Bethsaida, Hazor, and Dan

We started of the day visiting Bethsaida which was the "other city" of Jesus.  Cities were often built on top of older cities.  The location of Bethsaida, in the New Testament, is the same as Geshur in the Old Testament.  Peter and Andrew were from Bethsaida.  One of the houses excavated in the city contained a variety of fishing-related items.  Whether or not it was Peter and Andrew's house is uncertain.  The city had one main street.  It is highly likely that Jesus walked on this street.  The healing by touching his cloak took place here. 

 

Hazor is mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament - usually in connection with Saul.  Residences had an open area where much of the work was done.  In the area pictured below you can see an oven and a secondary olive press.  A large cultic worhip center is pictured below with the Isralite tower in the background.  One of the unique features of Hazor is a long tunnel that connected the city with the water supply that was outside of the city walls.  This tunnel was used whenever the city was under siege in order to provide water for its inhabitants.  The palace at Hazor had large wooden pillars and cedar lining the walls in the receiving area. 

 

When the land was divided among the twelve tribes of Israel, Dan should have been settled along the coast.  However, the Phillistines were there.  Consequently, the coastal land was abandoned for an area in northeast Israel making Dan the northern most tribe.  Dan was located close to running water.  The walls of the city were high and it had Solomonic gates leading into a "parking area" for chariots.  Worship at Dan consisted of some Jewish traditions mixed with pagan gods.  The metal structure outlines the location and size of a large cultic temple for sacrafices.

We also stopped at Ceasarea Philippi.  Water used to flow out of an opening in the mountainside.  Although the water still flows today, it now flows below the cave opening.  This was the location at which Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was.  Interestingly, this was a site of pagan worship due to the uniqueness of the water flow.  In addition, the rock allows for the wordplay that Jesus made with rock and Peter's name.