Approaches to Pilgrimage While the Catholic pilgrim typically seeks to perform the sacramental rites in the various sanctuaries and shrines of Israel, the Protestant and Evangelical Christian usually wants to visit the actual sites written about in the Bible. For practicing Protestants, the Bible is a very important part of daily life and Protestants and Evangelicals are extremely well versed in both the Old and New Testament, which have personal meaning for them above and beyond the liturgical significance of the texts. That’s why Protestants are particularly interested in personally seeing the sites where the events of Jesus’ life transpired, as well as places that are as similar today as possible, to how they appeared in Jesus’ time. Churches, those built of stone or other materials, even those with a traditional pedigree, are of lesser interest to them. They want to stand in the places where Jesus stood, contemplate at these spots and read what is written in the Bible at the very places where Jesus spoke those words. Some, especially believers belonging to the more Fundamentalist denominations, may even see in them eschatological signs. When members of a Protestant pilgrimage group ride on a boat across the Sea of Galilee or walk along the streets of Capernaum, their experience of the Bible is enhanced, and this
impacts their lives in a very significant way. Now when he or she reads the Bible, the Protestant pilgrim can say: “It comes to life for me because I have seen real places, real people, real Galilean terraces and real Jerusalem stones from the Temple with my very own eyes.” Catholics, on the other hand, are experiential in their approach to their religion more often than not, searching for the tangible and the palpable. Much of what they seek is inspirational, reinforced by the significance of the site, not the stones and mortar, and this style of tourism - if it may be called that - may be a ramification of the sacramental aspects of Catholicism’s religious rites. Having said this, distinctions need to be drawn between the various cultures from which the individual Catholic pilgrim originates. While generalizations are not always totally accurate, it would be fair to say that by and large, Catholic pilgrims from South America are almost always more pious and often less sophisticated than their guide, and he or she must be aware of this. On the other hand, Catholics from France may be more sophisticated, more Cartesian and have a different way of encountering the sites central to their faith.” Other than these differences in approach, Protestant pilgrimage itineraries are more likely to incorporate Old Testament sites. its exciting finds. Visitors can see an underground second century Roman era Bar-Kochba domicile as well as other period structures and in proximity, a Byzantine Basilica from the late 4th century, one of three churches from that time. There the Jama’a A-Sattin mosque, a monumental early Muslim period building and, just across the pathway from it, two impressive 1,500-year-old olive presses. The Mishkan Shiloh Association, with help from others, has invested a lot in making Tel Shiloh accessible to visitors. In 2013, a new attraction was established - a unique observation tower, using a new technology combining the natural view with a specially made movie. The second floor of the tower is a video presentation auditorium that seats 50, where the exciting and emotional film on the biblical Shiloh is shown with respect to the natural view around. The first floor is devoted to a small museum, where representative finds of over 4,000 years of history at Tel Shiloh can be viewed and studied, including the Greek-language mosaic inscription from a basilica, the content of which is a blessing from Jesus to the inhabitants of Shiloh, which was critical in identifying the site in modern times. Whatever your reason for coming to Tel Shiloh - spiritual, historical, archaeological or educational - Shiloh is the right place for you!
Historical and Religious Wonders Uncovered at Tel Shiloh
Shahar Shilo
T ourists and history buffs that travel into the beautiful scenery of the hill country north of Jerusalem, into the tribal portion of Ephraim, arrive at ancient Shiloh where almost 4,000 years of history and uplifting messages of faith and hope have been uncovered at Tel Shiloh. Biblical era finds include the site of Hannah’s prayer and the courtyard of the Tabernacle and many other artifacts. Among the uncovered remains from the Second Temple period and the recently excavated Israelite is a four-room house with
Ancient Shiloh website: http://telshilo.org.il/en/ For Reservations and guided tours at the site - office@telshilo.org.il
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