A whole new (underground) world!

Caves, caves, and more caves!

When I think of Bet Guvrin, that's first what comes to mind. But there's so much more to this park. It's HUGE and will be a 4-part series probably. 

But today, CAVES!

There are so many caves carved in this area because of the rocks in the region are soft and chalk-like. It's this beautiful, creamy color and easy to quarry. So in this park are MANY caves that served as dove-cotes, quarries, cisterns, storerooms, tombs, and storage chambers. One of the caves was basically a maze, which I couldn't document clearly because you can't see the change of directions in a still photo. But it was A-MAZE-ING!!!

My favorites, though, were the Bell Caves. These bell-shaped caves were formed by quarrying in the Byzantine and Early Muslim periods. Their shape and the different colors of the earth, in addition to the light coming from the top, make them an incredible sight. Today, they are tourist attractions and also places for events like weddings and concerts. Can you imagine?!?

Also, I definitely heard bats in here. No, gracias!

This bedrock here (darker spot below) was about 20 feet off the ground, and it shows a closed off tunnel from the Bar Kochba Revolt (135-137 AD)! WOW!

The quarry:

But that's not the only kind of cave in Bet Guvrin. Here is the Polish cave. It originally a cistern that also doubled as a dovecote. It was given this name because of an inscription on a stone inside. During WWII, Polish soldiers visited the cave and carved an eagle, 1943, and Warsaw, Poland on the rock: 

Then, there's the Columbarium. This cross-shaped cave was also a dove-cote that held more than 2,000 birds! Being so close to Jerusalem, these were likely raised for sacrifices, as well as being used for food and their droppings for fertilizer. There are over 85 dove-cote caves found in the area of Maresha alone with 10s of thousands of niches!

This photo is an example of the soft, chalk-like rock the caves are carved from:

Then, a cave with an ancient oil press:

Finally, a Sidonian tomb! The artwork in here was so unique (and interesting). The animals had almost human-like faces.

Those are just a few of the caves in this 1,250 acre park. It's too much to see in a few hours. I definitely need to go back and spend more time there!

This street is 1,400 years old!

Like I've said before, you never know what you'll find walking through the Old City of Jerusalem, especially in the Jewish Quarter!

This time it was the Cardo, the 40-ft wide, colonnaded main street dating back to the Roman Era. It's called this because it was the main street, or the heart of the city. This is where we get words in English like, "cardio" or "cardiologist", and other words referring to heart. All ancient Roman cities had a cardo, and this was Jerusalem's (once it was rebuilt under the Romans). According to BiblePlaces, this was the main thoroughfare for Byzantine (Talmudic Era) Jerusalem. ItravelJerusalem.com says it would have stretched from the Damascus Gate to the Zion Gate, and its existence is proven by the Midba map in Jordan. In addition to shops, large churches lined the street.

Today, the street is about 6 meters (20 feet) below the current street level, showing how much the level of the Land has changed in the past 1400 years. 

The north side of the Cardo is from the Roman Era, dating back to Constantine. It has not been excavated. The south side, where we walked, is from the time of Emperor Justinian is Byzantine Era.

Part of it has been rebuilt to include shops. There's so much art lining this part of the Cardo, and it was all so beautiful! I wanted to get a piece of my own!

Along the sides of the Cardo are older remains form earlier eras... 

The older looking ruins (above) are from the 1st Temple period!

The newer ones (above right) are Hasmonian (the 400 -100 BC)

There are also places to look down and see what is directly below the cardo:

1st Temple period!

This is from the 2nd Temple Era... can you see difference in craftsmanship?

Farther down were murals on the walls lining the cardo:

And, let's not forget the areas with the original stones!

Amazing!

It was so cool, I decided to join the crowd:

*information from BiblePlaces and itraveljerusalem.com.

The Mystery at Capernaum

I love being in the Galilee, because Jesus spent 80% of those 3 years of ministry there. And there are a few places we can place Him there for certain, like Magdala, Capernaum, Beit Tzaida (still in excavation), Korazim, and Gamla and Susita in the Golan.

As I noted here, Capernaum is one of the 3 cities that Jesus cursed in Matthew 20. This was Jesus and the disciples' main base, as they stayed often at Peter's mother-in-law's house. Years later, a church was built on the location, and now a modern church is on top of it (with a glass floor).

And it lies not far from the remains of a 4th century synagogue. We know that this was rebuilt in the Byzantine/Talmudic Era, and as was custom, built directly on the foundation of the synagogue that was present in the time of Jesus. So while Jesus was not in that synagogue, He was definitely in the one made from the foundation.

But here comes the first mystery: why are there the remains of a 4th-century Christian church and a 4th-century synagogue so close to each other?

And even more importantly, why was this synagogue so big and ornate? Was this a wealthy town full of power? Fishermen weren't known for their wealth. 

The answer lies in Luke's Gospel.

"When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them." Luke 7: 1-5

The synagogue that Jesus, the disciples, and the rest of the 1st century residents of Capernaum worshipped in was built by a Roman, a pagan. He'd earned the trust of the people and loved the people of Israel. Wow!

This is the same centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant from afar, believing it would be done, and Jesus said that he had not found such great faith anywhere else in Israel (again, faith from a Gentile).

WOW!

That's pretty incredible, and answers the question of the synagogue. As for why it is so close to a church, could it be that the residents of Capernaum were not practicing Judaism by the time this church was built, around the time that Chorazim died? Since the city was cursed and did die out, it is highly likely.  

My most recent return to Capernaum was also with a tour guide, for which I was so thankful. In 2017, this is the place the batteries in the headset died, so I missed a lot. I've still had very meaningful visits here, but nothing beats having a tour guide.

It was the end of July and it was HOT. Thought it was my 4th time to this site, I was amazed at all I learned. 

Also my visit there 2 months earlier, signs had been posted throughout the sight with information. So cool! Who says you can't find new things at archeological sites?

Also, I finally have an answer for this hole in the synagogue floor:

They excavated a level lower to explore what was there pre-4th century. Unfortunately, archeology is a destructive science by nature. To see what is below, you have to destroy what is above. So they only did this small space and left this for us to see.

What do you think of this visit to Capernaum? Do the pictures of the description from Luke 7 impact your understanding of the story?

**** I'm going to take a break posting until the new year, so I will see you in 2023! I hope you have wonderful Christmas, Hanukah, and New Year's celebrations! 

The Golan: the ancient synagogue of Afik (Part 2 of 4)

I had never heard of Afik until I still in its ancient synagogue, staring out at the incredible view over the Golan. 

That was an epic day. 

But when I started writing this series, I learned something interesting: somewhere near here is where King Ahab defeated Ben Hadad I of Damascus in 1 Kings 26-30. That's pretty cool!

Okay, back to the synagogue (also cool)!

As I stated in the last post, during the Talmudic era, there were 27 different villages along the Golan, all with a synagogue. Katzrin was one, and Afik was another. This is one of the synagogues. (There's one not too far away that they were able to put back together by numbering the stones and using a computer program, which is JUST INCREDIBLE and I can't stop dorking out about it. I definitely need to go there). 

Anywho, what's interesting about this one is that while synagogues are supposed to be facing Jerusalem when they are built, this one isn't. It faces west instead of south. 

Why? Because the topography of the area, with its many ridges, and the fact that it lies on the longest fault line in the world (think 363 AD, 749 AD, etc). However, despite this anomaly, the Torah room still faces Jerusalem.

Pretty cool, huh?

See the carving on the stone? It's another example of using found materials in building... it was originally used somewhere else.

Seriously, can we talk about this view? INCREDIBLE!