Mount Gerizim, Shilo and Ephraim (Taybeh)

This was the second excursion to the Samaria region. This kind of excursion would not have been possible between 2000 and 2009 when even the West Bank was completely close to tourist access. However, now travelling to these areas has been made possible. Let’s hope that it remains like that for two reasons, at least: that the people may live in freedom and get a living from tourism and that pilgrims and visitors in general to the Holy Land may be able to visit these important biblical sites.

Mount Gerizim

I have already made reference to Mt Gerizim in my blog a week ago when we visited Shechem. Today we went up the mountain which is 870 meters high. Here we are in the heart of that region which is called Samaria. There are three moments which could indicate a reason why Samaria was separated from Judea. In 2 Kgs 17 we read of Assyria conquering Samaria, thus constraining the inhabitants to accept their way of life, including their polytheistic religion. “They despised his statutes, and his covenant … They went after false gods, and became false, and they followed the nations that were round about them” (v. 15). A second moment could be the contrast that there was between Nehemiah and Sanballat on the restoration of Jerusalem, as we read it in the book of Nehemiah. While Nehemiah is from Jerusalem, Sanballat is a Horonite from Samaria. Nehemiah wants independence from the North and thus does not accept their help for the building of the Temple, effectively detaching them from the Jewish religion. The third moment is at the time of the Hasmonean rulers, of the 2^nd Century before Christ, with their policy to Judaize all the region: John Erkanus destroyed first the city of Shechem and then the Temple on Mt Gerizim. This was the seal for the Samaritans to look at Jews as enemies (see John 4,9).

The Samaritans, who are a form a Judaic sect, accept only the Pentateuch as their Bible. They have also their own chronicles. They declare themselves as the inheritors of the Torah. According to them, everything is centred on Mt Gerizim. There are some 2000 Samaritans still living and they are being helped to return to this site to live here in the comfort of their own community.

A Samaritan Man ... possibly a priest!

Excavations done in the 1990’s have brought out a whole city with a Temple (in competition with the temple of Jerusalem … see what the Samaritan woman tells Jesus in John 4,20) and houses around. It might well be that in the 5^th Century, Emperor Zeno (474-491) built a Christian Basilica dedicated to Our Lady under the title of the Theotokos, Mother of God, right on the Temple, thus eliminating any trace of it. The basilica is of an octagonal shape with 4 side chapels. During the time of the Romans, a Temple dedicated to Jupiter was built. There are some 1400 steps that from Nablus take straight to this temple.

The Octagonal Basilica on Mt Gerizim dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God

From the top of the mountain there is a very good view of the Valley of Tirzah and the Valley of Jordan. One could also see the Basilica on top of Jacob’s well which we visited last week, the sight where Jews venerate the sight where Joseph the Patriarch is buried (after being brought over from Egypt), and close by, the greatest refugee camp in the West Bank run by the United Nations.

Shilo

Today it is known as Khirbet Seilun. Shilo is connected to great traditions of the Old Testament. First, it was here that Joshua set the tent of meeting (Tabernacle), meaning the presence of the Lord, the Shekinah, to Shiloh (Joshua 18-19) where he continues to distribute the land to the tribes of Israel. Thus, here the land is sacred. It is to this Tabernacle that Elkana and his wife Hannah come to pray to the Lord that they may have a child. Eli, the High Priest, told her that the Lord listened to her prayer and Samuel was born to her (see 1 Sam 1-7). The place was destroyed by the Philistines as described by Jeremiah (7,12-15). The Jews insist on this place as being holy, as long as the divine presence dwelled there (there are many excavations being done here at the moment). During the Christian era, Shiloh becomes a place of pilgrimage and a Basilica and a Monastery are built there.

Mosaic from the Basilica found in Shiloh, the place of the Divine Presence

Taybeh

It is the modern name, meaning good (tajba in Maltese) for Ephraim. There are many different names given to this place. It is mainly linked with what we read in John’s Gospel 11,54, after having brought to life again Lazarus: “Jesus therefore no longer went about openly among the Jews, but went from there to the country near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim; and there he stayed with the disciples”. Here also Blessed Charles de Foucauld stayed for some eight days during his pilgrimage in the Holy Land (he also stayed in Nazareth and Jerusalem). Here he wrote some meditations related to the retreat in Ephraim. Patriarch emeritus Michel Sabbah has also retired here at least from Wednesday through Sunday of each week.

A Mosaic at the Parish Church of Taybeh (Ephraim)
On the side you could notice Bl. Charles de Foucauld
who stayed  here for 8 days.

What is very characteristic of this place is that it is the only completely Christian village in the whole Holy Land! There are 1400 persons living here of whom 54% are Roman Catholics. The others are Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholics.

The Catholic parish priest of this village showed us a Palestinian home which, according to him, is very similar to what a home at the time of Jesus would have looked like. The house would include on the first floor a place for the animals – these were considered to be part of the family and a very important asset, apart from warming the house during the cold winters. In one room on the second level (because you can’t really speak of a second floor!) all the family would live and sleep. The father would sleep in a special place at the back of the room while the wife and children would sleep on the floor one next to the other. A wall, separating this room from another space which was were women worked and hid during visits by guests, was also wide enough to hold wheat and other important foods of the family. Another interesting feature was a hole in the ceiling which was used to bring into the house the wheat when dried. When not used, this hole would be blocked by a stone. The house would also have an escape route especially for the husband during the occupation of the Turks who would seek to round all men as soldiers. These escape routes were linked to tunnels which lead to outside the village. Seeing this house has helped me understand a little bit better some Gospel narratives.

Finally, this village has the remains of a Sanctuary dedicated to the Prophet Elijah, the one who does not die. The Church has three apses: a central one and another on each side of the Church. Probably, this Church was built in the 4^th century, although the wall surrounding it is of the time of the Middle Ages. Today, the remains of this church are still used: Christians and Muslims come here to kill a lamb or a sheep or some other animal as a sacrifice of thanksgiving for the birth of a child or for the healing of some sick person. The meat of the animal is then given to poor people. When we visited, there was still fresh blood at the entrance of the Church!

The remains of a Church in Taybeh (Ephraim)
with the flesh blood of an animal sacrifice still visible.

Organ Recital

To conclude the day I attended an organ recital at the St Saviour's Parish Church here where I live. The organist was Fr Armando Pierucci OFM, who is the organist of the Holy Sepulcher Basilica since 1988. He played compositions of J. Stanley, J.S. Bach, D. Scarlatti and some of his own compositions. He did a marvelous job.

Fr Armando Pierucci OFM at the organ of St Saviour's Parish Church, Jerusalem.