For our final full day of exploring the land of the Bible, we are in for a great treat and some extraordinary sites as we will devote our time between Herodium and the Old City of Jerusalem. There will also be free time for participants to visit Museums, do some shopping, or simply sit and soak in the atmosphere of this most unique and remarkable spot on planet earth. For instance, the Church of All Nations and its 2000-year-old Olive trees is a wonderful place to pause and meditate, as it reminds us of the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46) Although we don’t know where the garden actually was, we can get a sense of the setting from this spot. As a review, peruse again ANT chapter three, to get a sense of the geography of the city at the time of the NT.
Herodium (ANT chapter 4)
Herodium is one of the many of Herod the Great’s building projects (21 total), but this one holds particular appeal for several reasons. The view from the top of the tumulus offers great vistas of the Judean wilderness and the hill country. Its architectural remains are equally impressive. But, Herodium is most famous for the claim by the first Century AD Jewish historian that Herod was buried there. Over the course of the centuries, the actual burial site has proved to be particularly elusive. In 2007, however, the search came to an end, when Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer discovered Herod’s final resting place. For an account of the discovery, do read the following Smithonian article.
