Gethsemane– a word almost universally recognized and filled with meaning like few others—is the subject of the February video and blog. Although mentioned only once each in Mark (14:32) and Matthew (26:36), Christians know it well as the place of Jesus’ difficult prayer prior to Judas’ betrayal and the Master’s arrest. […]
Author Archive | Madelon Maupin
Debate over Jesus’ burial and resurrection site: The Holy Sepulchre or The Garden Tomb?
Visiting Jerusalem as a Christian pilgrim and searching for the site where Jesus was buried and arose can be a conundrum. Why? Because tour guides take you to two sites, not one! First is The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the second is known simply as ‘The Garden Tomb’. Both are beautiful and moving […]
Jerusalem: City of David
Jerusalem–the holy city for the world’s three monotheistic religions. It evokes life-changing events for millions and history unparalleled for centuries with political, religious and archaeological claims to every holy square inch. To see it for the first time, perhaps standing on Mt. Scopus at sunset, is to have a moment forever etched in memory. […]
The Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran: Why they’re important
Most Bible students are familiar with the archaeological discovery in 1947* of the Dead Sea Scrolls but may not be clear as to why this was such an important find. It’s because this discovery – called the greatest manuscript uncovering of all time — provides a priceless look into the history of Judaism, how the […]
Masada: Herod, Heroes and Sacrifice
Masada, the Hebrew word for “fortress,” is a perfect description of the Biblical site where Herod the Great had one of his summer palaces. If you’ve traveled to Israel to stand on this dusty summit and know what’s behind the historical mountaintop, the site grips your imagination like few others. Located in the East Judean […]