Thursday, December 06, 2018

Nazereth

Dinner: McDonalds 

We had to drive back from Akko to Tel Aviv to pick up Christina's bag. We eventually made it to Nazareth. 

Nazareth has the Basillica of Annunciations which some believe to be where the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would bear a child. St. Joseph's Church is said to be the site of Joseph's carpentry workshop. The underground sunagogue church is reputably where Jesus studied and prayed. We also visited Mary's Well, which likely has some religious undertone to it as well. 

Nazareth is described by some as ‘the Forgotten Son’ of Israeli tourism. Nazareth, located in Israel’s Galilee region not only has over a dozen important Christian sites, but as Israel’s largest Arab city, has some fascinating cultural sites and experiences to savor. The Pope came to Israel in early 2009, and Nazareth was one of the areas given big government grants to improve its tourism infrastructure for this. As a result, Nazareth has been given a push back onto Israel’s tourism map – and with its importance as the childhood home of Jesus, as the largest Arab city in Israel, and its stunning location right in the middle of the Lower Galilee (about 15 miles west of the Sea of Galilee), it’s a fascinating place. Nazareth’s Old City is most famous for its traditional shuk (Arabic for market) which attracts Israelis from across the country looking for traditional Arabic produce. This in itself is an experience, and a great contrast to the air-conditioned malls dotted around the country. For those interested in Christianity, the Old City and surrounds are filled with important Christian sites, including the Church of the Annunciation.

The Synagogue Church, is according to Christian tradition, where Jesus studied and prayed. In addition, this is where he gave his famous sermon on Shabbat (Matthew 13, Mark 6, Luke 4) when he declared himself as the Messiah to his Jewish village members. This sermon infuriated the congregants and they allegedly dragged him to Mount Precipice planning to push him downhill, but he jumped and disappeared. Today, the Synagogue Church belongs to the Greek-Catholic community. According to historians, attributing this synagogue to the one where Jesus was praying is a late tradition that started after the Byzantine period: All early Jewish holy sites were destroyed by the Romans at the end of the Second Temple period, and most ancient Galilee synagogues are from the third to sixth century.

We ended up finally getting a hold and a confirmed location for Christina's baggage so we drove from Nazereth to Tel Aviv then to Tiberias. It was a loooooooooong day. 

AFN 

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