BETWEEN JERUSALEM AND THE DEAD SEA
Jaffa’s checkered history, including its role in the history of early Christianity in the Land of Israel. However, for most Christians, what is arguably the most significant reference to Jaffa is the Vision of St. Peter (Acts 10:1-48). As it is written (10-15): “And he [Simon Peter] became very hungry and would have eaten; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance. And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners,
The improved and upgraded Route 1, connecting Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, now makes sites of interest to pilgrimage tourists more accessible than ever before. Following the opening of the outdoor Good Samaritan Museum, located on the traditional site of the New Testament Parable of the Good Samaritan, the inn itself, built over what is considered to be the original inn, has been repaired, and it is open for visits every day of the week. The website offers the ability to plan ahead and book in advance. The museum, both the indoor and outdoor parts, features an impressive collection of mosaics - most of which are original - moved from Byzantine Christian churches and Jewish and Samaritan churches in the West Bank (Judea &
and let down to the earth. Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him. Rise, Peter; kill and eat. And the voice spake unto him again a second time. What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” This vision, central to the universality of the Christian gospel, took place in Jaffa on the roof of the house of Simon the Tanner, which for the past 800 years has been the focus of pilgrimage visits to the Holy Land, but which is closed to the public. Also of interest to Christians visiting the area is the grave of Tabitha (Dorcas), close by the Tel Aviv Botanic Garden, not far away. As it is written in Acts 9, upon the death of Tabitha, a woman known far and wide for her charitable works, Peter was summoned to Jaffa from Lydda (modern-day Lod). “... Peter... kneeled down, and prayed: and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.” (40-24)
Samaria), as well as one large mosaic from an ancient Gaza synagogue. The site is managed by the Israel Nature & Parks Authority (INPA), which also manages two nearby abandoned ancient monasteries, the fifth- century Martyrius Monastery, located off the highway east of Jerusalem, and the nearby Laura of Euthymius from the same period. Both are open to visitors, free of charge. Herodion, site of the model of King Herod’s palace on the mountain where the original stood, is also managed by the INPA, and it may be of interest to pilgrims. Likewise, two additional INPA facilities, the Qumran National Park and the Enot Tzukim Nature Reserve, both on the shores of the northern Dead Sea and also managed by the INPA, may draw interest too. The former is located in the vicinity of Qumran, where Essene scribes wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some of Jesus’ pronouncements as recorded in the New Testament bear similarities to expressions in the scrolls, and St. Paul quotes scrolls written at Qumran. Enot Tzukim, a few kilometers south, is a nature reserve dating back to Herodian times. Some Christian groups hold prayer services there, at pools formed by underground freshwater springs where fish swim.
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