Category Archives: Travel

Weeping for the Jordan

“Weeping for the Jordan” is the title of a short news item in Christianity Today, Sept., 2007, p. 17. The article from the RNS says the lower portion of the Jordan River “is so polluted that the World Monuments Fund (WMF) has designated it an Endangered Cultural Heritage Site.”

We often point out to audiences that the Jordan has much less water flowing through it now than it did even 50 years ago. This is because Israel uses much of the water of the Jordan and its tributaries for water and agricultural irrigation. Jordan has dams on the Yarmuk and Jabbok rivers, tributaries from the east.

There is not full agreement among scholars, but many believe that the site where Jesus was baptized by John is a few miles north of the Dead Sea. In 1967 I was able to visit that site. Since the 1967 war it has not been possible for tourists to visit there. A few years back a site was excavated in Jordan that has been claimed to be Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Jn. 1:28).

The CT article points out that the Jordan River is “highly polluted with sewage and agricultural runoff” near Bethany Beyond Jordan, but that some tourists do not realize this and wade in the water.

In 2006 I was able to take my group to Bethany Beyond Jordan and visit the Jordan River. Here is one of the photos made at that time.

Jordan River at Bethany Beyond the Jordan.

We are hopeful of visiting this site again in 2008. Perhaps it is in the area where John did some of his baptizing (cf. Jn. 10:40). The Israelites crossed the Jordan somewhere near here (Josh. 3), and the prophets Elijah and Elisha crossed in the opposite direction near here (2 Kings 3).

This photo was made on the West side of the Jordan River, in the country of Jordan, in 1967. This is directly across from the Bethany Beyond Jordan site.

1967 Bible Land Group led by Ferrell Jenkins and William E. Wallace.

The photo was made on or about May 5, 1967. Notice the attire. Women wore hosiery and other items to help their body hold an ideal shape. Most men wore a coat, and many wore ties on the plane and throughout the entire trip, even in hot weather. Some hotels would not allow a man in the dining room unless he was wearing a coat. Were these the good old days?

Looking for the Ancient Crossroads Tour blog?

If you are looking for the blogs and photos of the Ancient Crossroads Tour of Biblical and Historical Turkey, please look to the right under Archives and go to May 2007. Start at the bottom of the page and make your way up. Then move on to June, etc.

The Ancient Crossroads tour covered the area of the Hittites and Paul’s first missionary journey. In addition, I spent a week visiting biblical sites in Eastern Turkey. These included the land of Ararat, traditional Mount Ararat, Harran [Haran], Mesopotamia, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, etc.

Tours information for 2008 now posted

We have now posted details about our tours for 2008 at tours.biblicalstudies.info. Our tours are primarily intended for members of churches of Christ. We understand the Bible study habits of these folks and we build the tours to meet their needs. Our tours are study tours; not simply vacation travel. We emphasize the land, the biblical events, and the archaeology of the sites visited. The tours are under my personal direction. We have been directing tours since 1967. The two tours for 2008 are number 71 and 72. Take a look.

Normally I am more than 1 year behind!

A few hours after posting about the Beloit College Mindset list, I noticed that I had used the 2010 list. Oh, well, you probably did not know that either. Here are a few interesting things about travel and knowledge of the world from the 2011 list.

  • 1. What Berlin wall?
  • 15. Russia has always had a multi-party political system.
  • 53. Tiananmen Square is a 2008 Olympics venue, not the scene of a massacre.

And here is one of general interest.

  • 43. Being a latchkey kid has never been a big deal.

What they don’t know

Beloit College, for several years, has posted a list of things that incoming Freshmen (class of 2011) do not know. When I was teaching I always found this interesting and helpful. Preachers, who think they are making themselves clear, might learn something from examining the full list. We frequently take for granted that our listeners understand our illustrations. Many of the items from the Beloit list are humorous, but I have chosen a few pertaining to travel.

  • 1. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.
  • 6. There has always been only one Germany.
  • 12. Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.
  • 51. Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.

These are thought provoking:

  • 30. Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing religious organizations in the U.S.
  • 41. They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.

But still know nothing about the problem in the Middle East (or even where it is).

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

In Istanbul we visited the Palestine Room at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. There we saw the stone inscription, sometimes called the Siloam Inscription, which was taken from Hezekiah’s tunnel in Jerusalem during the Ottoman period. Recently I posted an article about Hezekiah’s Tunnel at BiblicalStudies.info, along with several photographs of the tunnel. This tunnel, built by the King of Judah about 710 B.C., is mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20.

The photo below shows the inscription in its case in Istanbul. There is some recent talk indicating that this inscription might be returned to Jerusalem.

Hezekiah’s Tunnel (Siloam) Inscription

Comments by tour members

At the close of the Ancient Crossroads tour, I asked any of our tour members who wished to write a brief comment about the tour. As I was catching up and cleaning my desk today I ran across these comments. There may have been others that I have misplaced. We are blessed with some really fine people and good Bible students and teachers who travel with us.

“We feel so blessed to have been a part of the tour these two weeks. To have traveled in the footsteps of Paul provides an insight into Scripture never before realized. Thanks so much Ferrell.” (Mike and Peg, Alabama).

“The houses, churches, and shops carved from the formation of tufa were so unique and unusual and the balloon ride over the area [of Cappadocia] was a real highlight. Discovery of the Roman road was great! Walking along and reflecting that Paul and others probably walked that way was very moving. And speaking of moving — to be where they were first called Christians — Antioch!” (Dave and Marge, California).

“Seeing the areas where the apostle Paul lived and preached extremely rewarding. We feel confident our travels will now heighten our appreciation for Paul and his work. Great trip.” (Larry and Joan, Kentucky).

“Wonderful trip to a fascinating country. Visiting the sites where Paul and others spread the gospel makes a unique connection to the first century Christians. The most memorable [unanticipated] stop was the native [nomad] girl caring for the camels. But also the Roman road. Fantastic! And the friendly and hospitable people of Turkey. Thanks Ferrell and Elizabeth for all your efforts to help us grow.” (Doug and Linda, California).

“We appreciate so much the attention that was given to relating the places we have visited to the biblical text. And the special effort that you make to show us the people and places, such as the Roman road, added to our understanding of first century life.” (Olen and Jane, Alabama).

“This has been our fourth trip to the lands of the Bible (Israel, Steps of Paul and John, Egypt, and now the Ancient Crossroads). Each trip has been different and extremely helpful in better understanding God’s revealed word. This trip has made us more acutely aware of the hardships that Paul and his brethren faced as they endeavored to carry out God’s instruction to preach the gospel in Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world. Somehow it makes our burdens a little lighter!” (Jackie and Donna Jo, Alabama).

“I cannot describe what a blessing it was to listen to brother Jenkins as we traveled through Turkey. Ferrell is a man of incredible ability and his knowledge of life in Bible times would be hard to beat! He is truly a “scholar and a gentleman.” I consider it a great honor to count him as my friend.” (David, Illinois).

Padfield’s photos of Tarsus

David Padfield has begun to post photos of the Ancient Crossroads tour suitable for use in PowerPoint presentations. His first photos are of Tarsus. See the photos here. David is a good photographer. He has no explanation with his photos. Perhaps you can find some helpful information in this blog.

Looking for the Turkey travel blogs?

If you have come to this site looking for the blogs (and photos) of the Ancient Crossroads Tour of Biblical and Historical Turkey you might like to start at the beginning. You can use the calendar (or the Archives) to the right and go back to May 23 for the first blog. Or, you can just read backward to that point. It works either way.

Home Again!

There’s no place like home. David, Gene and I left our Istanbul hotel at 4 a.m. Monday morning. We had good flights to Frankfurt and to New York. Gene was to make a connection in Tampa so we were on the same flight from JFK. We left the gate on time, but then had to wait on the runway because of bad weather along the eastern seaboard. We got to Tampa 4 1/2 hours after departure. So far as I know Gene made his flight.

In the next few days I will try to provide some general summary of the trip and post more info about the tours for 2008. Thanks for all the comments you have made (most have come by Email rather than on the blog).