Israel Day 7/12: O Little Town of Bethlehem

We had quite a bit of time before dinner, so we went out and did some daylight exploring of the other side of town near our hotel.

One of the first things we saw was this street festival but it seemed rather crowded and we didn't feel like going through their security checkpoint to get in...

Then we found the real Starbucks...

There are also many little shops and stalls...

narrow streets and stairways...

and churches...

The Lutheran Christmas Church is the oldest Lutheran church

in Palestine. It was started by German missionaries in 1854.

We stumbled onto another church while wandering in town that appeared to be open. So we peeked our heads in the doorway and saw 3 or 4 men sitting at a table chatting. We ducked back out only to be chased down by one of the men inviting us to come in and take a look.

The church was the Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Mary.

The gentleman spoke very good English and was so excited to show us around. It was by far the most beautiful Orthodox church we saw while in the Holy Land.

He showed us their book of worship and showed us how they use the key in the front to decipher what the Scripture reading for the day is. He wasn't sure how old it was exactly, but said it was very old indeed.

the cover was very ornate

it reminded me of books made during the Middle Ages

he really wanted us to take our picture with it :) 

He also opened the curtain in front of the altar so we could see it...

The entire church was full of beautiful artwork, icons and mosaics...

It was such a joy and my favorite part of Bethlehem.

Israel Day 7/12: Herodium

Herod the Great was made king of Judea in 40 BC by Marc Antony. He wanted to see Jerusalem from his new palace built where he had won a battle against the last Hasmonean king in 37 BC.  Construction began for his impenetrable pleasure palace in 25 BC.  The mountain he wanted to build on was not high enough. So he brought in slaves to tear down a nearby hill and build up what was to be his favorite palace built into the crater of the cone-shaped mountain for protection. From the four towers he could see both the Temple in Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. He could send messages by mirror from Jerusalem to the Herodium (this was the only structure he named after himself) to Masada.

The palace was elaborate and included several levels, gardens and a domed bathhouse.

The lower part was a small city containing administrative buildings, a theater, and a pool so large and deep it could have boats sail in it!

How did they get so much water in the middle of the Judean wilderness? An aquaduct brought the water from a spring nearly 4 miles away. There was an elaborate tunnel system in the lower levels of the palace. Slaves carried water up through the tunnels. In order to keep the location of the water a secret, slaves were killed at the end of the day. More tunnels were dug when rebels camped there and were under siege from 132-135.

a large cistern for holding water brought in by slaves

This was also the place where Herod chose to be buried after his death. Herod was powerful  but also paranoid and violent. He killed many people he suspected of trying to overthrow him including some of his sons, one of his wives, in-laws, the baby boys in Bethlehem, and many others that were friends, family and foes. Knowing that no one would mourn his death, he imprisoned many notable Judean men and order the execution on the day of his death. The order was never carried out. 

Herod's burial site remained a mystery until it was discovered during excavations at the site under the ruins of a 2-story mausoleum in 2007. 

Used by rebels during two revolts, the Romans destroyed much of the palace. Later people used the toppled stones to build their own buildings. But some things still remain...