A visit from Nick and Kyla (part 2)

Nick, Kyla, and I also visited several sites outside of Jerusalem, in other parts of Israel.

Our first destination was Qumran, a settlement dating from the Second Temple Period. Qumran was the home of an aesthetic, apocalyptic Jewish sect known as the Essenes, authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls (which were discovered in the caves around the Qumran site). The Dead Sea Scrolls revolutionized biblical and Second Temple scholarship--they destroyed the notion that Judaism in this period was a unified (largely-Pharisaic) movement, and and also showed that there was no such thing as a biblical canon. Surprisingly, the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal that the Essenes had much in common with early-Christianity, which emerged later during this same period (some theorize that John the Baptist was a member of this sect). Both Christians and the Essenes performed baptisms, both were heavily apocalyptic and messianic in nature, and both rejected the legitimacy of the Jerusalem Temple.

Visitors to Qumran can walk through the huge settlement, which contains a number of ritual baths, a community dining room, and a scribe's room (second picture below).





The view from Qumran was spectacular. The barren cliffs were dotted with the famous caves, all overlooking the beautiful Dead Sea. Below is a picture of me in front of Qumran Cave 4, where a majority of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. A trail continues up into the cliffs (second and third pictures below), although I did not get the chance to explore very far. I definitely plan on returning to visit the other caves.







After Qumran, we headed to Ein Gedi, which is essentially a series of beaches and snack bars on the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is both the lowest point on earth and earth's saltiest body of water--unfortunately, due to Israel's water demands, the sea is shrinking. The saltiness of the water is evident both from the salt crystals which cake all of the rocks on shore (first picture below), and from the extreme buoyancy of the swimmers (second picture below). Note that the mountains across the water in the first picture lie in the Kingdom of Jordan.





Our second destination was Bethlehem, a now-Palestinian city near Jerusalem, famous for its identification as the birthplace of both King David and Jesus. To be fair, there is some scholarly debate whether Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem (only two of the four gospels, Matthew and Luke, say so), or whether this was a later addition to the Gospels intended to strengthen Jesus' association with David (the proto-messiah).

Either way, Bethlehem was a fantastic city (if, of course, one makes it through the checkpoint). The stark contrast between the lively, energetic Arab markets and sacred sites rivals the Old City of Jerusalem. Bethlehem main attraction for Christian pilgrims is the Church of Nativity in Manger Square. To enter the church, visitors must squat through the so-called Door of Humility (first picture below). The interior (second picture below) is stunning; the floor of the church preserves pieces of 4th-century basilica's mosaic floor (third picture below). Under the altar of the church, visitors queue to see the birthplace of Jesus (fourth picture below), appropriately marked by a silver star.









The Church of the Nativity is actually a complex of churches and grottos. In an adjacent building, Spanish-speaking pilgrims were celebrating Christmas mass (apparently it is always Christmas in Bethlehem)! Underneath the church is the place where tradition locates the home and study of St. Jerome, an important Church Father and biblical exegete. Kyla is pictured in St. Jerome's study below (she is making a heart because her boyfriend back at ND is also named Jerome).



There were a few other sites to be seen in Bethlehem--such as the Milk Grotto, where Mary is said to have nursed Jesus on the Holy Family's flight to Egypt. In comparison to the epic Church of the Nativity, however, the other sites are pretty underwhelming.

Overall, Nick and Kyla's visit to Jerusalem was a great success. Coincidentally, their visit coincided with a Notre Dame pilgrimage, so we had the opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces at Tantur, a scholar's institute run by Notre Dame in Jerusalem.