Holy Land Blog Day 7

Today was an adventurous day, taking us across many millennium.  Our first stop of the day was Masada an ancient fortification in the situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, 1,300 feet above the Dead Sea, requiring cable cars for us to get to the site.

Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. We were amazed to see what remains of the 2,000 year old compound, consisting of palaces, foot storage rooms, cisterns and Roman baths.  

We also learned about some other history, that for some Israeli's remains as a symbol of resistance to siege. In 66 CE, the Sicarii an extremist Jewish splinter group, took up residence on Masada.  In 73 CE, the Romans completed a ramp and tower, allowing them to breach the wall of the fortress with a battering ram.  When the Roman troops entered the fortress, they discovered that community had set all the buildings ablaze and committed mass suicide or killed each other to avoid being taken as slaves themselves.

Our next stop of the day was the villages and caves of Qumran. The Essenes, a strict aesthetically Jewish community lived here some two thousand years ago as well. One of their major works was the writing of the Torah as well as other scriptural and historical texts.  Their texts were hidden away in the caves and only discovered in the last century.  The excavation site and the information we learned about this community and these historic scrolls was extremely fascinating.

We then enjoyed the once in a life time opportunity to "swim" or float in the Dead Sea itself.  The experience of floating gently atop the water and the invigorating sensations of the waters and mud on our skin was most certainly a highlight of the day.

Our last stop of the day was the biblical city of Bethany, in the present day, West Bank city of al-Eizariya.  Bethany was the home town of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead and his sisters Martha and Mary.  We had the opportunity to celebrate mass in one of the chapels of Lazarus Catholic church which marks the site of their home. 

Following the mass we visited the main church adorned with beautiful mosaics of scenes from Bethany and the sibling saints.

At the end of the day it was sadly time to say goodbye to some new friends who have been with our group since our arrival in Israel.  It was a great joy to welcome Carlos, Floriza and their friend Hazel to our pilgrimage family.  We wish them well and hope they will come see us back home.

Tomorrow is a free day for us to set off on our own before returning to one final day of itinerary.