Bethlehem, Herodium, and Hebron

This week we took a trip to the Southern West Bank visiting Bethlehem, Herodium, and Hebron.  We were looking at the different approaches into Jerusalem, specifically the Hinnom Valley, the Way of the Patriarchs, and the Rephaim Valley.

     We started our day near Jerusalem on the Hinnom Valley on the Kitef Hinnom at the Begin Center. There we looked at tombs from the 7^th - 6^th century B.C.  They had spots for bodies to rest for a year during which the family would come visit and leave gifts to help the deceased in their transition from this world to the next. They believed it took the soul a year to leave the body, but later believed the soul left on the fourth day (hence more stress on raising Lazarus from the dead on the “fourth day”). After one year, the bones were “gathered to their fathers” and thrown into a repository under the benches with the bones of generations past.

Starbucks anyone? Wait...

     After taking pictures and trying out the tombs for size, we traveled back down the Way of the Patriarchs (the North-South Route that goes by Jerusalem and connects cities like Gibeah and Bethlehem together)  towards Bethlehem. As we were approaching the West Bank, Chris McKinney our field trip leader, gave us a little of the history before we crossed the West Bank Security Wall.  Apparently access into the West Bank is always a little uncertain, especially Bethlehem. Some groups have not been able to go in the past, but we were able to get through with no problems, which was a great treat and blessing. We drove through Bethlehem towards the Church of the Nativity. It was fairly poverty ridden and dirty, not like what you would expect from the typical American Christmas card.  

     Our main stop in Bethlehem was none other than the Church of the Nativity.  Built in 313 A.D. and commissioned by Constantine’s mother Helena (who also commissioned the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of the Ascension) this is the oldest church in the country and for the most part still has its basic architectural framework. Below the floor of the church are two grottos; one is the traditional site of the birthplace of Jesus, and the other the living quarters of Jerome (writer of the Latin Vulgate in the 300’s AD).  Inside the church are lamps, incense, gold and all sorts of ornaments of homage and worship.  The whole place is a little overwhelming, and because of the shrine-like essence it was hard to get an idea of what it actually looked like.  The spot where the manger sat was covered with marble and gold and a little circular glass looking at the bedrock underneath.  But besides that there were tapestries, lamps, pictures, and coverings.  It did not really look like a stable at all.  In fact as our professors have been telling us there is no mention of a stable in the Christmas account, only a manger.  Stables in those days were probably caves under the house to provide heating in the cold months.

Entering the grotto where Jesus was born

Women praying to Mary

The site of the birth of Jesus

    We left the church and made our way through Bethlehem looking at the fields and imagining David being a shepherd and even imagining the shepherds when the angels found them to tell them of the birth of the Savior. I love that part of the Christmas Story by the way.  Just imagining the lowly shepherds being invited to the birth of the King.  It is just wonderful!

     We then drove through the West Bank and arrived at Herodium, Herod the Great's personal monument to himself. It was found in 2009 by Edward Netzer who specialized in Herodian Architecture and was able to find Herod’s palace and tomb a year before he died from a fall on the excavation itself.  Herod won a battle against the Hasmoneans in 37 B.C. and he thought his mom died- he was about to commit suicide when he found out that his mother still lived.  In honor of the victory and life of his mom he set in his mind to come back and build a monument.  He built the mountain using retaining walls with dirt filling from the nearby hills. The Palace had four towers with one entrance that faced Jerusalem.

Remains of the main tower

Model of Herodium

View facing Jerusalem

     The exterior had a theater that had been filled in with dirt, and the remains of Herod’s Nephesh (monument/tomb) that had been purposely destroyed probably during one of the Jewish Revolts. The Jews had used Herodium as a fortress when revolting the Romans in 67-70 AD as well as 132-135 AD.  They had destroyed some of the painful reminders of Herod and had dug tunnels into the mountain and cisterns for protection.  Some of the cisterns could hold ½ million gallons and the pools were supplied with water from a 35-mile aqueduct from Solomon’s Pool. It was quite an amazing place to walk around and explore.  There were remains from the bathroom, a synagogue, and stones that the rebels would use to roll down the hill onto the Roman Army.

Cistern beneath Herodium

Theater at Herodium

Model of the Tomb of Herod

     We watched a little video on the life of Herod the Great before leaving the site, and then continued south to Hebron. Hebron is inhabited by Jews and Muslims and though it is geographically and politically significant it has little biblical historical significance.  It was once the site of King David’s capital, but its main claim to fame is that it is the location of the tomb of the Patriarchs, believed to be the Cave of Macpaleh. It actually has at least a 2,000-year tradition, for the building at this site was built by Herod the Great himself and is one of the only complete structures left from the life of Christ.  It also is a visual example of what the Temple Mount would have looked like if it had not been destroyed. In the typical Herodian style the rocks are all cut the same way, set in an inch from the previous row, and decorated with pilasters that resemble columns from a distance. We were not able to look at the tomb, the building itself is half Jewish and half Muslim and we were only allowed on the Jewish side, which has replicas to resemble the idea and memory of the patriarchs.  Everything was in Hebrew and while we were there a circumcision ceremony was taking place. The men and women were separated and there was chanting and much rocking back and forth. While we had our cameras out to take pictures, the Jewish men in the group also had their cameras to record this special tradition.

The Pilasters built by Herod the Great

Circumcision Ceremony

Streets of Hebron

    As we were loading the bus we were pressed by a few poor adorable children asking for money.  They went from one of us to the next and next with hands out and big pleading eyes.  Our professor warned us that they might come to us as we loaded the bus and sure enough they did.  We were able to watch them run away back into their little homes here and there as we drove away.  Quite a different world than what we had previously seen. 

    Our last stop before returning to the campus was off of the Rephaim Valley, one of the South western approaches to Jerusalem that was most likely used by Philistines in David’s day in 2 Samuel 5.  When David became king, the Philistines all gathered to fight against him and battled in the valley of Rephaim near Baal-Perazim. This battle showed a contrast with David and Saul.  In previous battles Saul would inquire of the Lord through Samuel, but in this battle David asked the Lord directly demonstrating his personal relationship.  After looking over the valley we loaded back into the bus and I personally enjoyed a little short nap on the ride back.  It had been a long day and we were all pretty tired!

Life in the midst of ruins at Herodium