Father Samuel, the Ratification of a Blessing, and the Wellspring of Eternal Life

Late last night, I had the fantastic opportunity of meeting with the Very Reverend Father Samuel Aghoyan, the Armenian Orthodox Superior clergyman at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We had some connections from previous Wheaton in the Holy Lands groups, and so he let us in after the church was closed to be with him for about 3 1/2 hours.

Six religions fight over the space where Christ was crucified, died, and rose again: Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox. But guess who owns the church? The Muslims. That's the Middle East for you. After watching the Greek Orthodox clergy lock the door from the inside and the Muslims lock the door from the outside (after all, they own the place), he escorted our group of 12 into the Armenian Orthodox recession room. There we spent an hour and a half talking with him about his experience in the church, and then of course some theology. The essential divide between Protestants and the Orthodox Church is that Protestants believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds (originates) from both the Father and the Son. In contrast, the Orthodox believe that Spirit proceeds only from the Father. The original Nicene Creed only states that the Spirit proceeds from the Father, but leaves out "and from the Son." However, the Catholic church (the Protestant church had not been formed at that point) later added "and from the Son" (in Latin, "filioque") to the Nicene Creed. This (along with many other complicated reasons) lead to an eventual East-West schism in 1054. All this to say that 1,000 years later sitting in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we are still discussing this. When clarifying our doctrine for Father Samuel (though he certainly already knew it!), I pointed out that as Protestants, we say the filioque as a part of the Nicene Creed (i.e. we affirm and say in our creed that the Spirit proceeds from the Son, as well). He quickly responded, "Then you are not saying the Nicene Creed! Why do you destroy the Nicene Creed?! The filioque was added later and is not true!"

All this to say that Father Samuel is actually one of the sweetest, most accommodating, and kind men I have ever met in my life. We simply agreed to disagree. He even let us pull his perfectly formed white beard! I felt like a child on Santa's lap. :-) He then, of course, showed us the site of Golgotha, the tomb, and all the other places in the church. Very unique and mind-blowing experience. The three major religions in the church, Catholicism, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian Orthodox, fight over literally every square inch of the space. It was amazing to hear Father Samuel speak of how he wouldn't even want to let the Catholics clean his space because then they might claim the space for their own. Every oil lamp, every painting, every chapel, every stone - literally down to the inch - was carefully claimed by a group.

What a thought: the spot where the greatest act of love was shown is now a spot of discord, of conflict, of schism. It saddens Father Samuel, and it saddens me, but what are we to do?

What love is this?

Pictures are coming soon of that experience!


Today we visited a Samaritan village at the top of Mt. Garazin called Shechem. It's not a huge tourist destination, so in this picture, some children are excited to see the big charter bus full of Americans roll through their quiet neighborhood. Mt. Garazin is the place where Joshua "ratified" the blessings to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 28:1-14.

A girl in our group read these verses loudly as we were standing at the top of the mountain. It was an incredible time of envisioning Joshua speaking these words over the people of Israel. Across the valley is Mount Ebal, where Deut. 28:15-68, the curses, were read. Today, the Arabic town of Nablus sits at the bottom of the valley in between the two mountains. They even shoot up to the mountain at the Samaritans sometimes in rage that the Samaritans are "looking down" on them. No worries, though, we were very safe. :-)


This is a minaret, the tower on a mosque, in an Arabic town. Minarets look very similar all across Israel. Even the one on Temple Mount (where Dome of the Rock is) looks a lot like this one! You can see the speakers that are used for the daily calls to prayer, and the crescent moon (Islamic symbol) on top.


Jacob's Well in Shechem (Nablus), where Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well is remembered in John 4. This is most likely the actual spot where the woman at the well event happened. John 4:13-14 was given new meaning as I stood at the temporal spring that Jesus used as an example for his interaction with the woman. As I drank the well water, I was reminded that this well provides me with earthly sustenance. Christ provides me with a spring of water that "wells up into eternal life." Praise be to Him.

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

I am exhausted, but I press on: learning, trekking, laughing, growing. Praise be to the Lord.

In Christ.

Camels and the Wilderness

Today's post is a short one. I'm going to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (the site where Jesus is said to have been crucified, buried, and risen) tonight to speak with a Armenian Orthodox priest (and maybe get an "insider" tour!) with a few other friends in the program.


Riding a camel in the Judean hill country! I got him to give me a free ride...but I tipped him 5 shekels ("NIS" = "New Israeli Shekels"), just over a dollar, for his kindness. :-)


Me with the Judean wilderness in the background. Absolutely beautiful. THIS is the type of wilderness in which Jesus spent 40 days.

The terrain in Israel is full of drastic differences. Today we were all over the eastern hill country, into the Rift Valley (including Jericho), and then back west to the coastal plain. The widest part of Israel is about 65 miles! So it's a very small country. But full of history, conflict, and beauty.

Peace.

Amazing Grace in the Dominus Flevit; Herodian Grandeur versus Christian Humility

The Mount of Olives, the rise in elevation just to the east of the city, is where many famous Biblical events, including the Triumphal Entry (Palm Sunday), the Betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Ascension, are supposed to have happened. Various churches on the hill remember the different events. One church in particular, the Dominus Flevit, remembers when Jesus wept (Luke 19:41) as he entered the city before Palm Sunday. ("Dominus Flevit" literally means "God wept.") As such, the church is gorgeously built in the shape of a teardrop. In this video, we sing "Amazing Grace" while looking out a famous vista of the Dome of the Rock through the glass window at the front of the Dominus Flevit. A fitting song for the place that remembers where Jesus wept a week before he sacrificed himself, no? We've been singing worship songs in many of the places we've been going. The view and the experience is unreal.

What a powerful image -- the image of our God weeping over the brokenness of creation and the fate of the city as he enters what he knows will be his final week before saving the world. This recalls 2 Samuel 15, in which David weeps on the Mount of Olives as he leaves Jerusalem in the vile hands of Absalom. Here we see the contrast: David weeping over the city as he leaves, and Jesus weeping over the city in the same spot 1,000 years later, but as he approaches. We didn't go as far as analyzing what that means, but might I suggest that here Christ has come to transform; Christ has come as one who approaches, as one who is the Worthy Lamb, as one who gives his body for the sake of humanity. David fled when the city was in the hands of evil (a very noble deed considering the larger Davidic story, which I will not go into now); Christ approached. While David's flight was a smart move, the fact is that he is human; his flight was, in a sense, inevitable, for Christ is the only Redeemer.

When you stand on the Mount of Olives and look to the west, you see the city of Jerusalem. If you look to the east, the terrain quickly transforms into the Judean wilderness. Without skipping a beat, Jesus could have fled from the soldiers in Gethsemane. He would have been in the wilderness (the "shadow of death"?) in a very short time, where no one would pursue him. But he chose to stay. Our God chose to approach the city, descend into the Kidron and up to the Eastern Hill, for the sake of our sins - praise be to Him. What love is this?


The western slope of the Mount of Olives is covered in graves, a cemetery because the soil is unfit for the living to take residence there. Instead of flowers, families put rocks on the graves to honor their loved ones. The rocks in the foreground are on top of a grave; Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock stand mightily in the background.


A threshing floor next to the fields of Bethlehem like the one in the Ruth/Boaz story in the book of Ruth (see Ruth 3:6). Wheat threshing floors are huge - large enough for multiple parties to sleep next to their wheat in order to protect it over night (ahem, Boaz, ahem).


Jumping off ruins of columns at the Herodion, Herod the Great's ancient "pleasure palace" just outside of Jerusalem! Herod was obsessed with himself, along with Roman and Egyptian architecture.

After having been to the Herodion and seeing the grandeur that a man built to honor himself and seek his own pleasure, we traveled to Bethlehem. There, we talked with a Palestinian Christian (amazing man) and went on to the Church of the Nativity, where tradition says stands in the place where Christ was born. We see here the humbleness of the cave-home in which Jesus was most likely born. As another student reflected tonight, am I imitating Herod, building temples to myself, or am I imitating Christ, clothed in humility?


A beautiful example of all generations coming to worship in the Church of the Nativity.


Christ is all,

Philip

The Second Temple and a Byzantine House

This is a picture of our group right before we walked around the grounds of the Second Temple (Herod's Temple, built in the first century B.C.).


I'm standing in front of the walls of the Temple Mount, which once contained Herod's Temple (but now contains the Dome of the Rock). The stones are clearly Herodian (from Herod's age) because of their "margin," i.e. the border that you can see around the stones (look just above my backpack at the approx. 3-inch strip surrounding each stone). You also see behind me a bunch of rocks on the ground. These are left from when the Romans (under Titus) conquered Jerusalem in 70 AD and destroyed the temple - fallen from almost 2,000 years ago.


Here we're all crowded into a Byzantine house (post-fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD). Approximately 20 people would live in this place!

Second Day in the Holy City: Hezekiah's Tunnel, Soldiers, and the City of David

Hezekiah's Tunnel was built in 701 B.C. by King Hezekiah of Judah. They're unsure of its purpose, but it very well could have been a water source. It goes under the City of David (an area of Jerusalem) and empties out into the famous Pool of Siloam, where Jesus instructed the blind man to wash out the healing mud in his eyes in John 9:7. As you can see, this is me in the tunnel today. We waded through water that was almost knee-deep at points, but we were prepared with swimsuits and headlamps! It was incredible to walk through a 2,700-year-old tunnel.


In Israel, everyone is required to serve a minimum of two years in the army right after high school. Thus, there are hundreds of soldiers walking around the city armed with M16s. They're not to be feared, as Jerusalem is a pretty safe city (relatively speaking), and they're there to protect people who aren't causing trouble. Plus, as you can imagine, most of them are 19 or 20 years old, younger than I am! It's kindof a "Wheaton in the Holy Lands" tradition for the guys to take a picture with all the Israeli women soldiers. You see me here with some very kind soldiers -- they taught me some Hebrew, too! Toda raba! (Thank you very much!) Note that in the foreground, one is taking a picture of us, too. It almost seems like they actually like taking pictures with random tourists! Guess it gives them some time off...


In this picture, I'm shooting down onto the City of David. The City of David is a part of the Eastern Hill of Jerusalem and represents the original city when David was king in Jerusalem. In reality, the Eastern Hill is much lower than the Mount of Olives to the east and the Western Hill to the west. Even at the highest point of the City of David, you are surrounded by hills. Standing in this place, new and vibrant life is now given to Psalm 121 - "I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth." As we stood in David's (the Psalm writer's) perspective, all we could see around us was hills. We were surrounded, vulnerable to attack. But where does our help come from? From the Lord! And being in the valley, none of the breezes reach us, so we want shade! As Eastern oriented people, the ancient Semites (Jews, which included David) would have been shading the hot sun from the southeast with their right hand. Bu in verse 5, we see that the LORD is the shade at our right hand. The Lord is the ultimate Provider and Protector. Here, this truth of God is communicated and grounded in the allegory of the real-life land. A wonderful example of text and land interaction. We also understand Psalm 125:1-2 now: Mount Zion refers to the City of David, and the mountains really do surround Jerusalem - just as the Lord surrounds us.

In the background, you can see the hills of Moab, Ruth's land of origin. The fog you see is over the Dead Sea, about 14 miles away. So we have the southern edge of the Mount of Olives on the left, the City of David in the center at the very bottom, and the confluence of the Hinnom and Kidron Valleys in the direct center of the picture.

First Day in Jerusalem: Clashing Religions, Cats, and Children

Dome of the Rock (big gold dome), one of the holiest Muslim sites outside of Mecca, and the Western Wall, the holiest Jewish site, right on top of each other. Muslims, Christians, and Jews all have very important roots here, all intertwined in a convoluted and historically violent conflict, although modern Jerusalem is safe.


Me with Dome of the Rock in the background


We see here again the sharp contrast of religions in Jerusalem: Jewish flags flying right near one of the holiest mosques in the world. This religious clash is exemplified in the fact that Jerusalem is carefully apportioned into four "quarters" -- the Jewish (oriented towards the Western Wall), the Muslim (oriented towards the Dome of the Rock), the Christian (oriented towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre -- site of Jesus' burial), and the Armenian Orthodox (oriented towards the Citadel).


Jewish children on a field trip while we were touring the Old City. My theory: Jewish children are absolutely beautiful.


There are stray cats EVERYWHERE in Jerusalem!

Itinerary!

I am very blessed and excited to be participating in Wheaton in the Holy Lands 2010! What an incredible opportunity. I appreciate your prayers! I will hopefully be updating this blog with a picture every day, or at least every other day (but that does depend on our internet access in Greece, Turkey, and Rome). You can see below the itinerary, which includes Jerusalem for 3 weeks, then Turkey, Greece, and Rome for the remaining 3 weeks.

The dates of WIHL are May 16 - July 3. We spent a week studying on Wheaton's campus, and now we are abroad for six weeks. The website for the program can be found here.


Wheaton in the Holy Lands 2010 Itinerary


WHEATON COLLEGE

May 16, Sunday: One week of on-campus instruction begins.

ISRAEL

May 23, Sunday: Departure for Israel.

May 24 – June 12: Israel portion of the program. We will be staying and studying at Jerusalem University College, a beautiful campus with a breathtaking view of the Hinnom Valley ("Gai Hennom" in Hebrew) in Jerusalem. A calendar of our time in Jerusalem can be found here. Once you get to this page, click on "JUC Calendar." This should download a pdf copy of our schedule!

TURKEY

June 12, Saturday: Arrival at Istanbul. Dinner and overnight at Istanbul.

June 13, Sunday: Istanbul city tour. Dinner and overnight at Istanbul.

June 14, Monday: Take flight to Izmir. Visit Ephessos – Return to Istanbul. Overnight at Istanbul.

June 15, Tuesday: Chora museum, Grand Bazaar, meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch. Overnight at Istanbul.

GREECE

June 16, Wednesday: Departure for Greece. Dinner and overnight at Kavala.

June 17, Thursday: Departure for Philippi. Dinner and overnight at Thessaloniki.

June 18, Friday: Thessaloniki city tour. Dinner and overnight at Leptokarya.

June 19, Saturday: Morning half day tour to Dion. Free afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Leptokarya.

June 20, Sunday: In the morning – Service at the Evangelical Church of Katerini. Overnight at Kalambaka.

June 21, Monday: Visit monasteries. We continue to Athens. Dinner and overnight at “Bethel,” Camp Center of Hellenic Scripture Union in Kifissia.

June 22, Tuesday: FD tour in Athens. Visit the Acropolis, the New Acropolis museum, the Ancient Agora, and Mars Hill. City tour. Dinner and overnight at Bethel.

June 23, Wednesday: We leave for a 2 days tour to Peloponnese. We visit Corinth and it’s environs (Diolokos, Cenchrea, Acrocorinth). Dinner and overnight at Nauplion.

June 24, Thursday: We visit Epidaurus (ancient theatre) and Mycenae (prehistoric citadel). Return to Athens. Dinner and overnight at Bethel.

June 25, Friday: Morning – free. Lunch at Bethel. In the afternoon visit Archaeological Museum and Cape Sounio. Dinner and overnight at Bethel.

June 26, Saturday (my birthday!): Full day tour to Delphi. Return to Athens. Dinner and overnight at Bethel.

June 27, Sunday: At 9.00 attend the service at the Greek Orthodox Church. (Cathedral). At 11.00 service at First Evangelical Church. Free afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Bethel.

June 28, Monday: Free day. Option: visit a Saronic gulf island or Athens. Dinner and overnight at Bethel.

ROME

June 29, Tuesday: We depart for the airport. Flight Athens – Rome. Overnight in Rome.

June 30, Wednesday: We have a 3 hrs tour of ancient Rome. Visit Colosseum and the Forum. Afternoon free. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

July 1, Thursday: We leave for the Vatican. Free afternoon. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

July 2, Friday: Free day.

July 3, Saturday: Departure for the airport: Rome – Chicago.