Bethany (original) (raw)

The Hermit Caves in Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Baptism Site

2011

The many natural and artificial caves found in the region of Bethany Beyond the Jordan, east of the Jordan River, were used by monks for various purposes. Impressive new remains of five caves have been discovered in the vicinity; two close to the river and three near the Byzantine monastery on Elijah's Hill, the core of the settlement and the place from which the Prophet Elijah is said to have ascended to heaven. One of the three caves on Elijah's Hill eventually came to function as the apse of a Byzantine church. Based on the archaeological evidence, tradition, and the contents of Byzantine and medieval texts written by pilgrims who visited the site, it is suggested this may originally have been John the Baptist's cave. The church which was later built there may have been intended simply as a place for the monks to venerate St John; alternatively it could have been set up by orthodox monks to counter and compete with a monastery and church established by the Monophysite Byzantine emperor Anastasius on the west bank of the Jordan nearby.

The Virgin Mary anointed her Son the Christ and for burial in Bethany – Coredemptrix

Five peculiar elements of the Gospel pericopes about the anointment of Jesus’ head in Bethany show that the woman who performed this anointing was Jesus’ immaculate mother Mary. These elements are, besides Jesus’ designation “the woman” for her, his designations “a beautiful work”, “(she has worked ...) in Me”, “what she had, she did”, “this Gospel”, and “a memorial of her”. Only the Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception and Mother of God, was ‘in Christ’ before He gave us his flesh and blood to eat and drink in the Holy Eucharist (cf. John 6:56). That this anointment is not the same as the anointment of the feet by Mary of Bethany is confirmed by their different timing relative to Jesus’ festive entry into Jerusalem. Jesus’ virgin mother Mary is the bride of the Holy Spirit and had the full knowledge and prophetic right and maternal authority to anoint her Son both the dynastic triumphant Messiah and beforehand for burial and thus give her maternal consent to his high priestly sacrificial death. The very precious ointment she used for the anointment she may have kept as a part of the myrrh that the wise men from the East had given to the new-born King of the Jews and his mother, probably also in Bethany. The memorial of her that Jesus decreed right after the anointment, could be made a reality by the promulgation of the Dogma of Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate. Jesus acknowledged the anointment of his head in Bethany as his Messianic anointment, for in the following days, when He stands bound before the high priest, He confirms that He is “the Christ”, and before the governour Pilate He confirms that He is “the King of the Jews” (Mt 26:63-65 Mt 27:11 Mr 15:2 Lu 23:3).

From Bethlehem to Nazareth - And a memorial in Bethany

Shows how the canonical Nativity Gospels can easily be harmonized. And how the Blessed Virgin Mary may have anointed Jesus' head in Bethany, as consent to his sacrificial death in Jerusalem. This last issue is elaborated further and stronger in my later article "The Virgin Mary anointed her Son the Christ and for burial in Bethany - Coredemptrix" https://www.academia.edu/26377098/The\_Virgin\_Mary\_anointed\_her\_Son\_the\_Christ\_and\_for\_burial\_in\_Bethany\_Coredemptrix .

A Unique Byzantine Architectural Remains on the Eastern Bank of Jordan River

Bethany ("Bethabara" in some ancient manuscripts) has been identified on the eastern side of the Jordan River opposite Jericho and extending2 km (1,2 miles) east, up a dry riverbed called Wadi el-Kharrar. Now the site has been excavated and developed for tourism, A low hill on the eastern edge of the site is called Jebel Mar Elyas, "Mount of Saint Elijah". Mentioned by several pilgrims in the Byzantine period, the site was identified in antiquity as the place where Elijah ascended to heaven. At the foot of Jebel Mar Elyas, a spring emerges into a series of pools where baptisms may have taken place in antiquity. Hermit monks carved caves in the rocks along the way and lived in them during the Roman and Byzantine era. Down near the Jordan River, excavation revealed the ruins of a Byzantine monastery with a church located at the traditional site where Jesus is said to have left his clothes during his baptism.