Capernaum, Acre and Mt Carmel

  Tiberias, Galilee, Israel
Friday, July 4, 2008

Once again we started out at 8:00 am, this time for the northern drive around the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, our first stop. This small city was Jesus' Galilee Headquarters, after the people of His hometown Nazareth expelled Him, and actually tried to throw Him off a cliff for correcting their pride and resistance. The Bible says Jesus performed miracles in the town, notably healing a Centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in law, and others who were possessed by demons (Matt 8:5-18).  He also taught in the synagogue in Capernaum (Mark 1:21; John 6:59).

Ruins of Capernaum and the synagogue in the back

 
We walked though the excavated ruins of the lakeshore town, paying special attention the 4th century synagogue that would have been built on the foundation of the one where Jesus taught.

Old foundation and new Capernaum synagogue

There are so many thoughts that come to one's mind in places like this, trying to imagine what it would it would have been like, and all the momentous events that occurred 2000 years ago.

Inside the synagogue at Capernaum

From Capernaum we drove the short distance to what is called the Mount of Beatitudes. This is the traditional site where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. There is a beautiful octagonal Catholic church on the site, with some pleasant gardens round about. We sat on some steps in the gardens and took turns reading from the Matthew 5, 6 and 7, as we looked down on the Sea of Galilee and the fertile fields on the slopes of the hills.

The view from the Mount of Beatitudes

It is a very beautiful and tranquil scene, and the words of those passages are very deep and powerful. We spent very pleasant and worthwhile time there.

On the Mount of Beatitudes

 
Once again boarding the bus, we headed for the Mediterranean coast to Akko (or Acre), which was an important port for thousands of years. Alexander the Great held it, so did the Ptolemies and the Seleucids before falling to Rome. Aram Muslims conquered it in the 600s, but what makes Akko famous today is the Crusader period. It was the Crusader Headquarters for a hundred years after the First Crusade, fell to Saladin, and was reconquered during the 3rd Crusade.

visiting the Crusader castle in Akko

The only fully preserved (well almost fully preserved) Crusader castle left anywhere is in Akko. We toured the castle, including the knights' hall and some battlements, and we actually left via the amazing sewer tunnel, which thankfully hasn't been used for its original purpose for quite some time.... After a walk through the picturesque streets of the old city, which seem stuck in time hundreds of years ago (except for the very up-to-date souvenir shops selling T-shirts that say things like Uzi-does it - with a picture of the famous Israeli machine gun - or Don't worry America, Israel is behind you, or instead of the rock band Guns and Roses, advertises Guns and Moses and so on.
 
We found a packed restaurant that sold hot bread and very fresh hummus of several kinds. It was a cheap lunch by Israeli standards, only $10 for a plate of hummus, fresh warm pita bread and a soft drink.

In the old part of Akko

Then we walked on to the Mediterranean where we took in the deep blue of the sea and sky, watched the waves rolling in, and the boys jumping off the 10 meter high (30 feet) medieval walls into the waves.
 
We made our way back to the bus and drove south along the coast to our last visit of the day: Mt Carmel. We drove up the south end of the 10 km long (6 miles) mountain ridge to the place where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. We know the approximate site, because after the contest, Elijah had them executed by the spring of Kishon (1 Kings 18) and the Kishon spring is directly below the site where we were. There is a Carmelite monastery on the mountain top and for a small fee one can take in the view from the roof which is a sweeping vista of the valley of Esdralon (or Megiddo), which includes Nazareth in the distance, Mt Gilboa (where Saul died), Mt Tabor (where Gideon fought), and on a clear day, one can even see beyond the Jordan River. We sat outside the Monastery wall, among some pleasant pine trees, and read passages that connect both Elijah and Elisha to this mountain, especially the epochal story of his stand against the prophets of Baal.

Reading the story of Elijah on Mt Carmel

 A group of Druze walked by us as we read, on their way to a picnic, which gave Doreen a good opening to explain that breakaway and mysterious sect of Islam, during our drive back to Tiberias.  They believe in Allah, but also believe there was another great prophet after Muhammad and also believe in reincarnation.

It has been a very full day. After a pleasant buffet meal at the restaurant, we will make a relatively early night of it.