The Mystery at Magdala

I finally got to go to Magdala with a tour guide, and wow, this place is even more incredible than I first realized! 

Obviously nothing beats the fact that Jesus was there, in that first century B.C. synagogue—one of only 7 that have been discovered. If fact, it boggles my mind to even think about it. 

But what I didn't know is why this site is so well preserved, and why the main street next to it is barricaded with broken columns.

My tour guide pointed out to us that there is only 1 column still partially standing in the ruins of the synagogue. And how does this correlate with the blocked main street? Why?

The answer lies in the Great Revolt of 67 AD, around the same time that Gamla fell. Magdala was one of the few cities that stood up to the Romans as they made their campaign from the north through the south—all the way to Jerusalem. At some point, the inhabitants made a previously unthinkable decision. To protect their town, and the synagogue, they removed the columns from the synagogue and used them to barricade the entrance to their town. They also covered over the synagogue to keep it from being destroyed by the Romans.

Magdala was destroyed, but because of the forethought of the Madgalenes, the synagogue was preserved until 2009 AD, when its remains were discovered just 30 centimeters below the surface. 

WOW!!!

But that's not the mystery I wanted to share with you. The mystery is this:

While a replica of the Magdala stone is in the synagogue, the original is in the lobby of the hotel. (AMAZING!!!) Because this synagogue is from 1st Century AD, before the destruction of the 2nd Temple, we know that its decoration was fashioned after the Temple. This is one of the earliest known depictions of the menorah from the Temple. Here it stands on a base, which matches the image of the Menorah on the Arch of Titus in Rome.

(picture mine)

This is intriguing, because other images of the menorah don't show a base, but a 3-point stand. For instance, here is one from the Talmudic village of ancient Katzrin in the Golan:

And here, from the Museum in Katzrin. This relief also dates back to the Talmudic (Byzantine) era:

These carvings are from only a few centuries after Jesus. So which is correct? There has appeared to be a discrepancy between the Arch of Titus and the earliest depictions of the menorah that have been found—until the Magdala stone. The fact that it has a base might not be creative license; it might be a carving of the actual menorah, which is the ancient symbol for Israel (not the Star of David).

Which is correct?

Could it be that the menorah for the Temple is in Rome (the Vatican) after all? What do you think?

The Golan: Peace Vista (Part 3 of 4)

Driving south along the Golan, past the entrance to Gamla National Park and you'll find the Kfar Haruv Kibbutz and one of the most spectacular views of the Sea of Galilee that I've never seen: The Peace Vista.

It was windy that day we were up here, but I was so glad for that because it was late June and a documented 103 degrees Fahrenheit. The view did not disappoint!

It was so vast (and we were so close) that I couldn't fit the whole lake in the photo. WOW! 

Built on the stones of a 1,700 Talmudic village, the view point offers and incredible view to not only appreciate the beauty of the area but also to understand its history. From above, you can see much of the Golan. And if you're with a tour guide like I was, from there, you get to get about the history of the area, most recently in the Six Day War of 1967, with him pointing to and fro.

And, there was a bonus. It's hard to tell unless you zoom in, but beyond the taller trees on the mid-right of the photo is a ridge and some more ruins: Susita (Hippos)! You can almost see Kursi National Park as well. So cool!

Shalom for Israel, Shalom for Jerusalem, Shalom for all.

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!

The Golan: Ancient Katzrin (Part 1 of 4)

The Golan Heights is a place of incredible Israel history, filled with conquests, epic battles, and important lessons. 

"Golan" is mentioned in Deuteronomy 4:43, Joshua 20:8, and 1 Chronicles 6:71 as a city of refuge in Bashan. Throughout Biblical times, the Golan was a focus of a power struggle between the Israelites and the ancient Arameans from near Damascus.

King Ahab of Israel defeated Ben Hadad I of Damascus near Afik (pictured above) and years later, Elisha prophesied the victory of King Jehoash of Israel over Ben Hadad III of Damascus.

Jewish exiles from the Babylonia settled here in the 5th and 6th centuries BC, and during the inter-Testamental period, Judah Maccabee and his brothers came to the aid of Jewish settlements there (above info found here). 

By 1st century AD, Gamla was the capital of the Golan, and fell as the last Jewish stronghold to resist the Romans in 67 AD.

Despite the fall of Gamla, Jewish settlement continued to grow in the Golan, and during the Byzantine Era (4th-7th centuries AD), Jewish settlement in the Golan Heights reached its peak. During that time, 27 different towns (with synagogues) were built up along the area. And after the Six Day War in 1967, excavation began. Over the next few weeks, we'll look at a series of locations throughout the Golan that tell part of its incredible story.

First of all, the meaning of the Talmudic Era. The Talmud is a set of teachings and commentaries on the Torah that form the basis for Jewish law. It was written during the time of the Byzantine Era, hence the name

In the city of Katzrin is lies the ancient Talmudic village of Katzrin. It's a really cool interactive park where people can go, learn about things like the olive press, wine press, and threshing grain, while also touring ruins from the Talmudic era. There's a village and the remains of a synagogue!

this isn't the olive press; I didn't get a good picture of it.

I could totally picture Eden from The Chosen smushing grapes in here!

grain sifter

These areas were fun, but I enjoyed most walking through the ruins (of course):

And we got a surprise at the synagogue—a modern day ceremony!

These children were being given their very own copies of the Torah!

the carving of the menorah is interesting here... I'll explain more in a future post.

Walking through the Rabbi's house was also really neat:

can you guess where the refrigerator is?

here it is! keeps out the critters

This was a really cool place. As a BIG fan of HGTV in the States, the house was the most interesting thing to me. What was your favorite part?

Stay tuned for next week—Afik!

Weapons, armor, coins, and more from Gamla! (Part 3 of 3)

A few months after hiking Gamla, I got to go to the museum in Katzrin with the artifacts from the seige. To say I was freaking out was an understatement!

The Katzrin Archeological Museum has an excellent display (and air conditioning, haha) of more than just Gamla. It's too much for me to tell about in this blog, so I'm just going to focus on what I consider the crown jewel: the telling of Gamla's story.

In addition to the telling of this incredible discovery (a pristine site after 1900 years... other than natural damage, haha), we were able to see artifacts from the dig. Here's just a few:

spears and arrowheads!

a piece of a scabbard

part of Roman armor

coins

coins

oil lamps, weapons, and more

WOW! I still would love to see the suit of armor that was stuck in a ceiling, but I think that's in a museum in either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. So maybe one day!

I love being in Israel... you can enter into the story like no where else!