Holy Land Tour Post 2

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Hello fellow Wartburg alums, friends of Wartburg and friends of friends of Wartburg. Greetings from the Holy Land. This is Carolyn McClure '83 Roys coming to you on day six of this grand adventure. If you haven't taken a Wartburg trip - consider it. You don't have to be an alum. This is our second and both have been fabulous.

Actually, I'm lying. Steve (Roys '86) and I added a few days in Jordan to visit friends in Ammon and see Petra. So far this trip has have been beyond our expectations.

Today was a visit to Masada (Hebrew for fortress), the Dead Sea, and Qumran. I've been asked to reflect on this day. I'm a closet historian wannabee. I love the historical aspects of the trips and when I can relate the places to things I've read, I'm happier. I've read several young adult and adlut historical fiction novels of Masada so was anxious to see it to understand more. The first challenge from Chip was to climb the Snake Trail (http://www.donaldlemma.com/masada.htm) rather than take the cable car. Steve and I joined Chip's son Gabriel on the climb. It was 1500 ft - the equivalent of two Sear's Tower treaks back-to-back. I can proudly say I made it though with much more of a struggle than I would have liked. It made me think about the harsh realities of these revolters (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Masada1.html), challenging Rome's authority and fleeing to Masada so as not to be slaves of the Roman's. Our friends from Ammon would love to visit Masada - as Iman put it, "It is my dream," - but it is one she will probably never see fulfilled since her passport says Palestinian. They are not allowed on the road here and would be arrested even though she also holds an American passport. I'll leave the politics to others but that my friends cannot move freely around the area is a great source of sadness for me.

The story of Masada has always intrigued me. These Jews refused to accept slavery under Rome and lived under siege for fur years before the Romans were able to breach the stronghold. The complex was built by Herod as a refuge though he never enjoyed it, in fact he never even saw it according to many sources. He was a tool for Rome yet he built a fortress that became home to 900 Jews. These Jews saw that their fate was sealed and decided to die rather than be taken back to Rome. Remains were found of what archeologists believe are the lots drawn to determine who did the killing, what order it was done and who would be last and throw himself on his sword.

Likewise, as exceptional as this courage was to withstand the siege, the Romans had eight camps around the mountain maintaining the siege. The logistics must have been a nightmare not to mention the heat. I spent less than an hour climbing the trail and probably that much walking the site and I was drenched in sweat. Soldiers would also have their gear and weapons engage in training when they weren’t working on entering Masada and struggling to survive. The complex is massive and would have been opulent for Herod but proved functional for the Jews. Is it bad to admire the ingenuity of the Romans in designing a device to breach this place? The ramp is still visible and the plans for the machine show massive engineering. Also, the Jews lived for over four years under constant siege. Very large rocks that were thrown into the complex were piled together. These are reminiscent of the missiles the two sides lob at each other now so these thousands of years later, little has changed except WHO is under siege. I was happy to walk the site with Chip as he explained so much more of the history that I didn’t know. It’s a story of sacrifice and courage. I’m not sure I would have been able to do this, but I also know I would not have wanted to be a slave in Ancient Rome or at any time in history.

We moved on to a visit to the Dead Sea. Floating in this most salty of places is incredible. It is truly impossible to sink. The salt and mud of the area are said to have healing properties. Sadly, the Sea is dropping at a rate of three meters per year and will disappear if nothing is done. Various things have been discussed and it is being studied. I hope they don’t study it literally to death. I can’t imagine what people in the time of Jesus thought about it but could see benefits to those who wandered by. These two sites left me with lots to ponder.

If that wasn’t enough, we moved on to Qumran where scrolls were found that were many of the Bible scriptures – the famed Dead Sea Scrolls. The discovery story is fun in that a young boy didn’t want to in trouble for losing a sheep so climbed in a cave looking for him and found a scroll instead. HE sold it to the local tanner who showed it to people more in the know and the hunt was on. The site shows ruins of the life as much as some others we’ve seen on the trip. The scrolls however were found in the surrounding ten caves. They were mostly in tact and Chip said they answered some theological questions yet raised many more. Hmmmm, that sounds like most archeological finds. I can understand why people like to be part of digs and hearken back a couple days to thank Wartburg for supporting the work at Bethsaida with some funds and with students. Their learning on a theological and scientific level must help them understand more the significance of what is found at places like Masada and Qumran. Using scientific methods and equipment aids in the work. Knowing the significance of ground penetrating gear, how it works and how to interpret results can spill over into their lives as they apply these basic principles to everyday living. It is a joining of science and religion yet at no expense of one or the other. I hope this opportunity can be made available for future Wartburgers and the college might even think about an alum dig trip.

This day is a blessing for me to see the passion of people interested in learning about history and marrying that to what they might know of the religious era. Some may be clear. Some may need focusing but for me – more study will come and I welcome it.


Carolyn Roys