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WITHOUT TAKING SHOWERS we got dressed in a hurry
and went down to the sumptuous breakfast. When it came to this feast we
had our priorities!
Our first stop of the day was to visit an ancient boat,
built in the days of Jesus, that had been discovered by kibbutz members
in 1986 on the shore of the lake just to the south of Ginosar. It was
now housed in a museum on the grounds of the kibbutz. We were fascinated
because of the Urantia Book’s account of Jesus as a boat builder:
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JESUS THE BOATBUILDER
[In January of A.D.
21 Jesus] passed on successively through Magdala and Bethsaida to
Capernaum, where he stopped to pay a visit to his father's friend
Zebedee.
Zebedee's sons were
fishermen; he himself was a boatbuilder. Jesus of Nazareth was an expert
in both designing and building; he was a master at working with wood;
and Zebedee had long known of the skill of the Nazareth craftsman. For a
long time Zebedee had contemplated making improved boats; he now laid
his plans before Jesus and invited the visiting carpenter to join him in
the enterprise, and Jesus readily consented.
Jesus worked with Zebedee
only a little more than one year, but during that time he created a new
style of boat and established entirely new methods of boatmaking. By
superior technique and greatly improved methods of steaming the boards,
Jesus and Zebedee began to build boats of a very superior type, craft
which were far more safe for sailing the lake than were the older types.
For several years Zebedee had more work, turning out these new-style
boats, than his small establishment could handle; in less than five
years practically all the craft on the lake had been built in the shop
of Zebedee at Capernaum. Jesus became well known to the Galilean
fisherfolk as the designer of the new boats. [1419]
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JOY:
I think the Jesus
boat was one of the highlights of our trip, and that many people would
be interested in it. One of the fascinating things is that in “The Draught of
Fishes" section in the Jesus papers, it goes into a couple sentences of detail about the boat
that Jesus was standing on:
| On Friday morning of this
same week, when Jesus was teaching by the seaside, the people crowded
him so near the water's edge that he signaled to some fishermen
occupying a near-by boat to come to his rescue. Entering the boat, he
continued to teach the assembled multitude for more than two hours. This
boat was named "Simon"; it was the former fishing vessel of
Simon Peter and had been built by Jesus' own hands. [1628] |
Well,
if you look up the comparable story about the "Draught of
Fishes" in the Bible, you'll find that it took place in Genneseret
(Ginosar),
which is the name of the kibbutz and thus the location where the
Jesus boat was found. I think the UB bothers to tell us a little about
this boat on which Jesus stood because the midwayers
figured that we'd uncover the boat sooner or later.
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THE ANCIENT BOAT*
The kibbutzers had
discovered the ancient boat lying on its side buried in the mud after a
two-year drought that had lowered the water to historic levels. Experts
called to the scene agreed it was indeed an ancient boat and excavations
were begun immediately, conducted by the Israel Department of
Antiquities and Museums assisted by archaeologists and volunteers.
Brittle and spongy, the
boat was carefully cleared of the mud that had protected it from
deterioration over the centuries, "packaged" in polyurethane
foam, floated up the shore and moved to a conservation pool in the Yigal
Allon center, a museum on the grounds of the kibbutz. The excavation
took eleven days. Here, supported by
fiberglass frames, the boat sat for nine and a half years undergoing
treatment consisting of impregnation with a special wax material. In
1995 the pool was emptied and the boat revealed. A slow drying process
followed but it was viewable behind a glass wall.
An artistic rendering of the
ancient boat
Experts agree that
it was
built by a master craftsman or boat builder. The design—a deep,
rounded stern and fine bow known as the “shell-first” method—is
different than anything previously unearthed, though similar vessels
have been represented artistically. The builder followed a common
Mediterranean practice with many deviations. The nails, some with
square, round or octagonal shafts, seem more suited to domestic
carpentry, as does the style of their application.
Its planks were
assembled with mortise and tenon joints locked in place with tapered
wood pegs, and then nailed to the frames with straight iron nails.
Mortise and tenon construction
Frames provided support made from naturally curved tree branches. The
shape of the frames and planks are unlike anything thus far recorded for
seafaring craft, and indicate either a shortage of good timber or a type
of construction adapted specifically to this relatively calm, freshwater
lake.
Red tags identify parts of the
stern, white outlines the planks
Twelve different kinds of wood have been identified, the most
common being oak and cedar, indicating that the builder made use of
whatever materials were available locally. Measuring 26.5 long by 7.5
wide by 4.5 feet deep, the boat
could carry 15 persons and may have had a mast.
The boat was repaired many
times. The differences between the workmanship of the repairs and that
of the original construction suggest that the work was done by different
workmen or even perhaps by different generations of workmen.
Slightly to the northeast
were found fragments of wood which appear to be waste from shipbuilding
activities, as well as the
remains of two other smaller boats from later periods, indicating that this site may have been a place where
boats were built and stored.
Based on a study of
construction techniques, Carbon-14 analysis and ceramic chronology, the
boat is dated to the period covering the first century BC until the
first century AD, a period when the lakeside communities witnessed the
ministry of Jesus and his disciples. The vessel, evidently used for
fishing and transport, provides a major contribution to the study of
water transport and the history of the Galilee area. Today the it rests
on a specially designed steel cradle in the new wing of the museum.
*WEBSITES
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ships of the World
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Today we also drove
to Nazareth, nestled in the lower hills of Galilee, about a one-hour
drive from our kibbutz.
A section of the Pilgrim's Map of the Holy Land that we used for
reference
A
BRIEF HISTORY OF NAZARETH
While
Nazareth was known
to early Christian followers as the boyhood home of Jesus, it was not
until 326 AD that the newly converted Roman Emperor Constantine, at the
request of his mother Queen Helena, built the first church in Nazareth
over the traditional site of Mary's home. The invading Persians
destroyed the city in 614, and it lay in ruins until restored by the
Crusaders in the twelfth century. A hundred years later the Saracens
massacred the Christian population and demolished the Crusader churches.
In the 17th century, Franciscan monks returned and established churches,
monasteries and schools. A mosque was added in 1814.
Today Nazareth is
inhabited by about 55,000 people, half of them Christians and the rest
Moslems. Steeples and domes of churches of many denominations punctuate
the skyline, as well as convents, chapels, and schools. Every year tens
of thousands of pilgrims and visitors are drawn to its shrines.
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What we found as we
entered was a messy, disjointed jungle, but judging by its location
amidst the surrounding hills, it must have been a beautiful place in
Jesus’ day when there were less people. First we parked the car
somewhere alaong the main street that ran the length of the town, an
obstacle course of noisy honking cars, people, outdoor markets and
eateries, diggings, and construction, with the ever-present sound of
jack hammers in the air. After following faulty directions given us by
an English-speaking girl, we ended up in the opposite end of town from
what we had aimed for, walking a long way for nothing but experiencing
the sights and sounds of the city in the process. We stopped in at a
“tourist office” where they spoke no English but managed to convey
that we were heading in the wrong direction.
We backtracked and found
the Church of the Annunciation, the supposed site of Gabriel’s
appearance to Mary to announce the coming birth of Jesus and the dominant
structure in the town. From here we set out to locate Jesus’ boyhood
home, based on our Urantia Book “hints.”
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The home of Jesus was not
far from the high hill in the northerly part of Nazareth, some distance
from the village spring, which was in the eastern section of the town.
Jesus' family dwelt in the outskirts of the city, and this made it all
the easier for him subsequently to enjoy frequent strolls in the country
and to make trips up to the top of this near-by highland, the highest of
all the hills of southern Galilee save the Mount Tabor range to the east
and the hill of Nain, … [1349]
Their home was located a
little to the south and east of the southern promontory of this hill and
about midway between the base of this elevation and the road leading out
of Nazareth toward Cana. Aside from climbing the hill, Jesus' favorite
stroll was to follow a narrow trail winding about the base of the hill
in a northeasterly direction to a point where it joined the road to
Sepphoris. [1350]
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Tracing the hints in our
Urantia Books, we climbed up a steep hill that was now a solid maze of
concrete dwellings and located what we calculated was the approximate
spot. At least we could stand there and get a general feel of how the
lay of the land must have looked to Jesus.
After videotaping it from
all angles, we ventured on up to the top of the hill. Here is where
Jesus and Joseph would stand together and take in the view of all the
historical lands surrounding them:
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[It was] the custom for
Joseph to take Jesus out for walks on Sabbath afternoons, one of their
favorite jaunts being to climb the high hill near their home, from which
they could obtain a panoramic view of all Galilee. To the northwest, on
clear days, they could see the long ridge of Mount Carmel running down
to the sea; and many times Jesus heard his father relate the story of
Elijah, one of the first of that long line of Hebrew prophets, who
reproved Ahab and exposed the priests of Baal. To the north Mount Hermon
raised its snowy peak in majestic splendor and monopolized the skyline,
almost 3,000 feet of the upper slopes glistening white with perpetual
snow. Far to the east they could discern the Jordan valley and far
beyond lay the rocky hills of Moab. Also to the south and the east, when
the sun shone upon their marble walls, they could see the Greco-Roman
cities of the Decapolis, with their amphitheaters and pretentious
temples. And when they lingered toward the going down of the sun, to the
west they could make out the sailing vessels on the distant
Mediterranean. [1363]
From four directions Jesus
could observe the caravan trains as they wended their way in and out of
Nazareth, and to the south he could overlook the broad and fertile plain
country of Esdraelon, stretching off toward Mount Gilboa and Samaria.
[1364]
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The top of the hill was
now covered with a gated modern-day church, preventing all access. We
managed to catch a glimpse of what Jesus must have seen from a lower
point, but it was a busy intersection and we had to dodge traffic and
other obstacles to do it.
Hungry, we went back down the hill, passing
many outdoor markets until we found a falafel place where we ate up a
storm for $6 each. Places like this don’t expect tourists so we got a
lot of bang for our shekels. It was crammed with locals all eating a
chicken platter.
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With me driving and Joy
navigating we next headed for nearby Mt. Tabor. (The Bible says this is the Mount of
Transfiguration but the Urantia Book corrects that as being Mt. Hermon.)
| In the latter part of June, Jesus, in company with his father, first climbed to the summit of Mount Tabor. It was a clear day and the view was superb. It seemed to this nine-year-old lad that he had really gazed upon the entire world excepting India, Africa, and Rome.
[1367] |
It was a scary ride to the top, with Joy in a panic as we rounded one
hairpin curve after another while at the same time trying to avoid huge
taxis and tour buses speeding down at us. (Had I been in the passenger
seat I would have felt the same, but I was concentrating too deeply on
trying to stay on the road, with my hands clutching the wheel, to feel
much except my thumping heart.) Once at the top, and finding nothing
there but yet another recent-day church, set inside locked and gated grounds, we
immediately descended as it was getting dark and too hazy to see
properly.
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Back in Tiberias we
stopped in the supermarket for snacks to take back to the room. While
Joy took a nap, I sat sipping a cool drink outside our room when Eli
Green, the Dutch Israeli tour guide, came by again. As before, I tried
to get him interested in the Urantia Book and even had him reading
several pages. He left me an address where I could send him a copy.
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CLICK
HERE TO RETURN TO CALENDAR
or
read on by clicking on any of the following
links:
1.
From Los Angeles to Amsterdam
2. The Flight to Greece
3. Ancient
Corinth
4. The
Citadel
5. To Piraeus
6. Hania on
Crete
7. A
Day in Limbo
8. Back
to Athens
9. From
Athens to Cairo
10. Cairo
11. The Pyramids
12. The Bus to Israel
13. Jerusalem
14. Bethany and Bethpage
15. An Old Palestinian Hotel
16. The Drive to Galilee
17. Capernaum and Environs
18. The Ancient Boat and Nazareththis
page
19. The Golan Heights and Mt. Hermon
20. The Eastern Shore and Scythiopolis
21. Mount of the Beatitudes
22. Ptolemais and Caesarea
23. A Day in Piraeus
24. Santorini
25. A Rainy Day
26. An Eventful Day in Athens
27. Return to Amsterdam
28. Going Home
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