Tuesday morning. A stop at Bet She'an, early on the short 80 mile drive to Jerusalem. A restored city of the Decapolis dating back several thousand years (then, referred to as Scythopolis).
Even if you felt as if you weren't at all interested in ruins or archeology or ancient civilizations.....you would change your mind quickly when walking around here. It gives a feeling of being transported back to an incredibly gorgeous Greek city of centuries ago. (If you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, do, and you will get some breathtaking views.)
Columns line the orginal main street, a bathouse or "health club" was uncovered in a wonderful state of preservation, and strolling through the area transports you back into time when Jesus likely walked through this city, an example of the Hellenisitc influence he would have experienced in his time in this land just 20 miles south of the Sea of Galilee.
As always, our two professors know the history inside and out -- the buildings, people, culture, daily life -- and lectured for two hours as we wandered in awe and amazement. If any blog followers find this interesting, there are plenty of sites on the web with more information. Just Google. Here is just one worth checking out:
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