had a tiny relief of statues in a pediment on the top. The statue of Lady Medussa is on top of the arch with the power of her "evil eye" watching everybody. Inside of the arch is the town's bathroom with 44 toilets for both sexes. They all wore togas so nobody could see anything; therefore, no separate stalls. This was the place to go to hear the latest news!
The Greco-Roman library built by Celsus is the second largest in the world. It is 2 stories and has a space between the floors and walls to keep the humidity away because of the manuscripts and books. When it caught fire, the wooden ceiling between the floors burned. Inside the library was a secret tunnel that led to the brothels. So the males could say they were going to the library and really go to the brothels. Outside the library was the Agora gate that led to the marketplace where slaves were sold. Slaves were prisioners of war, born slaves, sold as a slave by a parent or an African slave. This was a popular lectrue spot. ST Paul shaved his hair and changed his toga color and preached here. When he was put into jail on top of the hill he wrote the book of Ephesians. This was 1 of the 7 churches the saints speak about. During the 4th century AD it became a Christian area.
In the 6th century AD they brought the body of ST John from Rome to be buried here. It is a simple grave with 4 columns.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, 5/10/11
Early this morning we sailed into the Straits of Messinna on the eastern side of the Aegean Sea. We docked in the harbor of Sklara, a little fishing village the size of Manhattan with a population of 3000 on the island of Patmos, Greece. Patmos is one of the many Dodecanese (12) islands that hug the coast of Asia Minor far away from Greece, but they are of Greek heritage. Patmos became part of Greece in 1948. This is a small, rocky volcanic island with only 1 other town, Hora. The white houses are perched on the cliffs. In the past all of the houses were built out of natural stone to keep the rats away. Now they are painted white to reflect the sun. The roofs are flat in order to collect the rain water.Today it is not sunny, but hot. According to Greek mythology Leto (a Titan lady) and Zeus had an affair. Their issue were Apollo and Artremis. Celine, the moon goddess, swayed Artremis to raise Patmos out of the sea; therefore Patmos is named after Artremis. The island to the north of Patmos is an all rock island called Ichyrus, after Greek mythology. the pine trees growing here are native, but the eucalyptus trees were brought by Australian soldiers during WWII.
At the top of this rocky island in the medieval capital town of Hora is a monastery to ST. John the Theologan founded 1000 years after ST John was here. It is a 1600 year old Byzantine structure with great frescoes where 6 monks reside. They are Greek-Orthodox and it is considered the Jerusalem of the Aegean. It was founded in the 11th century, but the courtyard was built in the 17th century. In their bakery they use a horse trough as a kneading table for their bread In the museum was a huge 1300 year old handwritten book of Job! This is the oldest painted manuscript in the Mediterranean. It consists of 400 pages and was written on codex, a parchment which took the skins of 30 goats to make. This is the most important possession of the monastery. The library was founded in the 11th century also. Books were actually printed in 1494 in Germany, so this was many years before. The man that built this monastery was granted this island by Constantine in 1088. This monastery of St John was built out of the stones from the Temple of Diana. Halfway between Hora and Sklara is the Cave of the Apopcalypse where ST. John wrote the book of Revelations. ST.John is referred to as the son of Zebedee, brother of James, John the Evangelist, John the Apostle. He was a fisherman born in Galilee and was a disciple of John the Baptist before he was an apostle of Jesus. He was with Mary at the cross when Jesus entrusted Mary into John's care After the Assumption John took Mary on foot through Asia to Ephaseus to live. The Apostles, Peter, James, John and Paul were traveling all over the world spreading Jesus' word. In 51AD they met at the first Apostalic Council to decide how to better spread God's word. John was declared a pillar of the church because of his work in Europe and Asia. Paul, being a rabble rouser, was denounced by Demetrius, a silversmith outside the Temple, and put into prison. The Emperor deported John to Rome to be boiled to death in oil, but instead he was banished to the island of Patmos for 18 months. While on Patmos John had a vision in a cave on Hora and dictated the book of Revelations to his pupil. St. John saw 7 golden candlesticks (which stood for the 7 churches), centered over Jesus were double edged swords (heaven and hell), and 7 stars for 7 angels. As soon as the vision was completed, the roof of the cave split into 3 pieces from the Voice of God, the Trinity! He wrote the 22 chapters of Revelations in Greek because that was the easiest way to spread the Word. There are mosaics just above the entrance to the cave. The cave is small, enough room for an altar, bed and stove; but they say he didn't live in the cave. He could see the coast of Asia Minor from inside the cave. There was a rock like a desk that he used as the altar. Then the cave was forgotten until it was found in the 11th century. It was reconstructed during the 18th century. During the 19th century people started living at the port of Sklara.
ST. John returned to Ephesus and lived 40 more years until 100 AD when he died a natural death. He was buried at the Basilica of St. john in Ephaseus , Turkey under plain stone slab with 4 columns.
At the top of this rocky island in the medieval capital town of Hora is a monastery to ST. John the Theologan founded 1000 years after ST John was here. It is a 1600 year old Byzantine structure with great frescoes where 6 monks reside. They are Greek-Orthodox and it is considered the Jerusalem of the Aegean. It was founded in the 11th century, but the courtyard was built in the 17th century. In their bakery they use a horse trough as a kneading table for their bread In the museum was a huge 1300 year old handwritten book of Job! This is the oldest painted manuscript in the Mediterranean. It consists of 400 pages and was written on codex, a parchment which took the skins of 30 goats to make. This is the most important possession of the monastery. The library was founded in the 11th century also. Books were actually printed in 1494 in Germany, so this was many years before. The man that built this monastery was granted this island by Constantine in 1088. This monastery of St John was built out of the stones from the Temple of Diana. Halfway between Hora and Sklara is the Cave of the Apopcalypse where ST. John wrote the book of Revelations. ST.John is referred to as the son of Zebedee, brother of James, John the Evangelist, John the Apostle. He was a fisherman born in Galilee and was a disciple of John the Baptist before he was an apostle of Jesus. He was with Mary at the cross when Jesus entrusted Mary into John's care After the Assumption John took Mary on foot through Asia to Ephaseus to live. The Apostles, Peter, James, John and Paul were traveling all over the world spreading Jesus' word. In 51AD they met at the first Apostalic Council to decide how to better spread God's word. John was declared a pillar of the church because of his work in Europe and Asia. Paul, being a rabble rouser, was denounced by Demetrius, a silversmith outside the Temple, and put into prison. The Emperor deported John to Rome to be boiled to death in oil, but instead he was banished to the island of Patmos for 18 months. While on Patmos John had a vision in a cave on Hora and dictated the book of Revelations to his pupil. St. John saw 7 golden candlesticks (which stood for the 7 churches), centered over Jesus were double edged swords (heaven and hell), and 7 stars for 7 angels. As soon as the vision was completed, the roof of the cave split into 3 pieces from the Voice of God, the Trinity! He wrote the 22 chapters of Revelations in Greek because that was the easiest way to spread the Word. There are mosaics just above the entrance to the cave. The cave is small, enough room for an altar, bed and stove; but they say he didn't live in the cave. He could see the coast of Asia Minor from inside the cave. There was a rock like a desk that he used as the altar. Then the cave was forgotten until it was found in the 11th century. It was reconstructed during the 18th century. During the 19th century people started living at the port of Sklara.
ST. John returned to Ephesus and lived 40 more years until 100 AD when he died a natural death. He was buried at the Basilica of St. john in Ephaseus , Turkey under plain stone slab with 4 columns.
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