| I finally had the chance to share some special finds with somebody. A small group from church traveled to the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, to take a bus tour through the recreated "Holy Land" areas. I had seen most of the items and locations on the tour before, but the tour brought these things into a brand new light for us (See the links below.). At the tabernacle (the only complete re-creation in the United States, we learned about the importance of the directions of right and left. The tabernacle faces east, of course, and from that point of view, on the right is an alter for sacrificing. To the left is the "five fingers of the left hand of God". This wooden structure is the apparatus used for killing the unblemished lamb.  |  Deeper into the tour, we discovered that there is not much wood in Israel, so the manger, they say, would have been carved into a rock. That changes the look of our traditional "Nativity". |
I focused most of my photographic attention on the "new" areas that I had not seen before. That included the upper room, Golgotha, and the tomb. All of the items on the tour are researched, measured, and overseen by the Jerusalem College, so we expect them to be as accurate as possible.
In the upper room, we learned about the seating order and layout of the area. Again, left and right come into play in meaningful ways.
In the upper room, we learned about the seating order and layout of the area. Again, left and right come into play in meaningful ways.
And finally, we learned about the most recent understanding of crucifixion (the latest conclusions from archaeologists).
Links
