Jerusalem & Qumran

On this our last day we visited the Second Temple Model. This 50:1 scale model, covering nearly one acre, allows us to see how all the pieces fit together and how close everything was. Pilate and his soldiers overlooked the Temple compound. The city gate out to Golgotha was just down the street. Have a look here and get a sense of what we have been experiencing. 

At the same Israel Museum is The Shrine of the Book, centered on the Qumran manuscripts or Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in  1947 and the years following. These discoveries revolutionized Biblical studies in two ways. They provided a rich trove of evidence of what was going on in Judaism in the time of Jesus, helping us to have a far better understanding of what Jesus was doing and what St. Paul was preaching. Secondly, it provided copies of Old Testament books in Hebrew that were 1000 years earlier that the earliest manuscripts we had previously. The texts are almost identical, putting an end to the notion that repeatedly copied manuscripts lead to significant errors over time. This gives solid historical evidence for the accuracy of both the Old and New Testaments. 

The afternoon was for fun: floating in the Dead Sea and camel rides for those who wanted them. This evening we dine with our fellow pilgrims and say farewell as they head off to catch midnight flights. We stay overnight in Jerusalem and fly out about noon time, getting home about midnight if all goes well. We will be bone tired but exhilarated, eager to see you all and to share something of what we have experienced.

God bless you.