Franciscan Church atop Mt. Nebo - via Wikipedia
Me personally, I enjoyed my visits to Mount Nebo especially the latter.
There was no haze that evening and from this 3300 ft. elevation located just 6 miles north west of Madaba, giving me an opportunity to look out onto “Gilead, as far as Dan,” and seeing for miles what Moses was recorded seeing in Deuteronomy 34:1.
I also marveled at the magnificent series of Byzantine mosaics that adorned the now Franciscan church atop Mt. Nebo … the largest being some 10 yards in length.
That reminds me to get those pix and videos online … so little time …
… speaking of time … my aggregator brought my attention to a book entitled “Temple at the Center of Time: Newton’s Bible Codex Deciphered and the Year 2012.”
A ‘best-selling prophecy book‘ that asserts that via author David Flynn’s studies of the Temple Mount, the Ark will can be found at Mount Nebo in Jordan.
Just as a quick catch-up, Mt. Nebo, a.k.a. Jebel Musa and/or Fasaliyyeh, had like many sites of pilgrimage in early Christendom, a sanctuary was built to commemorate the Biblical history associated with the location. We know that Lady Egeria (Aetheria) visited the site in 394 AD.
We know that from Greek inscriptions on the mosaics, we know the name of the mosaicists, Soel, Kaium, and Elias, and the name of the Bishop of Madaba, Elias - both dating back to 532 AD. That later in the 6th century, it appears the structure was significantly expanded. Records indicate that the site was still active in the 13th century, but then found abandoned by a Portuguese Franciscan monk whom visited the site 1564.
Many of these discoveries the result of an that a handful of experts from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum whom were given stewardship of the site back in 1932. It was these Franciscans who discovered the mosaic of the Old Baptistery Chapel in the Memorial Church of Moses at Mount Nebo back in August of 1976. Since that discovery, an annual feast of Moses is celebrated on September 4, 1976 where the Christian community join with the Franciscan Fathers in this solemnity.
In 1993, the site was purchased outright by the Franciscans, who further excavated and restored the area. Work was completed in time for Pope John Paul II’s visit on March 19, 2000, where he planted an olive tree next to the Byzantine chapel.
Along with the many mosaics discovered, six tombs have been found hollowed from the natural rock beneath the mosaic-covered floor of the church.
Perhaps this is these discoveries, along with some Millennium inspired Internet chatter, that inspired David Flynn’s findings. I’m not sure, but either way, there’s quite a bit more written about the book over at WorldNetDaily - a good source for political punditry - though this writer isn’t so sure about their archaeological chops.
Whether or not the Temple Mount points to location of lost Ark, is the location of the Ark, is where the Ark once rested, etc … my recommendation is to visit Jordan for yourself, enjoy some shopping, mezza, and mosaics in Madaba … then trek on up to Mt.Nebo to see the sun set.
Just make sure to bring your filters for your camera lens, because while you may not find the resting place of the lost Ark of the Covenant up there, you will enjoy a spectacular panorama of the promised land, moving mosaics, and a chance to take photos of this beautiful place of Biblical antiquity … before it is dug-up crazy by Ark seekers.
Tags: Ark of the Covenant, Bible, Moses, Mt. Nebo
An eclectic and well-dressed group of Ammanis joined Wonho Chung for an evening of variety show-like material. The show, presented by Shashati.TV, was a mix of stand up comedy, video clips, and cartoons produced by Jordanian media companies. Shashati.TV is a new website to help Arab filmmakers get in touch with each other. They are asking for content, good or bad content; Shashati.TV seems like it is trying to be the deviantArt of Arab film. A noble quest in my opinion.
That said, the History, Wars, & Weapons blog has written a rather informative and fun-to-read post entitled
