Through Armageddon, to Nazareth and beyond

KIBBUTZ GINOSAR, Israel, March 11 (UPI) -- It's difficult to understand the Bible without visiting the Holy Land. At least, that's the impression of this sojourner.

Start with scale. Things are much smaller and closer together than the North American might imagine. Mount Carmel, for instance, is just a low ridge that emerges from the Mediterranean near Haifa and runs inland for 10 miles or so. The Jordan River, even where it flows fullest near the Syrian border, is hardly more than a stream. (Of course, the climate was wetter and cooler in antiquity.)

This is the second in a series of reports by United Press International of a trip hosted by Israel's Ministry of Tourism. Israel's tourism industry, important to its economy, has been hit hard by the current unrest. The ministry planned the trip to include sites of special interest to Christian visitors and provided the services of tour guide Howie Bergson.

"The Holy Land is one of the few places is the world where you need a guide," Bergson said in the drive north from Tel Aviv. The experience of the past two days seems to bear this out. To get the most out of one's trip, scripture and history must be linked to terrain features and knowledge of archaeological sites.

Bergson, who is Jewish, is knowledgeable about these things. He also knows and respects the New Testament.

The first stop was the excavations at Tel Megiddo --- Armageddon -- the spot where some Christians believe an apocalyptic last battle will take place, ending the world as we know it and -- perhaps -- ushering in a new one. It's not difficult to see how this belief, written in the New Testament Book of Revelation, arose.

Megiddo commands a key invasion route between Egypt to the south and Syria and Mesopotamia to the north. As such, this strategic site was scene of many major battles in biblical times. Archaeology shows evidence of fortifications from the Bronze Age right up to World War I.

Of the more notable ruined structures are remains of the horse stalls of the fortified chariot city attributed to King Solomon in the 10th century B.C.

But the ancient water system, invisible to besiegers, is mind-boggling. It alone makes a visit to Megiddo worthwhile. Picture a huge shaft hand chiseled through rock where it meets a large tunnel similarly cut that runs 215 feet to a spring outside the walls. Attackers could see nothing but a hillside.

Zippori (Sephorris), in the Galilee area about four miles from Nazareth, is believed to be the home of the parents of Mary, the mother of Jesus. King Herod destroyed the city about the time of Jesus' birth, and many think Jesus and Joseph found work in rebuilding it. Christians traditionally think of Jesus as a "carpenter," giving the impression of a cabinetmaker or someone who does fine woodwork. Actually, the Greek word "tekton" means a builder, a construction worker, a hewer of heavy timbers, a mover of rock and masonry.

Zippori is important in Jewish history as the place where the rabbinical period, which defines the religion today, began. After the Romans destroyed the second temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., scholars moved to Zippori and began working on the Misha and eventually the Talmud. The city thrived as a center of Jewish learning in a Greco-Roman environment.

On the floor of a luxurious 3rd century villa is an exquisite mosaic in which the face of a beautiful young woman appears. She's dubbed "the Mona Lisa of the Galilee" because her eyes seem to watch the viewer from every vantage point. Was this heartbreaker Jewish? Roman? Or was she just an idea in the mind of the artist?

In Nazareth, the lovely Basilica of the Annunciation is built over the grotto where, tradition has it, the angel Gabriel informed Mary of the impending birth of Jesus. But for those interested in history and antiquities as well as religion, the living exhibits, tours and excavations at Nazareth Village are a must.

It's hard to do justice to this surprise highlight in this brief space. It is a full-scale recreation -- restoration, actually -- of a slice of the village in Jesus' time -- including homes, storage caves and a synagogue -- set on the last remaining field that has been farmed since the 1st century. Arab villagers herd sheep and tend crops in authentic period dress.

On the original hillside terraces grow the crops of ancient Galilee -- olives, almonds, grapes, wheat, barley, figs, and carob. After an informative tour of the study center, Yacov, our Russian Christian guide, showed us a wine press carved into rock dating from Jesus' time. With Bible in hand, Jacov led us through the fields, explaining the agricultural context of Jesus' parables in ways that are enlightening even to those very familiar with the stories.

The evening air at Kibbutz Ginosar, on the Sea of Galilee, was perfumed with the scent of grapefruit blossoms. Traditionally, a kibbutz was a kind of collective farm built in keeping with the socialist philosophy of the early European Zionists. Crops still are raised on kibbutzim, but the ideology has softened and some now function -- as does Ginosar --as unostentatious family friendly hotels with good food and a relaxing atmosphere where the kids can play.