june 2: galilee field study, day 1

The first lecture of this extended field study occurred in the Roman theatre overlooking the Mediterranean Sea at a place called Caesarea (named after Herod’s boss, Caesar). Dr. Wright explained that for the land-dwelling Israelites, water is scary, and their language reflects this. We were challenged to consider all of the biblical stories involving the ocean, and most included storms and the unpredictable nature of the sea. Therefore, the Israelites wanted nothing to do with the ocean. However, Herod (who was always trying to out-do nature), wanted to show his power by constructing a large port right by the sea, the remains of which we were free to explore on our own. Once again, the simple feat of building such elaborate structures almost overwhelmed me.

Our next stop was at the top of Mt. Carmel, overlooking the Jezreel Valley. While peering out at the horizon, I was thinking that this land seems more confusing than the first unit about Jerusalem and its surroundings. The simple either/or nature of the cenomanian and senonian rock was much simpler to recognize and understand. But in the Jezreel Valley and its vicinity, there can be found all types of rock, and they all exist in a pattern that seems foreign to me.

We then visited the tel at Megiddo, the location of so many biblical battles that the author of Revelation seems to think that the final battle will occur here. I can’t say that I’m familiar with any of these famous Megiddo battles, so the tel just looked like another pile of rocks to me. (An interesting pile of rocks—it had several features we hadn’t yet seen—but nonetheless, I recognized nothing historical.) I also decided that tels are too complex for me. There are too many layers to understand, too many different civilizations built right smack on top of each other.

While standing among the ruins at Megiddo, Dr. Wright also provided an alternate explanation of the term “Armageddon.” It appears in Revelation and is commonly thought to mean “Har Megiddo,” that is, the hill of Megiddo. However, another scholar came up with an alternate translation (which is apparently possible in Greek), which translates to “gathering place.” In this instance, the only “gathering place” worth defending would be Jerusalem. Perhaps… but we’ll never know for sure.

The last stop of the day was at Nazareth, Jesus’ front yard. We sat on the edge of a site known as Jumping Mountain and introduced the idea of Jesus’ ministry into our geographical studies. At this point in the day, I was pretty worn out and already packed with info, so it was difficult to focus on Dr. Wright’s words. I will definitely have to review someone’s notes from this mini-lecture. It is at this point in the class that I feel like a sponge; I am thoroughly soaked already, and I am not retaining much new information. My academic willpower is petering out, but I’m trying to finish strong.