Bethlehem and Jericho Day Tour

We drove south from Jerusalem in the direction of the Dead Sea. We passed the Inn of the Good Samaritan on our way as we continued to explore the Biblical wilderness of the Judaean Desert. We pass Wadi Qelt. In the distance, the 5th-century Monastery of Saint George becomes visible. We decided to halt at the mark indicating that we have reached “sea level”.

From here we continued to drive towards the biblical city of Jericho. Situated at 258 meters below sea level, this ancient city features in both the New and Old Testament. It is believed that Joshua led his troops around the city walls until they fell and Jesus entered Jericho after his sojourn in the wilderness. When Jesus entered Jericho, the City of Palms, the tax collector Zacchaeus is said to have climbed up a sycamore tree to get a better look at him.We made a visit to this legendary ancient tree. We also made a quick stop at Mount Temptation where Jesus is said to have spent forty days and forty nights fighting off the devil’s attempt to turn him against God. It is here that he is believed to have said, “Man shall not live by bread alone”. On our return journey, we drove through Jerusalem and the Judaean Mountains where we visited Bethlehem, both the home of Jesse, King David’s father and the place where Jesus was born.

From Manger Square, we entered through a small door into the Church of the Nativity. The church was built in the 4th century over the grotto where Jesus is believed to have been born. Later in the 6th century, the church was reconstructed. In recent times the church has been restored and renovated. Within the church is the Grotto of the Nativity where a star marks the spot where Jesus was born and an altar to the three Wise Men.

Next, we made a visit to the Crusader Church of Saint Catherine and toured the underground grotto where Saint Jerome is said to have painstakingly translated the Bible from Hebrew to Latin, creating the Vulgate. We made one last stop in Bethlehem – at the Shepherds Field where an Angel of the Lord is said to have appeared to shepherds on Christmas night to tell them of the imminent birth of the savior.