Cave of Machpela - Jewish Quarters

We left the Muslim side and I headed to the other side, the Jewish quarters. Khalid was not allowed to enter, so he waited for me at a coffee shop. I got to the top of the building and noticed this mezuzah, which is affixed to the doorframe of Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to inscribe the words of the Shema "on the doorposts of your house."according to Deuteronomy 6:9. These verses comprise the Jewish prayer "Shema Yisrael," and begins with the phrase "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is One."



As I entered in, I was instantly greeted by this very friendly Jewish guy, named Yosef, who proceeded to give me a tour of the site.


I was very glad he was there, and it was almost like he was waiting for me, which was great, and he proceeded to tell me of the tensions in the area between the Palestinians and Jews and a lot of the history surrounding the area. He mentioned that in 1995 the Wye River Accords, part of the Arab-Israeli peace process, included a temporary status agreement for the site, restricting access for both Jews and Muslims. As part of this agreement, the Muslims control 81% of the building, including the whole of the southeastern section, which lies above the only known entrance to the caves, and possibly over the entirety of the caves themselves. In consequence, Jews are not permitted to visit the Cenotaphs of Isaac or Rebekah, which lie entirely within the southeastern section, except for 10 days a year which hold special significance in Judaism. One of these days is the Shabbat of Haye Sarah, when the Jews read the Torah portion concerning the death of Abraham and Sarah, and that concerning the purchase by Abraham of the land in which the caves are situated.


But he showed me the cenotaph of Jacob, which basically looked just like all the rest of them, but I really wanted to see it.
According to the Jewish teachings, the Patriarchs were buried in the cave because the cave is the threshold to the Garden of Eden. The Patriarchs are said not to be dead but "sleeping". They rise to beg mercy for their children throughout the generations.
There is also a Jewish tradition that praying at the Tomb will bring good fortune in finding a proper spouse. There are Hebrew prayers of supplication for marriage on the walls of the Sarah cenotaph. So of course I offered up my prayers for that!!

Church of the Nativity in Bethleham

We left Hebron and headed towards Bethleham.






I really only wanted to go to the Church of the Nativity, because it is actually a combination of two churches, the Church of St. Catherine, the Roman Catholic church, and the Basilica of the Nativity which is maintained by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. And beneath the church is a crypt called—the Grotto of the Nativity—where Jesus is said to have been born.


But first, Khalid wanted to take me to his family business, which is an olive wood carving business, the kind I see at almost every tourist place. It would have been a very nice gesture, considering he and his 'brother', come to find out was just a friend, served me a nice cup of coffee and then showed me their souvenir shop. Khalid tapped into his pushy and very needy sales pitch, basically pleading with me to buy something . . . "for the family, do it for my family!" Can you tell I was a bit annoyed with it, it's just their way, but it's very pushy. So I left on my own to visit the Church.




It's a beautiful church with numerous chapels that are found in the compound as well, including the Chapel of Saint Joseph, commemorating the angel's appearance to Joseph, commanding him to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13); the Chapel of the Innocents, commemorating the children killed by Herod (Matthew 2:16-18); and the Chapel of Saint Jerome, where traditionally he translated the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate).
Manger Square, a large paved courtyard in front of the Church, is the site where large crowds will gather on Christmas Eve to sing Christmas carols in anticipation of the midnight services.





But I entered into this little construction zone, mainly because it was the closest entry way from Khalid's souvenir shop. I walked through this narrow door called the "Door of Humility" which led me to . . . .





this area, it is the Greek Orthodox section or the Basilica of the Nativity.

The Grotto of the Nativity - Star of Bethleham

I walked through the church to this underground cave called the Grotto or cave of the Nativity, where Jesus is said to have been born.

Again, I felt very strange in this place, it wasn't because of the Muslim influence this time, it was because of the overly religious feel of the place, between the Greek Orthodox priests walking around and praying to all of the symbolism and religous decorations. I know that this is typical of most religious sites, but it just didn't feel like what I have read about in the Bible about the nativity location of Jesus' birth.




So you walk down into this cave area and the two main sights are the Star of Bethleham, The exact spot is marked beneath an altar by a 14-pointed silver star set into the marble floor and surrounded by silver lamps. This altar is denominationally neutral, although it features primarily Armenian Apostolic influences. Another altar in the Grotto, which is maintained by the Roman Catholics, marks the site where traditionally Mary laid the newborn Baby in the manger.

This is the manger.

















And to the left here is the actual 14 point Silver Star of Bethleham. And a piece of artwork that was on the wall in the cave portraying the birth of Jesus.

Basilica of the Nativity

I came back up from the cave and was still in the Greek Orthodox side of the church with all it's fancy decorations and continual prayer and ominous looking priests who aren't really friendly, to be honest.

And behind this area is the The church also features a large gilded iconostasis, and a complex array of lamps throughout the entire building. The wooden rafters were donated by King Edward IV of England. The same king also donated lead to cover the roof; however, this lead was later taken by the Turks, who melted it down for ammunition to use in war against Venice. Stairways on either side of the Sanctuary lead down by winding stairs to the Grotto.

A little tidbit of info is that the basilica was placed on the 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund. It has a lot of rotting and worrisome structural issues.

Church of St. Catherine

Right next to the Greek orthodox side is the Church of St. Catherine, which is a very beautiful church on the inside and out. It is very Catholic looking to me and all that entails.

I mean the inside looks like the Pope. The ceiling looks like his hat and the colors match his robe.



















The stained glass was phenomenal and there were much more than just these two. It was a really beautiful and modern looking building. Also this is the church where the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem celebrates Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.


Actually I forgot to read the inscription on this statue, but I liked the way it looked.

So, this was the last place that I stopped for the day. I went back to Khalid's souvenir shop and didn't buy anything to their dismay, and his friend actually asked me to pay for the milk that he had made for my coffee, imagine that?! I seriously think they were expecting that I'd drop a couple hundred dollars there or something, but I just wasn't interested. At first I was really annoyed, but then I realized that the area really is in a very depressed situation and people are just trying to make ends meet. However, I ended up giving Khalid a large tip, and get this. . . he asked for more! Well, he was a good guide for the day, and I'm glad I ran into him.
I took the shuttle back to Jerusalem and rested the remainder of the day.

Sunday, May 18, 2008 - King of King's Church

I thought I'd post a couple pictures of the church that I've been attending since I've been here in Jerusalem. It's name is the King of King's Church and it's mission is "to be a compelling, Messiah centered, Spirit empowered, disciple making community that reveals the true face of Yeshua (Jesus) to Israel and the nations."

One of the major ministries of the church is the Pavilion Prayer Tower which is "a place devoted to 'prayer without ceasing' (Isaiah 62:7) until all Israel is saved (Romans 11:26) and unending worship in preparation for the day, when He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. (Isaiah 62:7)"
I've really enjoyed this church, there is a wonderful presence of the Spirit in this place.

Friday May, 16, 2008 - Doris' last day!

Well I returned back to Jerusalem from Eilat on Thursday evening and I was very glad to be back. It's just so peaceful here! So I got a call from Doris who reminded me that her last day in Israel was today, so we got together at Christ Church for lunch, the place where we had originally met almost 4 weeks ago. Her friends Christine, Beth, and a guy named Ulo (I think!) met us there and we had a great time of fellowship.


Doris and I ended up walking around the Old City the rest of the afternoon as I attempted to show her some of the places I had seen, only to get lost repeatedly. She was very patient. But we did make it to the Western Wall, the City of David, and the Holy Sepulchre.
We had a good time and ended up resting at the City of
David and had a really great sharing time of some of the things the Lord has shown us while we've been here. I was very happy to have met Doris, and I feel that our paths will cross again someday.