The first major site we got to was the Dead Sea. Though still very large it is losing three vertical feet of water every year as the Jordan River, because of so much use, is barely a trickle when it reaches the Sea.
This is a view of the Dead Sea from the roadway.
When we got to the Sea, we continued driving south until we got to the mountain fortress of Masada. A brief overview of its history is as follows. It was originally built by King Herod the Great as a fortress of last resort should he find himself in trouble. In the Jewish revolt of 66-70 AD, rebels took the stronghold in 66 AD. They would hold out until 73 AD, when a Roman army laid siege to the fortress. When the walls were breached, the Romans entered to find that all the rebels had killed themselves instead of being taken by the Romans and made into slaves. It has long stood as a sign of resisting even in the face of great odds.
Masada is the anvil shaped plateau in the center of the photo.
This shows some of the ruins on the top within the fortress.
This shows the remains of one of several Roman army camps which were set up during the siege. This one in particular is that of the general in charge, Flavius Silva.
to This is looking west from the fortress and shows the siege ramp built by the Romans. It was built on a natural spit which led to the mountain. The spit was 379 feet tall. The Romans only had to add another thirty feet of height in order to get the siege tower in place.
It was a strong experience to be in this place and to think of what went on here.
After that we went for a much "lighter" activity you might say. We went to an oasis for a picnic lunch and then to "bob" in the Dead Sea. Most of us took advantage of this opportunity.
About the only thing one can do is float.
Our next major stop was to the ruins of Qumran. Most scholars think that this was the community of a group known as the Essenes. This group felt that Jerusalem in general and the Temple leadership in particular were hopelessly corrupt. Because of this, they withdrew to the wilderness to pursue the ways of God and to wait for the Messiah. They were devoted to the Scriptures and to this end made a number of copies of Scripture as well as other writings which were important to them. As they, too, came under attack, they put the scrolls in clay jars and hid them in caves near the settlement. These would be found in 1947 and become known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
This shows some of the Qumran compound.
This is one of the caves in which scrolls were found.
Obviously, keeping the holy story safe not only for themselves but for others was a priority. It reminds me of just how important the story of God and God's people has been and continues to be today.
The following link is to a video which shows some of the Dead Sea and the rest is about Masada.
This then has been Monday on the east side of the Judean hills. It has been a good and strong day!
God bless.
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