gregoryjenks

Tag: Jerusalem

  • Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Fifteen

    Today we completed our Palestine of Jesus course at St George’s College in Jerusalem. It has been a fascinating two week experience as we combined several smaller sets of participants from Australia and the USA into a new short term  learning community. We have shared so much, learned so much, and come to love one another so much that the series of goodbyes that will begin later tonight will be very sad.

    140709 Abu Ghosh Chalice

     

    We began the day with an early morning walk to the Old City, entering through the Herod Gate at the bottom of Salah al-Din Street and joining the Via Dolorosa at the Church of the Condemnation.

     

    Participants took turns to carry the cross at the head of our prayerful procession, and to read selected Scriptures at the various stations.

     

    We returned to College for breakfast and then headed out to Abu Ghosh, one of the traditional locations for Emmaus (Luke 24). Our destination was the French Catholic Convent of the Ark of the Covenant, whose large figure of Mary towers over the Muslim village of Abu Ghosh. As we approached this morning, I wondered about the lack of sensitivity that the architects of this structure demonstrated towards the faith of the local residents.

     

    After spending an hour in small group discussion, as we reflected on the Emmaus story and its significance for us as we prepare to leave Jerusalem and return home, we shared in a Eucharist with the modern city of Jerusalem serving as the backdrop for our outdoor altar.

     

    The afternoon was left free, so that people could make last minute purchases and begin the process of packing for our departures during the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, the exchange of missiles and rockets continued, with reports of Hamas rockets striking Haifa in the north and of extensive destruction in Gaza as the air attacks by Israel continue. As all this is happening, life in Jerusalem continues almost without missing a beat, a sad testimony to the routine nature of the conflict.

  • Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Thirteen

    This morning the participants in our Palestine of Jesus course had an extended opportunity to soak up the special places along the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee. We had a late checkout from our rooms at the Pilgerhaus, and people were able to visit the nearby Benedictine monastery or walk along the shore to Capernaum. Apart from the ubiquitous gum trees, this is about as close to ‘walking in the footsteps of Jesus’ as anyone could hope to experience.

    After a light lunch at Tabgha, the course went to Mt Tabor for an extended visit to reflect on the Transfiguration traditions. They then returned to Jerusalem by bus, arriving around 5.30pm.

    While this was happening, I left early so that I could pick up Clare from Ginosar and drop her to some friends at Tel Aviv University for a few days, before returning my rental car to the Avis service centre in King David Street. On the way we detoured via Ramat Hasharon, so that we could enjoy a coffee with Hanan Shafir, the dig photographer at Bethsaida.

    As I walked back to the College via the Mamilla Center and the Old City, everything seemed pretty calm and there were no unusual security measures. On the way I treated myself to an ancient coin, using some funds given to me for that purpose by Clare and Lizzie at Christmas time. My wee treasure is a prutah (small bronze coin) issued by the rebel Jewish government in the second year of the Great War with Rome (66/73 CE).

     

    Since then the security situation seems to have deteriorated somewhat. There are reports of rockets fired from Gaza towards towns in central Israel, and there are helicopters circling over the Old City and the Arab neighbourhoods. It is yet to be seen if this is simply a precautionary measure, or whether we are going to see a repeat of the civil unrest experienced in Arab towns throughout Israel since the murder of a 16 year old Arab by Jewish nationalists last week.

  • Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Six

    Today it was my delight to lead the course during our visit to Sepphoris and Nazareth.

    We led the College around 8.00am and arrived in Sepphoris a little after 10.00am. After a brief orientation talk based around the scale model of the site and watching a 10 minute multi-media presentation, we went off to explore the site.

     

    The highlights included the “Nile House” with its mosaics that feature scenes from the Nile, the large wealthy house with the Dionysius mosaic (including the so-called ‘Mona Lisa of the Galilee’), the Ottoman fortress, and the small Roman theatre. We then headed to Nazareth where we enjoyed lunch at the Holy Land Restaurant not far from the Basilica.

     

    After lunch we went to the Basilica of the Annunciation to begin our walking tour of Nazareth.

     

    From the Basilica we walked through the old market (the Souq), spending some time at the Synagogue Church and later the El Babour Galilee Mill, before arriving at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Gabriel that celebrates the Eastern tradition of the Annunciation taking place at Mary’s Well. The church features an ancient well even though the actual source of the water is a spring further up the slope.

     

    We had about 45 minutes at the end of the day to relax and soak up the atmosphere before boarding the bus at 4.30pm for our return trip to Jerusalem. We had a  good run with the traffic, arriving at the College just a few minutes before 6.30pm. After dinner, several of us gathered on the roof of the College to talk about this land, the conflict that is tearing at the heart and soul of both the communities, the meaning of life, our insights from the program so far, and much more. These are the moments that make our trips such a special time.

  • Palestine of Jesus 2024 – Day Five

    Sunday in Jerusalem.

    Most of the SGC Palestine of Jesus course attended the 9.30am service at St George’s cathedral, with its mix of Arabic and English. The place was packed as we had several international groups visiting at the one time. It was a great to have Naim Ateek, Founder of the Sabeel Centre, as our preacher.

     

    It was also good to meet up again with Eric Funston from Ohio. After having been online friends for around twenty years, we finally got to met on Friday evening – but this time we took a photo to prove it!

     

    After lunch we went to the Israel Museum, where I had the privilege of leading the group as we visited the large scale model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple period, the Shrine of the Book (where we crossed paths with the group from Truman State University who had been on the dig at Bethsaida with us), and the archaeological hall.

     

    There was also an opportunity to visit the haunting exhibit of 9 neolithic masks.

     

    Before dinner I presented a lecture on the archaeological evidence for Nazareth in the first century CE. This was in preparation for our visit there tomorrow. It was good to have yet another opportunity to present that material and address questions from the floor.

  • Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Two

    Today the course at St George’s College in Jerusalem really swung into gear. We have about 33 people on the program, plus about 4 staff. I am listed as a ‘Guest Scholar’ this year and will be responsible for a couple of the days during the program. It is good to see such a strong number of enrolments despite all the political uncertainty in the region.

    After sitting for our group photograph at 8.30am, we went into a series of meetings with College staff, including an introduction to the Library. This was presented by Simone Qumri, who I met on my very first Palestine of Jesus course back in June 1990 and who first taught me to write my name in Arabic. Friendships that endure for many years are such a blessing. After all these years, I still think of Simone as I initial documents with the Arabic letter jiim as she taught me to write it.

     

    After morning tea break we had a lecture on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, concluding with an overview of the historical development of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was in preparation for a visit to the church later this afternoon, and I think the new course director has made a wise move in placing this visit so early in the program. This is, after all, the most significant church for Christianity and the reason for so much of the conflict around this holy city. No doubt many of us will make repeat visits individually or with friends before the course returns here as we walk the Via Dolorosa on the morning of the last day.

    Following lunch we went to Mt Olives for an overview of the Old City and an explanation of the topography.

     

    The pickpockets are especially bad this year, and I fell victim to one of them myself. As it happened I sensed what had happened and challenged the thief, before chasing him and demanding he return the stolen cash so deftly removed from the wallet in my hand. I suspect he was not used to being grabbed by an angry Westerner yelling at him in Arabic, so he threw the money on the ground—all the while protesting that he had not taken it. Hmmm … (Note to self: Learn some good Arabic swear words for future use in such circumstances!)

    Meanwhile, the view of the Old City was excellent!

     

    After leaving Mt Olives we went by bus to the Jaffa Gate and from there we walked to the Holy Sepulchre. As we moved about the complex structure, Rodney Aist gave a masterful introduction to the church, while leaving time for people to reflect on their first encounter with this holiest of holy places.

  • Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day One

    Today we completed our Jordan package and began our Palestine of Jesus course at St George’s College in Jerusalem. The first step was to leave our hotel in Eilat and make the 4 hour drive north to Jerusalem.

    As we drove the landscape initially reflected the rugged terrain of the Aravah in the south of Israel.

     

    Eventually the landscape softened a little, as we reached the southern tip of the Dead Sea. It was still dry and barren, but not so harsh and rugged.

     

    The drive took us past Masada, En Ged and Qumran as well as couple of the remaining beaches where it is still possible to swim in the Dead Sea. The loss of water has led to a 50m vertical drop on the water levels since around 1900 when the Palestine Exploration Fund recorded the lake levels on this rock. (The PEF mark is just visible about midway between the two black lines.)

     

    After a short lunch break at Almog, soon after leaving highway 90 and turning west onto highway 1, we were on our way towards Jerusalem. Our first glimpse of the golden roof on the Dome of the Rock was a special treat for those making their first visit, and a ‘welcome back’ sign for those of us who have been here before.

     

    After settling into our rooms at College we went for an informal orientation tour of the Old City, during which we stopped at a cafe for Khanafeh; a Palestinian sweet that is very popular to celebrate special moments.

     

    We made our sway back to the College for the opening service at the Cathedral, followed by a reception, dinner, and our first session of the new course.


     

    For many of us the day ended in prayer as we said Compline together on the flat roof of College building. The night air was cool, but refreshing. It is good to be here.

     

     

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