Subject: JUICE Geography 5: Bethlehem
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1998 01:43:55 +0000
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: JUICE Administration <juice@virtual.co.il>
To: geography@virtual.co.il
Subject: JUICE Geography 5
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World Zionist Organization
Jewish University In CyberspacE
birnbaum@jer1.co.il juice@jer1.co.il
http://www.jer1.co.il/gate/juice
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Course: Biblical Geography
Lecture: 5/12
Lecturer: Eli birnbaum
To all JUICE subscribers: We will not be sending out lectures next week,
due to the Passover holiday. Our next lectures (no. 6) will be sent to you
on Tuesday, April 21. Happy Pesach.
Bethlehem and the Judean Desert Region
Have you ever looked eastward from Mount Scopus and noticed the sudden
transition from green hills to barren desert? Today we will discuss this
region and some of its more famous inhabitants.
The area consists of a narrow belt running north- south, from the Gilboa
mountain range to the new town of Meitar near Beersheba. The line runs
approximately 8 km parallel east of Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nablus
almost touches Jerusalem in the middle. Its height is between 450-700 meters
above sea level and approximately 5 miles (8 Km) wide.
The importance of this area concerns both the topography and the greatest
problem of the region - water.
There are many important factors when it comes to water. The two that
concern us are the watershed and the rainline. The watershed itself (the
direction in which rainwater flows as it seeps underground) is slightly to
the west of this strip. This means that rain which falls somewhat west of
Jerusalem actually flows underground toward the Dead Sea. Prior to the 6
Day War, Israel built a catch basin west of Jerusalem thinking it would
help replenish the water reserves. In reality it was actually flowing toward
the Dead Sea.
The rain line basically approximates where there will be a sharp decrease in
precipitation. For example, there is a fair amount of rain on the hills in
Israel and in Jordan, yet on both sides it drops off quite rapidly over the
Dead Sea region. You may get 800 mm (32 in) of rain a year in the Jerusalem
hills (up to 1000 meters above sea level) to 300 mm (12 in) at the beginning
of the Judean desert (approx. 600 meters above sea level). The Dead Sea
itself (200 meters below sea level) will only have approx. 75 mm (3 in) a year.
In the center of this belt are the Jerusalem hills, running from the Hebron
Hills to the Bethel Hills. They are saddle-shaped, slightly lower and a bit
broader then the others, which make it preferable for agriculture and
settlement. In ancient times, a life based on an agrarian economy had to
confine itself for the most part to areas of rain or at least areas where it
was possible to store rain water and farm with irrigation.
All the sites we visit lie either on the main southern route to Jerusalem or
eastward on the ancient road to Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea. The desert lies to
the east. The coastal plane falls away to the coast. Even today the
north-south road and its parallel within the "belt" still are of utmost
importance.
Biblical History
Leaving Jerusalem we pass near Mar Elias where according to Greek orthodox
tradition the prophet Elijah rested. What is worthy of seeing is the view
in which much of the northern Judean desert unfolds with Bethlehem in the
foreground, Herodian in the middle and the mountains of Moab in the background.
Five miles south of Jerusalem lies the tomb of Rachel the Matriarch, "on the
way to Efrata which is Bet Lechem" (Genesis 35:19). Rachel is the only
matriarch not buried in Hebron. One of the reasons quoted by the Midrash is
that when the children of Israel were being expelled after the destruction
of the first Temple (586 BCE) they would pass by her tomb and cry out for
her help. Rachel entreated God to help them return to which God agreed
(Bereishit Rabbah 82:10). This love and caring is most poetically expressed
in the verses of Jeremiah 31;15 "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and
bitter weeping, Rachel is crying for her children...." Ramah is identified
with Beit Jalla which is just below Gilo, the birthplace of Ahitophel,
advisor to king David (Samuel II 15:12).
Originally Rachel's tomb consisted of 11 stones laid flat and one stone
which was placed over them. According to legend they were placed there by
the 11 sons of Jacob with the main stone added by Jacob. During the
Crusader times a cupola and four pillars were added. Later the arches were
filled in with stones. In 1841 Moses Montefiore renovated the site which had
fallen into disrepair, and added an antechamber. The Moslem cemetery
surrounding the tomb dates from the 1950's and was used mostly by the Taamra
Bedouin clan who resided in the area between Bethlehem and Qumran.
In the middle ages there was a ruin next to the tomb which was alternately
referred to as the birthplace of Benjamin and the Tower of Jacob. Christian
sources also refer to a field nearby as the field of Habakkuk (one of the 12
minor prophets) and tell the story about an angel bringing food and drink to
Daniel in the lions' den. According to Raish Lakish (a talmudic scholar) in
Talmud Yerushalmi Megillah (Halacha 1 70A) Bethlehem is one of the cities
which had a wall around it from the time of Joshua although today there is
no remainder of the wall. The town itself until recent times rested on a
narrow ridge with one central street.
The city of Bethlehem itself sits in the center of the tribe of Judah, which
was settled by the children of Peretz (C.1225 BCE). Bethlehem and the
surrounding land were given to Caleb (not Caleb ben Yefuneh, who accompanied
Joshua and the other ten spies on their club-med tour of the promised land)
(Radak on Chronicles 1 2:50). Caleb (the 2nd) is called the first born of
Efrata (ibid. 51) his mother. This is one of the few times in the bible
where the idea of matrilineal first born is recognized. Evidently this is
due to the fact that his father had a few wives, yet he was recognized as a
first born. Whether she was called Efrat after the fact that Bethlehem was
also known as Efrat or not we don't know for sure but it does seem likely.
The founding father is actually named Salma, Caleb's son (ibid.).
There is some debate as to whether he also has a son named Bethlehem or
whether it refers to his being the founding father (Daat Mikrah Chronicles I
2;54). To complete the picture Salma had a son named Boaz (Chronicles I
2:12) who we will meet again later.
In the books of Prophets Bethlehem is mentioned as the home of Ivzan (C.1080
BCE) a judge who according to the Bible had 30 sons and 30 daughters. (
Judges 12:8-10). The city itself was evidently taken by the Philistines
during the time of Samson. They came up from the coast to El Kader near
Solomon's Pools (Chronicles II 11:17 and Rashi's commentary).
The next two stories concerning Bethlehem are told almost back to back. In
both cases the Bible refers to Bethlehem of Judah, to differentiate it from
Bethlehem in the boundaries of the tribe of Zebulun (metzudat David Judges
17:7) since both stories do not bring much pride to the city. There is a
link between both stories aside from their geographical locations. In both
cases 17:6 and 19:1 it states and "there was no king in Israel" Most
commentaries (Daat Mikrah intro to part 3 Judges chapters 17-21) tie the
cessation of the conquest of the land of Israel and the resulting adoption
of the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites as well as the lack of any
centralized authority as the reason for the moral and religious decay of the
time.
The first story concerns a young Levite who decided to go out on his own.
Levites often left "official" Levite cities to settle wherever they chose.
On his journey he meets Micah at Ephraim Hills, north of Jebus (Jerusalem)
who invites him to become his "House Priest" (see Judges 17). It seems that
at that time it was not unusual for the wealthy to have their "own" priests
and unfortunately many of the priests weren't too particular about which god
they were called upon to serve.
The second is the tragic and disturbing story of the concubine at Giva who
came originally from Bethlehem (Judges 19). A traveler coming from Bethlehem
with his family arrived in Giva, where only an old man agreed to take them
in. The story that unfolds reminds us of the horror stories of Sodom before
it was destroyed. (It is a story of sex and violence that could be scripted
in a '90's movie!).
Eventually the demands of the people for a king (Samuel 8:5) lead us back
to the town of Bethlehem. One of the most beautiful stories of the Bible
take place here in the fields near the town of Beit Sachur. These are also
called the fields of Boaz for it was in this slight valley that the tale of
Ruth takes place.(Ruth 1:1, 1:19). The story itself contrasts sharply with
the blood and gore of the book of Judges. It is a story of loyalty and the
deep implications of belief. The love which is as alive today as 3000 years
ago "Entreat me not to leave you, and to return from following after you,
for where you go, I will go . Where you stay, I will stay, Your people shall
be my people, your God shall be my God". The story also geographically
describes the agricultural community and the practices of social welfare as
commanded by Biblical law, ... much different then we have today. Even today
it is not difficult while looking eastward to understand the location of the
fields of Boaz with stone markers or low walls separating each families plot.
"And Boaz begat Oved and Oved begat Yishai and Yishai begat David" (Ruth
4:22). It was in Bethlehem that Samuel visited the house of Yishai and
anointed his young shepherd son David (Samuel I 16:1-13) (approximately
1000 BCE). People tend to forget that Bethlehem is the birthplace of David.
This was overshadowed by the birth of another Jew later on. Before we go
further if you are not versed in the story of David, and his anointing by
the prophet Samuel, read Samuel I 16-17.
Many of the personalities of the time resided in Bethlehem or the
surrounding area. Asael, brother of Yoav, features in the dramatic and
tragic story of the confrontation with Abner (Samuel II 2:12- 32). Abner
doesn't want to kill him and pleads with him "Turn aside....Why should I
beat you to the ground? How then could I face your brother? "... And Asael
was buried in the tomb of his fathers in Bethlehem." This gives an
interesting twist to the relationship between David and Yoav knowing they
were former neighbors. The result of Asael's death we saw in the lecture on
Hebron.
Other "valiant men" in David's army included one Elhanan the son of Dodo of
Bethlehem, Maharay the Netofite (one of the cities settled by Caleb
(Chronicles I 2:54) now associated with the ruins of Hirbat Bad-Faluh
between Bethlehem and Tekoah, which brings us to Ira the Tekoite. Last but
not least, David's two advisors, the wise woman of Tekoah and Ahitophel the
Gilonite.
At the entrance to Bethlehem is a well, which the Arabs call Bir Daud, the
well of David. This is not just a spring but a large deep rock-hewed
cistern. The well figures in the story of David's battle with the
Philistines who had taken the city, and his request for water (Samuel II
23:15). The medieval commentator Rashi points out that the words "who will
pour me water" refer to asking a question of the High court (Sanhedrin)
which sat at the gates of Bethlehem. David succeeded in driving the
Philistines out, but it is left to Rehaboam, Solomon's son, to realize the
importance of protecting Jerusalem's southern flank by fortifying the cities
in Judah including Bethlehem. (Chronicles II 11:6).
After the destruction of the first Temple the Jews of Bethlehem were
expelled together with most of the population to Babylon. At that time
Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedalia, son of Achikam, (C. 585 BCE) to rule as
governor. Many considered him to be a traitor which led to his
assassination by a small group under the leadership of Ishmael the son of
Netanya. One of his members included Efay the Netofite (Bethlehem area) and
his family (Jeremiah 40:8). Following Gedalia's murder they fled southward
towards Egypt and stayed at Garut Kimham near Bethlehem. The site is unknown
since the name Gerut is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. It is
possible that the word stems from GUR (to abide). The name Kimham we find
associated with son of Barzilai the Giladite, one of David's supporters
(Samuel II 19:38- 40), who had a son named Kimham, and who accompanied
him over the Jordan (ibid.). Some commentators therefore believe it simply
means the House of Kimham.
Seventy years later under Ezra a small minority of the Jews made their way
back to a desolate land. To their credit 123 of their "children" are
numbered among those who returned with Ezra in C. 458 BCE (Ezra 2:21)
(Nehemiah 7:26)
Post-Biblical History:
Bethlehem, and its Jewish population, were the center of a triangle
bordering Jerusalem, Beitar, and Herodion, during the Bar Kokhba Revolt (135
CE). There is evidence of a continued small Jewish population through the
Persian campaign in 614. Benjamin of Tudelah relates that upon visiting the
city in 1160 he found 12 Jewish dyers. The Jewish community disappears after
the crusades. For most of the world the city of Bethlehem is synonymous with
Christianity.
There are ample Biblical and Talmudic sources which point to the fact that
the Messiah will come from this area. Most Christian scholars based it on
Micah 5:1 "Bethlehem-Efrat...out of you shall come forth he that is to be a
ruler." Other Jewish sources (Shir HaShirim Rabba 2) cite the Messiah's
birth place at Birat Malka (Capitol of the King)(Song of Songs 2:8). Still
others say it will be from Birat Araba (Eicha Rabba 1:16) also in the
Bethlehem area.
According to Matthew, Luke, and John, Bethlehem is mentioned often as the
birthplace of Jesus (Matt. 2:1,5 Luke 2:4,15 John 7:42). The current site of
the church of the Nativity, though based on earlier sources (Justin Martyr),
was chosen in 326 CE by Helena, mother of Constantine the Great and is said
to sit on the site of an ancient caravansary. It is here that Jerome
translated the bible into Latin (the Vulgate) with the help of Jewish
residents. This translation has served as the official version of the Bible
for the Roman Catholic Church. The church itself was destroyed in 529 and
rebuilt by Justinian I, the Byzantine Emperor in the mid 6th Century. In
approximately 1160 the Emperor Manuel Comnenus covered the walls with glass
mosaics some of which remain.
During the Crusades the Christian Kings of Jerusalem were crowned in
Bethlehem. In the late 15th century there were major clashes between the
Moslems of Hebron and the local Christian population which was a majority
until this century. Today Christians are a minority in the town.
Had we continued to travel south we would reach what's known as Solomon's
pools which is known in Arabic as El Barak ( the tanks). The three pools
were actually built by Herod although, and each pool slightly longer then
the other 127, 141, and 196 meters in length. Several springs feed into the
pools which conduct the water by means of an aqueduct to Jerusalem (TJ,
Yoma 3:8, 41a) with some going to other places such as Aratas, probably
biblical Etam, which was fortified by Rehoboam together with Bethlehem and
Tekoah (II Chron. 11:6). The beauty of the pools and the area itself is best
described by Josephus as "delightful for, and abounding in, parks and
flowing streams" (Ant. 8:186)
Let's return to Bethlehem, then travel east: we pass the fields of Boaz
near "Shepherds fields". Within a few minutes the land has become sparsely
populated and more arid. We are following the route that David took when
fleeing Saul into the Judean desert. Near the village of Zaatra there are
remains of a Roman road leading from Bethlehem to Ein Gedi, the oasis on the
Dead Sea, and Massada.
Rising in front of us is a volcano-shaped mountain 2450 feet above sea
level. Although relatively recent in terms of Biblical history it is imbued
with legends of a vast undiscovered treasure, riches that according to
Josephus would make king Tutankamen's tomb look paltry in comparison. The
mountain is known as Herod's Mountain - Herodion.
There is no biblical reference to the site itself although it located next
to ancient Tekoah. The mountain is really a fortress with 4 interlinked
towers (three semi-circular and one-circular), similar to Herodion
structures built in Jerusalem. The remarkable aspect is that the hill
itself is artificial. Herod adapted the landscape to build the towers with
double walls. The eastern tower stood 75 feet (25 meters) higher than the
present level. He then dumped tons of dirt all around the fortress creating
huge retaining walls. Within he built a beautiful palace with baths and
gardens. The only entrance was up 200 white marble steps. Water was supplied
via an aqueduct which Herod built from the area of Aratas and Solomon's
Pools until the foot of the fortress.
Most of our knowledge of the site comes from Josephus who writes (War of the
Jews Book I Chapt.21;10)"...and so he did not neglect a memorial for himself
but built a fortress upon a mountain towards Arabia.... and bestowed much
curious art upon it...with the most costly palaces round about."
>From this and from all the recent work of Ehud Netzer it appears that the
main purpose of the entire fortress, both on the mountain and around it,
was simply as a massive memorial to himself.
Below the mountain is a well-planned town with a large palace, known as the
monumental palace and baths. It also boasts a man made "lake" surrounded by
gardens with a small island. It was used by Herod to entertain his guests.
Beautiful baths and even a small indoor swimming pool ( not a mikveh) were
unearthed in 1997.
Who was Herod?
Herod (C.73 - 4 BCE) by all means was a fascinating historical figure.
The son of Antipater, the Idumean, he was appointed Governor of Judea by
Mark Anthony during a quarrel between Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II, thus
dividing the rule of the country between Hyrcanus II who was the High priest
and Herod who had the political power. One reason for this appointment may
have been for Rome to have someone not from the Hasmonean Dynasty as a more
easily subservient ruler.
There has been previous course discussion of the pedigree of Herod. The
main source on the forced conversion of Herod's grandfather is Josephus
(Josephus' main source on the matter was Nicholas of Damascus who worked
for Herod and had a reason to despise the Hasmoneans). An earlier source,
Starivon who died in approximately 20 CE claimed that the Idumeans were a
Nabatean tribe who left their land (near Petra) due to a civil war in the
area and voluntarily decided to become Jewish. (See Stern, Authors Vol
,p.261.).
What is germane to our discussion is Herod's frame of mind. He had a
paranoiac fear and hatred of both the religious authorities who had tried to
prosecute him for murder and the House of the Hasmoneans, who the people
accepted as their leader.
Herod had an edifice complex: on the one hand he built huge structures
(Jerusalem, Hebron, Massada, Sebaste, Caesarea, Antipatris, Phasaelis, and
of course Herodion). The other hand he killed any and everyone who posed a
(real or imagined) threat to his position. In an effort to attain
legitimacy he married Hyrcanus' granddaughter Mariamme and had two children
by her. Unfortunately (for them) he had them killed at the instigation of
his sister Salome. Herod soon regretted his decision to have Mariamne
killed, had her preserved in honey and according to Talmudic sources (who
also did not like Herod) continued sexual relations with her.
In addition he killed 45 members of the Sanhedrin; his brother-in law, the
young popular high priest Aristobulus; most of the Hasmonean Dynasty; his
son by wife Doris, Antipater; and numerous others. Just before his death he
had two Pharisaic scholars turned into living torches for daring to remove
the Roman Golden Eagle from the Temple wall. So infamous was Herod's
paranoia that Augustus Caesar is reported to have remarked " I would rather
be Herod's pig then his son" (since Herod did not eat pig). He was loyal
only to himself, abandoning Anthony and Cleopatra when he saw Octavian
gaining power in Rome. His contemporaries read like a who's who of the
Roman empire.
Herod died near Jericho. Before dying he commanded his soldiers to kill a
large group of Rabbis thus to ensure mourning after his death. After his
death they did not carry out his order. Herod was buried at Herodion "...the
body on a golden bier embroidered with precious stones...a diadem on his
head and above it a crown of gold...and a scepter" (Antiquities Book 17 Chapt.8)
The mountain and its area was utilized as a defensive position during the
First Jewish Revolt (70 CE) and was one of the last fortresses to fall to
the Romans. Its leader was Simon Bar Giora and many tunnels were dug through
the reservoirs in order to facilitate movement from place to place without
being seen. They built a synagogue and a ritual bath in the fortress itself.
It was conquered by Lucius Bassus in the year 72. Only 60 years (133) later
it once again became a focal point in the revolt of Bar Kokhba, serving as a
base of operations and supply depot. After the abortive revolt it remained
empty for 400 years, after which it was re-established as a small monastery
that was abandoned after the Arab incursion in the 7th century. Some of the
original stones can still be seen today in the houses of the local Arab
population.
Sources:
Bible and Biblical Commentaries
Stern, M. Greek and Latin Authors on Jews and Judaism, Jerusalem - Leiden
1974-1984.
Netzer, Ehud, Herodion (Heb.) Ariel 1980
Josephus, _War of the Jews_, World Library Edition
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews,World Library Edition
Perlman, Yannai, Historical sites in Israel , Chartwell 1977
Legends of Judea and Samaria; Vilnay JPS 1975
Aharoni, Y. The Land of the Bible, London 1967
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