The Significance of Biblical Place Names - Preface & Introduction

 Preface

This is written for those who are interested in making a visit to the Holy Land, perhaps joining a guided tour. You know about Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Jordan River, Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. But how many other places do you really know about?

This writing might also be of interest to those who have visited the Holy Land. You were on a tour and as you rolled along the guide pointing to places along the route and called out names that you might or might not be familiar with. She might say something about the place but there might not be time to say more or you simply can’t hear it all from where you are on the bus. 

If you are curious like me, a student of the Bible, perhaps a bit of a history buff, amateur geographer and cartophile (that’s lover of maps), you want to know more about those places. What happened there that was significant enough for the guide to mention the place?

That’s where this guide comes in. I hope the material I have collected enriches your pilgrimage and deepens your appreciation for the history and geography behind the Bible stories. It can deepen your knowledge of the Bible even if a Holy Land tour is not  a plan or dream.  If you have traveled in the Holy Land, or plan to, I wish you blessings as you learn these stories and, hopefully, learn from them. I have learned much from travels to the Holy Land and this study. It would be my prayer that this writing would be a help to you as you make that journey, reflect back on it if you have already gone, or simply want to broaden your knowledge.

1. Introduction

1. Definition

First off, I should say what I mean by Holy Land. Others might have different definitions or define it more broadly. I am limiting it to what I believe most understand by it: the geographical space in the Middle East now occupied by Israel and Palestine. 

2. Disputed Territories

I recognize that there are some who even question the existence of ‘Palestine’ as a separate entity. However, I am going by what most of the world, through the United Nations (UN), accepted as the boundaries of Israel back in 1948 when the state was reborn. It had been wiped out by the Roman Empire in the first century AD/CE. The region west of the Jordan River and along the Mediterranean Sea not given to Israel in 1948 is what can be referred to as Palestine. 

Over the years, with Israel’s successive incursions into Palestine, it has become separated into two zones which have come to be called The West Bank, as it lies west of the Jordan River and up against Israel to the west, and the so-called Gaza Strip, which hugs the Mediterranean coast in the southwest, bordering on Egypt to the south. Until the war of 1967 they were under the jurisdiction of Jordan for The West Bank and Egypt for The Gaza Strip. Now Israel claims these territories. Most of the world, again as the UN, has never accepted this. They continue to refer to these two regions as Occupied Territories, indicating their status according to international law. Israel detests that designation. Indeed, nowadays, if one looks at maps of the region that have their origin in Israel, you would be hard-pressed to see where The West Bank and Gaza are. Israeli cartographers nowadays seem to treat the whole area as theirs. 

3. Disputed Peoplehood

I believe, that just as Israel refers to all Palestinians, even those living within the Israeli borders as Arabs, not Palestinians, all of this is Israel’s way of denying the existence here of a place with a people. It is telling that an oft-quoted phrase arising out of early Zionism in the late 19^th century states that Israel, as “a people with no land” could go to live in “a land with no people.” This completely ignored the reality of some half-million residents in this area by 1948. 

Israel and its supporters constantly assert that there really was no ‘people’ here. They would have us believe that all the Palestinians, as we call them, are descendants of a variety of Arab peoples who gradually moved into the land, especially since the ouster of the Jews by the Romans in AD 70 – 135. To be sure, many from neighbouring nations did move to the area during the British mandate after 1917 because of the development, including the building of railways, pipelines and factories, that provided needed employment often not then found elsewhere in the area. However, a sizeable portion of the occupants of the region claim they are descended from non-Jewish groups that have lived in this land since before the Jews occupied it, beginning in the time of Abraham, but especially after the Exodus from Egypt. Some in the Christian Church in particular say they are descendants of members of the Early Church of the New Testament. Israel though, really hopes the world will slowly come to accept their descriptions, and give up any ideas of supporting Palestinian peoplehood, much less statehood. Israel insists only they have a valid claim to form a nation here, having established themselves as a nation here in the time of Joshua on and believing that God established a covenant with their ancestor Abraham that included giving them this land.

4. Biblical Places

When one travels in the so-called biblical Holy Land, one visits a number of places whose names one recognizes from The Bible. Indeed, there are too many such places to fit into any itinerary. My NIV Harper-Collins Study Bible alone lists nearly 1000 names of places on its maps. Some, such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth, which are the first items on many religious pilgrims’ agendas, have continuous histories from the past to the present. Of course, many are just known or even only possible locations, yet to have archaeology go in and see what is there.

I find it interesting and educational, being a lover of history, to be reminded of the historical significance of the places in The Bible. Those that are still inhabited sites today also have their own more recent and important histories, let alone current situations. The stories from the ‘dead stones’ and the ‘living stones,’ as people sometimes refer to the past and present in these lands today, are both important.  It is also important to link the stories wherever possible. This is especially so for those of us of the Judea-Christian traditions who believe in one God whom we believe acted in these past stories and revealed himself through them. This is revealed in the Bible, which is largely a record of those events. Where God is acting and thus revealing himself today is often less clear, but important nonetheless. Indeed, knowing the past stories helps interpret the present situation more accurately.

5. Biblical References

For my own benefit and the education of other students of The Bible, especially those who have completed pilgrimages to the Holy Land, or plan to, I have made a search of references in the Bible of sites I visited or were referred to on tours in 2016 and 2017. I have been immensely helped in this by both the search capabilities of the digital Bible and the standard Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. However, even this last does not seem to list all the references to a particular word. I suspect some of this might be because of newer translations which have different wording than the Authorized (King James) Version Strong uses. I have probably been more extensive than necessary to begin with, even though it has not been my intent necessarily to incorporate the substance of every reference to a name.  I have, however, introduced a good deal of the history of what transpired at some of these locations, whether they be, for example, Israelite tribal areas or cities. After all, that was the point of this exercise – to give the reader some background as to why these places one might see or hear reference to when visiting the Holy Land are important in the biblical narrative, in history.  

f. Survey Scope

I am limiting this survey to what I have called the Holy Land. I am not referencing and elaborating on names outside of this area, such as where Abraham came from when it comes to the Old Testament (OT), or where Paul traveled on his missionary journeys, when it comes to the New Testament (NT). This is simply because those places are not part of what is generally understood as being in The Holy Land. I am including some references to what the Bible refers to as the Transjordan, modern Jordan. This is because it figures prominently in The Pentateuch, The Prophets of the OT and even in the NT. It is also contiguous with Israel and Palestine and many tourists and pilgrims do visit these areas too. I also include references to the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon as they are frequently referred to and are adjacent to Israel and Palestine proper.

I have given a fairly exhaustive list of biblical references to the places included in this study. For most references, some or all of the passage is itself quoted. However, this varies. It would take up too much space to copy the whole reference in many cases. Besides, it is also my hope that these references would stimulate you to look up the passages yourself to read the whole story and see what more you might learn from it. 

        g. Divisions

I debated whether to divide the entries into OT and NT sections. Actually, one could even divide the NT into a section on The Life of Christ, and then set apart a third section on the Early Church. The former would include the Gospels and Acts 1; the latter Acts 1 to the end of Revelation. In the end, I decide only to do this for the larger or more important entries.

        h. Historical Names and Divisions of the Holy Land

Since names occur in geographic and geopolitical areas, I think it would also be appropriate here to summarize some of the overarching names given to different areas of The Holy Lands over time. Then, when a specific site is studied, one knows in which area of The Holy Land it occurs.

To begin with, and until what was ultimately the nation of Israel established itself in the land after returning from Egypt, the entire region was referred to as Canaan. Its occupants included many peoples or named entities sometimes referred to as nations, kingdoms or simply tribes by their specific names. Often, they are all lumped together as Canaanites. This land extends from modern day Lebanon and Syria in the north to Egypt in the south and included Jordan on the east. Of course, the western border is The Mediterranean Sea. 

As you read and study, you will learn who lived here and what they were called. You will learn what the boundaries of the region have been and are. The chief biblical characters of note will be referenced in conjunction with the places that are important to their stories. You will be reminded of when, how and why the name of the regions, Canaan, was gradually lost. You will learn of the many subdivisions of the land over time and how they came to be.

Some places will remind one of the stories of The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, others of The Exodus of Israel from Egypt under Moses and subsequent Conquest of Canaan under Joshua. Still others are connected to The Exile of Israel and then Judah. You will see how names changed through history.

        i. Names or Stories

Names by themselves are of less meaning than the stories that go with them. As this is the Bible we are talking about, not a history book, we do want to look at what those stories tell us about God, who inspired this sacred text, The Bible, and what these records tell us about these lands and their occupants. How might that fit into knowing and understanding God’s plan for us all? What do these stories also tell us about his involvement in the real lives and histories of people through time? At points, I might try to draw some truth from the text, from the stories, but I also want to leave that for you to arrive at as a result of your study. As I wrote earlier, I will share some of my interpretations and deductions at the end. I would encourage you though, to make your own study, and then see how your findings compare with mine. Indeed, I would be glad to hear back from you on what you gained that I seem to have missed.

I will say that some of the things that struck me are:

1.Reminders of how utterances about places and events and persons involved there turned out to be predictively prophetic – the fulfilment of the saying comes later in The Bible.

2. The above is not just interesting in its own right. It is of special significance here in God’s Word because it shows how God’s promises do not return empty, as it is said in scripture itself.

3. All of the above show how God’s plans do come to fruition, in his time, according to his schedule. 

4. Another small detail that surfaced from time to time was an obvious anachronism in naming. Of course, a cursory reading of the scriptures might not reveal this. However, when we put the Bible into the bigger picture of its context and the history of those periods of time in which it was written, some of this becomes obvious.

A simple example has to do with Jerusalem. In Genesis Abram meets a priest, Melchizedek, said to be from Jerusalem. Reading further into the Bible chronologically one soon realizes that this place was known as Jebus until probably King David’s time. How to explain this? The obvious answer is that when editions of Genesis we have were written, people already knew of Jebus as Jerusalem and just put that name erroneously back on that historic site in the Genesis account.

DEAR READER:

If you've read this far - thanks. If you are interested in reading more, let me know in the comments below and I can add to this.

Thanks.

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem? Not so fast...

To those of us concerned about the situation in the Middle East, there is new cause for concern and prayer. Perhaps even letters to appropriate authorities so cool heads prevail.

My wife and I had an enjoyable first visit to the small nation of Jordan at the end of April this year. At the time, although we were informed of stresses the country was experiencing, it also appeared that it was somewhat of an oasis of peace in the area, or as our guide referred to it, ‘the hole in the doughnut.’ You can read more of our experiences in this regard at http://reflect-lulu-isle.blogspot.ca/2017/05/2017-5-17-report-on-jordan.html .

We learned that Jordan seemed to be at peace with its western neighbor, Israel. In fact, we were told that there was a good deal of business going on between the two nations, and that Jewish businessmen even lived in Jordan and carried on their business there. All of this followed Jordan’s signing a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. Therefore, it was troubling to read in the news recently about a recurrence of friction between the two nations. Just the same, this report suggests Israel was in some ways blackmailing Jordan into accepting their demands as these incidents unfolded:

“Jordan relies on Israel for much of its economic stability. With an annual $39 billion GDP, compared with Israel’s $320 billion for roughly the same population size, Jordan could go under without Israeli support.

Under the 1994 peace treaty, Israel provides Jordan, a desert country, 13 billion gallons per year of fresh water from the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). More than 200,000 Israelis vacation in Jordan, which is starved for foreign currency. Jordan is expected to receive natural gas at a bargain-basement cost from Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan offshore fields. In a country with a soaring unemployment—at least 30 percent, much higher among youths—Israeli businesses have established industry in Jordan, taking advantage of the lower pay across the river.” https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/92370/jordans-king-vows-stop-judaisation-temple-mount/#boZkqZjyMiIlZKpY.99

The immediate incitement for the current situation started with Israel’s closure – again – of the Temple Mount, in the old city of Jerusalem, to Muslims wanting to come to the Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers. This followed the murder of two Israeli Druze police officers in an attack on Israeli guards at the Temple Mount by 3 Palestinian youths. There is no excuse for such attacks but we do have to keep in mind that these things happen when the temperature in the pot – Israeli occupied Palestine – whose lid keeps held shut by Israel, which is their short-sighted way of trying to keep themselves secure – gets too hot and some ‘steam’ escapes. Then Israel throws tear gas and shoots rubber bullets back into the pot, which does not help in the long run. But I carry the figure of speech too far.  

I leave it to a Christian Palestinian brother we met last year, who is an academic in Bethlehem, to describe what happened next:

“Jordanians are very upset.  An Israeli security official at a private apartment building shoots the owner of the
building and a 17-year-old worker installing furniture and runs off to a hero's welcome in Tel Aviv [This is the incident referred to, quoting from Israeli paper, Haaretz:

The guard at the Israeli Embassy in Amman was stabbed on Sunday by a Jordanian carpenter who was installing furniture in his apartment near the embassy compound. The Israeli security officer, who was lightly wounded in the incident, shot and killed the attacker. His landlord, who was also present during the incident, was also wounded during the incident and later died of his wounds. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.803076?utm_content=%2Fisrael-news%2F1.803076&utm_medium=email&utm_source=smartfocus&utm_campaign=shivuk-haaretz-news ].

The two victims? One a Muslim, one a Christian. One of Palestinian origin (refugee family) and the other [of] Jordanian lineage. One young, one old. One highly educated (practicing doctor) and one who has not finished school. One friendly to Israel and rents to their officials[;] the other more nationalist. Israeli murderers [have] showed all [of the] people in the world repeatedly that they do not distinguish "goyim" [Gentiles] from one another.

Hopefully some day that killer [will] be brought back to Jordan to face justice.

Yet, our actions do make a difference. Israeli forces finally complied with Internationally law temporarily by removing the illegal electronic gates and corrals leading to [the] Al-Aqsa compound. Western media ignored the massive popular resistance (non-violent) that made the difference. They also ignored the cost of our success: 4 murdered Palestinians and hundreds injured (and no support from most governments). 

The last two sentences of our friend's newsletter about the situation reflect the chain of events that followed the original action on the Temple Mount. There were violent Palestinian protests/riots against Israel's response to the incident. These are always disappointing and we wish they would not happen, as they only make things worse, but remember the boiling pot metaphor. Some of the injuries our friend mentions occurred as a result of Israel's action to put down that violence. Some of it occurs when Israel, as is usually the practice, uses the opportunity to use its muscle against the occupied Palestinians in other parts of the so-called West Bank, as part of their ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation of Palestinians, which often includes many innocent individuals, for any alleged (by Israel) negative action on the part of any Palestinian.

However, getting back to my original concern, the increased tension between Jordan and Israel as a result of all of this, which I don’t think has received much attention in most Western media. There were protests in Jordan against Israel's action https://worldisraelnews.com/jordanians-enraged-by-israels-closure-of-temple-mount-in-response-to-terror/ . Some of this was because Jordan’s Muslim sector has a role to play in the guarding of the Temple Mount mosque. Some is because there are a large number of expatriate Palestinians in Jordan, and some of them may simply have been reacting as were their compatriots in Israel and Palestine. The third reason would be simply that Jordan is predominantly Muslim, and there would be a more extremist element that would react this way.

Then the lawmakers and governing bodies, the leaders of both Israel and Jordan started the usual wars of words, threatened reprisals and shifting of embassy personnel that nations engage in when these things happen https://worldisraelnews.com/jordan-lawmakers-praise-jerusalem-attack-criticize-israel/ There were skirmishes near the Israeli embassy in Jordan with an Israeli security guard being killed. One Israeli media source reported:

 [ https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/92051/stabbing-israeli-embassy-jordan-terrorist-shot/] “The unusual incident began when a team of carpenters came to install furniture in one of the apartments where the Israeli security guards live, near the Amman embassy compound. One of the workers crept behind the officer and began to stab him with a screwdriver - at which point the officer jumped back, cocked his weapon and fired. He was lightly wounded in the jump.

The guard arrived at the embassy immediately following the incident. A Foreign Ministry official noted that he is an accredited diplomat, immune from interrogation and arrest under the Vienna Convention.” http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.803117?utm_content=%2Fisrael-news%2F1.803117&utm_medium=email&utm_source=smartfocus&utm_campaign=shivuk-haaretz-news

As a time of this writing, the situation seems to be resolving, at least for now. Israel has removed the metal detectors which where an added aggravation for the Muslims wanting to worship at the Temple Mount. All of this just underscores again though, how volatile this region continues to be.

Many Christians repeat the phrase,”Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” That is a limited and narrow-minded view of what is needed. We need, as Christians, to pray for the peace of everyone in the region, not just Jerusalem. We especially need to remember our Christian brothers and sisters in all of these nations. When it comes to Palestine, Israel makes little distinction as to whether those they trouble are Christian or Muslim. Yet, too many Christians in the west blindly support Israel, which, in effect, means they are leaving their Christian brothers and sisters in the region vulnerable. This is not acceptable. God’s love does not distinguish between Jews, Christian, Muslim or other. If we follow Jesus’ command to love our neighbors, even our enemies, this includes everyone.

2017 5 17 Report on Jordan

Report on Jordan - The Hole in the Donut

Peace Mennonite Church 2017 6 25

SLIDE 1 TITLE

I. Introduction

As some of you know, Anne and I were blessed to be able to recently visit the Middle East again this year. We went this time under the leadership of Canadian Mennonite University Old Testament Professor Emeritus and founding president, childhood friend of mine, Gerald Gerbrandt. I also graduated from CMBC with him 50 years ago. For the New Testament teaching we had CMU Prof. Sheila Klassen-Wiebe.

This year we also went first to Jordan - here is its ruler, King Abdullah II and its flag -  and because we hear little about that country, I thought I wanted to share with you what we learned in three areas:

(1)  Historical background

(2)  The state of the church and Christianity in Jordan and

(3)  The work of MCC there.

This report is based on what we saw and heard from some of its citizens, including our tour agent and guide, the staff of MCC and their partner agency Caritas, speakers that we heard in learning sessions and other individuals from the community such as the head cleric of the capital Amman's Greek Catholic diocese and even the taxi drivers who took us from our hotel to some of the city's sites and back. Some other facts come from related websites, including that of MCC.

SLIDE 2 MAP

 
So, here is Jordan, to the east of Palestine and Israel, south of Syria, west of Iraq and north of Saudi Arabia. The capital, here, is Amman, where we landed April 25 and started our journey. 

April 27 we traveled south through Madaba, where a sixth century church was destroyed in the earthquake of AD 749, one that damaged many buildings throughout this whole region. It was rediscovered and rebuilt in 1884. Still to be seen there is one of the most famous original mosaic church floors which measures some 20 x 8 m square and is largely a map of the holy land, the first known one, including the streets of Jerusalem. From Madaba we made a side trip to Mount Nebo and ended up April 28 at Petra before crossing the border into Palestine and then Israel north of the Dead Sea on April 29.

SLIDE 3

  

II. Background – History

Old Testament
Jordan comes from the Hebrew Hayarden, which literally means, according to our guide – “of the Dan.” Dan, if you remember your Bible history, was the northernmost tribe of Israel. It seems almost strange then, that this would be the name of a nation other than Israel, a nation that has at times been Israel's enemy. Indeed, some Jordanians’ ancestry might be traceable to Ammon, the son of Lot, and you know that the Ammonites were one of Israel's enemies in Old Testament times.  Others might descend from Jacob’s brother Esau, or Edom – the Edomites – and still others from Lot’s other son, Moab – the Moabites.

It is Mount Nebo were Moses was apparently taken by God to view the promised land before he died. There are ruins of a sixth century church there and a much more modern church that was just reopened this year after an eight-year renovation project. Farther south is Mount Hor where Aaron died and is buried, and which also has a religious shrine on top of it. Near Petra itself is Wadi Musa, Arabic for the River of Moses, where he got water for Israel by striking a rock, yielding seven springs here according to tradition.  

  Finally, it was through Jordan that the Israelites finally made their way north to cross into their territories by crossing the Jordan River north of the Dead Sea. I think God knew what he was doing there. When you see that land, you realize that it’s a lot easier to move several million people over the flat plains of southern Jordan and down one river valley to the Jordan River than through the barren hills and valleys of southern Israel! 

SLIDE 4

Modern Times

Jordan is a relatively new country - only having been carved out of the land east of the Jordan River in 1946 under the rule of a band of Hashemite Arabs under their leader, King Abdullah I. He claims to be a descendent of Mohammed. This was made possible by Britain, which had gained control of the area when The Allies defeated Turkey/the Ottoman Empire in World War I. This empire had ruled this area for 400 years.

Jordan was not a populous country to begin with. The population of Amman was less than half a million in 1946, versus 4 million now. However, its numbers swelled in 1948 when many of the 750,000 Palestinians forced out of their villages by the newly-formed state of Israel that spring, fled east across the Jordan. They were not well off and their presence created considerable strain for the young nation. Jordan took over the administration of the newly demarcated territory or what became referred to as the West Bank. That ended in 1967 when an attack on Israel by its neighbors, including Jordan, resulted in Israel driving them back and itself occupying lands previously held by Jordan (the West Bank) and Egypt (Gaza). The outcome of that war did not really help Jordan, as Israel's occupation of those lands at that time caused even more Palestinians to flee eastward as refugees.

In the years following Jordan began to develop. Surprisingly, unlike most of its Arab neighbors, it is not blessed with either oil or gas! Actually, that might be a blessing in disguise. At least that has kept it freer from the interference that plagues so many of its neighbours from the likes of Russia, Europe and the USA because of their oil wealth. However, in the vast arid spaces of its southeast were large deposits of potash, used as fertilizer, which has become one of its top exports. Then, it began to build on the potential of the greener northeast, where most of the people, understandably, live. There is more rainfall here but Jordan, like Israel, also began to siphon off water from its namesake river. This helped turn it into a veritable market garden for the mostly-desert Arab states to its south and east.

Indeed, Jordan was apparently beginning to prosper and be able to develop its infrastructure, education and health care. Amman, so named in AD 661, was turning into a modern, well organized and relatively clean city. Its peace and stability in the face of the unrest in many of its neighbors has also led to its becoming something of a financial and business center. Hence my title, the hole in the donut. I have to thank our guide for that. It has come to terms with its powerful neighbor Israel too, and both states benefit economically and politically from their current relationship, which is good for themselves and the region.

SLIDE 5

CURRENT CHALLENGES

In 2004 things were looking up and it seemed Jordan was on the way to meet its citizens’ desires for transparence, democratic government with equal rights for all under the rule of law and without corruption. Improvement in education and health care with other priorities.  However, these gains have all been rendered quite precarious once again by new floods of refugees. Since 2011, the government has again been in crisis mode with no time or money to devote to improvements such as garbage collection and recycling, meaning we saw a lot of the former everywhere, even piled along the highways. The cost of living and unemployment have increased unacceptably.

First were the Iraqis fleeing the civil war and then the endeavors of the radical inroads of the would-be Islamic State known variously as Daesh, ISIS or ISIL. The new refugees presented a somewhat new and different challenge though. The previous Palestinian refugees have, over time, left to form a new life elsewhere, or remained as refugees hoping still to return to their homelands in Israel. The Iraqis, on the other hand, came with money. They buy land and build large mansions. They are not returning to Iraq. This has caused a real estate problem for the Jordanians. Many of them can now not get into the housing market. This new group of refugees and their needs and demands began to put a strain on the political and economic equilibrium of Jordan. It also changed the religious demographics as many of them were Christian. Most of these refugees seem to make their way on their own and settle into the Jordanian towns and cities. Some 20% have registered and increased the population of the refugee camps, now numbering something like 10.

And then came the Syrians, over 1 million of them. Can you imagine that? We pride ourselves, a rich country of 35 million versus 9 million with accepting 30,000 refugees. As you can imagine, taking census under these circumstances is difficult and some say there might be well over 11 million people in the country, of whom anywhere from 3-5 million could be refugees altogether. Coping with this financially, socially and politically has once again threatened to tip Jordan over the edge with their needs. Indeed, their national debt is now something like 20 billion. The newer refugees are mostly more conservative Muslim and not as educated or wealthy as the Iraqis were. This means you can identify the women because they are more likely to where the full length burqa, whereas Jordanians and Iraqis mostly only wore the scarf or hijab. They want to return to their homes though, so are not settling in as some of the previous refugees were, so they are not contributing as much to the economy. Jordan's neighbors and the international community through the UN are really not helping Jordan keep ahead of the challenges either. So, Jordan is once again struggling somewhat, though still doing better than a few decades ago.

Jordan has, for the most part been able to keep the radicalism away though. This has been made possible by considerable tightening of both border and internal security. Jordanians now must always carry their ID as they can be stopped at any time and checked. However, this seems to be something the citizens take in their stride if it will help keep the peace. At this time, I am only aware of one significant terrorist incident in Jordan in recent years, and that occurred early this year in one city in the middle of the country.

The Jordanians are proud of the diversity they espouse, the stability they have enjoyed and want to keep it that way so, overall, prospects are still positive. They like to talk about that this city as the white city, for the color of its stone, built on seven hills, just like Rome. Indeed, during the days of the Roman empire, it was called Philadelphia, which you know means, “city of brotherly love.” As a secular state, they identify themselves first as Jordanians, not Muslim, not Christian. Let's hope it stays that way. The Middle East needs some successes. 

SLIDE 6

III. Christianity in Jordan

The history of The Church in Jordan could be said to go back to the time of Jesus. Whenever you read of him crossing The Sea of Galilee, or the Jordan River, he was going into what is now Jordan. Some of the cities of the district of 10 Towns or Decapolis, such as Gerasa, modern-day Gerash, where he healed a demon possessed man by expelling his legion of spirits into a herd of pigs, are in Jordan. Then there is Bethany beyond-the-Jordan, rediscovered in 1994, so-called to distinguish it from the one on the east side of the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem, where some believe Jesus went when he was baptized. Some traditions also hold of that Herod had a fortification and prison here at Makaros and that this was where John the Baptist was held and beheaded.

SLIDE 7

This area was also under Rome when Jesus lived, just as Galilee, Samaria and Judea were. So, you can see a lot of ruins of Roman buildings there, including a still-functioning theater in the capital Amman, the largest in the Middle East. The Arabs in this region became quite Christianized over the next centuries after Jesus' ascension. They built churches and monasteries and many monks went to live in the center in South desert areas. Thus it was, that when the Roman Empire adopted Christianity, even more churches were built. We were privileged to be able to see some of them, many of which feature intricately-designed mosaic floors, which was an architectural style of the time.

SLIDE 8

Of course, we know that in the seventh century, the Muslims overran the region. The Romans had already been driven out by the Persians before that. However, the Muslims did not particularly attempt to persecute or eradicate Christians by any means. For the most part, over the centuries, they co-existed relatively peacefully, as they do today. The Arab world still holds them responsible for the Christian and Muslim holy sites in the region

because, as you know, that West Bank, which included the important Christian sites in East Jerusalem, was under Jordanian rule until 1967. The government under King Abdulla II seems to relate well to The Church, even though he is Muslim. In fact, about the time we were there, his son, a prince, was taking part in the grand opening of a new Greek Catholic monastery in one of the Jordanian cities.

SLIDE 9

Our first day was spent sightseeing in Amman. I wanted to see the Coptic and Greek Orthodox churches which were next to the King Abdullah II Mosque downtown. We toured the mosque first, which is the only one that allows non-Muslims in apparently. Then we walked across the street but the Coptic Church was all locked up so we went and managed to enter the Greek Orthodox Church. Not only that, we met the head cleric who showed us around and explain things, proudly pointing out a series of icons that had been given to them by the church in Russia. Then he invited our small group into his office where we had a wonderful visit over some refreshing drinks. Interestingly, he is a Palestinian who was out of the country in 1948 so never gained the right to return. He is also the Sec. of the PLO, which really isn't much of an organization nowadays.

He told us that there were 150,000 Greek Orthodox in Jordan, 60,000 of them scattered in eight churches in Amman itself. Since 1948 they have started to open private schools and at this point even have land to start a Christian University. He said that they have good relations and work together in consultation with the government and Muslim leaders. The country is 90% Muslim. With respect to the Coptic Church, he indicated that some half-million Egyptians Christians had fled Egypt in the middle of the last century and settled in Jordan. They like working in Jordan where the standard of living and value of money is higher so they can send funds home to their families in Egypt.

SLIDE 10

MCC

That evening, a local MCC staff person, Alex Lazar, who also identified himself as a Canadian, came to speak to us about Jordan and MCC. MCC work in Jordan goes back to at least 1967 when they began helping Palestinian refugees fleeing the West Bank when Israel occupied it. The work was renewed in 2012 with the onset of the Syrian refugee crisis. So, the second day began with a visit to a couple of sites where MCC is working with partner agencies in Jordan.

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The first stop was on the grounds of an old Mission Hospital, The Italian Hospital. Here the Catholic relief and development agency, Caritas provides a variety of services currently to some 50-100 families a day of Syrian refugees, as well as from Iraq and vulnerable. Many of the Syrian refugees are Bedouins who are uneducated, not even used to seeing working females with no head coverings, which the Christian volunteers there don't wear. Most are illiterate and don't even know about Christianity. Fitting into life in Jordan is especially difficult for the women because they can't even work unless their father, spouse or brother allow it. They are registered and

screened. They receive medical and dental care from two physicians and one dentist in seemingly modern and well-equipped offices that serve up to 100 patients a day. If they need laboratory investigation, prescriptions or further help they are referred to the adjoining hospital.

Staff also include social workers, psychologists, mental health workers, counselors and a nutritionist. The mothers get education in terms of prenatal and childcare, parenting, domestic violence and refugee rights while their children are looked after in an adjoining activity room. There is also counseling for married couples, the elderly and those having experienced trauma and experiencing anger and grief. They may be given food or vouchers for the same. Sometimes home visits are made in follow-up.

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Then those who need are given our famous MCC quilts and kits for hygiene, relief, infant care, school, sewing as well as packs of soap, towels and fabric. Syrian families were being helped at the time we were there. They were told of our connection to MCC and the gratitude showed on their faces. One cannot take pictures of them without their permission, especially the women, hence the pictures of them from the back.

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From there our bus took us considerable ways South along what is known as The King's Highway to a well-known Greek Catholic Church which earned distinction as a residential and training center for the disabled and hearing impaired. On the grounds of this church, MCC has again partnered with Caritas to help refugees, this time mainly Iraqi, to gain skills that will help them find their way back into gainful employment. In one area, MCC wooden shipment pallets are dismantled and used to make a variety of wood products from somewhat ornamental items to functional furniture. 

Another portable trailer on the grounds houses a shop where bars of soap are made from olive oil to which different ingredients are added for different purposes and fragrances. A third trailer housed a group that was doing sewing, including making some quite fancy-looking purses and handbags. At the far end, was a large section for gardening where individuals were putting in watering systems and planting herbs and vegetables alongside and in between olive trees.

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Our trip to Jordan also included sightseeing on our last day there, April 28, at Petra, a truly amazing UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985, that I know some of you have also seen. The next day, April 29, we left for Palestine and Israel. I would like to share further with you about some of the things we learned there both last year and this year, perhaps in some future session here, but not likely until after the summer.

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After we left Jordan Caritas celebrated its 50th anniversary. Many dignitaries came from far and wide, not the least being Jordan’s own Princess Ayesha. She is seen here looking at the rural project for the Iraqis we visited and even handing out MCC kits!

Conclusion

For us, it was encouraging to see and hear about the church in Jordan down through the ages and today. It was good to see one country where thing are relatively peaceful, stable and where progress is being made without the divisiveness one sees in so many of its neighbours. It was also rewarding and reinforcing, very moving even, seeing MCC at work and seeing items actually being picked up by the people for whom they were meant was a very moving experience, that few of us get to have. I hope it has also been inspiring and encouraging for you to see what is happening on the ground in Jordan. Let us continue our support for what MCC is doing there and in other places in the world. And let us not forget to pray for our brothers and sisters, the Church, in Jordan. It is alive and well.

Thanks for your interest.

Lorne Brandt

With thanks to my fellow travelers for all the MCC-related photos.

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