We said "see you later" to Jerusalem on Monday morning and headed north to Galilee. We hope we'll return to Jerusalem someday to explore and wander the streets and sit in the beautiful gardens.
Our first stop was the ancient city of Beit She'an about 75 miles north of Jerusalem. The earliest settlement in this spot is 5000 years old. Romans rebuilt the city in 63 BC as a retirement community for soldiers and it is an excellent example of urban planning. The town adapted to the Byzantine era and was finally occupied by Muslims in the 600s AD. Beit She'an's connection to the Bible is the horrible end to the sad story of Saul and Jonathan as the Philistines hung Saul and his sons' bodies on the walls of the city after their defeat (1 Samuel 31).
George sang a beautiful song in Italian to show off the acoustics of the theater.
The stage is reconstructed, but the theater seats are original.
The bath house is an engineering marvel, fully plumbed. The floor of the bath house rested on pillars and hot air from fires circulated to heat the floor and raise the temperature of the rooms.
There is a small baptistry built into the back of the bath house from the Byzantine period.
Tthe main street of the town gives an idea of the prosperity of Beit She'an. The pillars would have supported a roof for covered sidewalks.
The town was abandoned by its residents after a catastrophic earthquake in the 700s AD.
From Beit She'an we drove to a small hill overlooking the Jezreel Valley. This is a fertile area for farming now as it was in the Bible. We heard the story of Gideon who lived in the Valley of Jezreel and whom God called to overthrow the Midianites (Judges 6). Jezreel Valley is also the setting for conflict between King Ahab and the prophet Elijah in Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21). Michael Wilcox reminded us that although King Ahab thought Jezebel was his best friend and Elijah was his enemy, Jezebel is actually King Ahab's worst enemy and brings about his destruction.
Everywhere we looked we saw gentle beauty.
Our last stop was Mount Arbel. The caves near Arbel are important in Jewish history as places Jewish resistance fighters hid during many important battles including the Maccabees fighting the Seleucids, partisans resisting Herod and during the uprising against Rome. None of these groups had happy endings at Arbel.
The view from the top of Mount Arbel was incredible, offering our first view of the Sea of Galilee. Michael Wilcox used this setting to teach what the Savior taught about prayer, reminding us how often Christ went to the mountains to pray.
One of the people in our tour group was a man with special needs who was traveling with his parents. Sam loved to sing and wanted a chance to sing a solo the way George often did. George borrowed Michael Wilcox's mic so we could all hear Sam sing a sweet song about the Savior.
Galilee was a switch from Jerusalem: a little softer and greener.
Our last stop for the day was our hotel in Tiberias on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. Our room had an amazing view of the sea. Brandan and Becky sat out here and enjoyed the beautiful setting until dinnertime.
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