31 July 2011

It was our last field trip day outside of Jerusalem today! I can't believe it has come to this point. Everyone made it a point to take tons of pictures, to make the most of the bus rides, and to have as much fun as physically possible. Of course, none of this would have been possibe without Brother Judd, his amazing fashion-sense, and his magical pink umbrella.

It was hot today. I know I have said this a million of times, but I mean it this time. I am talking 107 degrees. But, thankfully, we have an amazing assitant director this semester who allowed us to wear shorts today! Trust me; it would have been impossible to stand outside in the blazing sun for six hours in pants. We all would have died. Our day began at Qumran, a city situated below the cliffs of the Judean wilderness near the shore of the Dead Sea. Deeming the later Hasmonean and the Herodian rulers to have corrupted Judaism, the Essenes practiced "monasticism" at Qumran, where they produced or preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls. There emerged within Judaism two main factions by the Second Century BCE: Sadducees (hellenized elite hereditary priesthood) and Pharisees (rabbi-led commoners committed to Jewish culture). When the Hasmoneans, who led an anti-hellenization revolt, usurped the high priest's office and promoted hellinization, some Jews (most probably the "Essenes") disassociated themselves from "corrupt" Jewish society and established a virtually all-male monastery-like community at Qumran. There, calling themselves the "sons of light", they prepared militarily to defeat the "sons of darkness", in part through purifying themselve in mikvaot, with communal meals, and by copying sacred writings in a scriptorium. These writings were discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin in the caves at Qumran and have been properly named the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls are the oldest Old Testament manuscripts in existence - pieces of true history.
Last week I was able to see the Dead Sea Scrolls in person at the Israel National Museum. So it was so cool to be able to see the site that they were discovered at, the very caves in which they were found! It was hot on the tel, but it was worth it. The view of the Dead Sea was amazing and the history of where we were standing was unbelievable. We really do have the opportunity to visit some great places. I may grumble about the number of tels that we visit, but each of the sites we visit has some importance, some connection to the Old Testament, to the Israelites.

Masada, another of Herod's Fortresses, was our next destination. Herod left his family at Masada, first fortified by Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus, when he went to Rome to be named puppet king of Judea and while he consolidated his power. To protect his tributary kingdom's southeast flank, Herod later rebuilt and enlarged Masada. Herod's complex featured northern and western palaces, Roman bath, swimming pool, storage buildings, and a casemate wall that included living quarters and a messhall (triclilnium) for the soldiers. Aqueducts (from the wadi to the south) and cisterns (in the western cliff-face) kept Masada supplied with water. During the First Revolt against Rome, Masada was seized by a band of robber-assassins called Sicarii, who - led by Eleazer Ben Yair - assassinated foreigners and Jewish collaborators and who raided nearby Jewish villages. The Sicarii remade the triclinium into a synagogue with its scriptorium inside and a mikva outside. The Romans attacked Masada after conquering Jerusalem and the Herodion. Although he was not present at the event, Josephus provides the only description of Masada's fall. According to him, the Romans built a siege ramp, besieged Masada for a period of about four months, and used siege engines and fire to destroy Herod's wall. On entering Masada, the Romans discovered that the Jewish inhabitants were all dead.
Wasn't that a great history? Basically, everyone died in the end...happy, I know. Masada is another tel, another fortress. It was cool to walk around...but very hot. At one point, I grabbed Emily Judd and put her on my shoulders; she was carrying an umbrella so I was shaded from the sun! It was the smartest decision I had made all day! My skin can only take so much before it begins to burn and boil. Curse my Scandinavian heritage! Haha. :) My favorite part of Masada was probably the western palace. It still had a lot of its decorations and mosaics. It was a great place to take pictures as well. The views that you get at these tels are amazing.

Ein Gedi came next on our agenda. Brother Judd gave us its biblical history before we got off of the bus (which was very kind of him) so we were given an entire hour to do as we pleased. I chose to use that time to the fullest and hiked through the harsh sun to see three (or four) different waterfalls. Ein Gedi is a site where two wadis meet, delivering spring water and creating waterfalls. The waterfalls were beautiful but incredibly crowded. I couldn't believe there were so many people there. And almost all of them were standing/swimming in the pools...making it impossible to get any good pictures. It was ridiculous. However, many of us found that if we walked up to the farthest waterfall, there were less people and better photo opportunities. It was hot and I was sweating up a storm by the time we got there, but it was worth it. Waterfalls really are breathtaking.

From Ein Gedi, we boarded the buses for the Dead Sea (or, as I called it all day, El Mar Muerto). The Dead Sea is located 1300 feet below Sea Level, making it the lowest spot on earth. It is also very, very rich in minerals, especially salt. The sea is 30% salt...three-times greater than the Great Salt Lake in Utah. So, you float. It was the coolest thing ever! I have never been to the Great Salt Lake so this was a brand new experience for me. We were all cautioned to avoid getting water on our faces or in our eyes...for obvious reasons (it burned forever if it got on in your eyes...it was awful). It was fun to float around and do cool tricks in the water. It was also very tiring. While you don't have to tread water, it's no fun if you just sit there. Most of us were running through the water and swimming in long trains. We had a lot of fun. But, like the outside temperature, the water was incredibly warm. Most of us only last about thirty minutes before we had to get out and rinse off. But we were able to get popsicles once we were out of the water, and who doesn't like popsicles? I can now say that I have swam in the Mediterrean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Dead Sea. Awesome. :)

The rest of the day/evening was spent very quietly. We were all exhausted from the field trip so we mostly just lounged around. I attempted to do laundry...but it was full, so I ended up studying instead. Festive, I know. However, I could only take studying for so long before I had to do something else, so I chose to call my mom and dad. I situated myself on the fifth floor (outside of the Chadwick's apartment, actually) and talked to them for a good while. They were both exhausted though so it was a fairly one-sided conversation...but that's okay! It was still great to talk to them. When I hung up, Brother Chadwick walked outside...so I ended up talking to him and Sister Chadwick for a good while. It was fun to catch up with them. It was a good way to leave my day. You can't go wrong with the Chadwicks!