Link to Pictures from Samaria Field Study

http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30432072&l=f8cb1&id=176801233

Sa-Maria? Hey, thats my name! Well... sort of.

On the Samaria Field study this Sunday, we explored the regions of Ephraim and Manasseh. We traveled to Shechem, Shiloh, and Mt. Gerazim. We started the day with a lookout that had views of some of the Hill Country, and the Rift Valley. Off to the left of our view we could see Alexandrium, another of Herod’s fortresses that controlled the Transjordan route by the Jordan River. ` I was so excited because the past two days had rained and we had an incredible view! I was also tickled that we were able to be a bit chilly and experience a few drops of rain during our lecture! When we looked down on the Rift Valley, we could see that parts of the land were lush and some quite dry. This is the land that Lot, the nephew of Abraham, chose. Back then, the river was not used to supply the entire country with water as it is now, so the valley was even more lush and beautiful. Our next stop led us to Elon Moreh, a radical Israeli settlement by Shechem. This settlement granted us permission to travel through their community in order to enjoy the views from the top of the mountain which we hiked, which allowed us to further our understanding of the physical geography of the land. From the top we could see the Oak of Moreh between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, Tirzah and the Wadi Faria. When the sky became especially clear between rainclouds we were able to see the range of Mt. Carmel. It was amazing! Such a spectacular view! The third place we went to was to the top of Mt. Gerizim to oversee the Salim Valley. At the top of this mountain is a Samaritan community that still practices very old Judaism. They believe only in the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) and do not accept the prophets, poetry, or other narratives as a part of their religious writings. Not much of this community’s way of thinking and beliefs has changed in a few thousand years. Once we hiked to the top of the mountain, we could see the Oak of Moreh. This is nestled between the two hills. This is where Joshua explains the curses and blessings in Joshua 8. This is where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. This was yet another radical thing that Jesus did during His lifetime. The Samaritans have been notorious throughout Israeli history for being the group that one would want to avoid. When people traveled through the country, they would cut across to the east to get to the Rift Valley, then meander southward to the Ascent of Adumim and finally cut across to Jerusalem to return to the Patriarchal Highway. NO ONE wanted to go through Samaria. But Jesus… oh Jesus… he went straight through. You gotta love Him! If you ask a Samaritan, Mt. Gerizim is where Abraham brought Isaac to sacrifice, not Jerusalem. This has been a great debate between people. That is why Jesus says to the Samaritan woman that people must worship in spirit and truth, not in any specific location. The location whether it was on Mt. Gerizim or on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem, is completely irrelevant and misses the point of true worship. Our final place of study was Shiloh. Shiloh was a pretty neat place, aside from the rotting cow carcasses. This is where the Tabernacle that held the Ark of the Covenant was before the Ark was captured in war by the Philistines which is mentioned in 1 Samuel.

A link to some more pics from this past weekend!

http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30428847&l=1e444&id=176801233

This link coincides with the post about the Benjamin Gateway.

Dr. Gabi Barkay- the man who helped write history

I have to tell you all about my Archeology professor because he cracks me up. He is seriously brilliant. We have no textbook for our class because the man is a textbook. He knows everything... probably because he was there (his words, not mine). lol... Anyways, his wealth of knowledge is astounding and to top it all off he is so funny. After every point in his lecture he always says in his Hungarian-Jewish accent "Any questions, Any queries, any 'go to hell with your nonsense?" Its one of those things where you have to hear him say it because it is absolutely hilarious. Gabi has an amazing life story, as well. He was born in Hungary during WWII. He was on the train to Auschwitz with his family when a divine intervention occurred and the train was stopped. He never had to go. Then his family moved down to Italy where they were able to get on a ship and come to Israel. He has been here ever since. Because of his extensive traveling experience he can speak about five million different languages, well thats a gross exaggeration... but you get my point. He studied under a couple of the most famous Archaeologists of all time including Yadin, a renowned Biblical Archaeologist, and has met and dug with several other famous Archaeologists including Kathleen Kenyon and several others. Oh the stories this man tells about them. He is so blunt, its fantastic! :) I am so excited because in a few weeks I am going to be able to do a dig with him sifting through some remains of the Temple Mount. Ground that has not been touched for 2,000+ years! How insane is that!? I am so excited!

I will tell you all about it when it happens. :)

Shalom,

maria

In the news...

So, I am sure by now most of you have heard about the Palestinian man driving his car into a group of soldiers in th Old City. First, I want to let everyone know that I am fine and there is no need to worry! :) I wanted to give you all some background information on what exactly happened. Well, in their first year of mandatory service, Israeli soldiers travel the country visiting significant sites which obviously includes the Old City. The group was heading toward the Western Wall to mark Rosh Hashana (the new year). The group of soldiers everyone is hearing about is one of these touring groups. The group was not bombed, but instead ran into by a Palestinian driver, who was then killed by one of the soldiers and a police person in the group. Because the man is Arab (Palestinian) the attack is considered a terrorist attack.
This took place in the Old City between the Arab and Jewish Quarters, which is located about the middle of the Old City. My school is stationed at the end of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City on the edge of Mt. Zion. (Basically about 1/4-1/2 mile south of where this happened)Anyways, it is far enough away that I am fine. SO, (especially Mom and Dad) please do not worry. :)

Shalom,

Maria

Ben-Jammin'

Sunday’s field study explored the region covered by the tribe of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin was one of the smallest tribes in Israel, however, because of its location it played a key role in many Biblical events. James Monson describes Israel as the land between and if we were to use that terminology to describe Benjamin, the region would be considered the land between the land between. It divides the Northern and Southern Arenas of the Southern Levant. The reason this region is key is not only because of its central location, but also that it controls many major highways including the Patriarchal Highway, the Ascent of Adumim ( which connects Jerusalem to Jericho), the Way of the Wilderness (which connects Ramah to Jericho), and the Beth-Horon and Kiriath Jearim routes (connecting Ramah to Gezer). In the morning of our study day we hiked down part of the Ascent of Adumim which was an old Roman road that had been paved over during British control. Most of the pavement was gone, so it was really neat to be able to explore the road and see how travel was during the time of the Romans. In Luke chapter 10 there is a passage that describes a person who had been robbed and left to die along the side of the road. Jesus delineates a Samaritan who helps this person as his neighbor and aids him in getting back on his own two feet. After having walked down this road, it is easy to understand the possibility of being surprised by robbers. The road twists and turns and it would not be difficult to be surprised by someone who was hiding around a corner.
After leaving the Roman Road we headed down into Jericho where we took a look at the New Testament Jericho. We went to the site of Herod’s Jericho Palace which straddled the Wadi Qilt. This was a very strategic place for Herod to have his palace because he controlled trade on the Ascent of Adumim to Jerusalem. This meant he was getting a ton of tax money. A New Testament narrative that takes place in Jericho is Luke 19:1-10 which tells a story of Jesus coming through the town and choosing to stay at a tax collectors house. This was a revolutionary idea because all of Jesus followers were upset that He would chose to stay at the home of someone who essentially steals their money. It was also a strategic place for Herod because it was a wealthy area for agriculture and since the Dead Sea is so close, it is a convenient place to harvest salt which was a wonderful preservative.
Once we finished discussing and exploring Herod’s Jericho Palace, we went over to the Old Testament Jericho Tell. A tell is an artificial mound that contains layers of civilization. This is the city that Joshua came and destroyed with his army after marching around seven times and giving a loud shout. At this location, there is also the oldest man made structure in the world. It is a tower dating back to 8000 BC, 10000 years ago! From Jericho, looking off to the North East, you can see where the Joshua’s camp at Gilgal was located. It was a lot closer than I thought it would have been.
Then we were off to Michmash, to have a view of the Emek. And then we traveled over to Nebi Samuel which contains of Byzantine Ruins, however we were there to look out and discuss the geography of the area. From that hill, you can see Gibeon, Gibeah, Ramah, Jerusalem, Mizpah, Beth Horon, and Kiriath Jearim. It is amazing to me how close everything is here. From one point you can see several significant cities. These cities, which are located on the Central Benjamin Plateau, are key for trade and travel. They sit on major highways and serve great purposes for protection, as well.
Finally, we went over towards the Mediterranean to hike to the top of Gezer. Gezer was a fortress for the protection and regulation of the Aijalon Valley. This is located in the Shephelah and is important because it controls the Coastal Highway as well as highways that are more inland.

My favorite part of the day was when we made our way to Gezer. After hiking up the hill we explored the top a little and had a lecture about some massive rocks that looked much like the stones at Stonehenge in the UK. Some scholars suggest that the stones are like those discussed in the Old Testament. Moses talked about creating stones and monuments

Cutting over to the Dome of the Rock

So... today Megan and I went over to the Dome of the ROck on the Temple Mount to walk around. It is absolutely unbelievable. There are about a million (gross exaggeration) soldiers around the area with very large guns. Only VERY intimidating. Megan and I enjoyed our time, nonetheless. We went up and touched the temple and quietly prayed over it, hoping that people would discover truth and that there would be peace. It is amazing to think that this patch of land is what more than 1/2 of the world's problems are coming from.

Megan and I were talking about a previous lecture we had with our professor and thought through the idea of what the Temple meant to the Jewish people during the time of David on through the time of Jesus. The Temple was where God chose to limit himself and confine himself in a building so that He could interact with the people He loved so much. How amazing is that!? The God who created the universe, the one who formed you and I in our mother's wombs, the same God who gave us breath and can take it out in the next second but chooses not to, the very God who showed Moses the burning bush - the fire that consumes but chooses not to, the God of Jacob, Abraham, and Isaac, the God of infinite miracles, the God that chose to come down to earth in flesh as Jesus Christ so that He may save the world from their sins. That is the God who chose to come and be limited to a building. It absolutely blows my mind!

You are probably wondering why I said I was "cutting" over to the Dome of the ROck.... well, sorry Mom, (and aren't you excited Christina!) I chopped my hair off last night! It was getting too hot here and I needed a change. I realized how much of my sense of beauty came from my hair and I needed to chop it off. And boy does it feel good!

God Bless!