During our pilgrimage, we will necessarily be visiting a number of cities, sites and regions involved in the Biblical history of God's self-disclosure and people. Some will be Holy Sites others will be places that are a part of our holy history with God. Being familiar with Biblical history of these places will enrich our time there immeasurably.
Trans-Jordan plays enormous roles in the ancient history of the Hebrews and the Israelites and in the faith of Christians, Muslims and Jews. The book of Genesis communicates this in the brotherly rivalry between Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom/Jordan) and in the Joseph narrative (where simple Israel is absorbed into sophisticated Egypt). These rivalries are both geo-political and cultural, and they continue in various forms to this day. Of more importance than the military and political dimensions, Jordan represents a spiritual geography. It is part of the "Wilderness" with all the connotations and realities of spiritual liminality and regeneration. What does this mean the ancient people of God? for us?
Jordan: The Twelve Tribes traveled and fought up the King's Highway through western Jordan's kingdoms of Edom, Moab and Ammon on their way into the Promised Land of Canaan (see Number 33:1-49 for the itinerary). Even after ten of the Tribes settled in Canaan, the involvement did not stop. During the period of the Judges, Saul, David and Solomon, the Twelve Tribes were constantly locked in a life and death struggle with the Amorites, Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites of Jordan. A league of city-states, the Decapolis, that were primarily based in Jordan played a part in Jesus' earthly ministry, and the "Arabia" that St. Paul fled into after his conversion to Christianity in Damascus was probably Jordan.
Amman: The city was named Philadelphia in Hellenistic era. During Biblical times, the city was known as Rabbath. Rabbath was the capital of a kingdom and area call Ammon. Ammon is a chalky basin with no clearly defined boundaries to separate it from Gilead in the north, Moab in the south or the eastern desert. The kingdom's boundaries constantly expanded and contracted. Ammon survived as a political power because its capital - Rabbath - was well watered by the springs of the Jabbok River and defended by steep local valleys. Lot's second son/grandson was the ancestor of the Ammonites (Genesis 19:38). For more adventures and drama involving God, the Israelite Kings and the Ammonites of Rabbath (modern Amman) see: Deuteronomy 2:19-21; I Samuel 10:27c - 11:11; II Samuel 11:1-27.
Jerash and Ajlun do not identifiably figure into any Biblical narratives. They are Hellenistic and Mamluk cities, respectively. Both lie in the ancient territory of Ammon.
Mount Nebo: Mt. Nebo also lies in the ancient territory of Ammon. On Mt. Nebo, the Church remembers Moses standing and gazing upon the Promised Land of Canaan; a land he was not destined to enter. There he died. For the mysterious details of this tragic event, see: Numbers 27: 12-23, Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Jude 1:9.
Lot's Cave: The cave lies in the border lands between the kingdoms of Moab and Edom. The cave in located in the ruins of a once prosperous monastery in a town called Is-Safi. The ancient name for the location of Lot's cave is Zoar. Lot and his daughters fled to the cave after the destruction of the towns Sodom and Gomorrah and the deaths of Lot's wife and sons-in-law. For many curious details of this sordid affair, see Genesis 18:22 - 19:38.
Kerek: Kerek is a Crusader castle built in 1136 A.D. However, the countryside surrounding Kerek plays a very active role in Biblical history. The ancient name for this area is the Kingdom of Moab. Lot's first son/grandson was the ancestor of the Moabites (Genesis 19:37), and the name means "from the father". Numbers 21:10 - 25:18 tell of Moses and the Tribes' struggles, victories and apostasy along the King's Highway in Moab. For more details and later drama, see Deuteronomy 2:8b-11; Judges 3:12-31.
Petra: Petra is a Nabatean city. It stands near the Biblical mountain of Hor, where Aaron, Moses' eloquent and priestly brother, died. Both Mount Hor and Petra lie in the region of Edom. Jacob's brother, Esau is the father of the Edomites (Genesis 25:29-34). Located southeast of the Dead Sea, the Edomites crossed into the Negeb Desert to exploit Canaanite and, later, Israelite weakness. The main areas of settlement were on a high narrow ridge about 75 miles long but only a few miles wide wedged between the steep Araba Valley to the west and the Arabian Desert to the east. The Edomites were farmers, traders and copper miners. The Nabateans eventually settled in Edom. Herod the Great's father was an Edomite and his mother a Nabatean. Numbers 20:14 - 21:9 and Deuteronomy 2:1-8 describe the encounter between the Twelve Tribes and the Edomites and the Lord's serpents. Numbers 20:22-29 and 33:38-39 tell of Aaron's death on Mt. Hor.
