Here at the Mount of Beatitudes is where Jesus delivered his
sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthews Gospel in chapters 5 through 7. The mount is located in northern Israel at
the top of the Sea of Galilee. A
Byzantine church was erected near the present site in the 4
th
century, and it was used until the 7
th century. The current Roman
Catholic Franciscan chapel was built in 1838 by Italy after the plans of architect Antoniao
Barluzzi.
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| Franciscan Chapel front entrance |
 |
| inside the Chapel |
(view looking down the Mount towards the Sea of Galilee)
Our next stop was
to travel around the top of the lake to the east side to the ruins at
Kursi. Prior to the Six Day War in 1967
this area was Syrian territory. Kursi
is mentioned in Mark 5:1-13 as the place where Jesus drove the demons out of a
possessed man and in the process transferred them to a herd of swine. The swine
rushed madly down the hill and into the Sea of Galilee, where they drowned.
The remains of
Kursi were discovered during the construction of a road in 1997. Archaeologists discovered the largest monastery ever found in Israel. Built during the time of the Byzantines,
around the fifth century A.D., the complex included a church paved with
colorful mosaics and supported by massive columns.
A hillside just
above and beside the church still reveals tombs cut into the rock. It is believed that the this is where the
demon possessed man resided. In this area of the hillside archaeologists also
discovered a smaller chapel situated high on the rock overlooking the rest of
the remains, accessible via a footpath leading up the hillside. This is, no
doubt, the spot where ancient pilgrims commemorated the miracle of the
cleansing of the possessed man, by Jesus.
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| our tour leader - Kirk Giles and Guide - Shimon Zemer |
The day is still not over! Look for part 3. (Note by clicking on any picture you can view it larger)
