While not really a biblical site in its current remains, I loved spending time at Karak Castle this morning. It is largely a Crusader castle, but it is built on the remains of a much earlier Nabotean fortress. We weren't able to see any of the more ancient fortress, but a lot of the castle remains in pretty good condition. Wandering through the tunnels and rooms was so cool for me. Every little girl dreams of exploring a real live castle, not just the ones in her fairy tales. Admittedly, at 22, I haven't moved too far beyond that dream. There was something about seeing the structure that made it so easy for me to imagine the Crusaders there setting up shop. I could almost hear the clinking of armor as being cleaned and put away and the conversations taking place over the baking of the bread. I could see the soldiers on the walls checking the area.
There was a thick blanket of fog surrounding the castle this morning. Normally, I would have been a bit annoyed by the way the fog blocked the view of the surrounding area and the valley below. This morning I almost felt like it added to the experience. At times the fog was so thick I couldn't see from one end of the castle to the other. It lent a certain eeriness to the air of the castle. There were moments where I definitely felt like I had entered a story book world and was walking in someone else's shoes. The best way I know how to describe it is that moment in books or movies where a character enters another world and isn't sure yet whether or not it is real or a dream. I sort of felt like that. It was so cool and so different from much of anything else that I have done of experienced!
From Karak we went to Dibon, which was Mesha king of Moab's capital. He moved the capital here from Kir (Karak). Of note, Kir also has the same basic topographical shape as the other ancient capitals that we have visited and discussed so far. Very interesting. Also of interest, Dibon is the same way, but it is not nearly as protected as any of the others, even less so than Jerusalem. Basically, it's placed in a position that allowed Mesha to reach out into other lands, not one truly chosen for defense.
While at Dibon, we read through the Mesha Stela in which he recounts his victory over the heir of Ahab. There are actually several very interesting parts about the stela. First, it gives a view of the battles from a non-Israelite source. The Bible never mentions losing the Medeba Plateau to Mesha, but it does mention capturing Kir and then retreating. Basically, by piecing things together one can discover that Mesha dealt Israel a nasty blow and then they managed a small push back by taking Kir. It never occurred to me before that like any good nationalist, biblical authors might have left major defeats out of their history (unless they were using them to display a theological point). It was an interesting idea for me to consider.
Also of interest in the Mesha Stela is a mention of the house of David. It's one of the very few direct mentions that we have proving a Davidic dynasty. Obviously, that alone makes it a pretty important find. I also found it interesting how much understanding geography plays into understanding the stela. The cities Mesha captures first are strategic crossroad cities. Holding them gives him power and position to do other things after. Lastly, just hearing the language also provides an interesting look into the time and culture. Parts of it actually sound very much like Solomon when he talks about how he built the Temple. It's fascinating to see some of the patterns throughout time and kingdoms.
After Dibon we went to Medeba. The real thing of interest there is a fascinating mosaic. A lot of it was destroyed during some of the Islamic period, but what remains is impressive. The mosaic shows a map of the land of Israel, with special focus given to Jerusalem. In fact, Jerusalem is blown up so we can see the layout of the city. This mosaic has provided useful information about the city at the time and Nachman Avigad actually found the cardo (main N/S street) when he excavated. Having talked about it before, it was cool to actually stand and look at the mosaic.
Our last stop of the day was Mt. Nebo. This is the mountain where Moses went up to survey the land of Israel before he died (somewhere in that vicinity). This last stop was pretty bittersweet as it was our last Physical Settings field study. For many of us it was a major reminder of the fact that our time in Israel has sped by and is quickly drawing to a close. At the same time, I was both fascinated and moved by what Dr. Wright taught there.
Starting with the 40 years desert wandering, Dr. Wright basically walked us through the end of Moses' life. In a nutshell, he preaches Deuteronomy down on the Plains of Moab, looking towards the land. On the edge of entering a new kind of life, Moses repeats the Ten Words (Commandments) and gives new instructions relating to settled life instead of a Bedouin way of life. Then he instructs the people to someday go to Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerazim. He sings a couple songs, one a creation story of people and one a blessnig of the 12 tribes, fitting their land. After all that, Moses goes up to the Pisca Ridge (in the area of Mt. Nebo) and God shows him the land, giving him a counter-clockwise itinerary.
At this point good geographical scholars run into a problem. It's not possible to see all of the places described from Mt. Nebo. A lot of people automatically take this to mean that some kind of spiritualizing is going on here. Dr. Wright offered us another solution, which I kind of like. Moses recently took out Og, king of Bashan, from which he would have seen Galilee and Mt. Hermon. On a clear day, it is possible to see the Mediterranean (western sea) from Gerash (where Moses had also been recently), and it was likely he came through in winter, increasing the chances of it having been a clear day. Certainly, Moses had recently been in the Negev. Everything else can be seen from Mt. Nebo. Thus, when God says that Moses had seen it all with his own eyes, he may not be talking figuratively or talking about exactly at that moment. Instead, he may be referring also to recent events.
I found that whole description fascinating, but I was equally if not more struck by the way Dr. Wright related it to our lives afterwards. I often have a hard time seeing how something like that could possibly have much to do with me, but it turns out it has everything to do with me. Basically, Israel was standing on the edge of a new land. God gave them instructions and faithfully brought them into the land he both promised them and prepared for them. We are pretty much all standing on the edge of a new land. Like it or not, our time in Israel is ending soon. At the very least we have all come here and changed. And we are all going back to worlds that have also changed without us. So we are all entering the new land of the lives we came from. Like he did for Israel, God will be faithful to prepare these lands and bring us into them. And they will be good lands, full of the life that God has for us.
I found this to be particularly true for my life right now. I have come to Israel and watched God do some awesome stuff here. Now, as I approach the moment of returning home, I'll admit to some feelings of apprehension as to how exactly I will fit the person I have become into the world that I came from 3 1/2 months ago. Additionally, I'm going back to a very different world even than the one I left, and I'm not exactly comfortable in it. After 2 1/2 years at the same job, I've completely switched roles and taken a position as an RA. I think it will be a good land, but also a scary one. Entering my senior year, some of my closest friends have only one semester left, leaving me in a very strange world for second semester. And like so many seniors, I really don't know what I'm doing afterwards. With so much uncertainty, it's really easy for me to freak out about this new place that I'm moving into. The reminder that God has prepared the land and will faithfully see me into it was both very timely and very impactful. All things put together, this was a fantastic last day of field study!
There was a thick blanket of fog surrounding the castle this morning. Normally, I would have been a bit annoyed by the way the fog blocked the view of the surrounding area and the valley below. This morning I almost felt like it added to the experience. At times the fog was so thick I couldn't see from one end of the castle to the other. It lent a certain eeriness to the air of the castle. There were moments where I definitely felt like I had entered a story book world and was walking in someone else's shoes. The best way I know how to describe it is that moment in books or movies where a character enters another world and isn't sure yet whether or not it is real or a dream. I sort of felt like that. It was so cool and so different from much of anything else that I have done of experienced!
From Karak we went to Dibon, which was Mesha king of Moab's capital. He moved the capital here from Kir (Karak). Of note, Kir also has the same basic topographical shape as the other ancient capitals that we have visited and discussed so far. Very interesting. Also of interest, Dibon is the same way, but it is not nearly as protected as any of the others, even less so than Jerusalem. Basically, it's placed in a position that allowed Mesha to reach out into other lands, not one truly chosen for defense.
While at Dibon, we read through the Mesha Stela in which he recounts his victory over the heir of Ahab. There are actually several very interesting parts about the stela. First, it gives a view of the battles from a non-Israelite source. The Bible never mentions losing the Medeba Plateau to Mesha, but it does mention capturing Kir and then retreating. Basically, by piecing things together one can discover that Mesha dealt Israel a nasty blow and then they managed a small push back by taking Kir. It never occurred to me before that like any good nationalist, biblical authors might have left major defeats out of their history (unless they were using them to display a theological point). It was an interesting idea for me to consider.
Also of interest in the Mesha Stela is a mention of the house of David. It's one of the very few direct mentions that we have proving a Davidic dynasty. Obviously, that alone makes it a pretty important find. I also found it interesting how much understanding geography plays into understanding the stela. The cities Mesha captures first are strategic crossroad cities. Holding them gives him power and position to do other things after. Lastly, just hearing the language also provides an interesting look into the time and culture. Parts of it actually sound very much like Solomon when he talks about how he built the Temple. It's fascinating to see some of the patterns throughout time and kingdoms.
After Dibon we went to Medeba. The real thing of interest there is a fascinating mosaic. A lot of it was destroyed during some of the Islamic period, but what remains is impressive. The mosaic shows a map of the land of Israel, with special focus given to Jerusalem. In fact, Jerusalem is blown up so we can see the layout of the city. This mosaic has provided useful information about the city at the time and Nachman Avigad actually found the cardo (main N/S street) when he excavated. Having talked about it before, it was cool to actually stand and look at the mosaic.
Our last stop of the day was Mt. Nebo. This is the mountain where Moses went up to survey the land of Israel before he died (somewhere in that vicinity). This last stop was pretty bittersweet as it was our last Physical Settings field study. For many of us it was a major reminder of the fact that our time in Israel has sped by and is quickly drawing to a close. At the same time, I was both fascinated and moved by what Dr. Wright taught there.
Starting with the 40 years desert wandering, Dr. Wright basically walked us through the end of Moses' life. In a nutshell, he preaches Deuteronomy down on the Plains of Moab, looking towards the land. On the edge of entering a new kind of life, Moses repeats the Ten Words (Commandments) and gives new instructions relating to settled life instead of a Bedouin way of life. Then he instructs the people to someday go to Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerazim. He sings a couple songs, one a creation story of people and one a blessnig of the 12 tribes, fitting their land. After all that, Moses goes up to the Pisca Ridge (in the area of Mt. Nebo) and God shows him the land, giving him a counter-clockwise itinerary.
At this point good geographical scholars run into a problem. It's not possible to see all of the places described from Mt. Nebo. A lot of people automatically take this to mean that some kind of spiritualizing is going on here. Dr. Wright offered us another solution, which I kind of like. Moses recently took out Og, king of Bashan, from which he would have seen Galilee and Mt. Hermon. On a clear day, it is possible to see the Mediterranean (western sea) from Gerash (where Moses had also been recently), and it was likely he came through in winter, increasing the chances of it having been a clear day. Certainly, Moses had recently been in the Negev. Everything else can be seen from Mt. Nebo. Thus, when God says that Moses had seen it all with his own eyes, he may not be talking figuratively or talking about exactly at that moment. Instead, he may be referring also to recent events.
I found that whole description fascinating, but I was equally if not more struck by the way Dr. Wright related it to our lives afterwards. I often have a hard time seeing how something like that could possibly have much to do with me, but it turns out it has everything to do with me. Basically, Israel was standing on the edge of a new land. God gave them instructions and faithfully brought them into the land he both promised them and prepared for them. We are pretty much all standing on the edge of a new land. Like it or not, our time in Israel is ending soon. At the very least we have all come here and changed. And we are all going back to worlds that have also changed without us. So we are all entering the new land of the lives we came from. Like he did for Israel, God will be faithful to prepare these lands and bring us into them. And they will be good lands, full of the life that God has for us.
I found this to be particularly true for my life right now. I have come to Israel and watched God do some awesome stuff here. Now, as I approach the moment of returning home, I'll admit to some feelings of apprehension as to how exactly I will fit the person I have become into the world that I came from 3 1/2 months ago. Additionally, I'm going back to a very different world even than the one I left, and I'm not exactly comfortable in it. After 2 1/2 years at the same job, I've completely switched roles and taken a position as an RA. I think it will be a good land, but also a scary one. Entering my senior year, some of my closest friends have only one semester left, leaving me in a very strange world for second semester. And like so many seniors, I really don't know what I'm doing afterwards. With so much uncertainty, it's really easy for me to freak out about this new place that I'm moving into. The reminder that God has prepared the land and will faithfully see me into it was both very timely and very impactful. All things put together, this was a fantastic last day of field study!
excellent... loved it, Krissi ;)
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