Last, but certainly not least, our final day in the desert included stops at Masada, the Dead Sea, the spring of En-gedi, and Qumran. We spent the morning at Masada which is a Herodian fortress built by Herod to show off his power and position, as well as to provide some protection for the land. It was taken over by the Romans when they conquered the land in 73-74 AD, just a few years after the destruction of the second temple. The fortress is high up on a mountain top a few miles from the dead sea. It was extremely difficult to build and maintain resources for the people living there. Herod did not spend all his time at this particular fortress but it is quite possible the biggest of them all. It was very interesting to see how some of the site has been restored and to see parts of the fresco redone in the palace. This place was a symbol of power for the Israelite people at the time of Herod still is to this day. Ever since Israel regained the land that included Masada after the war in the sixties, it has been a celebrated part of their country. The army even uses it as part of the commissioning ceremony for their elite soldiers.
Next we went to the Dead Sea and floated around in the salty waters. Even our bodies have a greater water index than the Dead Sea. I believe it is 33% salt and you can tell if you have a small cut on your body and walk in the water....it burns. We also had a fun bbq at the beach and then headed to the springs of En-Gedi. It was amazing to hike back into the rock and find these beautiful waterfalls after being in the middle of the desert. It is amazing how God used these springs to provide for His people as they wandered the desert for so many years. These are also the springs David would have been talking about in his Psalm 42. It is the Psalm about how the deer pants for water and so does his soul. It is worth a read as you look at these pictures.
Finally, we ended the day at Qumran. Qumran is the location of a seperatist group of male Jews before, during, and after the time of Jesus. They had some disagreements with how the temple was being run and with the high priests and leaders of their day. They also believed they were the chosen ones to bring in the coming of the Messiah and called themselves the "sons of light". What is so cool about visiting this site is that many of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found there which give great validity to the scriptures. Here are some pictures of the day:
Next we went to the Dead Sea and floated around in the salty waters. Even our bodies have a greater water index than the Dead Sea. I believe it is 33% salt and you can tell if you have a small cut on your body and walk in the water....it burns. We also had a fun bbq at the beach and then headed to the springs of En-Gedi. It was amazing to hike back into the rock and find these beautiful waterfalls after being in the middle of the desert. It is amazing how God used these springs to provide for His people as they wandered the desert for so many years. These are also the springs David would have been talking about in his Psalm 42. It is the Psalm about how the deer pants for water and so does his soul. It is worth a read as you look at these pictures.
Finally, we ended the day at Qumran. Qumran is the location of a seperatist group of male Jews before, during, and after the time of Jesus. They had some disagreements with how the temple was being run and with the high priests and leaders of their day. They also believed they were the chosen ones to bring in the coming of the Messiah and called themselves the "sons of light". What is so cool about visiting this site is that many of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found there which give great validity to the scriptures. Here are some pictures of the day:
Me at Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea...it was a really hazy day so it is kind of hard to see. Usually you could see out to the land of the Moab and on to the Trans-Jordan
This is on top of Masade looking down on the siege ramp the Romans built in order to take over the city. We had a bit of a competition to see who could beat the past JUC record in running up the ramp. I know I would not beat the time, but being a little bit too competitive, I ran up the thing in just under six minutes......the record is 3:30...I have some more training to do :)
This is a model of how Masada looks tucked into the hillside. It was quite a hike up and down the hillside
Part of the restored frescoes in the palace
Another picture of the frescoes
Floating in the Dead Sea...my friend Alison is off to the left reading a book while floating....pretty crazy!
Me putting my feet in and getting used to the salty water!
The springs of En-Gedi...also called Nahal David
Some of us got in to test the waters!Me, Anna, Danielle, Ashley, and Morgan (all graduate girls)
The caves at Qumran...we climbed up into one of the caves up to the top right of the picture...kind of hard to see from this vantage point
The scrolls of Isaiah were found in this cave on the left. The archeologists actually are the ones who put the hole/opening in the rock but the real entrance into the cave is up above the cave.
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