That the World May Know

The Jewish RevoltsJewish people of Jesus' day had a passionate desire for freedom from the domination of the pagan Romans and the oppressive Herod dynasty that had ruled them for many years. Revolt seethed continuously, mostly underground, for mor...

The Lord is my Shepherd

The WildernessWe may not want to face the wilderness, but the "rocks" of life are the very places where God often brings sweetness into our lives.Rugged wilderness covers much of Israel. The two most prominent deserts are the Judea Wilde...

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Encyclopedia

The Cult of Asclepius

Asclepius, the god who healed with moving water, was said to be the son of god Apollo and a woman named Coronis. His symbol was the snake, and he was known as the god of life because the snake seemingly resurrects itself (sheds its skin and is bor...

The Entrance to the Water Shaft on Tel Megiddo

The water source for Megiddo was a spring at the base of the hill on which this strategic city was built. From its early history through the time of Solomon, the people reached the water by walking through a small postern gate and into a gallery (...

The Essene Water Channel

The Essenes created catch basins just west of their community where the runoff from the rain in the Judea Wilderness cascaded over the cliff. They dug more than 100 feet of tunnel through solid rock to bring water to the foot of the cliff; from th...

The Fortress Masada

The plateau Masada is located in the remote Judean desert. Because this desert was bordered by the more fertile mountain ridge of the land of Israel, Masada was close to more hospitable areas.The attraction of the location for Herod was that he co...

The Gate Chamber at Megiddo

Only part of this chamber was left standing after the city was destroyed following the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom in the eighth century BC. The street (foreground) was removed by archaeologists after they discovered an earlier gate ...

The Harbor

These ruins are of harbors built after the time of Herod. His harbor, which was built on concrete foundations in the sea, is no longer visible, although the base of the breakwater still exists beneath the water. This spectacular accomplishment bro...

The Herodion's Pool

The pool of the Herodion was one of the largest in the ancient world. It is 10 feet deep, 140 feet long, and 200 feet wide. Herod typically built as if he could defeat nature. Since the Herodion is located in the desolate Judea Wilderness, Herod c...

The Making of a City

The environment of the Middle East, including Israel, is harsh and mostly unsuitable for settlement. For a location to be habitable, three conditions were needed:1. Fresh Water - Although rainfall is plentiful in some regions of Israel, most rain ...

The Promised Land

When the Israelites finally reached the edge of the Promised Land after wandering 40 years in the barren wilderness, they must have been overwhelmed by Canaan's fertility. To North Americans, it does not look particularly lush; but to desert nomad...

The Sea and the Abyss

The Sea of Galilee is beautiful, but its calm, peaceful setting does not present a complete picture of ancient people's feelings toward it: Many biblical images related to the sea had very negative connotations.Jews were not seafarers; they were d...

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