A Temple on a Lonely Hill

And when he [Herod the Great] returned home after escorting Caesar [Augustus] to the sea, he erected to him a very beautiful temple of white stone in the territory of Zenodorus, near the place called Paneion. Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, 15:363 Reaching the Sea of Galilee, we began a few days exploring the Golan region, east/northeast of the lake. Our first stop of the morning was a remote site called Omrit. Following some directions, we drove off the main road into seemingly the middle of nowhere, the dirt road jostling the car until we pulled over. Hiking a […]

Land Invaders

“Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say:  ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’Cry aloud and say:  ‘Gather together!  Let us flee to the fortified cities!’Raise the signal to go to Zion!  Flee for safety without delay!For I am bringing disaster from the north,  even terrible destruction.” Jeremiah 4:5-6 The third day of our Galilee trip led us north. The Rift Valley runs north and south of the Sea of Galilee. To the north a few miles lies the city of Hazor. This was a major city 3000+ years ago, forming one of the protective barriers of the northern […]