Nazareth to Caesarea Philippi, Mount Tabor and Mount Precipice

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Today after breakfast we boarded our bus for the drive to Caesarea Philippi which is in the Lebanon/Syria border. Caesarea Phillippi was an ancient Roman city located at the southwestern base of Mount Hermon, adjacent to a spring, grotto, and related to the Greek god Pan, and called “Banias or Paneas.” The city is mentioned in the gospels of Matthew and Mark. The city is now uninhabited, an archaeological site in the Golan Heights. Near Caesarea Philippi, a city of Greek-Roman gods, Jesus announced he would establish a church and gave authority over it to the apostle Simon—whom he renamed Peter. This is where He declared, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church….” It was a very moving experience.



Afterwards we stopped for lunch where we ordered some Gyros. So far the places we have stopped for lunch, we are told ahead of time the 2 choices we have. I suppose it is because of the large group and it is easy and fast. Nonetheless, it was very good.



Our next stop was Mount Tabor at the Church of the Transfiguration, which is where the Transfiguration of Jesus took place. We could only take the bus so far and then we had to transfer to vans who sped up the winding road to the top. We entered the church and waited for Father to finish his preparations for Mass. During Mass Father read petitions he had brought across the ocean from our own Transfiguration Parish to read aloud. The church is not that old, built in 1960, but it was built on 2 sets of ruins which you could see through 2 pieces of glass placed over them. This was an awesome experience to imagine Jesus standing there talking to his disciples. It was very special.



We were now through with our itinerary for the day, but our guide told us that he had 2 surprises for us which is always a possibility if we have time. The first one was in the small Village of Nain where Jesus raised the son of a widow from the dead. The next stop was at Mount Precipice also known as the Leaping Mountain. According to old tradition, Jesus jumped from this mountain when fleeing his pursuers.



Now, time to go back to our hotel for dinner and conversation. We are beginning to get to know our fellow travelers better and it is a fun group. Once dinner was finished, Dennis (Tour Director), invited us to go into the lobby for our instructions for the following day, but I had a feeling he had something else up his sleeve. He asked us all to tell the group why we wanted to take this trip to the Holy Land and what was the most memorable experience so far. There were many answers and also some tears as people got choked up. There were some tears and some laughter. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.



Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. Can’t wait to see what is in store.

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Photos

Banias
Artist's impression of Sanctuary of Pan

Comments

[Deborah]

Getting an education
Hello, I am at work, just took a few minutes out to share in your adventures. I love hearing all of your news and the great photos. You look like you are having fun and having lots of spiritual experiences. Sending you both lots of love xo