Masada, En Gedi, & Qumran

I'm back!!! The love between photobucket and computer was restored after prayer and some laying of the hands! ha! No joke. Ok, lets do this. Masada, En Gedi, and Qumran...get comfortable or you might even want to read in sections ha!



New Year's Day



all locations are located near the Dead Sea. again, not an expert on these places just sharing what we learned and the information given.

Masada in Hebrew means "Fortress". The summit of Masada sits 190 feet above sea level and about 1500 feet above the level of the Dead Sea. It is on an isolated rock cliff located in the West of the Judean Desert over looking the Dead Sea.



According to Josephus Flavius, Herod the Great built the fortress of Masada between 37 and 31 BC. Herod, an Idumean, had been made King of Judea by his Roman overlords and was hated by his Jewish subjects. King Herod fled from Jerusalem to Masada with his family in a moment of danger.

Later he fortified and furnished the citadel as a refuge fearing "a peril from Jewish people" and one "more serious from Cleopatra of Egypt". Herod, the master builder, “furnished this fortress as a refuge for himself.” It included a casemate wall around the plateau, storehouses, large cisterns ingeniously filled with rainwater, barracks, palaces and an armory.



Some 75 years after Herod’s death, at the beginning of the Revolt of the Jews against the Romans in 66 CE, a group of Jewish rebels overcame the Roman garrison of Masada.

After the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple (70 CE) they were joined by zealots and their families who had fled from Jerusalem. With Masada as their base, they raided and harassed the Romans for two years.

Then, in 73 CE, the Roman governor Flavius Silva marched against Masada with the Tenth Legion, auxiliary units and thousands of Jewish prisoners-of-war. The Romans established camps at the base of Masada, laid siege to it and built a circumvallation wall. They then constructed a rampart of thousands of tons of stones and beaten earth against the western approaches of the fortress and, in the spring of the year 74 CE, moved a battering ram up the ramp and breached the wall of the fortress....this info is all from the pamphlet given. I have pictures of it all. so cool.



Josephus Flavius dramatically recounts the story told him by two surviving women. The defenders – almost one thousand men, women and children – led by Eleazar ben Ya’ir, decided to burn the fortress and end their own lives, rather than be taken alive......

“And so met (the Romans) with the multitude of the slain, but could take no pleasure in the fact, though it were done to their enemies. Nor could they do other than wonder at the courage of their resolution, and at the immovable contempt of death which so great a number of them had shown, when they went through with such an action as that was.”



The Zealots cast lots to choose 10 men to kill the remainder. They then chose among themselves the one man who would kill the survivors. That last Jew then killed himself.

Masada symbolizes the determination of the Jewish people to be free in its own land.



So that is the history of this amazing place. Some pictures above are from inside the visitor's center. The art work was excellent.

There are 2 ways to get to Masada...walk up the million stairs or take a fun ride on the cable car!!!! I was so pumped that we didn't have to climb ha!



Can you believe that this place is still around???? amazing!



you can see the Dead Sea in the distance. They believe that the Sea came up to the base of Masada back in the day. Which helped it seem even more mighty!



We got off the cable car and walked over a bridge opened to below...(we were sooo high yikes) and then up a few steps. And that is when I saw the greatness......











Masada was the ultimate place to be in its prime. If you read below you will see that they had very large storehouses. They collected water in the winter and kept food and liquids stored separately. I think Yoni said they could survive for 10 years with what they had stored up! AMAZING with all the people that lived here.





one of the store room is great condition



looking over some of the homes and shops with the Dead Sea in the distance.





Here is a great model of Masada. This is the edge of the cliff where we got to see Herod's Palace, the AWESOME Bath house with tons of pools, and the dome thing in the middle that was "just for looks" bahahha.



most of Herod's Palace and Bath were in great shape.



Dr. Steve and Ashley



Palace



tiles still in the floor even though they are completely exposed to all weather!



Looking down from Herod's Palace you can still see Roman camp outlines (they are outlined by layers of rock)



see...



me...did i mention it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WINDY!!!!!!! Thought i might blow off. ha



another model of what the large bath house looked like.

Dr. Steven and Ashley...kissy kissy...ha. They were like this the WHOLE TIME!!!!!! married 10 years and they still like to act like kids in love. Precious!



These are the very heavy rocks they would throw at the Romans



More homes. I would like to say that I learned a lot about the Jewish women while in Masada.

They shared with us that the women would have had to climb DOWN Masada every month during their "cycle" as they said ha! During this time they were considered unclean and had to be outside of camp. That was the law...not just in Masada. Anyway, i have a feeling some like the time away because they just got to be with other women that were "unclean" and didn't hold regular duties.

So I can assume it was like a vacation. Then they would return. They would do their whole ritual bath thing and then were given the "go" on being clean again.



Anyway, at some point on this trip, the story of the woman that had been bleeding for 12 years came up....

"As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

We all know the story. Because of her condition she was "unclean" which means no touching others, no sharing a bed with a husband. She had to be separated from others. That means no fun parties and no life. For some reason I was standing there in Masada looking out at where the women might have gone during that time and I just wanted to cry. I felt this deep connection with this women like I've never felt before. Maybe because I'm single and live alone. Maybe my brain can "go there" with the ideas of being left out and looked down on. What if she had a personality that loved being with people but couldn't because of this bleeding issue. Isolation. Great Isolation.

Not just alone but alone and "unclean". And my heart cried for her because in the midst of living 12 years on the outside looking in, she gathered her courage and just reached out her hand.

And she touched Jesus. She reached out...EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS BREAKING ALL THEIR JEWISH RULES...she reached out and BELIEVED that her action was worth the cost.
And she was healed. Amen Amen.




It's parts of the bible, like this, that mean even more to me now. I have now seen the faces of the people that have been in this land for generations. I have seen their surroundings and been apart of their customs. I have eaten their food and heard their voices.



And that is why they (the men and women of the Bible) have become my heroes. MORE THAN EVER! What they did, went through & were a part of was not popular. Or easy. Stories I once read as if they were all obnoxious Americans, I now read as what they really were. It has changed my life. And I realize that I'm not REALLY doing anything great to spread the Gospel. I was called to do more and to be bolder. Not just work and play. That is a whole other post.



Anyway, this day was a big one for me. This is me in their 1st Century Synagogue....











Masada Siege Ramp.....The slopes of Masada were too steep for the Roman army to scale with their siege equipment so they had slaves work for months to construct this rocky ramp up the side of the mountain fortress....this is the view looking straight down at it.



this is a side view of the ramp. can you imagine living here while surrounded by the Romans and watching them build this ramp and getting closer and closer to you?????? crazy!!!!

they even had a swimming pool here!!!!



inside of this mountain, the dug out a cistern to hold all the winter rain. We got to go in. They were so advanced!!!!!



Then it was time to go back down and head north to En Gedi.



En Gedi (spelled several ways) is an oasis in Israel, located west of the Dead Sea, near Masada and the caves of Qumran. The springs here have allowed nearly continuous inhabitation of the site since the Chalcolithic period. The abundant springs and year-round temperate climate provided the perfect conditions for agriculture in ancient times. En Gedi is one of only two fresh water springs located on the western shore of the Dead Sea.

as we were pulling into the parking lot we saw this....yes...they are on top of cars eating. Apparently this normal. ha



In 2 Chronicles 20:2, En Gedi is identified with Hazazon-tamar, where the Moabites and Ammonites gathered in order to fight Josaphat.

In Joshua 15:62, Ein Gedi is numbered among the cities of the Tribe of Judah in the desert Betharaba, but Ezekiel 47:10 shows that it was also a fisherman's town.

Later, King David hides in the desert of En Gedi, 1 Samuel 24:1-2, and King Saul seeks him "even upon the most craggy rocks, which are accessible only to wild goats" 1 Samuel 24:3.

The Song of Songs Songs 1:14 speaks of the "vineyards of En Gedi"; the words, "I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades", which occur in Ecclesiastics 24:18, may perhaps be understood of the palm trees of En Gedi.



More on David.............Saul fled back to fight the Philistines and to save Israel, while David has fled to the wilderness of En Gedi, which is about half way up the Dead Sea and west. A very wild area, but that particular location has a water supply and with limestone caves, which are ideal for hiding. David had 600 men, possibly families too. However, tradition tells us that one cave is big enough that 30,000 people hid in it during a violent storm. Crazy!



1 Samuel, Chapter 24, verse 3:
And he [Saul] came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. (and we were told that they do not think "relieve" means going to the bathroom. Rest for the legs after hikes is more like it). Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. And the men of David said to him, "Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you. '"Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly. And it came about afterward that David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul's robe.



verse 6:
So he said to his men, (David now realizes he has sinned against God. He knows in his heart that Saul is God's anointed, and that God has allowed him to stay on the throne this long because God chose to do so.) "Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord's anointed."
He is convicted about "stretching out his hand" against Saul.



verse 7:

And David persuaded his men (literally "tore apart"his men. These men really want to kill Saul. Remember they were people "in distress,"literally "bitter of soul,"people who were being hounded by Saul now and previously people who were misfits in Saul's kingdom. They were not nice people, and they all had something against Saul) with these words (It must have taken a bit of persuasion and it must have been done in very whispered tones) and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way.



and this is where we were.....amazing right. and beautiful.



You can read the rest of the story in 1 Samuel.....



These pictures do not even do the area justice. After walking around in the desert for days and then you come up on plants and beautiful trees and fresh water....it just makes your heart explode with gratitude. It is a gift in the middle of nowhere!!!





talking....



falling....



and smiling...ha.



Dr. Steve read to us from 1 Samuel. We did that almost every place we went. I loved it!



Then they drove us up part of the mountain so we could see what we had just hicked up and get a good look at the Dead Sea.



and this is what you just saw pictures off. So weird isn't it. From a distance it looks like a few trees and nothing exciting. But hiding inside is a beautiful wonderland and fresh water!



and here is another crazy goat following us around ha



dead sea



About this time we all started getting sooooooooooo hungry!!!! We got back in the bus and headed North to our last stop of the day..... Qumran in the West Bank area.



Qumran had a resturant so we arrived and got in line asap! Felafel time!

So, I had just bought my food and was walking over to our table when I noticed Ashley talking to 2 men. One of which looked very familiar to me but I just couldn't place it!......WELL, she turned and introduced us to TIM LAHAYE!!!!!!!!!! (she use to work for his wife).

I ABOUT PASSED OUT.

because...

1. im not a huge fan of the Left Behind series but I LOVE LOVE LOVE his end times charts, books and all that jazz. My parents are big fans too.

2. because he soooooooo does NOT have black hair anymore (like in all his book pictures). He is all white and that was why i didn't totally recegonize him. He should stop using an old picture and just embrace age. ha



anyway, we got to meet him and his son. We end up running into them the next day and I have pics of that ha!

Qumran....... 10 miles south of Jericho, Qumran was on a "dead-end street" and provided a perfect location for the isolationist sect of the Essenes to live. It is best known as the settlement nearest to the caves in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden, caves in the sheer desert cliffs and beneath, in the marl terrace.We got to see rooms where scribes may have copied the scrolls, a pavement where the hard-working inhabitants dried dates, a potters’ workshop, a dining hall, and a ritual bath, recalling the way of life of the Essenes who left Jerusalem seeking spiritual purity.



Nearly 900 scrolls in various conditions, mostly written on parchment, with others on papyrus have been found here. We got to see the real scrolls in the Jewish Museum in Jerusalem. Cisterns, Jewish ritual baths, and cemeteries have been found, along with a dining or assembly room and debris from an upper story alleged by some to have been a scriptorium as well as pottery kilns and a tower.



The scrolls were found in a series of eleven caves around the settlement, some accessible only through the settlement.

One of the major caves!

looking out at the caves and learning about Qumran.

cave



So this picture is probably one of my favorites from the trip. We were sitting there, listening to Dr. Donald, when this group started to come up over the hill. Several of the men were in wheel chairs. As you can see from the pictures above....this was not a smooth area. Lots of rocks and lots of uneven steps with few ramps. And I look over and here come these men using every muscle in their arms to get to the edge of the cliff. Nobody behind them pushing them. And I totally started to cry. You could just see that they were soooooo determined to see everything and not miss out on anything.

I couldn't help but think..."no matter our age, health, or lack of abilities...if you get the chance to walk where Jesus walked, GO! GO! and don't let that stuff stop you. If these men could wheel themselves over large rocks you can too" .....It was just the most precious time for me.



you can see 2 of the caves in this picture.



and part of my cute group. We had tried to climb in one of the caves, but by the time we got over there they came on the speaker system yelling that it was closed hahahha. oh well.

and that was the end of another great day. At this point in the trip things just kept getting better and better! We had a long drive back to the Mediterranean Sea where everyone, but Esther and I, were reunited with luggage. bummer. But I did get my own room that night. I was so thankful. I needed some serious alone time at that point ha! I had the best sleep that night! Praise the Lord!

Ok, time to go make some dinner. Hang in there with me. I know these post are long. I do hope you are learning something at least. ha! I love you all. Caesarea in up next! Have a great night!