Day 3: The Lows and the Highs
To look back on today, is almost overwhelming in the vast expanse of history, culture and archeological significance. There is also a second piece that is bouncing around in my head which eventually I\'ll get to.
We started our day checking out of the hotel at the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. The sand is an amber color and "the lake" as locals call it has represented commerce, industry and financial hope for the Israelites for centuries. Its rich salt and minerals provide a variety of salable products for the people of Israel, however it is also drying up at an inch every three months.
Our first stop was Masada, the last Jewish holdout to fall to Rome in 73 CE as well as the winter palace (or specifically 3 palaces) of King Harod. Masada is an incredible fortress steeped in the history of the Jewish people and has become a symbol of bravery and self-sacrifice since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. Masada is a rock formation with steep cliffs rising on all sides. Half our group braved the 45 minute Snake climb, while part took the breathtaking 5 minute Gondola ride to the top.
Leaving the stark and harsh desert of Masada, we traveled to Ein Gedi. Basically Ein Gedi is an oasis with waterfalls and series of natural pools cascading from cliffs above. within the cliffs are series of caves very visible from the naked eye. and YES these are the caves here David hid from Saul.
We were able to stand under the cascading waters truly experiencing being emerged in the living waters of God. We then drove along Jordan River to Qumran.
Truly an amazing site. Blistering heat, looking like a giant excavation site with ruins from the Essenes - stark and dusty. Huge outcropping of cliffs and steep angles leading upward once again contain cave after cave, These are the caves of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947-1956, nearly 900 scrolls were discovered. Most were written on parchment and some on papyrus. Cisterns, Jewish ritual baths, and cemeteries have been found, along with a dining or assembly room and debris from an upper story alleged by some to have been a scriptorium as well as pottery kilns and a tower. Only 5% of the scrolls have been gone thru but this has been the source for our bible. Amazing and we saw the actual cave where 200 of the scrolls were found.
As we left, we traveled along the Jordan border to the Sea of Galilee. Staying in a Kibbutz, a collective farm called Ein Gev, we woke this morning to the view of Galilee. We are literally 1/2 mile from where the pigs jumped off he cliff!! And we are in the middle of where so many of Jesus' miracles occurred. Ok God, we\'re ready.
