Starting from the recent and moving back to the past, the Church of the Nativity was the scene of the hostage crisis in 2005, for which there was a bloodless resolution thanks to the fine mediators on the scene.
Archaeology and Jesus Tour to Holyland
Body:
This is a tour for Church, school, or community groups.
This is a unique offering combining the sites and views of biblical Israel with the archaeological evidence.
Explore thousands of years of amazingly preserved archeological sites and take part in ongoing digs – who knows what you may discover! From the Galilee down to the Desert, walk in the land where Christianity was born and visit the places where Jesus lived and taught.
We will explore how the material remains illuminate the text of the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels, providing us with a new and much deeper understanding of the life and events of the Biblical narrative.
Day 1
Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport and transfer to your hotel in Tel Aviv.
Day 2: Jaffa – Caesarea Maritima – Megiddo / Armageddon
Begin this journey by visiting the ancient port city of Jaffa, next to the modern city of Tel Aviv, from which Jonah embarked on his way to Tarshish. Leave Jaffa and travel along the coastal road to Caesarea Maritima, Herod the Great’s masterpiece on the Mediterranean, currently undergoing extensive excavation. Visit Megiddo / Armageddon, discover why this tel (archaeological mound), which holds 5,000 years of accumulated cities, is viewed as the place for the "cataclysm of the end of days."
Day 3: Galilee – Nazareth – Sepphoris – Tiberias
We continue north to explore the Galilee, including Nazareth where Jesus grew up, and Sepphoris, capital of the Galilee after the destruction of Jerusalem, a mixed Christian, Jewish and Roman pagan city. Tour the city of Tiberias, established in the first century by Herod’s son Antipas, and named in honor of the Emperor in Rome.
Day 4: Bethsaida – Capernaum – First Century Boat – Sea of Galilee – Hammat Tiberias
We will walk through the ruins of the first century Jewish town of Bethsaida, which, although mentioned in all four Gospels and home of at least three of the disciples, has only recently been identified and excavated. Visit the ancient town of Capernaum, including the synagogue where Jesus prayed and the possible site of St. Peter’s house. Next stop is the First Century Boat from the time of Jesus that was discovered in the silt under the water during a drought year, and has been preserved and is now on display. Enjoy a boat ride on the beautiful Sea of Galilee, with its extensive archaeological evidence relating to the early part of the Christian era, and see the magnificent mosaic floor of the ancient city of Hammat Tiberias.
Day 5: Banias / Caesarea Philippi – Gamla – Beth Shean
Walk through the beautiful national park of Banias / Caesarea Philippi, with its ancient Roman pagan ritual center, its many stories related to the times, and bubbling springs that are sources of the Jordan River. Next stop is Gamla, an exquisite remnant of Jewish life in this period, and exemplifying the extensive settlement of the Galilee and Golan during the time of Jesus’ ministry. We will also walk through the remains of a small Byzantine village nearby. Tour the extensive Roman ruins of Beth Shean, capital of the Roman Decapolis, destroyed by earthquake, and still being excavated.
Day 6: Jerusalem – southern & western walls of the Second Temple – Herodian mansions – Burnt House – model of Jerusalem in Second Temple period
Explore the Old City of Jerusalem, visiting archaeological excavations at the southern and western walls of the Second Temple built by Herod the Great, walking through the ruins of the markets, roads, and residential areas of the Temple precinct, and walk on the stairs that lead into the Temple. Tour the excavated ruins of the upscale houses of the High Priests who served in the Temple, called the Herodian mansions, and the Burnt House, all underneath the street level of the rebuilt Jewish Quarter of today, and see some of the fine accessories that decorated these homes, as well as the burnt roof beams that are witness to the destruction by the Romans in 70 AD. Walk on the ancient Roman / Byzantine Cardo, the main street of ancient Jerusalem. Visit the archaeologically accurate model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period, the time of Jesus, and understand what the city looked like in those turbulent times.
Day 7: City of David – Bible Lands Museum
We will explore the actual city built by King David, currently under excavation, and walk through its water tunnels cut through the mountain to protect its spring from the Assyrian and later Babylonian invaders. And this trip, unlike any other, will take you to royal tombs in Jerusalem dating from the time of the First Temple (960-586 BC, built by King Solomon).
Visit the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, where authentic ancient finds are displayed according to the biblical cultures and peoples that they represent. This phenomenal collection has items that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. In addition, we will be able to view original frescoes retrieved from the area of Herculaneum and Pompeii.
Day 8: Mount of Olives – Garden of Gethsemane – Via Dolorosa –Church of the Holy Sepulchre – Haas Promenade – Bethlehem – Church of the Nativity – Shepherd’s Field
Explore the Mount of Olives, the traditions surrounding the Garden of Gethsemane (“the Cave of Betrayal”), the Via Dolorosa, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which includes the traditional sites of Calvary and the Tomb of Jesus, and learn about the archaeological context of these sites. View Jerusalem from the Haas Promenade, also known as the Hill of Evil Counsel, and then visit Bethlehem, traditional site of the birth of Jesus. Visit the Church of Nativity & the Shepherd’s Field.
Day 9: Dead Sea – Masada – Qumran
An exciting day will be dedicated to visiting the Dead Sea, lowest point on earth and valuable source of salt in ancient times, and mineral cures today. We will tour Masada (ascent by cable car), site of the last stand of the Jews against the Romans in 73 AD, walking through palaces built by Herod the Great, and seeing how the Jews lived in the ruins of his buildings more than a hundred years later, holding out against the strength of the Roman Empire. Swim in the Dead Sea, and then explore the archaeological remains at Qumran, center of the Essenes who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Day 10: Israel Museum – Ein Karem – Beit Guvrin – Tel Maresha
Visit the Israel Museum to see, among other amazing displays, the ossuary (“bone box” for secondary burial) of Caiaphus, the inscription from Caesarea with the name of Pontius Pilate. Drive by the village of Ein Karem, and the Trappist monastery at Latrun, one of the traditional sites of Emmaus. Our next stop is a tour of caves at Beit Guvrin and Tel Maresha, which were used as a refuge in many periods, and a possible stop on the way of the Holy Family from Hebron to Gaza. Here we will have an opportunity to actually participate in an ongoing excavation.
Return to your hotel to freshen up and transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for your flight home.
