Jordan River today. Sacred River Jordan - the place of baptism of Jesus Christ

22.12.2020

Jordan River (Israel) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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One of the most famous rivers on the planet, the Jordan River is a natural border between Israel and Jordan and a popular place of pilgrimage for Christians rushing to undergo a symbolic rite of baptism in the very place where Jesus Christ once received it from John the Baptist. Jordan is repeatedly mentioned not only in the New, but also in the Old Testament as a place of numerous miracles: the prophets crossed it on dry land, the waters of this river parted before Joshua, who led the Israelites with the Ark of the Covenant, marking the end of their forty-year wanderings in the wilderness. Today you can see the Jordan and dive into its holy waters from both the Israeli and Jordanian shores.

A bit of history and geography

The Jordan River stretches for 252 km from the foot of Mount Hermon, through Lake Kinneret, flowing into the Dead Sea. This natural border between the modern states of Israel and Jordan once separated the territory of the Promised Land, where, according to the promises of the Almighty, Joshua led the Jews wandering for 40 years in the wilderness. Then the waters of the Jordan parted before the procession, and this is far from the only miracle of the river described in religious texts. The prophets Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan on dry land, and numerous miracles of healing were revealed here. Belief in the healing power of its water was widely used in the Byzantine period.

However, the main reason for the pilgrimage of Christians to the Jordan River lies in the New Testament. According to the Bible, in the waters of the Jordan, Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, after which the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended to earth in the form of a dove, testifying to the Messianic mission of the Savior.

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Baptism in the Jordan River

What to see

Like the Dead Sea, the Jordan River can be visited by tourists from both Israel and Jordan. The Israeli side of the Jordan is more comfortable and convenient to visit, but also more commercialized - this is especially felt at the site of the baptism of Christ. Jordanian - almost untouched by man, wild and pristine, but less comfortable.

The most popular place to touch the waters of the Jordan from Israel is the Yardenit tourist complex, located at the exit of the river from Lake Kinneret, a few kilometers from Tiberias. More than 400 thousand tourists and pilgrims visit Yardenit every year, most of them to accept a symbolic baptism. Yardenit does not correspond to the exact place of Christ's baptism, but was chosen by the Israeli authorities as a symbolic landmark. In a comfortable bath with a smooth descent into the water every day (and not free, for 10 or 25 USD, depending on the set of services), you can go through the ceremony of triple immersion in the Jordan, and in the store you can buy consecrated Orthodox cult items. Prices on the page are for April 2019.

From the Jordan side, the symbolic place of Christ's baptism looks simple and utilitarian: a wooden platform with three steps, along which pilgrims descend into the water. There is no charge for diving, but there are no facilities and services here either.

No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed (John 1:18).

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I, John, saw the holy city of Jerusalem, new, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them; they will be His people, and God Himself with them will be their God (Rev. 21:1-3).

On the sixth day of their stay in the Holy Land, a group of clergymen from the Simbirsk and Melekes diocese, led by Archbishop Proclus, left Tiberias and went to Yardenit, on the banks of the sacred Jordan River. In the Russian edition of the album “Land of Jesus” (1995, Florence), Yardenit is called the “Baptism Center”, which was founded by members of Kibbutz Kinneret “to meet the countless streams of believers who come here.” “Until now,” the author writes further, “a symbolic rite of baptism of believers of the Greek Orthodox Church and Catholics takes place in the waters of the Jordan.” The album contains photographs of the place of the Baptism of Jesus Christ, under them is the inscription: “Yardenit: two views of the Jordan River near the village where Jesus was baptized. This place of the river is still revered by believers ”(emphasized by me - arch. W. D.)

At the Baptism Center, we departed from the Travel Program. We went down some distance downstream from the “place where pilgrims dive”, found a convenient way to the water and, having performed a prayer service, entered cool waters Jordan.

Through the territory of Israel, the Jordan flows no more than eight kilometers. Further, to the very mouth, the famous biblical river is the border between Jordan and Israel. Our way from Yardenit to Dead Sea passing by barbed wire fences. When we were passing through Jericho, from which the road goes to the Jordan, to the place where Jesus Christ appeared to the whole universe, where His baptism took place, in which the sacrament of the Holy Trinity is shown, someone from the group asked the guide:

Why is there no true place in the trip program where the event took place that turned the course of the sacred history of the Redemption from the Old Testament to the New - Epiphany?

This place, - answered the guide, - is located on the other side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho, about seven kilometers before the confluence with the Dead Sea. There is a temple of John the Baptist, but you can get there only on the feast of Epiphany with special passes.

The seventh day in Palestine, the last one according to the “Program”, was supposed to begin with a trip to Tel Aviv and Jaffa, but our pilgrimage group decided to stay in Jerusalem, to stay a little longer where we participated in the celebration of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at midnight at the Holy Sepulcher ...

The journey through the Holy Land ended long ago, but the question of the “true place” of Baptism and Theophany and its significance remained.

Let us try, remembering the ineffability of the Divine mystery, to raise this question without pretending to resolve it.

It happened in Bethavare

1 .The gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begins with the preaching and baptism of John the Baptist, as written by the prophets(Mk 1:2), who foreshadowed the coming of the Savior into the world and John before Him, who predicted the place where John would preach - Voice in the wilderness(John 1:23). He was also told by the Holy Spirit to baptize in water. I didn't know him John says, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me… (John 1:33). Each of the four gospels says that John performed the baptism in the waters of the Jordan River. So, the “genuine” place of the baptism of Jesus Christ is the Jordan. But the river is divided into three currents, the upper one - from the sources to the lake, called Mer in the Old Testament; the middle one is from Lake Merom to the Lake of Gennesaret; and lower - from the Lake of Gennesaret to Dead Sea. In which of these currents?

The Evangelist Matthew says: In those days John the Baptist comes and preaches in the wilderness of Judea(Matthew 3:1); Luke: ... the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he passed through all the surrounding country of the Jordan(Luke 3:2-3); at Mark: John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness(Mark 1:4). The absence of the name of the desert in the Gospel of Mark is explained by Lopukhin's Explanatory Bible by the fact that Mark “as a resident of Jerusalem, considered superfluous the closest definition of what he means by the desert: the Jerusalemites used to understand the “desert” as the Judean desert, that is, the country between the mountains of Judea and Jordan, northwest of the Dead Sea. In the Bible Encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nicephorus, in addition to the Judean, Thekop and Jericho deserts, the Jordan desert is also named, and on geographical maps Palestine "of the time of Jesus Christ" it is marked on both banks of the Jordan from Jericho north to two-thirds of the lower reaches.

According to the location of the Judean and Jordanian deserts, the following clarification can be made of the place where the Savior was baptized and appeared to the world: the lower reaches of the Jordan, between the Lake of Gennesaret and dead sea. Here the Jordan River flows from north to south for 107 kilometers.

There is no doubt that where Christ was baptized, the depth was sufficient for immersion. The need for this is confirmed in the Gospel of John: And John also baptized in Aenon, near Salem, because there was a lot of water(John 3:23). But there is also no doubt that there must be a crossing somewhere nearby, since all the country of Judah and Jerusalem came out to him(Mk 1:5), but John baptized on the east bank of the Jordan, on the other side of Judea, as the Evangelist John the Theologian says: (John 1:28); cf. in Church Slavonic: This was in Bethabara about the floor of the Jordan, where John was baptizing; obonpol means ‘beyond’, that is, beyond the Jordan. And the Gospel of John says: ... they sought to seize him; but he evaded their hands, and went again beyond the Jordan, to the place where John had previously baptized, and remained there(John 10:39-40). But in John 1:28, the very name of the place where John the Baptist baptized and where the Most Holy Trinity first appeared to the world causes bewilderment and questions. "Instead of the name "Bethabara" (place of crossing) in most ancient codices is the name "Bethany"". St. John Chrysostom in the Conversations on the Gospel of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes: “This was in Bethany,” but adds: “And in the most accurate lists it says: in Bethabara. Bethany was not on the other side of the Jordan and not in the wilderness, but near Jerusalem.”

In the interpretation of the Gospel of John, St. Cyril of Alexandria put "Bethabara", but a detailed footnote follows. “So one RKP. at St. Cyril acc. many codd. and Sir. But in other rkp. St. Cyril read: Bethany acc. ancient Codd., lat. Vulg. Sir. (sch and p - text), etc. pl. The latter is followed by Ostrom. Mar. Zogr. and other ancient Slavs., but now glory. followed by Const. 1383 and later. At St. Alexy, the last letters are not clear: in Bethany .., but by all indications it must be read: in Bethany. There is an explanation for the name “Bethavara”: “the house of transition, Palestine. the place mentioned in the N.Z. (John 1:28) is opposite Jericho. In some places, Bethabara is called "Bethany beyond the Jordan."

The Explanatory Bible of Lopukhin names the exact location of Bethavara: “10 kilometers from the Jordan”, but it is not indicated on the maps “Canaan” and “Palestine” placed at the end of the edition. And in the Bible Encyclopedia published by the Russian Bible Society, on the contrary, on the map “Israel in the era of the New Testament”, on the eastern side of the Jordan, about four kilometers from the Dead Sea, “Bethany beyond the Jordan” is indicated, but in geographical names nothing is said about her.

In 2001, a message appeared on the Internet: “Scientists have found the place of the baptism of Jesus Christ.” An international team of scientists leading excavations in the Holy Land announced that they "finally succeeded in solving one of the mysteries associated with the New Testament - to establish the exact place of the baptism of Jesus Christ." They found on the east bank of the Jordan, where the Jordanian village of Vali el-Harar is now located, the base of a Greek column with a cross on top, which was installed in early Christianity among the Jordan at the site of the baptism of the Savior. The source of "Utro.Ru" believes that the location of the village of Bethany, near which John the Baptist preached and baptized, was still unknown because "there were several villages with that name in Palestine." Undoubtedly, the point is not the number of villages with the name Bethany (according to the early codices) or Bethabara, which is given in the Gospel of John (John 1:28), but that this discovery did not become an event in the Christian world. Enough time has passed since then, but, apparently, the “original place” (if you can talk about it seriously) of Baptism and Theophany is still behind barbed wire.

2 . Bethavara - “house of passage, a Palestinian place located opposite Jericho”, ““ house of crossing<…>on the other side of the Jordan”, where John the Baptist preached and baptized; here also, the Israelites are believed to have crossed the Jordan, led by Joshua."

In the earlier codices of the Gospel of John, the place of Baptism and Theophany is called Bethany, Bethany - in Hebrew 'house of the poor' or 'house of oppression, distress'.

In the Old Testament history, there is no mention of villages and places with such names that would be located on the other side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho. But Bethabara could be called not only the crossing that exists here from one coast to the other in the form of a raft or some kind of vessel (2 Kings 19:17), but the transition of the sons of Israel to the Promised Land from the “house of oppression”, when the ark of the Lord’s covenant miraculously cut Jordan waters: the water flowing from above stopped and became a wall for a very long distance, until the city of Adam(Josh 3:16). From the Dead Sea, where the water flowing into it "left and dried up", it was about forty kilometers to the city of Adam. And the people turned against Jericho(Josh 3:17). The Jordan was the last obstacle on the forty-year journey of the chosen people's migration from "Bethany" to the Promised Land.

And the children of Israel departed, and halted in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan, against Jericho(Numbers 22:1).

Here, in the Jordanian desert, they camped for about two years. At this place, the “reckoning” of the entire society of the sons of Israel took place, from here they went to war against the Midianites and returned here with captives and all the booty. Here comes the voice of Moses: Listen, Israel!(Deut 6:4); Hear the ordinances and laws(Deuteronomy 4:1). And all the Israelites listened to Deuteronomy; and so that what he heard was evidence against them and their future life in the Holy Land, Moses wrote in the book all the words of this law to the end and gave it to the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and they laid it the right hand of the ark(Deut 31:24,26). Here, at the Jordan near Jericho, Moses died at the age of 120 years, and buried in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth Pegor, and no one knows the place of his burial even to this day(Deut 34:6).

St. Basil the Great, speaking of foreshadowing as an expression of “what is expected in likeness, by which the future is foreshadowed foreshadowing”, writes: “The narration about the bringing of Israel serves as an indication of those who are saved by baptism.” And St. Cyril of Alexandria, in his “skillful explanations” of the Pentateuch of Moses, in the chapter “On the Birth of Moses,” presents what was written about Moses as “an image in prefiguration of salvation accomplished through Christ.” In the fact that the infant Moses was found by the Pharaoh's daughter at the bank of the river, St. Cyril sees an image of Baptism.

“But the daughter of Pharaoh, that is, the church of the Gentiles, although she once had Satan as her father, finds Him by the waters, which are the image of holy Baptism, through which and in which Christ is found, and opens the ark.” But the old way of bringing Israel by Moses from Bethany of Egypt, the “house of slavery”, to the Promised Land not only figuratively points to a new way of salvation through Baptism, but actually ends where the exodus of the new people of God from this world to heaven begins - to the Church, and Moses, who foreshadowed the Baptism of Jesus Christ in infancy, dies here, by the waters of the Jordan, against Jericho, where this Baptism will take place, where Christ “opens the ark” eternal life. Here the old man dies and “our enmity against God<…>and we ascend from the water, as if alive from the dead, having been saved by the grace of Him who called us.”

Before his death, Moses blessed Jesus, the son of Nun, according to the voice of God, a person who has a spirit(Numbers 27:18), the leader of the children of Israel. He, like Moses, representing Jesus Christ, enters with the people into the Holy Land. Fulfilling what the Lord told him, Joshua ordered to take twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of Israel from the bottom of the Jordan, where the priests stood with the ark of the covenant, and put them in Gilgal. And Jesus placed twelve other stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests stood, bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord. They are there to this day.(Josh 4:9). Jesus appointed twelve men to carry the stones, one from each tribe. Each carried a stone, putting it on his shoulder. At the place where the voice of John the Baptist will sound, a sign was placed in memory of the fact that the waters of the Jordan parted before the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth; when he crossed the Jordan, then the waters of the Jordan parted; so these stones will be your memorial to the children of Israel forever(Josh 4:7); that all the nations of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, and that you may fear the Lord your God all the days(Josh 4:24).

But the sons of Israel did not remember the “commandments of the Lord” for long, again they went “following the Baals” and destroyed the monument.

Elijah the first prophet begins to prepare the way to return to the starting point - to the east side of the Jordan, against Jericho, from the Promised Land to the desert. According to his prayer, punishment comes: cleansing by fire - drought. He restores on Mount Carmel the destroyed altar of the Lord from twelve stones. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob(1 Kings 18:31). This restoration has a representative meaning: the “rejected” stones laid as a sign at the crossing of the children of Israel will become “at the cornerstone” of the new altar in the new universal Tabernacle. The Lord sends Elijah as a forerunner to follow the path of return to Bethany. He goes to the place of transition - the Bethavara of Israel, cuts through the Jordan with a mantle and crosses on dry land to the deserted eastern shore.

For your insolence against me<…>I will bring you back the same way you came(Isaiah 37:29). There is no doubt that these words, spoken by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, were a warning not only to the king of Assyria. Those who rejected the gift of God - the land flowing with milk and honey, turning it (in the spiritual sense) into a desert, the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah return to the desert.

Ascension of Elijah the prophet on a fiery chariot in a whirlwind to the sky(2 Kings 2:11) in the same place where Israel camped, where the tomb of Moses, foreshadows a new Bethabara, a new “passage”, a new Passover - from earth to Heaven. This is where the Lord will raise sanctuary and the true tabernacle(see Heb. 8:2), new, perfect, and not made with hands, the Holy of Holies. In this ecumenical Altar, a great deed will take place - the upcoming Baptism - “a chariot to heaven, paradisaic delight, the preparation of the Kingdom, the gift of adoption” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem); the nations will come here a pleasing sacrifice(Isaiah 60:7) for a new feast in the wilderness, in perfect joy, for a new Passover.

The path of return to the “starting point”, which was figuratively pointed out by Elijah the prophet, is the path of return to God. The great work of preparation begun by him is continued and completed by John the Baptist. Where the Lord is from wanted to lift up Elijah(2 Kings 2:1), is a man sent from God; his name is John(John 1:6). He, according to the Angel, many of the children of Israel he will turn to the Lord their God; and shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah<…>to present to the Lord a people prepared(Luke 1:16-17). Where Moses declared: Listen, Israel! Hear the ordinances and laws, sounds like: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand(Matthew 3:2). The Lord sends John baptize in water and testify to the world baptizing with the Holy Spirit Son of God in the glory of the Holy Trinity - Theophany.

3 . In the Explanatory Bible of Lopukhin, it is suggested that the place of Bethavara was 10 kilometers from the Jordan. “Here, probably,” the authors write, “the Baptist had his stay, when many disciples gathered around him, who could not be in the desert all the time in the heat and cold, without shelter. From here the Baptist could go daily to the Jordan and preach there.”

It is difficult to agree with such a statement. The disciples of John may not have been able to be in the desert “without shelter”, but the Forerunner himself, “nurtured in the wilderness” (George of Neocaesarea), going out to preach the Good News, could not depart from the ascetic, spiritual essence of the new life, which he himself preached . “John came out of the wilderness,” writes Eusebius of Caesarea, “dressed in strange clothes. He shies away from all communication with people and therefore did not go into cities, or into villages, or into meetings of men, and even did not share a meal with anyone. “... Who suddenly appeared out of nowhere from the desert, and after the sermon went back to the desert and again no one knows where; who did not drink, did not eat, did not communicate with the crowd. Because they thought he was not even human. For how could he be a man, even if he did not need any food? Therefore, they took him for an angel, the very one that the prophet announced.

The life of the Baptist anticipates the completion of the gathering of the people on an old, earthly, natural basis - in countries, cities, villages, and any other "people's meetings" - and the beginning of a new meeting, a meeting in the Church, "which God Himself convenes" (Protopresbyter Nikolai Afanasiev), which there is a Eucharistic gathering of all for the same thing - the Lord's Supper, in which there is no Jew and Greek, slave and free, rich and poor, which does not have a "permanent place of residence."

Through John the Baptist, the Lord is preparing a new Bethavara, - resettlement to the Heavenly Fatherland from Bethany - “the house of sorrow”, “this world” to the city of God - Heavenly Jerusalem, for we have no permanent city here, but we are looking for the future(Heb 13:14); a new exodus - into the Church and through the Church. “The special goal of John,” says St. John Chrysostom in the Conversations on the Gospel of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian, “was only to announce His coming and to convince at least some people to listen to the Eternal Life. John leaves the greater testimony to Christ Himself…” .

The baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan was the manifestation of the Holy Trinity to the world: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Savior witnesses the entry into the Church through the sacrament of Baptism. This introduction is "made by the Spirit whom God sends in the sacrament of baptism." The further path of the new “Tabernacle of the Assembly” is witnessed by Jesus as the path of ascent to Jerusalem, as the path of the Passion. John the Baptist announces this. The next day, John sees Jesus coming towards him and says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.(John 1:29).

It happened in Bethavara...

Here Christ appears as the Paschal Lamb, here the lamp of Heavenly Jerusalem shone to the world, the New Pascha shone - another life of eternal beginning(7th ode of the canon), here begins a new time - the time of salvation, the beginning of the return of creation to the Creator, man to God.

Jordan as an image of a barrier

The fall of man separated him from God. A sinful barrier of enmity and division arose between the Creator and the creature, leading to death. The life of people began in the “house of sorrow” - Bethany. A sinful barrier divided the whole world: man with man, man with his conscience, man with everything that is in the world. Everything was divided in itself, opposed: on this side - and on the other side. Separation ("Babylon") became the cause of wars and endless transitions and migrations throughout the earth.

The Lord chose Abram and he began to walk along the path indicated by God. And he continued his journeys from the south to Bethel(Gen 13:3). Abram was accompanied by his nephew Lot. Both Abram and Lot had flocks and cattle and tents. Their property was so great that they began to live closely together. The shepherds of the "cattle of Avramov" began to quarrel with the shepherds of the "cattle of Lot" and the relatives decided to separate. Abram said to Lot, "If you are to the right, then I am to the left." It is here, when dividing people close by kinship, that the Jordan River is mentioned for the first time in the Bible: And Lot chose for himself all the region around the Jordan<…>and pitched his tent to Sodom(Genesis 13:11-12). This river occupies a special place in biblical history, it is not only the real division of Palestine into two halves - eastern and western, but the image of a barrier that destroys integrity and mortifies life.

Jacob is the first to whom the Lord gave the power to “cut” the Jordan as a barrier, when he, fleeing from his brother Esau, fled to Mesopotamia to his uncle Laban in Haran, after the Lord told him in a dream: and behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go; and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have told you(Gen 28:15). On his way back, Jacob, having learned that his brother was coming towards him with an army, was frightened and called out to the Lord: I am not worthy of all the mercies and all the good deeds that You did to Your servant, for I crossed this Jordan with my staff, and now I have two camps(Gen 32:10). Although in the quoted words of Jacob there is no direct reference to the “cutting” of the waters of the Jordan, but in the Explanatory Bible of Lopukhin there is confirmation of such a conclusion: “Jewish interpreters, paying attention to the construction bemaqoli, with a rod, or, more precisely, through a rod, believed that Jacob with a rod divided the Jordan."

Joshua, whom the Lord commanded to complete the exodus after the death of Moses, divided the waters of the Jordan with the ark of the covenant of the Lord, opening the way for the children of Israel to the Promised Land. Elijah the prophet, by the power given to him by the Lord, destroyed the “barrier”, showing the “rebellious house” the way to return to the wilderness, and after his ascension in a fiery chariot, the power of destroying the “barrier” passed to his disciple Elisha.

Saint John Chrysostom names only three “cuts” of the Jordan: under Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, but for him “cut” has the meaning of a barrier, cutting off the waters of the Jordan from the Dead Sea - from death, reversing their flow. “Thrice it was divided by God, so that it no longer had a flow to the Dead Sea, but that it flowed to the ancient living roots.” The saint saw in the Jordan the image of our mortal race. “Our image began from the earth,” he writes, “and ended with death; he was received by the Dead Sea, the deep, the underworld, the dead abyss.”

All the Old Testament “sections” of the Jordan destroyed the barrier only for the time of crossing to the other side, after which it was restored again and continued to exist. And only Jesus Christ finally destroys the sinful barrier of enmity and division, giving the opportunity to all those who thirst and desire salvation to ascend from earth to Heaven - to eternal life. “Jordan is the beginning of the possession of the land; Jordan - the beginning of the possession of the Kingdom of Heaven.

By His Baptism and the appearance into the world of the Paschal Lamb, the atoning Sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, Jesus restores to the world the lost wholeness, its original unity. The Reconciler unites two divided banks, just as a stone connecting two walls transforms the Jordan from an image of a sinful barrier into an image of a pure river of water of life in Heavenly Jerusalem, where the tree of life on both sides of the river(see Rev. 22:1–2). For He is our peace, - the apostle Paul writes - He made one out of both and destroyed the barrier that stood in the middle, abolishing enmity with His Flesh, and the law of commandments by teaching, in order to create one new person from two in Himself, building the world, and in one body to reconcile both with God through the cross, killing enmity on it(Eph 2:14-15).

New Exodus

After Baptism and temptation from the devil, Jesus Christ in the power of the spirit begins His path of service. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many(Mark 10:45). First He goes to “his own country”, Galilee. To get there, it was necessary to pass the Jordanian side along the Jordan to Bethavara opposite Scythopolis. This route was used by pilgrims from Galilee to Jerusalem for Passover and other Jewish holidays. For them, the direct route through Samaria, which was located between Judea and Galilee, was closed due to the frequent aggravation of relations between the Jews and the Samaritans. The Samaritans worshiped God not in Jerusalem, but on Mount Gerizim. This was the main reason for their disagreement. “... Since Moses ordered to have only one place for public worship of God in the entire promised land,” writes B. I. Gladkov, “it is understandable why there was an irreconcilable disagreement between the Samaritans and the Jews about which of them had the true worship of God” .

Travelers to Jerusalem from Galilee had to cross the Jordan twice: the first time to the east bank opposite Scythopolis, the second - again to the west opposite Jericho, and then go from Jericho to Jerusalem through the desert, which was “very dangerous for travelers, as robbers huddled there ” .

This is the way Jesus' parents went every year from Galilee to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover (Luke 2:41). From a young age Christ knew this path (Luke 2:42) and passed through the place where, receiving Baptism, he would appear to the world as the Son of God. The pilgrimage path from Galilee to Jerusalem will be His last path - the ascent to voluntary death, to the Passion. In the Gospel of John, Christ begins this path from the place of His Baptism, where He returns, evading the hands of persecutors.

And he went again beyond the Jordan, to the place where John had baptized before, and remained there(John 10:40). In the narrative of the apostle and evangelist John, the place where John baptized is called not only Bethabara (John 1:28), but also Aenon near Salem (John 3:23). But, according to the map “Palestine of the time of Jesus Christ and the Apostles”, Enon and Salem were “on this” - the western bank of the Jordan, on the territory of Samaria, and not “beyond the Jordan”. Confirmation that the Savior returns to the place of His Baptism can be found in the Discourses on the Gospel of St. John Chrysostom: “But why does the evangelist indicate the place? In order that you may know that He retired to that place with the intention of reminding the Jews of what happened there and what John said, as well as his testimony. Here, where once Moses repeated to the children of Israel the main content of the books of the law, the Lord returns, reminding once again of the most essential moment of His gospel.

“He departs from Jerusalem,” writes Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, emphasizing the special spiritual meaning of the return of Jesus Christ to the place of Baptism, “that is, from the Jewish people, and passes to a place that has sources, that is, to the Church from the Gentiles, which has sources of Baptism . For “beyond the Jordan” means this, that is, the passage through Baptism. For no one comes to Jesus and becomes truly faithful except by passing through Baptism, which is signified by the Jordan.

Jesus Christ remained in Bethavare for more than three months: He left Judea for Perea during the Feast of the Renewal (on the twentieth of the 9th month of Haslev - the first half of December), and returns, having learned about Lazarus' illness, presumably at the end of February, since after resurrection of Lazarus says - Passover is approaching(John 11:55), and the Jewish Passover is in the middle of the 1st month of Abib (the second half of March and the first half of April). During this time many came to him<…>And many there believed in Him(John 10:41-42).

From here, having performed the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus, the Savior “ascends” to Jerusalem - to “this world”, which hated Him, which is looking for Him in order to destroy Him. From here, from the place where the Old Exodus ended, the New one begins - through the Passion to the Resurrection and victory over death - to Eternal Life.

In the synoptic gospels (Mt, Mk, Lk) there is no direct parallel to John 10:40, but in each of them the last journey of Christ from Galilee to Jerusalem coincides with the pilgrimage route of the Jordan side through Decapolis and Perea with two crossings over the Jordan. Consequently, according to the weather forecasters, before ascending through Jericho to Jerusalem, Jesus was in Bethabara - at the place of Baptism. This is also a return “beyond the Jordan”, which could not go unnoticed, not to be reminded of the events that took place here. In the first three Gospels there is no reason to assume the time of the Savior's stay in Bethabara, but in each of them - Mt 20:17–19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-33 before Jericho, Jesus, “calling back the twelve disciples alone”, repeats to them what he revealed to them at the beginning of the path to the Passion: He must go to Jerusalem and suffer much at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and rise again on the third day.(Mt 16:21; cf. Mk 8:31; Lk 9:22) - it is possible that these words were spoken in Bethabara. Christ for the third time secretly reveals to the disciples the essence of His “wonderful” teaching on the way from Galilee to Jerusalem, but they again did not understand what was said(Luke 18:34). When they first heard what path their Master was taking and calling to follow Him, Peter, who had just confessed that Christ - Son of the Living God whom Jesus had just said that he would make him the foundation of his church and give him Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven began to rebuke Him: be merciful to yourself, Lord! may it not be with you!(Mt 16:22; also Mk 8:32). Christ's answer to Peter is sharp and decisive, as to the third temptation from the devil: get away from me, satan! you are a temptation to me! because you think not about what is God, but what is human(Mt 16:23; cf. Mk 8:33). Immediately after these words, Christ reveals the most “amazing” moment of His teaching, which, in the words of Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh, “turns the world upside down”: if anyone wants to follow me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me(Mt 16:24; Mk 8:34; Lk 9:23). In the Gospel of Matthew, He refers only to His disciples, from Mark - to the people with the disciples, from Luke - to everyone. The Lord proclaimed to all the completion of life “for himself” and “in himself”. “Reject yourself” is an indispensable condition of the New Exodus, about which in a few days (in six - Mt, in eight - Mk) He, transformed, will talk with Moses and Elijah. Appearing in glory, they spoke of His departure, which He was to accomplish in Jerusalem(Luke 9:31). Moses made the Old Exodus of the sons of Israel from Egypt and went with them to Bethabara - the place of Deuteronomy and his death, the place of the miraculous passage of Israel through the Jordan; Elijah indicated the path of return to Bethany-Bethabara as the starting point, which will be the beginning of the New Exodus - the Path of Salvation for all people. It was they who appeared to Jesus in His Transfiguration. With Christ on Tabor were the disciples Peter, James and John, but they slept during His conversation with Moses and Elijah, and Peter, waking up, asked Jesus to stay here, not to go anywhere from here. The disciples could not accept the main condition of the New Exodus - "deny yourself". The path to Passion caused fear and doubt, weakened the will. Thinking “what is human”, one cannot understand that the Path of Salvation is the Path of Passion. In confirmation of the truth of the New Exodus in Christ, all that He says was a voice from the cloud that overshadowed them: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him(Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7; Lk 9:35).

Christ says but no one accepts His testimony(John 3:32). But there was the testimony of John the Baptist: This is the Son of God(John 1:34). John testified that they should receive the testimony of the One who comes from above: The one who accepted His testimony thus sealed that God is true, for He whom God sent speaks the words of God; for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him(John 3:33-36). Christ reminds everyone of this by His return beyond the Jordan before ascending to Jerusalem in the narrative of the Apostle John the Theologian (John 10:40), and in the Synoptic Gospels - during the Passion journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. And while He remained where He appeared to the world in the glory of the Holy Trinity, from where He began His ministry, many came to him(John 10:41) and accepted what John the Baptist testified about Him as true: and many there believed in him(John 10:42). When Jesus, having learned about the illness of Lazarus, called the disciples to go back to Judea, they began to rebuke Him: Rabbi! how long have the Jews sought to stone you, and are you going there again?(John 11:8). And only Thomas said not as accompanying the Teacher to death, but as following His path: let's go and we will die with him(John 11:16). Here - “with Him” - with Jesus, and not with Lazarus.

Thomas does not separate His Passion from His glory, like the sons of Zebedee who asked for places of honor in the Kingdom (Mt 20:20–21; Mk 10:35–37), in his words there is an understanding of the hidden meaning of the New Exodus: “through the Passion the Lord enters glory of the Kingdom."

Easter House

Passover in Hebrew literally means ‘transition, change of place’. In the Old Testament, Easter is a holiday commemorating the passage of Israel from the "house of slavery" in the land of Egypt to the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey, the beauty of all lands (the sacrificial Paschal lamb was also called Easter). The Old Testament Exodus ended with the miraculous passage of the sons of Israel across the Jordan opposite Jericho. At the same place - the beginning of the New Testament with the New Exodus.

This took place in Bethabara near the Jordan, where John baptized(John 1:28). On the site of the Old Testament Bethavara, the house of transition, the New Paschal Lamb appears to the world in the glory of the Holy Trinity in order to save the world from the death of sin, destroying its “sting” with His voluntary death. He begins the Dispensation of the new Bethavara - the new House of Easter.

“By taking away the sting of sin from death, by destroying death as a spiritual reality. - writes Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, - having filled it with Himself, His love and life, He turns it, which was the very reality of alienation and perversion of life, into a radiant and joyful "transition" - Pascha - into a richer life, into a stronger unity, into a more strong love." The Lord gathers the people of God for a new feast in the desert in Bethany - the "house of sorrow", "the house of the fallen", "beyond the camp", into the sacrament of the Church of God in Christ, at the Lord's Meal - the most holy Mystery of the Eucharist, performed in the Spirit and by the Spirit. “The New Dispensation, affirmed in the place of the Old, is the Dispensation of the Spirit.”

The new congregation - into the sacrament of the new life, into the Church "wandering" in the wilderness of this world until the Day of the Lord. So let us go out to Him outside the camp, - calls the apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews, - bearing His reproach; for we have no permanent city here, but we are looking for the future(Heb 13:13-14). “To Him” means to His Church, as His Body, crucified for the sins of the whole world, which is the “actual passage” (Fr. Alexander Schmemann) into the Kingdom of God. The New Pascha, the New Exodus from earth to heaven in Christ will take place in the new time until He comes. “The Eucharist,” writes Protopresbyter Nikolai Afanasiev, “performed by the disciples until He comes, is the ongoing, last Meal of Christ. Like the Last Supper, it is connected with His death and His Resurrection.” The very Church of God in Christ, in which and through which it is fulfilled, becomes real in the new time and new life, and there is a new "holiday in the wilderness", a festival of transition from this world into His Kingdom. But “His Exodus” - the festive transition from the eon of this world to the eon of the Kingdom (Father Alexander Schmemann) - does not destroy the old “skins”, but transforms the old into the new, preserving both, as the Lord says in the parable of the new wine and old furs (Luke 5:36-39). After the Son of Man fulfilled His exodus to the Father, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann writes in the Introduction to Liturgical Theology, “in Him the New Pascha became the Life of people…” . New Pascha in time actualizes “that eternal beginning, which for the old world is its end, and in the Church - the End, transformed into the beginning - the beginning, filling the End with joyful fullness” .

In the New House of Easter - everything is Easter, transitional, like a new law, like a new “leaven”. For example, the name of the fatherland of Jesus Galileo, where He begins His ministry, from where His last journey to the Passion begins, means ‘transmigration’ or ‘revelation’, as Blessed Augustine claims, explaining the mysterious meaning of the words of the Risen Christ: After my resurrection I will go before you into Galilee(Mt 26:32; compare Mk 14:28).

“If you understand it (the word“ Galilee ”- arch. W. D.) in the sense of “migration,” he writes, “does this not mean the transfer of the grace of Christ from the people of Israel to the Gentiles? Preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, the Apostles would never have earned their trust, if the Lord had not anticipated their path in the hearts of (these) people. “This will be the true revelation, the true Galilee, when we are like Him; there we shall see Him as He is. It will also be a true migration if we are righteous and merit eternal life.”

Church as Epiphany

In the Introduction to Patristic Theology, in the chapter “St. Gregory of Nyssa,” Protopresbyter John Meyendorff tells how St. Gregory was sent by the Council of Antioch on a trip to the churches of Arabia and Palestine. He needed to collect information about the Arian heresy. He returned from this trip with a “very negative” impression of Jerusalem. "Holy places. - writes Father John, - which at that time became a popular center of pilgrimage, did not arouse any enthusiasm in him. In one of his letters, Gregory writes that God's presence is everywhere, and to believe that it is more pronounced in the Holy Land than in any other place is a great delusion.

With the transition from the Old to the New, in the words of St. John Chrysostom, “the whole earth finally became a temple,” the very image of worshiping God changed. In a conversation with a Samaritan woman, Christ says: the time is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father <…> But the time will come and has already come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for such worshipers the Father seeks for Himself.(John 4:21,23). In his commentary on the Gospel of John, St. John Chrysostom, examining the meaning of Christ's words about the new way of serving God, writes: “He speaks here about the Church, because it is characterized by true and God-worthy worship of God.” And true worshipers are “those who do not limit the service of God to any place, but worship Him with the spirit, as Paul says: I beseech you, brethren, by the bounties of God, present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, your verbal service(Rom 12:1). So, not sheep and calves, but oneself to be offered to God as a burnt offering, which means: “Present a living sacrifice. And the truth is worthy of bowing.”

With the advent of Christ into the world, the Old Testament worship with its principle of mediation between man and God (temple, priesthood, sacrifice), being representative, ends and a new one begins - perfect, as a spiritual feat, as "the realization of the whole belonging - soul and body - to Christ," inclusion” into His life.” Now - The Almighty does not live in man-made temples(Acts 7:48), now the “temple” is the Church created by God and belonging to Him, which is the Sacrament of the Eucharistic gathering of the faithful in Christ at His Supper in His Kingdom. After the Theophany in Bethavare, where John the Baptist baptized, in the words of Protopresbyter Georgy Florovsky, the turning point of Revelation, when “the “Last” or “new” has already entered history, but the finale has not yet arrived. The kingdom has begun, but it has not been fulfilled”; after Trinity Apparition Worship, the Lord appears in the Church and through the Church, which He founded at the Last Supper, and which was actualized on Pentecost, the Epiphany entered into the world a new, true worship of God, which itself is now the Epiphany. Jesus Christ after His Resurrection and Ascension reveals Himself in this world through the Church - His Body, leading it, coming in His Time before His Day. “The “Day of the Lord” will come, but it constantly comes in the Church, as the Lord comes to “his own”. The Eucharist is the meal of the Lord coming into the Church in the Spirit.

St. Cyril of Alexandria, in his essay “On Worship and Service in Spirit and Truth” in the chapter “On the Holy Tabernacle, that it was an image of the Church of Christ”, explaining the words of the Lord to Moses on Mount Sinai: And let me sanctify Me, and I will appear in you, writes: “make sanctification to Me,” he says, “and I will appear in you”: because Christ appears in the Church and shines on those who are in it, according to what is written in the Psalms: God is the Lord, and appear to us(Ps 117:27). But only those who believe in Christ see the Glory of God, because "faith is, as it were, an entrance leading to understanding and opening the mind to the perception of Divine light."

Believers are called to life and service in Christ - to the Theophany. Abide in Me and I in you(John 15:4). Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world(John 17:18). To reveal God to the world means to bear witness to Christ with all your life and death, to bring into this world the light of Divine love. The Lord says to all who seek salvation from the death of sin: I gave you an example(John 13:15). Following the example of Christ, believers glorify not themselves, but His holy Name. In the early Church, as Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann writes, the meaning of the veneration of saints was Christocentric: “For the glory revealed in the martyr is the glory of Christ and the glory of the Church. The martyr is first of all, an example, a testimony, a manifestation of this glory…” . The Savior, appearing to Paul, called him to the Epiphany, to the testimony of the Truth, which opens the eyes and turns from darkness to light: for this is why I have appeared to you, to make you a servant and a witness of what you have seen and what I will reveal to you(Acts 26:16).

In the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, Christ tells His disciples: A little more, and the world will no longer see Me; but you will see me, for I live and you will live(John 14:19). To the question of one of the students: what is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus replied: whoever loves me will keep my word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him(John 14:22-23).

Epiphany - The Divine-human meeting. In this meeting, we are already called, already chosen, it takes place when “in the first place” is not we, but the Lord: You didn't choose me, I chose you(John 15:16) when - He chose and He loved. When to the call of the Spirit and the Bride: come! <…> He who hears, let him say: Come!(Revelation 22:17), when those who thirst and desire the water of life all together, as the Church, cry out: Hey, come, Lord Jesus!

In the memoir of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh about how he met the confessor, there are these words: “And so he rose from the church, and I saw the radiance of eternal life.”

The true "place" of the Theophany is the Church of God - in Christ, in it Christ is in our midst, and is and will be!

From the “Travel Program” in the Holy Land in the State of Israel World Fund pilgrimages from November 25 to December 1, 1996.

Explanatory Bible, or a commentary on all the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Institute for Bible Translation, Stockholm, 1987 (reprint published by the successors of A. P. Lopukhin. Petersburg, 1911–1913). Book. 3. T. 9. S. 19.

See, for example: Creations of St. Cyril Archbishop of Alexandria. Book. 3. M., 2002. S. 394; Bishop Cassian (Bezobrazov). Water and blood and spirit. Paris-M., 2004. S. 127.

Prot. Alexander Schmemann. The historical path of Orthodoxy. M., 1993 (reprint ed.: New York, 1954). S. 83.

As you know, Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River. Since then, there has been a tradition of washing in the Jordan, followed by all pilgrims who have visited the Holy Land at least once. Thanks to Travel company "Thai Tours"- an experienced organizer of pilgrimage routes, the head of the UNIAN-Religions project, visited Jordan last year.

Jordan River.

For almost two thousand years, people have been coming to the banks of the biblical river, with the hope of receiving healing of soul and body after washing. During this time, the course of the river and the borders of the states along which its waters flow have repeatedly changed. Human faith in God's help and the possibility of a miracle for everyone remained unchanged.

Once a year, on January 19, on the day of the Baptism of the Lord, when Patriarch Theophilus III of Jerusalem serves a festive prayer service on the Jordan, there comes a moment when the waters of the river turn back and flow in the opposite direction. So obviously and indisputably the Lord shows people His power and Divine grace.

Reversal of the Jordan River at EpiphanyVIDEO

They plunge into the Jordan River seven times, plunging headlong. (“And he went and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his body was renewed like the body of a little child, and he was cleansed. - 2 Kings, 5:14).

Everyone who has ever had to dip in the Jordan remembers what a strong current this river has, so write off this miracle for some a natural phenomenon, which happens from year to year on January 19 precisely during the prayer service of the Patriarch, does not occur to anyone. Yes, and tens of thousands of people who come to the holiday are witnesses to this - they all saw this unusual phenomenon with their own eyes.

Who knows, maybe two thousand years ago, the river also flowed back during the Baptism of Jesus Christ, when "the sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove."

On the memorial wall at the entrance to Yardenit, it is written in different languages of the world: “And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And as he was coming out of the water, immediately John saw the heavens open, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him. And a voice came from heaven: You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:9-11).

Pilgrims visiting the Holy Land have always wanted to take a dip, and some - to be baptized in the sacred waters of the Jordan - the most famous river on Earth, which combined the stories of the Old and New Testaments. The event that took place in these waters is of great importance for Christians around the world, so people needed to find a symbolic place for the baptism of Christ.

Complex "Yardenit", Israel. The place where the Jordan flows out of the Lake of Tiberias.

According to an early version, it was generally accepted that the place of baptism is located on the western bank of the Jordan River, in Israel, in the vicinity of Qasr el-Yahud (Arabic - "Jewish palace") in the territory of the Palestinian Authority. But since 1967, after the war, this section has been closed.

For the washing of pilgrims in 1981, Israel allocated an area in the place where the Jordan flows out of Lake Tiberias. A complex was built there, which was called Yardenit. This territory, of course, was not the historical place of the baptism of Jesus Christ, but it coped well with its symbolic function and was the only place providing free access to the river.

The old course of the Jordan River, the village of Wadi al-Harar, Jordan. Place of the baptism of Jesus Christ. The Savior himself walked along these steps.

In 1996, as a result of archaeological excavations along the east bank of the Jordan River, an international team of scientists discovered the true place of the Savior's baptism. This place is located in Jordan, not far from the place where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea - in the Bethany Valley, in the village of Wadi al-Harar (Arabic - "murmuring water"). The place of baptism turned out to be forty meters east of the current Jordan. Since the 5th century, the river has significantly changed its course and receded from the place of baptism.

There is the oldest evidence that points to the place of Christ's baptism - this is a mosaic map of ancient Palestine of the 6th century, found in Orthodox church- in the church of St. George, in Madaba.

Mosaic map of ancient Palestine of the 6th century in the church of St. George, in Madaba.

They say that it was with the help of this map that scientists discovered the undeniable place of baptism - the square marble base of the Greek column, on top of which there was once a cross - it was it that was mentioned as the place of Christ's baptism in the records of pilgrims from the time of the Byzantine Empire. Also, scientists have discovered steps leading to the water. Researchers believe that it was on these steps that Jesus Christ left his clothes before the sacrament of baptism.

A path leads to the place of baptism. Shrubs once grew here as an impenetrable wall.

In winter, a little water collects in the font of the old riverbed, but by summer the lake dries up completely. The descent is closed to pilgrims in any time of the year.

Not far from the place of baptism is a cave where John the Baptist lived. The apostles Matthew and Mark indicated in the Gospels that John preached in the Judean desert, near the Dead Sea. John the Theologian clarified that once this place was called Befabar and was located beyond the Jordan. It was here that Jesus Christ came at the age of 30 to be baptized - this is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke.

In these places the prophet Elijah ascended to heaven.

As you know, John lived in the places where Elijah the prophet ascended. That is, it was from here that the Old Testament prophet was carried alive to heaven by a fiery chariot. And before that, according to the Old Testament, the prophets Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan River on dry land. Here, 12 centuries before the baptism of the Lord, the twelve tribes of Israel formed, crossed the Jordan and settled the Promised Land. The first miracle on the river happened when the Israelites, following Joshua with the Ark of the Covenant, crossed the Jordan on dry land.

Already in early Christian times, Mary of Egypt, a well-known harlot and a great repentant sinner, who for 47 years prayed to the Lord for forgiveness and ate only leaves and grass, went to these places to mourn her sins.

Many pilgrims flock to the holy place every year. Today, paths have been laid in the excavation area, a bathing place has been equipped, and a pilgrimage center has been built nearby.

A place for ablution in the waters of the Jordan River. Several soldiers with machine guns are watching the invisible border from Jordan. There were no visible soldiers from the Israeli side - perhaps covert surveillance was carried out.

From Jordan, you can get to the place of baptism and ablution at any time. But there are restrictions on the part of Israel - depending on the military situation, since this is a Palestinian territory. They say that on Epiphany and Easter, Jordan opens the border for Israel so that pilgrims can bow to the shrines. From the Israeli coast to the coast of Jordan - about 10 meters, the border runs along the river and is not marked in any way.

The water in the Jordan River is brown and very turbid due to the fast current that erodes clay and carries silt. But if you put water in a bottle and let it stand for a while, the impurities settle and the water becomes clear.

18.01.2017

“I am baptized in the Jordan, O Lord…” – we sing on the feast of the Epiphany, the purpose of which is celebrated on December 18th. What do we know about this biblical river?

A bit of geography

Every reader of Scripture is familiar with the Jordan River. She is mentioned many times in both the Old and New Testaments. The mention of the Jordan in the Old Testament books is mainly due to the fact that the river was a boundary, a watershed, or flowed along the border between territories. In the modern map of the world, the Jordan River is the border between the countries of Israel and Jordan.

The Jordan originates fourteen kilometers north of Lake Hula, near the settlement of Sde Nehemiah. Its source is three small rivers, originating at the foot of Mount Hermon at an altitude of about 520 meters above sea level, which then merge together and form a single stream of the Jordan.

The length of the Jordan River is 252 km, it is not very wide, and there is no navigation on it. The river flows in a north-south direction to its mouth. Near Sde Nehemia, the Jordan splits into two canals, which join again after a few kilometers. The canals were dug in the 1950s as part of a project to drain the Hula Lake Valley. From the place of their junction there is a canal to the Bridge of the Daughters of Jacob. From here, the Jordan flows in its natural course, passing along the bottom of the basalt gorge, until it flows into the Lake of Tiberias, which is sometimes also called the Sea of Galilee. Along the way along the basalt gorge, the Jordan River has the largest slope - 17.6 m / km.

Lake Tiberias is the largest natural reservoir in Israel, its area is 167 km². In Hebrew, it is called Kynareth. There are many mineral springs along the shores of the lake, so the water tastes a little brackish. But it's still drinkable. The water from the lake is supplied by a pipeline to the densely populated central and waterless southern parts of the country. Lake Kinneret is the lowest fresh lake in the world - 213 meters below sea level. It is believed that the waters of the Jordan do not mix with the waters of the lake: despite the fact that the waters of the lake are slightly brackish, the Jordan flowing from the Kinneret is absolutely freshwater.

In the New Testament, Lake Tiberias is associated with many stories about the earthly life of Jesus Christ. On the shores of the lake and in coastal cities, Jesus spent most of His earthly ministry. It was here that the apostles Peter and Andrew fished when they were called by Christ to the apostolic ministry.

After Lake Tiberias, the river flows through the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea, which is about 100 kilometers. Here the riverbed becomes very winding, the banks in this section are high and in some places even sheer, the width of the Jordan reaches forty meters. During high water, the river washes away the banks, and this sometimes leads to landslides that create serious obstacles to the watercourse.

The Dead Sea, where the Jordan ends, is the most salt lake in the world. It is located on the lowest part of the earth's surface - 420 meters below sea level. The geographical division of the Jordan into the upper - from the sources to the Lake of Tiberias and the lower - from the Lake of Tiberias to the Dead Sea is accepted.

Old Testament

The name "Jordan" has no convincing etymology. It is most commonly associated with the Hebrew verb "to descend". According to one version, Jordan means "descends from Dan", according to another version - "go down to the water" and "watering hole". If we proceed from the Hurrian origin of the word, then the Jordan is interpreted as “the water of Dan”, and if we rely on the ancient Persian language, then we get “a river flowing all year”.

The earliest mention of the Jordan River is connected with the story of Lot, who chose the “Jordan region” as a pasture for his flocks, because it was all irrigated with water (Genesis 13:10). After the exodus from Egypt, the people of Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, approached the borders of the Promised Land from the east and crossed the Jordan opposite the city of Jericho. The transition itself was carried out with the miraculous help of God. The events of the Jews crossing the Jordan are described as follows: “The water flowing from above stopped and became a wall for a very long distance, to the city of Adam, which is near Tsartan; but the plain flowing into the sea, into the Salt Sea, has gone away and dried up” (Josh. 3:16). It also says that the water stopped only when the priests holding the ark of the covenant touched the waters of the stream. Twelve large stones taken from the Jordan - according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel - were erected as one monument in Gilgal.

After the Jewish people settled in the territory of Palestine, the Jordan River was somewhere inside, and somewhere - on the border of the regions owned by the Jews. In the Book of Judges, the banks of the Jordan are a place of constant battles with the Moabites, Midianites, Amalekites, Ammonites. Near the crossing over the Jordan, King Saul fought with the Philistines. David repeatedly crossed the Jordan in the days of victorious battles and in the days of defeat.

The prophet Elijah struck the water with his mantle (clothing made of sheep's skins) and stopped the Jordan. He ascended from the banks of the river in a fiery chariot to heaven. His disciple, the prophet Elisha, who received the gift of miracles after the ascension of the prophet Elijah, also crossed the Jordan along the bottom, the waters of which parted before him. After washing seven times in the waters of the Jordan, at the command of the prophet Elisha, the Syrian commander Naaman was healed of leprosy.

New Testament

The constant presence of the Jordan River in the pages of Scripture is not surprising, since it is located not far from the region where the main events of biblical history take place. But, undoubtedly, the most important purpose of this river, the most significant action that takes place in the waters of the Jordan, is described by the four evangelists. This is the Baptism that Jesus Christ received from the hands of the holy righteous John the Baptist. From the moment of Baptism, the messianic ministry of the Lord begins.

In the texts of the service on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, many hymns speak of the Jordan, they sing the Jordan precisely because this river involuntarily received such a high honor - to serve the Savior of the world with its waters. Church songwriters endow Jordan with human features: he trembles, seeing the Lord coming to him to be baptized by John, and in fear turns his channel back. Jesus Christ, plunging into the waters of the Jordan, dresses in them as in clothes, and thus He dresses the Church "in the clothes of incorruption."

Soteriologically important events take place in Jordanian waters: By His Baptism, Christ raises the fallen Adam and crushes the "heads of the serpents." The Sacrament of Baptism in the Orthodox Church originates from the event of the Baptism of Jesus Christ. And throughout the centuries of Christianity, this Sacrament introduces a person into the Church, makes him a child of Christ, makes it possible to receive other important Church Sacraments, such as confession, communion, unction, opens the way to salvation, because without life in the Church there is no active membership in it. During the Baptism of Jesus Christ on the Jordan, the Holy Trinity appears, Theophany: “And when he came out of the water, immediately John saw the heavens open and the Spirit, like a dove descending on Him. And a voice came from heaven: You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:10-11).

Our days

After the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the upper Jordan became its eastern border with Syria. The Lower Jordan and the lands adjacent to it came under Jordanian control and remained under it until they were captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. The upper course of the Jordan and its sources were also captured by Israel. After the end of the war along the Jordan from the Yarmuk River to the Dead Sea, there was a cease-fire line between Israel and Jordan.

In the early 1960s, the Jordan carried 1.3 billion cubic meters of water a year from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea. According to ecologists, today the amount of water flowing along the riverbed per year is only 10% of the previous one. According to the international organization Friends of the Earth in the Middle East, Israel, Syria and Jordan are to blame for the dehydration of the Jordan, which are constantly in conflict - each of the countries is trying to take as much water as possible. If this continues, the Jordan River will disappear.

The next point on the route is the Orthodox monastery of St. Gerasim of Jordan, located five kilometers from the Dead Sea, a kilometer from the Jordan River and the alleged place of the baptism of Jesus Christ. Gerasim (in the world Gregory) was from Asia Minor (a region of present-day Turkish Antalya), from a wealthy family. After leaving the world and becoming a monk, he retired to the desert of Thebaid in Egypt, and then around the year 450 he came to Palestine, where he founded a monastery not far from the Jordan River.

1. The monastery is surrounded on all sides by a hot desert, but on the territory of the Lavra it is green and cozy.

2. Patio.

3. Panel depicting the Dome of the Rock. I wonder why this panel depicting the Muslim shrine of Jerusalem is located in an Orthodox monastery?

5. Proud rooster in the yard.

Leaving the monastery, we head directly to the Jordan River, along which the border between Israel and Jordan passes. The alleged place of the baptism of Jesus Christ was in the area of Bethabara, in the lower reaches of the Jordan, about 10 kilometers from its confluence with the Dead Sea. Today this place is known as Qasr El Yahud. It is located in the border military zone between Israel and Jordan and for a long time was closed to the general public - access here was only possible for pilgrims once a year on the feast of Epiphany. Therefore, for mass visits by pilgrims and tourists in 1981, the Israeli government chose another, "symbolic" place, completely on Israeli territory, 50 kilometers from here up the river - in the place where the Jordan flows from the Lake of Gennesaret on the territory of Kibbutz Kinneret. This place is called Yardenit.

And in 2011 it was opened for mass visits and historical place Baptism - Qasr El Yahud. So today you can plunge into the Jordan River in two places at once - the "symbolic" Yardenit (completely in Israel) and the "historical" - Qasr El Yahud (and you can get there both from Israel and from Jordan). We are heading to that very "historical" place - to the border of Israel and Jordan.

6. Kasr El Yahud is a strictly protected border area surrounded by barbed wire - before getting to the Jordan River, tourists pass through a checkpoint with inspection. The territory bordering the Jordan behind the fence is mined in many places - since the Six-Day War of 1967 (as a result of which the West Bank from Jordan came under Israeli control). The desert is all around - the Jordan flows in the green valley below, and the distant mountains are already the territory of Jordan.

7. Both banks of the Jordan at the site of the alleged baptism of Christ are now available for visiting - from the side of Jordan, a small font descends to the water, and on the Israeli coast everything is much larger. The border runs in the middle of a small river barely ten meters wide. Swimming areas from each coast are limited by floats, beyond which you cannot go so as not to cross the border. Numerous signs also warn about the border between Israel and Jordan passing here. It is also interesting that you cannot contact people on the opposite bank - shout to them, wave your hands. The military is watching. It looks especially funny when Russian groups arrive from each shore in Qasr El Yahud.

8. Ahead - the state border.

9. On the Israeli coast.

10. On the opposite coast of Jordan is a Greek Orthodox Church.

11. Flag of Jordan.

12. Jordan, meandering through the valley, often changes its course. Studies have shown that, apparently, 2000 years ago, the riverbed passed to the east, in the territory of modern Jordan. And accordingly, the exact place of the baptism of Christ is located today on Jordanian soil. If you visit Qasr El Yahud not from the Israeli, but from the Jordanian side of the border, then a few hundred meters from the river you can see the archaeological sites of the alleged old channel. However, it is hardly possible to determine the place of baptism 100% accurately today.

13. Riverbed of the Jordan outside tourist area. The width is three or four meters, the current is rather weak, the banks are swampy. In the upper reaches, the water of the Jordan is widely used for irrigation, several dams have been built. Many centuries ago, the river was, apparently, much more powerful. However, sometimes in our days, during the winter rains, significant rises in water and even floods occur in the Jordan.

14. Photo with a view of Jordan.

15. Pilgrims plunge into the waters of the Jordan from the opposite bank.

16. Having visited the bank of the Jordan River in the place of Qasr El Yahud, we continue the route through Palestine: the next stop is ancient Jericho. This city is considered one of the oldest cities on Earth from among the permanently inhabited - its history goes back about 10 thousand years.

Of course, during this period the settlement that existed here was repeatedly destroyed, rebuilt and passed from hand to hand of different rulers. The most famous destruction of Jericho was reflected in the biblical tradition - according to which in the XIII century BC the walls of the city fell from the loud sound of trumpets during the siege by the army of Joshua. And the expression "Jericho Trumpet" has long become a household word.

Today, Jericho is a large city in the West Bank, completely controlled by the Palestinian Authority ("Area A" -). Israeli citizens cannot visit these areas of Palestine, and holders of Palestinian passports, on the contrary, cannot visit Israel without special permits. V recent history this was not always the case - in the 90s, the Israelis liked to relax in Jericho: it was cheap here, plus several casinos and gambling zones worked. But after the Arab-Israeli conflict of 2000-2005 (the "Second Palestinian Intifada"), everything changed - the mutual rules for the movement of Israelis and Palestinians became tougher, separation barriers appeared, etc. Today, it is relatively calm again, tourism has begun to develop again, but people live in Jericho very poor. And this is very striking in contrast to Israeli cities.

17. In the oases of the Judean Desert in the area of the Dead Sea and the lower reaches of the Jordan River, there are a lot of plantations of date palms. Dates are one of the most important agricultural products in Israel, including for export.

18. This is how they grow.

19. In Jericho, there is a cable car that takes tourists from the city center to Mount Karantal (or Mount of Temptation), where, according to legend, the devil tempted Jesus when he fasted for 40 days. When traveling by cable car, very beautiful views city, oasis, Judean Desert and the Jordan Valley.

21. Archaeological excavations of ancient Jericho.

22. Mosque.

23. Many houses are abandoned. The streets are deserted, almost no people.

25. Outside the city is the Jordan Valley, along which the border with Jordan passes. Not far from here there is a border crossing controlled by the Israeli authorities.

27. Mount Karantal.

28. On the rocks of this mountain is the Orthodox Greek monastery of the Temptation (or Karantal), founded in the 4th century.

29. The buildings of the monastery are built right on the steep ledges of the mountain.

32. Monastery streets on a steep rocky ledge.

33. In one of these caves on the mountain, according to legend, Christ fasted for 40 days.

36. Views from one of the balconies.

39. Sit down in cable car- and go back down. It's good for tourists - there is a funicular. But pilgrims have to climb the Mount of Temptation on foot, which is very difficult in the forty-degree heat.

On this one-day trip to Palestine ended - from Jericho to Jerusalem, only 30 kilometers, very close. In conclusion, I will traditionally say that I will return to these parts with pleasure: it would be interesting to travel around Palestine, see Nablus, Ramallah, other cities ... Bethlehem, of course. But that's for another time. And then according to our plan - Israel again: the fortress of Masada, the Dead Sea and then - the north of the country, the city of Haifa and its environs.