| Today we are north of the Sea of Galilee. We crossed the Jordan River as it flowed into Galilee - so we were like Jesus, on the "other side" of the Sea.
First stop was at Kursi, the area of the Gaderenes. The countryside was largely as Jesus saw it, with little development in 2000 years. We saw the hills where the demon-possessed man lived, and where, after Jesus healed him, the herd of pigs ran into the Sea. The site has a large 5th century Byzantine monastery, now in ruins.
Then on to Korazim (or Chorazin) where Jesus proclaimed woe to the village because they saw the miracles but didn't believe (Lk 10:13). It is a small village built of the local basalt rock, and partly reconstructed. In the synagogue is a replica of the Moses Seat, where the synagogue leader sat to instruct the people - in Matt 23 Jesus warned that they didn't practise what they preached. Excitement: there was a family of hyraxes living amongst the fallen stones - we last saw some at Ein Gedi.
Tel Dan in the very north of Israel. Three springs arise near here, flow through Dan and form the headwaters of the Jordan River. The tribe of Dan were initially allocated their land on the coastal plain near Jaffa, but they couldn't oust the Philistines from the land, so eventually moved out and resettled here in the very north of the Promised Land - hence the phrase "from Dan to Beersheba" (which is in the very south of the land). This land that they moved to was occupied by the people of Laish (Judges 18) and we saw a magnificent mud brick arched city gate from about 1500BC. It was to Dan that Jerobohm sent one of the gold calves in his establishment of a new way of worship, away from temple worship in Jerusalem (2 Kings 12) ... leading to the judgement on Israel and defeat by Assyrians. We saw the area they built for the sacrifices.
Travels around here in the Golan Heights are in the lands formerly part of Lebanon and Syria, before the 1967 war. Just outside the bus was a no-mans-land managed by the blue-berets of the UN - numbers of UN vehicles on the road. Had a great wayside stop to look across the border and into Syria. Only 60km to Damascus. It felt very safe, not as some news reports from home imply.
To Caesarea Philippi (modern day Banias) - where Jesus asks Peter, "who do you say I am?" and Peter acknowledges Jesus as the Christ (or annointed one). This is the pivot point in all Gospels, for Jesus then turns south and heads for Jerusalem and his ultimate destiny. This was a great finale for our trip to Israel and contrasts with the first site we visited in Israel a fortnight ago at Ein Gedi, where Saul and David, both of whom were the Lord's annointed, were tussling with each other.
In Banias there are the remains of a cave and temple to Pan and other Greek gods, from the 3rd century BC where virgins were sacrificed. Springs forming the headwaters of the Jordan are here. The temple is built into a great rock-face, and you can imagine Jesus using that location to make the relationship between the rock and the new name of Peter that Simon was given here.
Herod the Great built a temple to Augustus here in 19BC- the first emperor to be deified and worshipped. Later Herod's son, Philip the Teterach, built his capital city there and named it after both the emperor and himself. Bit of historical trivia : Philip married Salome, the niece (and stepdaughter) of Herod Antipas (another son of Herod the Great), and the girl who was enticed by her mother to ask for the head of John the Baptist. Salome was also the half-niece of Philip. Are you confused with the family relationships? Genealologists will have fun mapping their family tree and see the intermarriages, and incestuous relationships.
Nimrod fortress - way up the hills on the side of Mt Herman. A hugh fortress built and extended from 12 century AD by crusaders, Mamelukes, moslems etc as they protected one of the routes to Damascus. It has no biblical reference, so few visitors. We were the only ones there in the massive fortress, and some ran amok like kids in a playground maze!
A relevant hymn for us concluding our pilgrimage in this area, by John Greenleaf Whittier: Dear Lord and Father of mankind - second verse:
In simple trust like theirs who heard, beside the Syrian Sea*, the gracious calling of the Lord, let us like them without a word rise up and follow thee. [* this name for Galilee always confused me, but it is obvious when you see that Syria owned about half the Sea of Galilee until 1967]
Janet and Ivan
Photos: Kursi - Byzantine Church ruins; Place where Jesus cast out demons that went into the pigs; Korazim - Holding up Lawrence's arms as he sat on the "Moses seat" in the ancient synagogue; Our group on our last full day; Walking the paths of Tel Dan; Springs flowing in Tel Dan; Caesaria Philippi - site of Temples and the rock wall where Simon was made Peter; Nimrod Fortress; "Sir Philip of Nimrod"; UN Compound on border of Israel & Syria. | 
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