Views Lofty and Low: Israel Pilgrimage: Day Five

Our fifth day in Israel included a tour of the high-mountain-flat-top city of Masada, Ein Gedi (where David snipped King Saul's robe), Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered), and our emotional entrance into Jerusalem.

Denise with that stranger again

First stop: Masada. This ancient city, fortress and palace first grabs your attention because of its location. It is built on the flat top of a high, steep mountain, overlooking the Dead Sea. Masada means “fortress.” Because of the near vertical, cliff-like sides of the mountain, Masada was nearly invulnerable to enemy attacks. Ancient Maccabean Jews began the fortifications, but starting in 35 B.C., Herod the Great gave Masada the full Roman treatment, lavishing it with two palaces, a throne room, thermal bathhouses, a swimming pool, army barracks, towers, porticos, a courtyard, reception hall, storehouses, terraces, servants rooms, and cisterns. In the 5th and 6th centuries, a Byzantine church occupied Masada.

Sunrise over Dead Sea

Pickled fish for breakfast

Buffets offer produce grown in Israel

At the base of the mountain, we boarded a tram that took us to the top. The view was spectacular -- the Dead Sea far below us. A large military jet passed by below eye level. Tour guide, Harrison Cohen, pointed out square boundary lines in the desert valley below. Visualize "crop squares" rather than "crop circles." These were staging areas for the Roman armies as they prepared to take control of Masada from a die-hard and heroic group of Jews. After the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 A.D., a community of about 1000 Jewish rebels, called the “Zealots,” took control of Masada and held off the Roman army for over three years. In 73 A.D., the Zealots, along with their wives and children, committed mass suicide, rather than surrender to the overwhelming Roman forces. See the photo of the “breaching point,” where the Roman army built a huge dirt ramp that enabled them to move a battering ram up to the fortress wall.

Masada is a symbol for Israeli soldiers to fight to the end. In the high-walled ruins of a room near the outer wall, Pastor Glazner gave a short message about the Zealots’ willingness to die for their beliefs. Similarly, Christians need to die to self daily, in small areas as well as big. We must decrease, so the Lord can increase. (I'll insert my own take on the "die to yourself" doctrine based on the words of Jesus in the Gospels. It's not that we need to go looking for masochistic ways to punish ourselves and give up all pleasures in life. As all of you know, circumstances automatically enter our lives that force us to make decisions, either for good or for evil. Sometimes those decisions require "die-to-yourself" sacrifice. It's more about making right, sometimes hard, choices as we face day-to-day life. There's my sermon.)

Looking up at Masada and tram cables

The next stop was Ein Gedi, a beautiful desert oasis showcasing a stream cascading down a rocky hillside, lush with vegetation. Our group hiked up a steep trail alongside the stream. A lot of people were visiting Ein Gedi that day, including a large group of Israeli school girls, all in cerulean-blue uniforms. It was a strange sight to see them squealing with glee as they splashed in a pool under a small waterfall. It was an even stranger sight to see an armed body guard watching over them.

Literally, Ein (spring) Gedi (goat-kid), it is also known as the Spring of David. Ibex goats still roam the steep rocks there. Today, it is a scenic nature reserve and fresh-water oasis near the Dead Sea.

Denise and tour group on Masada tram

In the Bible, King Saul, out of jealousy, pursued David, then a popular young warrior, in the rocks and caves of Ein Gedi. David sneaked up behind Saul and cut off part of his robe. Later, David waved the cut portion at Saul and said, “For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it." (1 Samuel 24:11 ESV). I might add, this is the "actual" location mentioned in 1 Samuel. It was an exhilarating feeling knowing I scrambled along the same rocky terrain traversed by David and Saul.

Notice square Roman army staging area to left

Pastor Paul gave a short message that we should show restraint, like David, and trust God’s timing instead of taking things into our own hands.

We boarded the bus and drove to the Ahava Kibbutz factory, where we took a short tour. Ahava is world renown for its lotions and cosmetics containing healthy minerals from the Dead Sea. Ahava began as a simple kibbutz community. The members became wealthy as their product expanded worldwide.

Masada ruins high on mountain

We continued through the Dead Sea region and visited the ancient ruins of Qumran. The famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in Qumran (from 1947 through early 1950’s) inside caves in the barren, rocky hillside. The scrolls had been preserved in jars for nearly 2000 years.

Archaeologists have also discovered, near the caves, the ruins of an ancient, all male, Jewish sect called the Essenes. They wore white robes, took frequent ritualistic baths, and had phylacteries (small boxes) just above their foreheads. It is believed that these were the scribes responsible for copying the scrolls. When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., it is thought that the Essenes, expecting an invasion, hid the scrolls in the surrounding caves. The Dead Sea Scrolls include books and fragments of the Hebrew Bible, Essene literature, commentaries, and most notably, an entire book of Isaiah that predates the previous oldest by about 1000 years.

Model of Herod's palace on Masada

Large military jet below eye level from top of Masada

A loose tradition, or myth, has it that John the Baptist spent time living with the Essenes. This makes sense, since he lived a similar austere lifestyle. He'd have fit right in. Maybe he got his idea for baptism from observing the continual religious baths taken by the Essenes. Who knows? Don't quote me.

Breaching point where Roman army overcame the Zealots

Scribe working at Masada. Why not?

The day would soon end on a literal high point with our entrance into Jerusalem. As the bus neared the high elevation of Jerusalem from the ultra-low elevation of the Dead Sea, we traveled through the Palestinian West Bank and noticed poor Bedouin shepherds tending livestock near tent-like shacks.

Speaking in the Volvo bus microphone, Paul Glazner read from Psalms 120-132, called Psalms of Ascent because ancient Hebrews had to ascend to the Holy City when journeying from afar. A little side note: whenever the Bible refers to "going up to Jerusalem," it doesn't mean traveling north. Whatever direction you travel from, you are always going "up" to Jerusalem.

Roman bath heating system

Roman bath area

Our tour bus stopped at a checkpoint, where we officially left the West Bank. We entered Jerusalem at 3:37 PM through a tunnel in the Mount of Olives. The bus parked high on Mount Scopus, the northern-most peak of the Mount of Olives range, overlooking the city. We got out and took in the panorama, looking beyond the Kidron Valley to the Old City of Jerusalem. The first thing that stopped my eye was the bright gold Dome of the Rock. It is the highest spot in Jerusalem, where the Jewish temple once stood, before the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD. Why is the Islamic Dome of the Rock there? We'll explore that issue on day seven.

Back to the tram. Goodbye Masada!

After several minutes of taking in the view, we boarded the bus and passed through modern Jerusalem en route to our hotel. While driving through the busy city, we noticed large numbers of Hasidic Jews walking the streets. They were dressed in black and sported those dangling side locks (payots) of hair where sideburns should be. Instead of wearing their normal black hats, the men wore big, round furry hats called shtreimels. A special event was taking place, most likely a wedding.

The day drew to a close as we settled into our hotel, ate another tasty buffet meal and contemplated the next day, which would include the garden of Gethsemane, a Palm Sunday walk down the Mt. of Olives, and an excursion to Bethlehem, where Christ was born.