EMMAUS

For our last trip we traveled to see friends who had moved from the kibbutz where we stayed. On the way we stopped at a place called Emmaus, though the location did not line up with a Biblical description in Luke 24:13. It was lovely. 

The construction dated back before the Roman period. Stone waterways and channels ran through  a small valley. It was easy to imagine houses built on the hillsides, and market stalls lining the main square.

It was a pleasant choice for the end of sight-seeing. 

And finally the sun set on our visit. Good night, Israel.

AND LAST OF ALL...

This mosaic was found on the floor of a 6th century church in Jordan. It shows a road going down the middle of Jerusalem. For centuries, no one knew if the road actually existed, until some one tried to do some plumbing repairs in his apartment. Some of the tile floor fell through! He called the authorities and they discovered  the Cardo! 

Some of the columns had quite a bit broken off. Artists painted a mural on a walled up part to show what the market street might have looked like.

This photograph, taken from further back, showed some taller pillars.

The innocents 'playing in the street' captivated our attention!

Before too long we circled back around toward the parking lot and drove away from Jerusalem.

QUICK TOUR PART II

If you haven't looked at the post before this, we recommend it. There was too much to squeeze into one day, and far too much to squeeze into one post. Many folks said it could take a week to tour only the holy sites and much longer for the cultural scene.

During the morning, among the various places we visited, we had walked part of the traditionally accepted route Jesus took from His judgement to His death. In the early afternoon as we completed that route, we headed out of the Damascus Gate.

The Bible accounts tell us that Jesus was crucified and buried outside the walls of the City. We walked a short distance to a garden that fit the description of  the location of the tomb.

This picture shows the hill that many consider to be the place of a skull, Golgotha. Can you see eye-holes?

And this is a photograph taken at a time when more of the lower part of the hill was visible, showing a mouth, too.

                       Behold!
                 The empty tomb!

We're sitting in front of the door where the large stone would have been.