Jericho

In Biblical times, travelers seeking Jerusalem from Galilee, crossed the Jordan River to the pagan East Bank where the going was easier and then crossed back again a few miles from the oasis of Jericho.  Crossing the Jordan was considered a ritual bath to cleanse oneself upon entering the promised land. Joshua crossed here. Elijah parted the waters here. John baptised Jesus here. 

A narrow road through no man's land bordered by barbed wire and a security gate brought us to the crossing - and what appears to be an isolated Orthodox church, lies in the country of Jordan on the other side of the river.   The river appears to be very narrow but in flood much wider. A sign on a wall of the baptism site records the water level in flood stage, January 13, 2013.  See photos.

After crossing the Jordan, travelers make their way across truly barren land to the Oasis of Jericho.  Today, Jericho lies within a Palestinian autonomous area so our Israeli guide pretended she was an American tourist even though the Palestinians knew she wasn't.

Here, we bordered cable cars to ascend the Mount of Temptation. A Greek Orthodox Monastery hugs the side of the mountain. Within the monastery lies the stone that the devil tempted Jesus to turn into bread. 

The monastery can be reached by an arduous climb in stifling heat or by cable car. We took the cable car.  Ethiopians came by foot. Humanity converged on the steps to the monastery.  Think hot and think crowded. No queueing here!

Upon reaching the stone,  the Ethiopians prostrated themselves, reached out to touch the stone and prayed. What made this place holy to me was not the monastery, the icons or the stone, but the Ethiopians who struggled up the mountain.  One should know that they are persecuted in their own land by Muslims who burned over fifty of their churches in 2011.







Christians in Ethiopia

Jordan Valley

Judean Mountain