09 May 2011

Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and the walls come a tumbling down.

Promptly at 7:00a in the morning, buses pulled out from the J.C. for a field trip to Jericho. The anticipation on the bus was difficult to miss as students and staff eagerly awaited the arrival in the famous city where the walls did come a tumbling down. Jericho is no longer the small fortified city of 1200 B.C. It is now a thriving city with diverse economic activities and persons.

The field trip began at Herod the Great’s Winter Palace. Jericho has been a prized fertile area, inhabited by different rulers and countries. In 63 B.C., after the Roman conquest, Jericho fell into the hands of Herod the Great, an Idumaen convert to Judaism. Lacking political legitimacy, he married Maramne, the beautiful granddaughter of the last Hasmonean ruler. Herod constructed a chain of fortresses throughout the area: Herodium, Alexandrium, Masada, and Machaerus to name a few. His must splendid palace, however, was the Winter Palace at Jericho. It included luxurious living quarters, spacious reception halls and courtyards, a hippodrome, gardens, two swimming pools, and a spa. However, Herod was very sensitive about his lack of political legitimacy and became ruthless toward all those whom he perceived as being threats to his power, including his own family. He murdered many of his sons and his brother-in-law in fear that they would “dethrone” him. Herod died in the Winter Palace. Today it stands as an archaeological dig and as a history of his rule.

The focus of this field trip was organized around the archaeological mound of Ancient Jericho. This mound (or tell of land) is home to the oldest building on record, a tower dating back to the Neolithic Period (8000 B.C.) Jericho has been a focal point with respect to whether the tel’s meager archaeological evidence supports Israel’s conquest of Jericho – that the story of Joshua did, in fact, occur. Techniques have been used by three different excavators to determine the time period of different wall remnants. Early, Middle, and Late Bronze Eras have all been announced as possibilities. However, one of the archaeologists is convinced that Joshua’s battle never occurred because walls from his time period have not been validly found in the archaeological site. In contrast to her claim, Yadin suggests that the walls from the early time period could have survived until Joshua’s battle, when the with the Lord’s assistance, he brought them crumbling to the ground. Personally, I follow Yadin’s philosophy on the entire thing. I know that the Children of Israel brought down the walls of Jericho by following the commandments of the Lord.

The last stop we made was at the Wadi Qilt, a waterway that is still used today. This wadi is also the traditional site for the Road to Jericho. We hiked along the top of the wadi, seeing different the Quruntul Monastery, goats, and Bedouin settlements. It was a warm hike. The sun was blazing. However, when we stopped to talk about the Good Samaritan and Christ’s last walk from Jericho to Jerusalem, the heat was no longer a bother. While we were be burned by the sun, our hearts were filled with peace. It was a wonderful experience. The entire field trip was fun! I even got some yummy nuts to sneak back into the country for my family to try...

The remainder of the afternoon (we returned at 1:30p) was spent sleeping, reading, and studying. Following dinner, we met as a group to walk to Ben Yehuda Street, where we spent the night celebrating Israel’s Independence Day. What a party! The streets were so crowded that I felt like a sardine. It was a blast though. We got cotton candy, listened to live music, danced, socialized, and walked. I even got an Israeli flag wristband to help celebrate. This was an event I will never forget. The children ran around with cans of shaving cream and silly string spraying everyone in their paths. Adults and children alike hit people with blow-up and rubber hammers. It was quite the party. I am glad that I went. And I’m glad that I stayed until midnight so that I could see the fireworks. One thing I was sad about missing this summer was the fireworks on the Fourth of July, but I got them tonight. It was fun to sit in Independence Park as a study abroad group and watch the fireworks. It was freezing cold but no one seemed to care once they got started. (Quick side note: Jaret Lever noticed that I was freezing to death, shrugged out of his jacket, and put it around me. Apparently he wasn’t the only boy there with that thought. We have such great people in our group!) It was a good night. But now I must go to bed. We have classes early in the morning and big plans for tomorrow afternoon. I love you all. Thank you. For everything.