Qumran and Jerico



 Qumran
caves in the distance
This is at the edge of the Judean wilderness and served as a study site foe the Essenes, which  were a Jewish sect in Jesus day. These men spent most of their time copying the Hebrew Old Testament. The Roman army destroyed it in 68 AD and in 1947 some of these scrolls that had been hidden in jars in caves in the area were found. These are now known as the Dead Sea scrolls and provide a lot of information about life at that time as well as accurate copies of Old Testament books.
caves where the scrolls were found













Jericho
As we travelled north of the Dead Sea we crossed into the “West Bank” which is an area controlled by the Palestinians. We came to Jericho, which is the oldest known city in the world, with archaeological evidence that dates back to at least 9000BC. And of course the sturdy of Jericho and its tumbling walls is among the best known in the Bible. Herod the Great built huge  palaces here and much archaeological exploration is still being done. This is also the city where blind Bartimaeus received his sight from Jesus and where Zacchaeus climbed into a sycamore tree in order to better see Jesus.
Traveling from the West Bank back into Israeli territory, we went through the check point and Israeli soldiers with guns walked through the bus to make sure we were not terrorists wanted to harm Israel. They were friendly enough but their guns were a good reminder of what this country lives with. 


camel ride anyone?


sycamore tree in Jericho
Ruins of ancient Jericho in the distance. Much archeological work still being done
thousands of years of civilization being dug up in Jericho


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