Galilee (Part 2)

One of the optional things in Galilee was a guided hike to some waterfalls in Eli'ad.  This is Black Falls, so named because of the basalt.

 

This is White Falls because of the limestone.  The pool below would be a nice place to swim in the summer.  It was too cold when we went but some people swam anyway.

 

Our guide said we were experiencing Galilee at the most beautiful time of year.  The grass will be brown by the time the next BYU group visits.

 

This is a baptismal site on the Jordan River.  People from around the world get baptized here because it's cleaner than the one near Jericho (see my Jordan entry).

 

The walls around the site had the baptism account from Mark in different languages.  This one is in Pidgin, a Hawaiian dialect.

 

Mt. Tabor overlooks the Jezreel valley and is the traditional site of the Transfiguration.  On top you can kind of see the church that we visited.

 

Here's the artwork in the apse.  From left to right we have Peter, Moses, Jesus, Elijah, James (kneeling) and John the Beloved. Or maybe Peter and James are switched.  John is always beardless in Christian art because he did not die (John 21:23).

 

Megiddo, aka Armageddon, is the site of many battles throughout history.  Some of the more famous conquerors are Ramses 2, King David, King Solomon, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon. In the book of Revelation Armageddon is a symbol for the final battle.

 

Megiddo was a chariot city under King Solomon. Here are some friends riding iron horses.

 

Behold, the view from Tel Hazor. The yellow stuff is all flowers and the islands of rock are actually ruins.  This gives you an idea of the city's size.

 

Hazor is on two major trade routes, which explains why the city was so enormous.  This is where Deborah and Barak defeated King Jabin's army during the book of Judges.

 

Tel Dan has a bunch of springs which feed into the Jordan River.  The symbolism of water coming out of rock is used by Moses in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament.

 

This structure is neat because the mud brick is original.  It was built around 2000 BC but buried when the new entrance was constructed.  This preserved the mud so that the only part that needed support was the doorway.

 

Caesarea Philippi and another source of the Jordan River.  The cave in the background was once a temple to the Greek god Pan.  It was here that Jesus said "upon this rock I will build my church" (Matt 16:13-20).

 

We took another optional hike was through a canyon.  Notice how the trail is suspended over the river.

 

Here's Banias Falls.  See the little rainbow above the rock?