Samaria

Mt. Gerizim was the mountain where Joshua renewed the Lord's covenant. Then it became the Samaritan's holy mountain - they copied the Jewish religion with the exception that everything in their scriptures references Mt. Gerizim where the other scriptures refer to other mountains. According to them, Moses got the ten commandments on Mt. Gerizim. The messiah would return to Mt. Gerizim, etc. They built a huge temple here (it was later completely destroyed - no foundation left even). You know the story of Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman and the reference to worshiping on their mountain rather than in Jerusalem? This is the mountain. Then the Byzantines built a church here (the ruins you see above). Than it was Palestinian territory. Than Israel turned it into a national park.

It's a little weird when Byzantine sites are new enough to be considered post-interesting.

 

The view from Samaria is BEAUTIFUL

 

Me and a Roman amphitheater in Samaria - Herod conquered it and renamed it Sebastia

 

I liked the flowers.

 

I just think Samaria/Sebastia is pretty cool.

 

Kids playing in the city around ancient Shechem.

 

Standing stone and temple foundation at Shechem.

 

The double sliding gate at Shechem - and we thought that was a recent innovation.

 

We tried to re-enact the sliding gate. That thing had to be enormous!

 

Eating green olives...

...is not recommended.

 

I know this is hard to see, but last night I heard a lot of music and yelling and clapping while working in the library, so I looked out the window and bam! There was a very random Israeli dance party going down outside our gate. The whole city last night was crazy - people were flocking to the Western Wall dancing, singing, shouting, banging on drums and playing the shofar (ram's horn). Tonight is Sabbath so no one is out but there are still fireworks going off. The best we can tell, this is all just early celebration of Yom Kippur next Wednesday.

 

Peace ya'll!