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Home , Dan (ancient city), Holy Land, Mount of Transfiguration

The Holy Land in History and Scripture: and Samaria Session #8: Galilean Mountains of the Lord: Tabor, Hermon, and Carmel Patrick D. Degn

The Mountains and Hills • Parallelism over 40x • Paradoxical and contradictory: • Refuge and security / Threat, slaughter, judgement • Pagan worship / Worship of the Lord • Serve as boundaries: Josh. 15:8-16. • Sparsely populated and independent of civilization • Unchanging: Symbols for stability and eternity • Natural features: Symbols of refuge, safety, and security. • Flee to the mountains for safety: Hel. 11:31; Gen. 14:10; 19:17, 30;1 Sam. 14:22; 26:1; JS—M 1:13 • Dangerous places requiring preparation • Places of perspective (Deut. 34:1-4; Rev. 21:10) • Places of proclamation (Isa. 40:9; 52:7; Matt. 5:1) • Places of the (Ex. 19-20; Deut. 9-10; 27-28). • Place of the Lord’s word (1 Ne. 16:30; 17:7; Eth. 3-4; Isa. 2:3; Mic. 4:2; 1 Kings 19:13-14) • Eden: Ezekiel 28:13-15 • Places to commune with : (1 Nephi; Ether 1-3; Gen 22:1-14; Ex 3:1-2;1 Kings 19:8-18; Ex. 19). • resorted to mountains: • To be alone (John 6:15). • To pray (Mt 14:23; Lk 6:12) . • To teach his listeners (Matt. 5:1; Mark 3:13). • Refuted 's temptation (Matt. 4:8; Luke 4:5). Transfigured on a mountain (Matt. 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). • Ascended into heaven from the (Acts 1:10-12). • Mount Eden, , Sinai, : Geography 1. The name Carmel means “orchard with fruit trees and vines” or “plantation, garden-land” or simply, “The Garden of God” 2. Mt. Carmel is composed of hard limestone and thus the coast did not erode it. 3. The chain runs northwest to southeast for nearly 15 mi and ranges from 3 to 8 mi in width with pronounced cliffs on either side. 4. The average elevation of Mt. Carmel is 1,500 ft above sea level with its highest point reaching 1,810 ft. The elevation at Muhraqa is 1,580 ft (482 m). 5. The area receives 32 in (80 cm) of rain due to its elevation and proximity to coast, and receives dew about 250 nights per year. 6. Mt. Carmel National Park is the largest park in . Mount Carmel: History 1. Venis, a general of Pharaoh Cheops I (23rd century B.C.), may have referred to Mt. Carmel as “the Gazelle’s Nose.” 2. Thutmose III referred to Mt. Carmel as “the Holy Head.” Many Egyptian pharaohs took note of this site, suggesting that it might have been a holy place or sanctuary. 3. The mountain was a site from ancient times for the Canaanite god as well as for other . 4. Mt. Carmel was assigned to Asher (Josh 19:26), and it is the geographical dividing line between the Plain of Asher and the Plain of Sharon. It was the convergence point of four tribal allotments (Asher, Zebulun, Issachar and Manasseh). 5. Shalmaneser III calls Mt. Carmel Ba’li-ra’si in his annals. It is here that the country of Tyre and the country of Israel, under , paid Shalmaneser tribute. 6. It was on Mt. Carmel that received the woman whose dead son he would raise to life (2 Ki 4:25). 7. This mountain continued as a religious site for a long time and even Vespasian and Trajan sacrificed to the god Carmel. Tacitus wrote that the on Carmel guaranteed Vespasian of his coming victories which would result in his becoming ruler of the world. The Beauty of Mount Carmel The Bible speaks much of the beauty of Mt. Carmel. It is often pictured as the symbol of beauty and prosperity, and is a frequent theme in the Prophets.  46:18 As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.  :2 And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from ; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.  Isaiah 35:1-2 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.  :19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.

See the story of the Prophet battling the priests of Baal and Ashteroth on Carmel in 1 Kings 17.

The Elijah on Mount Carmel 1. Muhraqa is the word for “the burning/scorching,” and it is a reference to Elijah’s confrontation with the false prophets. It is here that fire came down and burned the sacrifice, the altar, and the water, and scorched the earth. 2. Several make mention of this place at a time when a series of stones were still visible to them: a. of Tudela (1165). b. Rabbi of Paris (1228). c. It was apparently mentioned by pilgrims until the 19th century. 3. For many centuries there have been on the summit of this mountain, and the Carmelite movement originated from the hermits who dwelt here in the under St. Berthold. The monastery of St. Elias now continues the traditions. Traditional Site of Sacrifice: Arguments in favor of this being the location of Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal: 1. On any proposed site there must be room for many people, since large crowds participated in the drama. 2. Water must be nearby. 3. The sea should not be visible from the site of the altar. 4. The sea should be visible from some site above the altar. 5. The altar must be on a mountainside, not on a summit. : (“Mound”)  Mt. Tabor sits at the eastern end of the , 11 miles (17 km) west of the . Its elevation at the summit is 1,843 feet (575 m) high.  Boundary between Issachar and Zebulun (Josh. 19:22-23).  :18 As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.  Psalm 89:12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.  Judges 4:4-7  fathers believed that the Transfiguration took place on Mt. Tabor, including Cyril of Jerusalem (in 348), Epiphanius, and . Eusebius was uncertain if it took place on Mt. Tabor or on Mt. Hermon.  The date of the earliest churches on Mt. Tabor is unknown. The Anonymous of Piacenza saw three in 570. Willibaldus, in 723, mentions only one church dedicated to Jesus, , and Elijah. There may have been three chapels joined together into one building, as in the present building.

See the account in Matthew 17 of the and the restoration of priesthood keys.

Mount Tabor: (“Mound”) Reporter: The schedule this day was tight; but President Kimball had a place he wanted to visit-- nearly two hours out of the way; yet he insisted on going. Mount Tabor rises 1,800 feet above sea level, not far from the city of ...It is one of two sites designated by Christian scholars, as the Mount of Transfiguration, a high mountain where three of Christ's disciples behold a vision as Jesus prayed. Later, President Kimball told a gathering that he had "special feelings about Mount Tabor." He called it "the highest spot on earth." President Kimball: I felt very sure that this was the spot where Jesus had taken his three disciples, Peter, James and John, to this "high mountain apart," and there had given certain blessings. I felt a very warm spirit as we gathered together and felt what came to us from this experience. As I know there has been some dissertation and difference of feeling about it since there are some other possible places, but I have always felt this. (Journey to the Middle East, a KSL Television Special Report, 24 October 1979)

Van Orden, Dell and J Melan Heslop, with Lance E. Larsen, "A Prophet for All the World: Glimpses into the Life of President Spencer W. Kimball" BYU Studies 25:4 (Fall, 1985), 56.

Moses, Elias (Elijah in Hebrew), and (Matthew 17) • John mentioned in the JST of Mark 9:4 (JST Mark 9:3) • Moses and Elijah translated at the conclusion of their ministries • Moses and Elijah translated at the same location east of the river and opposite of (Deut. 34:5; Alma 45:19; 2 Kings 2:11-12) • John and Jesus both began their mortal ministries where Moses and Elijah were translated • Moses and Elijah “appeared in glory, and spake of his death, and also his resurrection, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem” (JST Luke 9:31) • Moses and Elijah (the Law and the Prophets) • John the forerunner (Elias) to prepare the way before the Lord • See Peter’s testimony in 2 Peter 1:16-19. See also D&C 131:5 • See D&C 63:20-21 for additional knowledge given to Peter, James, and John • Summary: 1. Keys of the kingdom 2. Knowledge of the sacred (mysteries) or endowment (see Doctrines of Salvation, 2:165) 3. Calling and election 4. Vision of the millennial earth : (“Devote”) • Three peaks: 9232 feet and the highest peak in the area. • Snow-covered most of the time • Genesis of the river Jordan • Northern limits of ’s conquest boundary (Josh. 11:17; 12:1). • Sacred: Root hrm “sacred” or “forbidden” • Sacred mountain: “Baal-Hermon”: Judges 3:3; 1 Chron. 5:23. • “Saniru” by Assyrians; “Sirion” by Sidonians; “Senir” by Amorites (Deut. 3:9; compare Ps. 29:6; Ezek. 27:5; “Sion” in Deut. 4:48). • “Jebel esh-Sheikh” (“Mountain of snow” or “Gray-haired mountain”) • Caesarea Phillipi: See Matthew 16 • The mountain is the only place with snow skiing in Israel. • Psalm 133 gives an image of the pleasantness and fruitfulness of this mountain. It speaks of the bounty of water, a place that receives much precipitation. Hermon, on average, gets 60 in of precipitation a year (in 1992 it received 100 in). • Mt. Hermon was the northernmost territorial boundary of the land conquered by Joshua (Josh 11:17; 12:1, 4-5). Before the conquest, the Hivites dwelt in this region. It was also the northern border of the half- (1 Chron. 5:23) See the testimony of Simon Peter at in Matthew 16:13-28  “Jesus in His teachings says, ‘Upon this rock I will build my Church. …’ [Matthew 16:18.] What rock? Revelation” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Smith [2007], 195).  “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded upon direct revelation, as the true Church of God has ever been, according to the Scriptures (:7, and Acts 1:2)” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 195).  “‘Priesthood keys are the authority God has given to priesthood [holders] to direct, control, and govern the use of His priesthood on earth’ [Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010), 2.1.1]. Every act or ordinance performed in the Church is done under the direct or indirect authorization of one holding the keys for that function” (“The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 49).  “The living Lord leads His living Church [see D&C 1:30, 38]! The Lord reveals His will for the Church to His prophet. Yesterday, after we were invited to sustain Thomas S. Monson as President of the Church, we also had the privilege to sustain him, the counselors in the First Presidency, and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators. Think of that! We sustain 15 men as prophets of God! They hold all the priesthood keys that have ever been conferred upon man in this dispensation. … “[President Gordon B. Hinckley explained,] ‘The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, called and ordained to hold the keys of the priesthood, have the authority and responsibility to govern the Church, to administer its ordinances, to expound its doctrine, and to establish and maintain its practices’ [“God Is at the Helm,” Ensign, May 1994, 54]” (“Sustaining the Prophets,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 75–76).  In 1976 an area general conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Following the closing session, President Spencer W. Kimball desired to visit the Vor Frue Church, where the Thorvaldsen statues of the Christus and of the Twelve Apostles stand. He had visited there some years earlier and wanted all of us to see it, to go there. To the front of the church, behind the altar, stands the familiar statue of the Christus with His arms turned forward and somewhat outstretched, the hands showing the imprint of the nails, and the wound in His side very clearly visible. Along each side stand the statues of the Apostles, Peter at the front to the right and the other Apostles in order. Most of our group was near the rear of the chapel with the custodian. I stood up front with President Kimball before the statue of Peter with Elder Rex D. Pinegar and Johan Helge Benthin, president of the Copenhagen stake. In Peter’s hand, depicted in marble, is a set of heavy keys. President Kimball pointed to those keys and explained what they symbolized. Then, in an act I shall never forget, he turned to President Benthin and with unaccustomed firmness pointed his finger at him and said, “I want you to everyone in Denmark that I hold the keys! We hold the real keys, and we use them every day.” I will never forget that declaration, that testimony from the prophet. The influence was spiritually powerful; the impression was physical in its impact. We walked to the back of the chapel where the rest of the group was standing. Pointing to the statues, President Kimball said to the kind custodian, “These are the dead Apostles.” Pointing to me, he said, “Here we have the living Apostles. Elder Packer is an Apostle. Elder Thomas S. Monson and Elder L. Tom Perry are Apostles, and I am an Apostle. We are the living Apostles. “You read about the Seventies in the , and here are two of the living Seventies, Elder Rex D. Pinegar and Elder Robert D. Hales.” The custodian, who up to that time had shown no emotion, suddenly was in tears. I felt I had had an experience of a lifetime. (President Boyd K. Packer, “The Twelve,” General Conference, April 2008). Caesarea Philippi 1. Caesarea Philippi is located 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. 2. Situated at the base of Mt. Hermon, this spring is the second most important spring in Israel, next to . 3. Excavations began here in the summer of 1992, and have uncovered significant remains. Biblical History 1. In the OT the area might have been known as Baal Hermon (Judg. 3:3; 1 Chron. 5:23), and Baal Gad (Josh 11:17; 12:7). If Baal Hermon was indeed its official name, then it would have been given to Manasseh in 1 Chronicles 5:23. 2. This site was later was named Panias after the Greek god Pan who was worshiped here. 3. There is no record of Jesus entering the city, but the great confession and the transfiguration both occurred in the vicinity of the city (Mt 16:13), which was then known as Caesarea Philippi.