The Holy Land, ca 1950

[Music] the Holy Land stands where three continents meet at the the crossroads of the roots between the great countries of early history a center of conflict of men of ideas perhaps this is why the country and its main city Jerusalem became the moral and spiritual center of three world religions the Jewish the Christian and the muhammadan first of all let us look at the country itself Inland from the coast stretches a land of great variety and Beauty from the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean Shores to the desert Hill Country bare and dry during the summer and green only in the spring where there is water there are Pleasant woods and pastures especially along the rivers and where the land can be irrigated deserts stretch to the south and east and there are few roads to the Arid Wilderness deep Gorges cut through the hills where water is precious in the tropical heat a nightmare wandering man and Beast the desolate Waters of the rad sea lie deep in the Jordan Valley nearly 1,400 ft below sea level and to the north in the same Valley is the Sea of Galilee set in one of the most fertile parts of the country modern cultivation has enabled the countryside nearby to regain some of the original Beauty it had in biblical times when it was the richest and most densely populated part of the country in the valleys and on hillsides tered with vines and olives are the towns and villages with their whitewashed houses The Village threshing floor has been used in this same manner for many centuries goats and sheep are tended on the Hills where the shepherd plays his pipes or uses his sling as in the days of David and Goliath in the market where the elders sit watching the changing scene and giving their considered opinion on matters of importance every every week a market is held and people make their way in from miles around to sell and to [Music] [Music] buy bargaining takes place place over the sheep skins feathers are for sale and fruit and vegetables many camels are used by the bedwin in the southern deserts and at this Market a considerable trade is carried [Music] on Bargains are made and the camels move off after being sold to their new [Music] owners many of the familiar names we know are found in this small area around Jerusalem 5 mil South is Bethlehem Nazareth is 60 m to the north nearby is the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan flowing through its deep valley toward Jericho and the Dead Sea this is the land in which the story of the gospels unfolded the land to which pilgrims have come for many centuries to see where Jesus lived and preached our pilgrimage commences as we look across the bare Judean Hills which stretch towards Bethlehem here Shepherds still watch their flocks and there are caves which shelter the Shepherds and their sheep during the cold winter months as no doubt they did on that first Christmas long ago not far away a star once Shone Above This Town on the crest of a Hill the town of Bethlehem [Music] the Church of the Nativity is reputed by long tradition to be built around the site of the stable its small doorway is known as the eye of the needle in the Crypt under the altar a star marks the sight of the manger the way from Bethlehem northwards to Nazareth passes through the mountains of Samaria past villages steeped in Old Testament history the great Plaine of ezran opens out before us green with crops this was Armageddon a battlefield for many centuries nearby stands the sacred mountain of tabore believed to be the scene of the transf eration and so we come to Nazareth where our Lord lived as a boy in the house Workshop of Joseph and Mary this is the virgin's Fountain East from Nazareth Beyond The Hills is the Valley of the Jordan with green trees marking the course of the winding River here John the Baptist baptized his followers and this is the traditional place of the baptism of Jesus bordering the Jordan lies the Wilderness of Judea through which winds the road from Jerusalem to Jericho on the distant Hill is the site of the Inn to which the good s took the man who fell among Thieves and thereby stands the Mount of Temptation the Hills streams flow down towards the Jordan out across the hot dry Valley towards the gardens and Fields of Jericho this fertile Oasis owes its existence to irrigation from the unfailing Springs where today the women of Jericho draw water beside the remains of one of the oldest cities in the world after returning to Nazareth Jesus made his way down to Galilee on this road is canor of Galilee where from the well was drawn the water which turned into wine the first miracle and the beginning of his ministry the Blue Sea of Galilee stretches before us as we come down to the Shores around which so much of the story of the gospels was enacted today's solitary fishing boats cross the water or a fishermen casts his line from the shore the fishermen who were the first disciples they sailed their boats from Tiberius where the old city walls still stand and from Villages like this came Simon and an Andrew his brother and they followed Jesus as he preached in the synagogues throughout Galilee the KY at capernium overlooks the clear waters of the lake and nearby is the site of the synagogue where Jesus preached and performed so many miracles These Fine remains are part of a temple built upon the spot the feeding of the 5,000 took place near the shores where Seven Springs flow into the lake high on the Mount of Beatitudes a church has been built overlooking the Sean Countryside which was the setting of so many incidents from the early chapters of the Bible story and he went through the cities and Villages teaching and making his way toward Jerusalem 3 miles from the city we come to Bethany the home of Lazarus and Mary and Martha the tomb of Lazarus reminds us of the raising of the dead as we follow the road toward Jerusalem towards the Mount of Olives at last we look upon Jerusalem first we see the slopes which once were covered with the houses of the city of David Long destroyed then the walls of Jerusalem Rising above the valley of kedron enclosing the old city where stand the muhammadan domes of the temple area to the right outside the walls the valley of kedrin leads up to the olive trees of The Garden of Gethsemane the great Courtyard of the mosque called The Dome of the Rock stands for square on the ancient site of King Solomon's Temple out outside the city walls in the valley of kedrin are old Jewish burial grounds the tombs of abelam and the prophets and the tombs of the rich and the poor were heun out of the rock above the brook which flows down to the valley at the foot of the valley is the pool of silom the only water supply which was within the walls of Jerusalem the Golden Gate in the East wall led directly into the temple but now remains blocked until the second coming Jesus rode through this gate upon the S and entered the temple in Triumph amid the cries and Applause of the people the temple area was once completely surrounded by cloysters and it was here that the boy Jesus was found by his parents overlooking the courtyard is the rock on which Herod erected his Fortress where took place the tribunal of pilate and from which the Roman Garrison could look out over the temple Courtyard the outside walls of the original Temple are still to be seen these vast Stones were all that remained after its destruction and from the city we look toward the distant Mount of Olives across the pretorium of Pontius Pilate where the last chapter was soon to be written and when he was come near he beheld the city and wept over it from the Mount of Olives he proclaimed its impending destruction the room of the Last Supper in St John Mark's house stood on the hill above the valley of kedron this was the meeting place of the early Christians on the hill today stands the tomb of David and the Church of St Peter at the crowing through the olive Groves Jesus followed the road down to Gethsemane for the last time this quiet garden with its ancient trees has been carefully tended by Franciscan friars for many years the new church of all Nations stands beside the garden above the rock of Agony at the meeting place of Jesus and his disciples and now we enter the city through St Steven's gate with its heraldic Lions along the way of the Cross leading towards the holy Seiler which has been for so long the goal of thousands of pilgrims just inside the gates were found the pools of Bethesda 30 ft below the ground where after the trembling of the water many were healed through the narrow streets of the city the way of the Cross winds upward towards golgatha the hill of the skull on which stands the holy Seiler in the twisting Labyrinth of old streets it is easy to imagine the scenes described in the Bible for churches and chapels commemorate the incidents which occurred between the ptor and Calvary this is the Chapel of the crowning with thorns pilgrims follow on foot and in spirit the traditional Road through the city and up the Steep steps leading toward Calvary the Stations of the Cross are marked by tablets pla or colums from the tunnel like streets we come out into the sunlight and before us is the Tower of the Holy Sepulcher a church much damaged by earthquakes covering the summit of golgatha and Tomb of Jesus inside is a Labyrinth of passages to the right a flight of steps leads up to the summit of Mount Calvary the rock of the Hill cut away on three sides in order to enclose it with within the buildings two chapels Now cover the surface of what was once a rocky mound to the left is the circular Chapel of the Holy Seiler and in the center the small building which encloses the actual tomb of Our Lord not far outside the city wall is a hill which some believe may be golgatha and here it is easier to imagine the garden tomb as it was outside the door there was a channnel in the rock where a rolling stone could be used to close the opening there have been many changes since the times of Jesus the city was conquered by the Arabs and the muhammadans made it their holy Center they built the present day mosque the Dome of the Rock which stands upon the site of the older Jewish temple itself built upon the threshing floor which was bought by David the walls are covered with colored Persian tiles and no doubt the golden facings of Solomon's Temple look just as Splendid when it stood upon this site across the courtyard stands another mosque part of the Church of St Mary built by the Crusaders the Crusaders made the port of Acra their capital and for 200 years they were Guardians of the holy places the wall of their cities churches and castles still stand it was they who rebuilt the Holy Sepulcher Then followed many conquerors until Turkish rule commenced 400 years later came the British mandate when the modern city of Jerusalem developed outside the city WS [Music] today an uneasy peace hangs over the holy land a land torn by Strife throughout its tragic history a history which lies recorded beneath the streets of the old city and in the pages of the Old and New Testaments