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 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: 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!