Shiksa in Israel

How far did Mary and Joseph Walk (aka how far is it from Nazareth to Bethlehem)?

Nazareth and Bethlehem are almost directly north and south of one another in the center of Israel. there's a highway there now (#60) that connects them but Mary and Joseph would be wise to avoid that road since it runs through Samaria, now major Palestinian territory (think Ramallah).

Today, like then, you have to pass through Jerusalem to get to Bethlehem. It's about 80 miles on #60 from Nazareth to Jerusalem, and less than 10 more to Bethlehem.
I have almost no doubt that Joseph and Mary would have taken a longer way to get there. They would have gone east to the Jordan River (safer, not to mention cooler/easier to be near the water) then walked south, then west to Jerusalem, adding about 30 miles to their trip.
I'd guess they walked about 120 miles.
one way.
pregnant on a donkey
just saying

also, the altitude would get lower as they walked south towards the Dead Sea (where the Jordan River ends) but entering Jerusalem would be a bit of a hill

International Mary

Outside the Church of the Annunciation, but still within its walls, is a display of images of the Virgin Mary. Every country has its own picture, literally. I love that. Here (picture) are two of my favorites.

I am told that different artwork has been outside the church. I’d love to know more – how is a theme determined? Who commissions? Who are the artists? How frequently is the art changed?

If you know, please contact me. Thanks.

the Dome of the Ascension

Without question the best Christian site we visited was the Dome of the Ascension which is, as you can imagine, at a high point on the Mount of Olives.
It was a pain to find, and we had to pay a few NIS to a guy who was sitting in front chatting up some pals, but it was worth it.

I’m not going to deny that lack of other visitors contributed to our enjoyment/appreciation of this site.

My dad said there’s a footstep in a rock inside the dome. Supposedly it’s the mark of the liftoff. We didn’t see it and I’m not sorry about that. I liked just standing there in the silence, protected from the hot sun, wondering what actually convinced people that something so extraordinary had happened there. It definitely felt special. CSJ felt that too. It was a great moment for us to experience the holiness of Jerusalem – whatever the denomination.

Obviously we’d just drunk the kool aid…a small glass of orange drink given to us by the nearby gift shop (we were looking to buy water but they had none).
☺

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Christians believe the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built where Jesus was crucified. It’s also recognized as Golgotha, and may contain Jesus’ burial chamber. It definitely contains an overwhelming number of Christians, most sporting brightly colored baseball caps (organized by bus, it seems). There’s much picture-taking and chatter going on inside this so-called super-holy site. Lots of touching everything inside. I really wish I could have arranged a private admission. I imagine it would have felt creepily holy to be alone in this massive, maze-like church. Sadly, there’s no alone time in religious sites in Jerusalem.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Via Dolorosa
Old City, Jerusalem
T: 02-627-3314