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Israel In-Depth Study Tour - North Coast
January 13-22, 2017
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God is good
Today was wonderful! Wind was blowing on the Sea of Galilee, and we were ready for another great day of adventure! Today we tackled the Golan Heights. Highlights of the day:
Kursi- this is the area, according to tradition, where Jesus went out and cast the demon from the man into the pigs nearby. So, naturally, later there was a Byzantine church built on the site. The ruins are still there today, and it's lavish mosaics and decorations still stand, as well as an arch from the front of the church, where the altar would have been. The caves are still there as well, where the man was believed to live.
Katsrin- This is a first century village replica built on top of the ruins found there! It was remarkable to see the way that Jesus and the disciples most likely lived, and how their culture affected their stories.
Katzrin
The ancient Jewish farming village of Katzrin was built around a spring, which still flows. Although there were standing ruins on the site, archaeological excavations have increased the number of accessible ancient buildings. An ancient synagogue was discovered in 1967 and excavated between 1971 and 1984. Other parts of the village were excavated beginning in 1983. Some of the buildings have been reconstructed on their ancient foundations and furnished with replicas of household goods and tools
Mt. Bental- Though this was a non-biblical sight, it was still cool to see! A tall mountain in the Golan Heights, Mt. Bental houses an old Israeli bunker, which was used most significantly during the 6 Day War, which is considered one of the most victorious battles ever, for any nation. From the summit, you can easily see the border of Lebanon and Syria. Because of this vantage point, the UN stays up there to keep an eye on the border of Syria. My favorite part personally was the coffee shop at the top, but that's just me.
Mount Bental
Mount Bental is one of Israel’s favourite mountain peaks to visit, partly due to the great panoramic views of the Golan and even Syria but also because Mount Bental was the site of a courageous battle fought during Israel’s war for the Golan. A short drive up, the mountain-top provides both scenic beauty and a glimpse back at the past – with bunkers open to visitors.
Caesarea Philippi- Where to start... this land, mainly known as Banias has quite the history. I won't go into full specifics, so here's the quick facts: the Panias Spring flows from there which is one of the head springs to the Jordan, it was a city dedicated to the Pagan god Pan, it was a place of many human sacrifices to the god pan, and it is where Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter and said he would build His church in this rock. This is also the region of the transfiguration. It was humbling to see and left many of us with an uneasy feeling. Though it is a gorgeous and fertile area, the things that happened there were truly terrifying.
Caesarea Philippi
This abundant water supply has made the area very fertile and attractive for religious worship. Numerous temples were built at this city in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
Tel Dan- This land, also known formerly as Laish, is where the Tribe of Dan ended up. The tribe of Dan was basically a joke if we are honest, but the site itself gives us several pieces of physical evidence to give proof to the Bible. The biggest being the city Gate they found which dates back 4000 years at least. It's mentioned in Genesis 14:14. That's pretty stinking cool!
Tel Dan
On the northern frontier of the kingdom, Dan was particularly well fortified. This gatehouse was built in the ninth century BCE, probably by Ahab, and is part of a series of gateways discovered.
On our bus ride back to our Kibbutz Ein Gev, we stopped at our favorite Israeli chain of coffee houses, Aroma! And also the American Embassy, also known as McDonalds. Those were some mighty good fries, let me tell you. When back on the bus, we continued to sing our new favorite Hebrew song, which I couldn't tell you the name of if I tried, but we were filled with joy and laughter. God is good.
This is our last night here on the Galilee, so for the last time, Goodnight from the Sea of Galilee!
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