En Gev to Kursi, Nazareth, Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, and Netanya

January 10, 2019

En Gev to Kursi, Nazareth, Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, and Netanya

We followed the usual procedure with breakfast at 7:00 am and a 7:30 am departure for the short drive north to Kursi. First I took a few pictures of our villa on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Our Villa

The site of the ancient structure (Byzantine monastery) were accidentally uncovered in 1970 when a highway was being constructed. This is the largest Byzantine monastery in the Holy Land and there is an accompanying chapel with three layers of mosaics on the hillside above the church. Both were probably built in the 5^th century CE and the site served as a place of Christian pilgrimage until the 9^th century. The church is in a basilica form with rows of columns that divide it into a nave and two side aisles. Near the apse is the baptistry, built at the end of the 6^th century. The two side aisles contain mosaics that now contain only images of fruit and plants. All the images of animals and birds were destroyed by 9^th century Arab settlers, except for two birds in an alcove. This was a place of pilgrimage because Christian tradition identified the site of the miracle of the swine mentioned in the New Testament (Luke 8:26-39 & Matthew 8:23-34). The site is also mentioned in the Talmud as a center of idol worship.

Map of Church

From Courtyard of Church

Arches For Side Aisles

Apse

Surviving Mosaic of Birds

Mosaic with Destroyed Animal/Bird Mosaics

Chapel Mosaic

Chapel Location

Leaving Kursi, we drove around the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee and veered southeast to take us to Nazareth. We did not go into Nazareth to the Church of the Annunciation, because the streets are too narrow for the bus. Rather, we drove to the summit of Mount of Precipice from which we had superb views of Nazareth, which now spreads over three hills.

Nazareth with Church of the Annunciation in the Center

Mt. of Precipice is 397 m high and also gives great views to Mt. Tabor and the Jezreal Valley, which lies at the base of the mountain. In the Oafzer cave at the base of the Mount remains from the Neolithic Period (7,000 to 10,000 BCE) have been found.

Jezreal Valley

Mt. Tabor

We drove the highway across the Jezreal Valley to Megiddo. Excavations of Tel Megiddo reveal that up to 30 settlements have existed on this site and each sit atop an earlier settlement. It flourished as an urban center beginning in the Early Canaanite period (Bronze Age, in the fourth millennium BCE. This is evident by a monumental temple. It was a powerful Canaanite city-state in the 3^rd and 2^nd millennia and is mentioned in Egyptian documents. Numerous battles took place here and the Canaanite city was destroyed in the second half of the 12^th century BCE.

The books of Joshua and Judges mention Megiddo as one of the Canaanite cities that the tie of Manasseh was unable to take over. Joshua defeated the Canaanite and took the city. King Solomon built an extensive complex (palace, stables, gate, etc.) at Megiddo and we visited the remains of numerous Solomonic structures. Israelite Megiddo reached the height of its prosperity in the 8^th century BCE. During the Israelite period, this was the site for the struggle between the kings of Judah and Israel and the king of Israel (Ahaziah) was killed. In 732 BCE the Assyrian King Tiglath Pilesar III captured the city and made it the capital of an Assyrian district. At the end of the 7^th century, the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco took over the region and on his orders King Josiah of Judah was killed at Megiddo. After the Israelite period, Megiddo rapidly declined and most of the structures on the Tel were abandoned. In 1918, during WWI, a battle took place at Megiddo when General Edmund Allenby marched on the Ottoman Turkish forces, took them by surprise, and won the battle.

Megiddo is often identified as the Armageddon of the New Testament book of Revelation where the final battle between the forces of good and evil occurs. This vision appears to have been drawn from the prophet Zechariah, who describes such a battle in the “valley of Megiddon.” We visited many of the Tel excavation sites (see the pictures) and left the Tel by the water system that was hewn out of the rock during the period of the Israelite kings. The vertical shift is 36 m deep from which a 70 m long horizontal tunnel extends to the spring. This emerges into a cave, which during the Israelite period was walled up and concealed with earth to provide a secure water supply during a siege. The cave entrance is now open and served as our exit.

Solomonic Gate

Round Sacrifice Altar

Toward Jezreal Valley

Another Sacrifice Area

Rocks with Depressions for Liquid Sacrifice

Mangers in Solomon Stables

Grainery

Four Room House

Shaft to Water

Tunnel in Water System

We stopped at a restaurant for our lunch. It was a great stop for me, because they had an extensive offering of salads.

Our next site was a short distance away – Mt. Carmel, which is also known as el-Muhraqa. From the observation balcony, we had a panoramic view of the area and could see the Mediterranean Sea. We also had views of Megiddo, Mt. Gelboe and Nazareth and of the rounded peak of Mount Tabor. Traditionally el-Muhraqa has been identified as the site of the dramatic episode in which Elijah, in the presence of King Ahab and the people of Israel, challenged the prophets of Baal to demonstrate who was the true God and called down fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice.

View Toward Mediterranean

View Toward Nazareth and Mt. Tabor

Back on the road, we had about an hour or so drive to the Mediterranean and Netanya where we are staying the night before heading to Jerusalem for our last six nights and extensively exploring the city. Our hotel, The Season, is on the shore and from the 10^th floor we had a great view of the beach. As we exited the hotel to walk along the shore, the sun was setting – a gorgeous view