This evening we checked into The Magdala Hotel in the Galilee. Before dinner while everyone was getting settled, we 4 went out to explore. As this hotel was being built, they discovered in the excavations, a 1st century synagogue. It’s incredible. Jesus taught at the synagogue in Magdala. He was Here! I had never seen this place before and I was captivated by it.
Inside the lobby of the hotel is this 1st Century fish pool:
From the hotel brochure:
This First Century Synagogue was discovered in 2009 only 30 cm beneath the surface. This is the oldest synagogue excavated in Galilee and one of seven first century synagogues in Israel. Coins excavated in the synagogue date between 5 and 63 AD. A coin minted in 29 AD leaves the impression of Jesus teaching in the synagogues during his public life (Matthew 4:23, Mark 1:39).
That stone in the middle in an amazing find. It was the pulpit stone of the synagogue, where the religious leaders stood to teach.
More from the brochure: The Magdala Stone is one of the unique finds in the synagogue. Believed to be a holder for the Torah and Prophet scrolls, it represents the Temple of Jerusalem. The oldest carved seven branched Menorah flanks one side of the stone. Its tripod base, similar to the menorah image found on a wall in the Burnt House of the Herodian Quarter in Jerusalem, indicates the likely authenticity of its replication to the menorah in the Temple. The rosette design on the top represents the veil before the Holy of Holies. The back side offers an image of a fiery chariot to represent Divine Presence in the Holy of Holies.
I was especially intrigued by this rosetta design. I’ve been studying that design for months, planning to make a quilt of it. I just about jumped out of my skin when I saw it here and learned what it represented!
I went to bed dreaming of this future quilt!
We also walked over to the Duc in Altum Chapel built next to the hotel and these excavations. It is a beautiful place for worshipping and contemplating events that took place when Jesus was here. There is an atrium honoring women in the Bible who followed Jesus, there is a reproduction of a fishing boat commemorating Jesus preaching from the boat (here it sits at the pulpit or alter in the chapel), there are 4 mosaic chapels that each hold 30 people with mosaics depicting biblical events near the Sea of Galilee and downstairs is a beautiful mural-sized painting of the encounter between Jesus and the woman with an issue of blood (Mark 5:25).
We had a lovely evening exploring. It was cool and balmy out. There were no crowds or other tourists, just the 4 of us. It was not hard to imagine walking where Jesus walked. This evening was another highlight of our trip. I’m sure we’ll revisit these places with the group in the morning.
We joined the others for dinner this evening after a long full day. My tired feet are grateful to be on a bus the rest of the trip. We’ve been averaging 10,000-20,000 steps/day.
