Tag: Gospel
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Paul was Taught and Baptized at Ananias House, Damascus
Ananias House (a.k.a. Chapel of Saint Ananias, and Hanania Church), is located in Damascus, Syria. It is near the east Old City wall and about 500 feet/153 meters north of the “Street Called Straight” (Acts 9:11). It belongs to the Syriac Maronite Church and is traditionally the remains of the house of Ananias. Archeological excavations Read more
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Mount Hermon: The Probable Mount of Transfiguration
Today the mount is divided by three countries, Syria, Israel, and Lebanon. Mount Hermon is 9,232 feet/2,814 meters high in Syria (the Israeli part is 7,300 feet), in the extreme northeast of the Holy Land, being the southern point of a range of mountains called the Anti-Lebanon. It is by far the highest mountain in the Read more
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The Valleys of Jerusalem: Part 3 The Tyropoean Valley
The Tyropoean Valley was the western border valley of Old Testament Jerusalem/The City of David, and was the central valley in New Testament Jerusalem. In New Testament times it separated the original City of David and the Temple Mount with the newer and wealthier section of Jerusalem on Mount Zion. The valley is not named Read more
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The Valleys of Jerusalem: Part 2 The Hinnom Valley
The Hinnom Valley (Hinnom in Hebrew means “hell”). It was in this valley that, in the 8th century BC, Canaanites and Jews sacrificed their children to the fiery god Molech, burning them alive. The current academic thought is that Molech/Moloch/Molok/Milcom idol worship began in Phoenicia. Nevertheless, Molech worship appeared in several locations across the southern Read more
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The Valleys of Jerusalem: Part 1, the Kidron (Cedron) Valley
There are three valleys in and around ancient Jerusalem, namely the Kidron, Hinnom, and Tyropoean. I will discus each in a separate post. Kidron Valley The Kidron Valley is also spelt Cedron Valley, and also called the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2, 12). The other two valleys run into the Kidron and then the Kidron Read more
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The Jordan River
The Jordan is famous for being the site of events in the Old and New Testaments. I will review the major events below. Today it demarcates a large segment of the border between the countries of Israel and Jordan. (Incidentally, the modern political chant “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” refers Read more
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The Decapolis Cities of the New Testament Era
Deca-polis means ten-cities. These cities were autonomous in their local affairs, but under Rome for all other matters. They were all known to be strongholds of Hellenistic/Greek culture in the Middle East. All but one of the cities, Scythopolis, were located east of the Jordan River. The 10 cities were: Scythopolis (Old Testament Beth-Shean/Beth-Shan), Hippos, Read more
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A Mysterious Giant Column in Jerusalem
As a West Jerusalem complex was being built in 1871, the excavation team discovered a giant pillar/column. The column is about 39 feet long (12 meters) and 6 feet (1.75 meters) in diameter, it weighs about 60 tons (132,277 pounds). The quarrying of the column was never completed because the column cracked as it was Read more
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Jesus Christ’s Ascension into Heaven from the Mount of Olives
At the end of his forty day ministry, after his resurrection, Jesus Christ ascended into heaven from the top of the Mount of Olives in view of his apostles: “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they Read more
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Where Christ Taught the Apostles the Lord’s Prayer at Pater Noster on the Mount of Olives
On the site where tradition held that Jesus Christ taught the 12 disciples the Lord’s Prayer: “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto Read more