Stop #9 – Jericho
Historical Notes:
Jericho, considered to be the oldest
continuously inhabited city in the world, is a city with an amazing
history. Recent archaeological digs have
uncovered at least three different sites that were occupied over the centuries
– beginning perhaps eleven thousand years ago!
The last great city was actually inhabited three hundred years before
Moses.
In Jesus’ day, as the winter
capital of the kingdom, Jericho was a city of great wealth and great poverty, a
home for both merchants and beggars. We
read that Jesus, in passing through Jericho, healed the blind beggar Bartimaeus
(Mark 10:46-52) as well as enjoyed the hospitality of wealthy Zacchaeus (Luke
19:1-10). In his parable of the good
Samaritan, Jesus described an incident that took place on the ancient road that descended for fifteen miles
from Jerusalem to Jericho through the Wadi Qelt, the name of the stream that
runs along this route. In this desert
region, a constant flowing stream is of major importance and thus this route
between Jericho and Jerusalem was extremely important. Both wealthy and unsavory characters used
this route.
Today the Jericho of Jesus’
time – a site called Tulul Abu el-‘Alayiq – is separated from the Old Testament
Jericho by a distance of two miles. The
more ancient Jericho to the north is a mound called Tell es-Sulton, a site near
Elisha’s fountain. The oasis of Jericho
is truly unforgettable. Read the full account in Luke 10:25-30
Visit this amazing tour of
one of the most fascinating cities in the world, Jericho.
https://youtu.be/uLdNI-z9FZ8
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