Study Guide Pilgramage to Israel Hosts: Galen and Doris Hackman Guide: Raed Makhouli 23 February to 7 March 2012 2 Historical Periods-A Primer The history of Israel dates back to the earliest of times. While we have allempted to design our itinerary to be generally chronological, its impossible to escape the intermingling of events and historical periods. To allemptto simplify our history, the following time line is offered: Stone Age-Before 4000 BC Crusader Period (1099-1291 AD) Christians from Europe Chalcolithic Age-4000-3150 BC-Discovery of copper; utensils of stone and copper Mameluke Period (1291-1516 AD) Muslims from Egypt Bronze (Canaanite) Age • 3150-2200 BC-Early Bronze-Early Canaanite Ottoman Period (1516-1917 AD) • 2200-1550 BC-Middle Bronze-Patriarchs Muslims from Turkey • 1550-1200 BC-Late Bronze-Joshua, Judges British Mandatory Period (1917-1948 AD) Iron (Israelite) Age • 1200-1000 BC-Judges, King David (1,004-968 State of Israel established (1948) BC) • Sinai Campaign (1956) • 1000-800 BC-Solomon (968-928 BC) • Six-Day War (1967) Kingdom Divided (928 BC) • Yom Kippur War (1973) • 800-586 BC-Destruction of Kingdom of Israel • Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty (1979) (722 BC) • Litani Campaign (1978) Destruction of Judah (586 BC) • Operation Peace for Galilee (1982) • Oslo Accords (1993) Babylonian I Persian Period • Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty (1995) • Cyrus' Decree-Return of first exiles (538 BC) • Dedication of Zerubabel's Temple (516 BC) • Return of exiles with Ezra (457 BC) • Nehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls (445 BC) Hellenistic Period • Reign of Alexander the Great (332-323 BC) • Under Ptolemies from Egypt (323-198 BC) • Under Seleucids from Damascus (198-143 BC) • Antiochus IV profaned Temple (168 BC) • HasmoneanlMaccabean Revolt (168-165 BC) A note on dates-you will often see dates labeled • Temple Rededicated (165 BC) 'BCE' and 'CE'. As Jews abstain from the BC/AD • Hasmonean Rule (143-37 BC) references to Jesus, these designations are used instead. Roman Period • BCE = Before Common Era = BC • Rule of Herod the Great (37-4 BC) • CE Common Era AD • Birth of Jesus of Nazareth (-6 BC) = = • Destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD) • Masada falls (73 AD) • Bar Kochba (Second) Revolt (132-135 AD) • Hadrian builds Aelia Capitolina (in place of Jerusalem) (135 AD) Byzantine Period-Rome accepts Christianity (324-636 AD) Islamic Period (636-1099 AD) Muslims from Arabia Thursday 23 February 2012 Leave the USA on a night flight to Israeli Friday 24 February 2012 We arrive early at the Ben Gurion airport outside Tel Aviv, Israel. En route to Tiberias for our first night we will visit: Caesarea-King Herod built the city in honor of Caesar Augustus. It was Herod's official residence, the Roman Procurators-including Pontius Pilate-and the early Church's Bishop of the Holy Land. Herod's outer harbor was built using hydraulic concrete-a material previously unknown in this region. • Acts 8:40-Philip preached the Gospel here. • Acts 9:30-Paul, in danger in Jerusalem, was brought here by the brothers to sail for Tarsus. • Acts 10: 1-Cornelius the Centurion, stationed here, was the first non-Jew to accept Christianity after Peter came here to preach to him. • Acts 24:25-27-Paul imprisoned here. After appearing before Festus and King Agrippa, he was sent as a prisoner to Rome. Mt. Carmel is mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament-II Kings 4:8 & 25, Song of Songs 7:5, Isaiah 35:2, Amos 9:3. But without doubt, its best-known reference is in I Kings 18 which recounts the time-honored account of Elijah's challenge of the Prophets of Baal. From the top of Mt Carmel we get an amazing view of the biblical famous Jezreel Valley, the location of many biblical events (see below under Tuesday, 28 Feb). Saturday 25 February 2012 Sea of Galilee-The most-common name for this inland lake (Mat 4: 18, Mk 1: 16). But also known as Sea of Kinneret (Num 34: 11, Joshua 12:3, 13:27), Lake of Genassaret (Luke 5: 1), Sea of Tiberias (John 6: 1, 21: 1). Fresh water was a critical source of physical sustenance, just as it is today. It had fish, and provided irrigation for crops and watering for flocks and herds. How symbolic that some 85% of Jesus' ministry was performed here-­ adding the spiritual plane to the existential! We will experience the Sea by taking a ride aboard a wooden boat, just as did Jesus and His disciples on numerous occasions (Mk 4:35-39, 5: 1-2, 6:45-51, 8: 10, Matt 9:1, 14:22, Luke 5:3, 8:22, John 6: 17-21) Mount of Beatitudes-In Mat 5-7 Jesus delivers His Sermon on the Mount-traditionally, this is the spot. The so-called "Sermon on the Mount" is recorded in Matthew 5-7 and Luke 6. The alleged discrepancy between Matthew's version being on a hill and Luke's being on a level place is easily reconciled with observation of many level places on the Galilean hillsides. Scripture gives no indication of the exact location of this event, but the Byzantines built a church to commemorate it at the bottom of the hill. Some of Napoleon's men placed it on the nearby Arbel mountain. The suggestion of this hill for the location of the Sermon on the Mount is a good one. Once known as Mt. Eremos, this hill is located between Capernaum and Tabgha and is just above the "Cove of the Sower." This spacious hillside provides much room for crowds to gather, as evidenced by preparation for 100,000 Catholics to observe mass nearby with the Pope's visit in March 2000 (it rained and fewer came, but the space was available). The mountain is topped by a Catholic chapel built in 1939 by the Franciscan Sisters with the support of the Italian ruler Mussolini. The building which was constructed by the noted architect Antonio Barluzzi is full of numerical symbolism. In front of the church, the symbols on the pavement represent Justice, Prudence, Fortitude, Charity, Faith and Temperance. Inside the church hangs the cloak from Pope Paul VI's visit in 1964. The Mt. of Beatitudes overlooks the four-mile long Plain of Gennesaret, an area famed for its fertility. Josephus said this plain was the location of "nature's crowning achievement." Several times the New Testament records 4 that Jesus was in this area including when he healed the multitudes here and faced Pharisaic condemnation for ritual impurity (Mark 6-7). Tabgha-Traditionally the site of the feeding of the multitudes-the only one of Jesus' miracles to be mentioned in all four Gospels: Mat 14:13-36, Mk 6:30-56, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-21. But many scholars believe that these accounts place the event further north, at or near Bethsaida. Perhaps the second miraculous feeding (Mat 15:29­ 39, Mk 8:1-10) took place here, as Jesus went to nearby Magdala immediately thereafter. Capernaum (Kfar Nahum, Village of Nahum)-The main city In this region in Jesus' time and center of His ministry. Mat 8:8,9:1,9:9,17:24, Mk 1:21, 1:33,2:14, Luke 4:31-18,5:27, John 6:59. o Mat 8:5-13 & Luke 7:1-10-Jesus healed the Centurion's paralyzed servant. o Mk 2:3-12, Mat 9:1-8, Luke 5:17-26-Jesus healed a palsied man carried by four friends and lowered through the roof. o Luke 4:31-37, Mk 1:21-28-Jesus drove an evil spirit from the synagogue. o Luke 4:38-40, Mat 8: 14-17, Mk 1:29-34-Jesus heals Peter's mother-In-law. o John 6:59-Teaching of Bread of Life was in Capernaum. o Mk 9:33-37-Jesus reprimands His disciples. o Mat 17:24-27-Jesus sent Peter to catch a fish that would have a coin in its mouth with which to pay their Temple tax. o Mat 11 :20-24-Capernaum is one of three towns cursed. Corazin (Also known as Karraza, Kh. Karazeh, Chorizim, Kerazeh, Korazim, Korazin). Chorazin, along with Bethsaida and Capernaum, was reproached by Jesus for failing to repent in spite of the many mighty works done there (Matt 11 :20-24; Luke 10:13-15). This is the only NT reference to the city. It is not mentioned in the OT or in Josephus; however, it may be the place mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud (Menahoth 85 a) as famous for its wheat. Eusebius, in the 4 th cent., said it was 2 Roman miles from Capernaum; and the ruins at Kerazeh, about 2.5 mi. (4 km.) N of the modern Tell Hum, are generally accepted as the site. A less likely suggestion is Khersa on the east shore of the lake. Extensive ruins at Khirbet Kerazeh indicate a city of some importance. Traces can be seen of a Roman road connecting Chorazin with the great caravan route leading past the lake on its way to Damascus. As a city (cf. Matt 11 :20) it would have a synagogue, and the remains of an early synagogue constructed of black volcanic rock have been found. Of special interest is the cathedra Mosis, a carved seat with an Aramaic inscription (cf. Matt 23:2) uncovered at Kerazeh. Apparently there was once a tradition that the antichrist would come from Chorazin, and the severe words spoken to the city by Jesus may be related to this tradition The synagogue at Chorazin is a typical "Galilean" style synagogue.