Recent days
have taken in visits to Nazareth, Cana (a drive through, twice) and Tzipori. Today
our visits were to Megiddo (Armageddon) and Bet She’an.
As you might
imagine, visiting a site known as Armageddon (from the Hebrew Ha-Magaddon)
conjures up in the mind a vast plain upon which battles will have been fought
and lives lost. In the Book of Revelation, we read that the final battle
between good and evil will take place here.
The site
itself is one that comes under the auspices of Israel Nature and Parks
Authority. In addition it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – along with the
tells of Hazor and Beer Sheva. Megiddo rises 60 metres above the surrounding
area, with archaeological findings to be seen that date back to the Neolithic period
(seventh-sixth millennia BCE). The impressive archaeological work that has taken
place here has revealed layer upon layer of building, with each succeeding community
(often incomers following the defeat of the residents of the place) building on/over
the existing structures. The most amazing feat of engineering at Armageddon has
to be the water system. With fresh water springs that lay outside the city perimeter,
the residents had to find a way of ensuring a constant water supply even if the
city was under siege. To do this, a 36 metre deep shaft was dug, in addition to
a 70 metre horizontal tunnel – down and along which residents would journey to collect
fresh water. If under attack, the residents of the city would be completely
unseen by opposing forces as the entrance to the tunnel had been covered up
with stone, earth and planting so that it was ‘invisible’. Walking down the
shaft and along the tunnel by virtue of both modern metal steps and a wooden walkway
made one realise just how inventive and ingenious the people who lived here
were. The planning and physical taken to design this essential supply was simply
amazing. The first of the surprises of the day!
Following the
visit to Megiddo came the visit to another Nature and Parks Authority site –
Bet She’an. What an amazing place – the second surprise of the day.
None of the
guidebooks make very much of Bet She’an but, I have to tell you, it seriously
rivals Ephesus in terms of scale, fullness of excavation and uncovered remains –
not to mention the immediate ‘wow factor’ upon passing through the entrance
gate. Our plan was to take it in en route
as we made our way back to Tiberius with perhaps an hour’s visit… We spent at
least two and a half hours there – in glorious sunshine – taking in the vast array
buildings and areas of the city that had been uncovered. A two hundred step climb
took us up to the highest point of the site – overlooking the city itself, as
well as the stunning mountains that could be seen in the near distance. Whilst the
earliest settlements on Megiddo can be dated back to the seventh millennia BCE,
Bet She’an comes in at only the fifth millennia BCE. What a stunning place to
visit though – completely beyond anything we had expected. An absolute surprise!
And then on
to Church this evening: St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church – right in the heart
of Tiberius. The Priest who celebrated Communion welcomed us in Hebrew and
English, telling us that this Church was the place where all the teachings and
miracles of Jesus were remembered in this area before Capernaum and then Tabgha
were discovered. The Service continued in Hebrew – which was such a strange
experience for me as I have only ever read the Hebrew Bible (what many Christians
call the Old Testament) in Hebrew. To hear the readings, prayers, Creed –
everything – in Hebrew was really thought-provoking. (I have to confess that
when I say above, “I have only read… “ this is in relation to my studying
Hebrew at Theological College. I was pretty okay at reading it but my grasp of
vocab and grammar was hopeless!) The warmth of welcome from the priest, the
simplicity and calm of the service and the sermon, first in Hebrew and then, more
briefly, in English gave a chance for a reflective close to the day with a
really important message to take away to think about: Jesus is always with us,
but we are not always with him. I mentioned in a previous entry the desire to
be ‘tethered’ by attending Church on a Sunday. This Saturday Evening Mass was
such a gift at the close of a full and busy week – and it was such a gift to be
able to sit and pray and worship – even though for the most part I had no idea
of what was being said… due to it all being in Hebrew! (I did recognise Baruch
Adonai and Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh and Hoshanna – and a few other words – so it
wasn’t all Greek to me!) And the surprise here? Following the administration of
Communion a song was sung – known to very, very few of us present (I am not
certain how many of the congregation were actually locals… I suspect a good number
of us were visitors). The chorus of this song was repeated a number of times
and then the words stopped and the gentle sound of singing in tongues began, for
just a few moments and then there was stillness. It wasn’t silence, it was
stillness and calm as we held the space of prayer together. It was simply
lovely, and the surprise was that I didn’t know that there were Roman Catholics
who sing in tongues. With all my ecumenical past from my teenage years upwards,
you would think I would have encountered it before now, but no. What a delight
it was to be present for this moment of a gentle outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Following the
Service we went for supper at a restaurant called Big Ben. We had gone there
the evening before and on this, our second evening, were welcomed like old
friends. We were served far more food for the first course than we ordered and enjoyed
the most delicious meal. The waiter was attentive and gracious and I got to
practice my newly learned Arabic for Good Evening (except I said, Good Morning!),
Thank you and You’re welcome. To find a restaurant called Big Ben in any part
of the world except except London is one surprise, but to find one that was so
welcoming and friendly – to the point of being remembered the following evening,
given how many customers must be seen over any 24 hour period is a lovely surprise
indeed.
It really
was a delightful day, full of wonderful surprises.
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