When King Herod was Little

While Beit Guvrin and Maresha, towns not familiar to most people who study the Bible, knowing what happened in these towns will give clues to the formation of King Herod’s personality. In all probability King Herod the great was born and grew up in the region of these cities. Josephus contains a reference to this fact in the Antiquities of the Jews 14.13.9. The town of Maresha is very ancient, Joshua makes a note that this village was part of the inheritance of the tribe of Judah. (15:20, 44). Rehoboam fortified the city (2 Chronicles 11: 5-8) and later Nebuchadnezzar depopulated the region.

The Dove Farm at Beit Guvrin

When the people of Judah were away in captivity to Babylon, Nabateans, then Edomites (Idumeans), and finally Greeks entered the land in the Guvrin valley. These new people adopted the vacated olive groves (which originally drew them to the land), and brought with them textile and dove breeding industries which prospered in the valley.
   After the Maccabees came to power, Beit Guvrin and Maresha became a target for their new Hebrew state, because it was in the former territory of Judah. In battle they defeated the people who lived in the valley and once captured, Maresha became a regional capital for the Jews, who forcibly converted its inhabitants to Judaism. One of the Idumean inhabitants, Antipater, posed a challenge to the new Jewish rulers.

The Dove industry was large when Herod was a boy

Antipater was Herod’s father. History records he was a very rich, politically active, and seditious man who owned a great amount of property in Maresha (which is what the village was called at that time). He inherited these from his father, who carried the same name. Josephus wrote; ‘’Tis true, that Nicolaus of Damascus says, that Antipater was of the stock of the principal Jews who came out of Babylon into Judea. But that assertion of his was to gratify Herod, who was his son; and who, by certain revolutions of fortune, came afterward to be King of the Jews.” (Ant. 14.1.3)

The short stories in this book illustrate Herod's childhood

In my new book I develop a story about how the young boy Herod grew up in Maresha and received early training from his father in the textile and then the dove industry. He learned valuable lessons in leadership when his father placed in in management. The future king learned his cruelty by observing personality types while tending the doves his father owned. I share stories about how Herod’s childhood in Beit Guvrin and Maresha shaped events of the New Testament in my book, Israel: Stories for Your Journey, available on Amazon.com.

Jaffa and History

Joppa, Jaffa, Yafo, Yaffe, however you spell the name, is a city with a history. Last week in my class we looked at the events which occurred in or around this city, which was built on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

The view from Joppa

Some of the most popular stories claim that Jaffa was founded by Japheth, the son of Noah. Although there is no proof of this matter, we do know that people (probably Canaanites) lived upon the hill of Jaffe by 2018 BC (not AD!) these people sought the hillside location for safety, and eventually built a wall around their community in order to defend themselves from attacks. By day they would grow crops, hunt, or go out fishing, and by night they would sleep safely inside the closed city gates.

A historic picture of Joppa

But history was not kind to Jaffa, because neither their hill nor their walls were high enough to keep intruders away. Pharaoh Thutmose III captured the city in about 1600 BC. It is said that he orchestrated an “inside attack” by offering the citizens 100 baskets of Egyptian “treasure,” carried in by 200 Egyptian “porters.” Both the “treasure” and the porters” were really Egyptian soldiers, and once inside the city gates, the city was an easy capture. Ramesses II was there in 1258 BC, as evidenced by a lion scarab and other archaeological finds. Both before, after and in between these two Pharaohs, other Egyptian rulers also called this city a possession and collected tribute from the people in Joppa.

Pharaohs visited Joppa

Along history’s path, the Bible tells of others who visited Joppa over the course of the centuries. It is recorded that Joshua and the army of Israel marched toward the sea along the Aylon River in Israel. This river used to empty into the Mediterranean near Joppa (it has been rerouted). From this march, Joshua turned south and captured other Canaanite villages, including Gezer and Lachish. King Solomon, likewise visited Jaffa in order to retrieve Cedar for the Temple which entered Israel at the port of Joppa.

The Harbor at Joppa

Joppa saw action as Assyrian kings Shalmaneser III, Tiglath Pileser III, Shalmaneser V, and Sargon II conquered Israel and fought against Egypt along the coastal highway. The prophet Jonah sought to escape a preaching assignment to Assyria during this period by taking the first ship out of Joppa to Tarshish. The prophet’s escape did not last long, because God brought up a storm which forced Jonah to be thrown from the boat, where he was saved by a fish who safely returned him to the beach near Yafo.

The story of Andromeda

In 412 BC, another story is told of a young woman who was saved from the sea. As the story goes, King Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia, who ruled the city of Joppa, used to brag to everyone about the beauty of their daughter, Andromeda. They once said she was even more beautiful than the daughters of Poseidon. This angered the sea king, who demanded that Andromeda be chained to a rock in the harbor in order to save King Cepheus’s city from destruction. Andromeda would have been eaten alive by a giant sea creature, had not Greek god Perseus saved her.

A New Book on Israel

Over the years, Joppa has never been out of the limelight, and many other stories could be told. I have written a few more in my book, Israel: Stories for Your Journey. I will tell and learn others on a future trip to Israel. For more information, check out my webpage at www.KosherCopy.com.

Israel's Long History

One of the amazing things about the Holy Land is their long history. In the United States, most historic sites tell stories from only a hundred or two hundred years ago, and the most ancient sites only go back five hundred years. It is therefore amazing when I go to Israel where “new” can be five hundred years old and it is common to stand at the location of events which go back 3,000 years or more.

The view from Old Joppa to New Tel Aviv

In my class about Israel this week I introduced people to the city of Joppa, which was an ancient port of arrival into the Holy Land. At least one history records that Joppa was founded and took its name from Japeth, the son of Noah. Japheth left home after the flood and founded this seaside community because of its beauty (Joppa means beautiful).

A New book on Israel

Upon thinking about Japheth’s founding of Joppa, I began to think of other stories I read about Israel for one of my latest books, Israel: Stories for Your Journey. The residents of Gezer, located only twenty miles from Joppa, claim that Noah lived on the hilltop of their city. It is claimed that Noah’s wife, his daughter, and also Adam’s wife Eve baked bread in an oven near the city.

The Cavernous water source at Gezer

Walks in Israel can be walks through history, if you listen to the stories. Everyone wants a piece of the action and to tell a familiar tale about the past. Did Japheth really found Joppa? Did Noah live in Gezer? Did Eve bake bread in the cavernous hole near Gezer’s city gate? Probably not, but the stories are fun, and the reality of the matter is that people have lived in Joppa and atop the hill at Gezer for a very long time.

A Book on Israel:: from Guidebook to Stories

Writing my most recent book was a process. In the beginning the content focused on descriptions and facts. As a history major in college, I find these details interesting, and most of the books I read look attempt to provide lots of information. My early models for the work include travel guides such as Lonely Planet, Frommer’s, Fodor’s, AAA and DK books. I have also read several guides produced by other ministers and travelers. I sought to provide information in my own words along with some of my own experiences.

Available on Amazon.com

After completing the first section of my most recent book  I joined a new writing group meeting in the public library. I shared a couple of pages on Tel Aviv during a reading session. The group told me that my work was, for the most part, boring. But then someone said, “There is one thing, however, which does interest me about your writing: I can tell you were there.” The others agreed, and asked, “Do you have personal stories?”

I thought about the question the group asked, and my writing took a turn. I began to rework the section I began to add personal memoirs. I shared this with people who told me the work was still missing the mark of being interesting. They said, “People who know you might be interested in your stories, but the general public will lose interest quickly because the things you share are not of interest to them.”

An interesting sight in Yafo

I was stunned at the comments. Then I read what I wrote, and for the most part, had to agree. (The memoir of how a plastic bag created a flat spot on a wheel of my suitcase while walking through the streets of Tel Aviv is still interesting to me, but, I had to agree a book full of content like this would soon become as flat as the wheel on my suitcase.)  I made a trip to my bookshelf and to the library to find how other authors created narrative which piqued interest.

Western Wall in Jerusalem

After much reading I began to write once again. I wrote anecdote about people, descriptions containing odd facts, legends with action, and fables with drama. I found books with old tales of Palestine, which became sources and models for the short articles of my new book. I began to share the new tales I had written, some rehashed from Bible stories and others entirely new, and the library group gave glowing reviews.

Shepherds with goats in Israel

The more I shared my work, the more comments went from negative to positive. In the process of creating narratives for Israel: Stories for Your Journey, I found something within myself. Not only did others enjoy the woven words and stories I was creating, but as I researched each episode for accuracy, I saw new details about the land and the Bible which I had missed. My writing became an experience through which I learned some amazing things!

If you read my new book, I think the land and its stories will created for you new insights, understandings, and love for a land that is timeless.

Israel: Stories for Your Journey

The creation of my latest book is an outgrowth of my first trip to Israel in 2012. Through the years i had always put off a journey to Israel for many reasons: 1) The trip would cost too much; 2) The trip would require too many days off work; 3) I did not know anyone to go with; 4) I could do that later in life; 5) It was too dangerous, 6) and many more reasons.In 2004 a teacher in my church started talking about going to Israel, I started looking into the matter. In 2011, a second man in the church came up to me and said I ought to consider going with John DeLancey, director of Biblical Israel Ministries & Tours. I called John and the trip was arranged.

Join us on the trip - www.KosherCopy.com

I received a date, an agenda and three books from John which told about Israel. I looked through the agenda and began reading the books. I realized that although I have attended seminary and prepared Bible classes for my church for many years, I needed to know more to get the most out of my trip.  Some of the place names in John’s brochure were unfamiliar (archeological sites) and others I barely knew.

Our arrival in Israel

I created a document with the trip agenda and sites listed day by day and in order. I placed into this document things from John’s books (reading and then typing help place facts into my brain). I added to my document any scripture reference to a place we were visiting. Then I went to the internet and researched the sites on the agenda, and added those facts (sometimes through cut and paste) to my document. I uploaded my creation to my Kindle, read it twice, and took it on my trip to Israel. It helped.

Tourists on the steps at Yafo

On my first tour, as John and our guide Shlomo took us to each site, they would give a lesson on why the place was important. The lesson took most of the time. But as I listened, I realized I already knew (from my reading) much of what they were saying. They spoke, so we could hear, over radio hearing aids, which enabled me to hear them as I walked around (most of the group stood with them and listened). I, in a sense, was unleashed from the lectures and because of my study, I was able to walk about, look at, and take in, with some familiarity, each place we visited.I learned more by walking around and examining each site.

Shlomo shows us a carob tree at Azekah

On my second tour, two years later, John and Shlomo took us to more and different sites in Israel. I rearranged and added to my document. Again, I was able to be unleashed and walk around each site in order to examine the remains and the geography of the place. I learned, and began to take in how our Bible was shaped by the land and its people. On my first two trips to Israel I learned many things about the land, the people and the Bible which I had not understood before my pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Old concepts and myths were broken, and details I had seen, but not understood, fit into place.

Ayalon Institute Underground Munitions Factory

I returned to Israel in 2016, and visited the land with my daughters, who were participating in separate archeological digs. We rented a car, and spent time on that trip seeing things which were not on typical trip agendas. My third trip to Israel contains many memories which I enjoy sharing with others

I am about to go to Israel again, with a fourth group, this time with some leadership responsibilities. As I put the trip together (I am going with John and Shlomo again), I wanted to share the preparation I made for my first two trips so those going with me would be better able to understand and take in the land itself. I did not want to give my group a plagiarized document, so I decided I needed, to write a new book which would follow our tour.

Book available at Amazon.com

The new book began as a guide book and ended up as a book of stories, I will write about how that happened in my next blog.  My new book, Israel: Stories for Your Journey is available on Kindle for the affordable price of $1.99, and I would recommend it to anyone who is traveling to Israel.