Comet Hunter
Supporting Member
Only picture of the Dead Sea where my wife reached a new low, sea level that is!... Sign said we were at the lowest point on earth
Too chilly to take a dip and float. She did tip her toes in it.... .
# 1, wet toes and salt cristals were abundant here, which we brought some home
On to Bethony
Bethany Beyond the Jordan
Wadi Gharrar with Baptismal Area
Wadi Gharrar is a small tributary of the Jordan River that is fed by about five springs. Tradition holds that these springs provided the water that was used by John the Baptist for baptizing. Those who support this tradition note that (1) “Bethany beyond the Jordan” was not necessarily a location on the river itself; (2) this site is closely connected with the river; and (3) it was unlikely that a swiftly flowing river like the Jordan would have been used for frequent baptisms.
Historical archives
Several non-biblical texts from late antiquity nevertheless describe the supposed location of Jesus Christ's baptism. They point to a specific location in the Jordan Valley, and provide a few topographical details. In 333, an anonymous pilgrim from Bordeaux reported that Jesus had been baptized 5 miles (7.5 km) north of the Dead Sea, a distance that effectively places the site at the latitude of Qasr el Yehud. Another witness, Archdeacon Theodosius of Alexandria (530), states that a church of St. John the Baptist was built there, raised on pillars and arcades, and further asserted that a marble column surmounted by a cross marked the precise point of the baptism.
#2 Image opposite: the ruins of a basilica (detail) near the Jordan River. It was later rebuilt on pillars and arches. Sumit Lalchandani.
# 3 More ruins, different angle
In 570, the Italian pilgrim Anthony of Piacenza reported that the site was directly opposite a monastery of St. John, and that a stone stairway led down to the river to the site of the event.
More recently, in 1899, Father Jean-Louis Féderlin visited Wadi Kharrar and spotted several ruined churches. It was in 1995 that the Kingdom of Jordan decided to set up an excavation program, and entrusted archaeologist Mohammed Waheeb of the Jordanian Antiquities Service with its management.
Close to the Jordan River, near an ancient dried-up branch of the river, excavators found the ruins of a vast Byzantine basilica. It was confirmed that it had been built on pillars and arcades like the one described by Theodosius. It had been rebuilt twice, right next to it at ground level, as evidenced by two superimposed mosaic pavements. A fragment of one of them depicts a splendid bouquet of flowers in a vase.
Behind the basilica's apse, a majestic marble staircase was unearthed, leading down to the ancient riverbed. At the foot of the staircase, a second chapel of modest size was engraved with numerous cross-shaped graffiti. Again according to ancient authors, one of these chapels would have marked the point where Jesus laid down his clothes, and the other the place where the immersion rite was performed. These remarkable correspondences give strong grounds for identifying the site of Jesus Christ's baptism.
Source for this article:
https://www.archeobiblion.fr/en/artifacts/nt-artifacts/the-wadi-kharrar/
# 4, the site marker, (or one of many)
# 5, you can clearly see the old foundations of the church/churches.
# 6 A different angle Such history in this Holy place. Our guide said sometimes the pool is quite deep, today it shallow.
#7 The Israeli side, where either a Coptic or Orthodox Church was conducting baptizums which was fun to watch. Israel is quite close, few 100 feet. Very merky water, which I brought some home too.
Armed guards on both sides... You do NOT cross the river!
# 8 The monastery of St. John as mentioned above
# 9 St Johns Church, another view
# 10, I guess this was a type of bell tower of St Johns church? I didn't think to ask.... My bad.
The sun behind the structure made it glow
# 11 Last but not least, as viewed from Bethony as we were leaving the site, you can see in the distance the city of Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) is one of the worlds oldest continuously inhabited cities located in the West Bank 825 feet below sea level. Dating back to roughly 10,500 BC, and we think the USA’s 250th birthday is a big deal….
Everywhere you look here, you see something historical
Too chilly to take a dip and float. She did tip her toes in it.... .
# 1, wet toes and salt cristals were abundant here, which we brought some home
On to Bethony
Bethany Beyond the Jordan
Wadi Gharrar with Baptismal Area
Wadi Gharrar is a small tributary of the Jordan River that is fed by about five springs. Tradition holds that these springs provided the water that was used by John the Baptist for baptizing. Those who support this tradition note that (1) “Bethany beyond the Jordan” was not necessarily a location on the river itself; (2) this site is closely connected with the river; and (3) it was unlikely that a swiftly flowing river like the Jordan would have been used for frequent baptisms.
Historical archives
Several non-biblical texts from late antiquity nevertheless describe the supposed location of Jesus Christ's baptism. They point to a specific location in the Jordan Valley, and provide a few topographical details. In 333, an anonymous pilgrim from Bordeaux reported that Jesus had been baptized 5 miles (7.5 km) north of the Dead Sea, a distance that effectively places the site at the latitude of Qasr el Yehud. Another witness, Archdeacon Theodosius of Alexandria (530), states that a church of St. John the Baptist was built there, raised on pillars and arcades, and further asserted that a marble column surmounted by a cross marked the precise point of the baptism.
#2 Image opposite: the ruins of a basilica (detail) near the Jordan River. It was later rebuilt on pillars and arches. Sumit Lalchandani.
# 3 More ruins, different angle
In 570, the Italian pilgrim Anthony of Piacenza reported that the site was directly opposite a monastery of St. John, and that a stone stairway led down to the river to the site of the event.
More recently, in 1899, Father Jean-Louis Féderlin visited Wadi Kharrar and spotted several ruined churches. It was in 1995 that the Kingdom of Jordan decided to set up an excavation program, and entrusted archaeologist Mohammed Waheeb of the Jordanian Antiquities Service with its management.
Close to the Jordan River, near an ancient dried-up branch of the river, excavators found the ruins of a vast Byzantine basilica. It was confirmed that it had been built on pillars and arcades like the one described by Theodosius. It had been rebuilt twice, right next to it at ground level, as evidenced by two superimposed mosaic pavements. A fragment of one of them depicts a splendid bouquet of flowers in a vase.
Behind the basilica's apse, a majestic marble staircase was unearthed, leading down to the ancient riverbed. At the foot of the staircase, a second chapel of modest size was engraved with numerous cross-shaped graffiti. Again according to ancient authors, one of these chapels would have marked the point where Jesus laid down his clothes, and the other the place where the immersion rite was performed. These remarkable correspondences give strong grounds for identifying the site of Jesus Christ's baptism.
Source for this article:
https://www.archeobiblion.fr/en/artifacts/nt-artifacts/the-wadi-kharrar/
# 4, the site marker, (or one of many)
# 5, you can clearly see the old foundations of the church/churches.
# 6 A different angle Such history in this Holy place. Our guide said sometimes the pool is quite deep, today it shallow.
#7 The Israeli side, where either a Coptic or Orthodox Church was conducting baptizums which was fun to watch. Israel is quite close, few 100 feet. Very merky water, which I brought some home too.
Armed guards on both sides... You do NOT cross the river!
# 8 The monastery of St. John as mentioned above
# 9 St Johns Church, another view
# 10, I guess this was a type of bell tower of St Johns church? I didn't think to ask.... My bad.
The sun behind the structure made it glow
# 11 Last but not least, as viewed from Bethony as we were leaving the site, you can see in the distance the city of Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) is one of the worlds oldest continuously inhabited cities located in the West Bank 825 feet below sea level. Dating back to roughly 10,500 BC, and we think the USA’s 250th birthday is a big deal….
Everywhere you look here, you see something historical
