The Arrow's Path

This is the actual tomb, which is now an encased shrine.

This is actually walking into another of the tombs in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The actual tomb is now encased in a shrine, but this tomb you can walk into.

The lighting here was bad, so you may just have to listen. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre also houses the site where Jesus was crucified. It was all in a Roman quarry at the time...Calvary and the Tomb were on different sides of the quarry. The building is built around both sites.

Care to guess who owns the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? It's a commentary on Ecumenical relations...he's a Muslim because none of the Christians trust each other.

I deleted part 10 of these videos, as Ezra was on a tangent about Islam not related to the Stations.    

I deleted part 6, as it was largely incoherent video that was not relevant.  

This is the first part of a live action commentary on the Stations of the Cross from the original sites in Jerusalem. Our guide, Ezra, took us to all of the actual stations in the Old City or Via Delorosa of Jerusalem. I had the foresight to record Ezra on my pocket camera as he was explaining each station as we stopped at various points. Some of the stations later are on are literally right next to each other. It was a crowded area, so I apologize for any background noise.

One of the most interesting things I learned when I was in the Holy Land a few weeks ago was that I finally understood what was going on in the Good Friday readings with Jesus and the Roman Soldiers. I have never quite understood what the bit about the crown of thorns and the purple robe and all that was about. I understood the symbolism and theology of it, but I never understood why? Why were Roman soldiers handing out in the street with a purple robe and a crown and (in the other Gospels) rolling the dice and gambling for Jesus' clothes and all this. With all the armor and swords and all that Roman soldiers stationed out on the beat, as it where, where did they get all this stuff? It just seems to appear, conveniently, in the Passion narratives. I never quite understood how or why. As it turns out, there is a very good story that is very historically accurate behind this little bit of the Passion narrative that seems somewhat obscure. An Example of the Game of the King ...

Luke 22.55-65 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, ‘This man also was with him.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know him.’ A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, ‘You also are one of them.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not!’ Then about an hour later yet another kept insisting, ‘Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about!’ At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three ti mes.’ And he went out and wept bitterly. If anyone wants to see the exact courtyard where Peter was standing in this incident, this is it:  This is the courtyard outside Caiaphas' palace in Jerus...

On a winter day in 1986, two fishermen from the Ginosaur Kibbutz were we were staying (one of whom is pictures in my photos below) were poking around in some mud on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee that year was at a record low due to a drought. They noticed some Roman era coins and nails, and then noticed something else that looked odd. They had the presence of mind to call the Israeli Antiquities Authority. which immediately sent experts to examine the find. Lo, and behold, what was uncovered but a complete hull of what was once a fishing boat from the 1st Century, completely protected in the mud once it sank. It is about 26 feet by 7 feet by 3 feet high. It was cobbled together with over 15 different types of wood planks and boards. It was apparently built in the traditional "shell first" fashion, with mortise and tenon joinery. The size and shape completely match the descriptions of fishing boats from the area in sources like the gospels, the writing...

The Sea of Galilee is known by several names. The Gospel of John calls it the Sea of Tiberias, Tiberias being the Roman resort city on the north western side. It is also referred to as the Lake of Gennesaret in other places in the Bible. We stayed fro a couple of days at the Kibbutz near Ginosaur (modern derivative of Gennesaret.) The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on earth. The Jordan river flows into it and out of it south towards the Dead Sea. Most of the fishing is done along the northern rim. Few fish live farther south. This is why most of the cities are on the Northern Rim, as it was also a trade route.  We were told it was about 8 miles by 16 miles. It is hard to tell from my photographs but you can see the mountains on the sides of the northern rim from the middle of the lake. It was sort of overcast and a bit foggy the day we took a boat trip out onto the Sea of Galilee. But the oddly spooky thing about it was that most of the mountains around the lake a...

Indeed, my all time favorite album .

This is the official Diocesan video: Taizé Pine Ridge 2013 from Rita Powell on Vimeo .

Matthew 5: 1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:  ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.  ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they perse...