Then along the via crucis (Way of the Cross)
To the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Felix Fabri says, "Indeed, no one should think visiting the holy places to be a light task; there is the intense heat of the sun, the walking from place to place, kneeling, and prostration: above all, there is the strain which everyone puts on himself to earnest piety and comprehension of what is shown him in the holy places, and to devout prayer and meditation, all of which cannot be done without great fatigue, because to do them fitly a man should be at rest and not rambling about. To struggle after mental abstraction whilst bodily walking from place to place is exceedingly toilsome..." (Wanderings, vol. I, p. 299.)
.... when you're in Jerusalem, it's good to take a break from all the toil --
slow down, relax, talk to a friend:
slow down, relax, talk to a friend:
Nice last picture. I guess literally everyone has a cell phone. What happened to a life devoted to God? It makes me wonder what the crusaders would of thought of this? Based on the picture of the Holy Sepulchre I was wondering what is surrounding the church. it seems that there are a lot of other buildings surrounding the church.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to what Fabri said, is it still expected for one to be pious in these holy places? Has the modern notion of tourism changed the mood of these historic sights?
ReplyDeleteI would also be curious as to whether it is still highly expected to see people in such concentration and devotion. Dr. B., have you seen the people around you taking the surroundings in Jerusalem very lightly or have you seen a lot of worship going on? I feel as if there is a part of me that should be disturbed by the religious man in his robe on his cell phone, but the picture definitely just made me laugh instead.
ReplyDeleteI would like to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre some day. It looks really beautiful, and old. I would love to go inside this building, and see what the inside looks like.
ReplyDeleteFabri saw both kinds of behavior -- people taking the church very seriously and devoutly, and others of his group who drank themselves silly while they spent the night inside! Both attitudes are still there today -- some people were in the church for prayer, some for tourism, and some for a little bit of both. I saw a lady touching polaroid photos of loved ones to the stones so some holiness might "rub off" on them and bless the people in the photos, and I also saw some very bored folks following around a tour guide's umbrella.
ReplyDeleteI love how everything is made of stone, even the streets and people just wonder around. I like how the church is used for multiple reasons, tourism and also prayer.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that both Fabri and Hannah and Whitney questioned whether the attitude and behavior of people in the church was appropriately respectful. I feel like the fact that Fabri saw people treating the experience too lightly for his liking shows that we are largely like the people from the past, even if we tend to think they would be more devout and serious then. (I also found the cell phone amusing; then after seeing the plastic bottles on the ground and the man in sweat pants and a t-shirt, it began to seem like the robe was really the thing that was out of place.)
ReplyDelete...of course the backpack and watch don't help much either
ReplyDeleteThe church looks awesome. I like how it looks so ancient with all the stones and even the streets that are made of stones. Do they keep it open twenty four hours? Is the church more for tourism or for church?
ReplyDeleteTo see the last picture it just shows you that you can relate to anyone somehow and in this case technology. It really gave me a different perspective of Jerusalem and on thinking that its not just an old historical city.
ReplyDeleteI've got to say, the last picture threw me a little, but I think Keith's kind of right in that the robe seems to be the thing that's off in the picture. Anyways,the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is another one of those places that I want to visit before I die. It looks so amazing and I think it would be an amazing experience to actually be there.
ReplyDeleteThe stones on the pictures seem as though they would be hot. Oh and the guy with the robe is just relevant.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of the monk along with the water bottles on the ground. It's such a great image of when modern meets the ancient. Are they doing the Franciscan stations there? If you happen to make it to any bars, are they serving He’brew – The Chosen Beer?
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing that you got to walk the way of the cross. And again all of your pictures are amazing. Its interesting to see someone with a cell phone, but it looks like everyone is keeping up with technology. Also, I bet the stones along the walls and buildings get really hot making it hot to walk along the buildings.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that there is some trash along the monk’s feet. Is there a lot of thrash throughout the city? You also said in the webinar that there are cats everywhere, so is that not an issue as well? I know from my experience in Iraq that feral dogs get out of hand and cause health concerns for the general population.
ReplyDeleteThe buildings are so well preserved. It is amazing given the age of St. Stephen’s Gate and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The monk on the cell phone seems to be one more blend of the old and new in Jerusalem. I wonder is he is really a monk, or just dressed like a monk?
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how much a task it would be to visit such a place. Even through all the beauty of what is surrounding you, the harsh sun and fatigue of walking would get to you. I love the last picture. It just shows you how much times have actually changed.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see the last picture because it shows how the people of Jerusalem maintain traditional concepts but adapt modern ideas, such as the use of cell phones. The massive stone buildings are still sculptural marvels to this day. It makes you wonder how many labor hours it took to construct such a thing without modern technology.
ReplyDeleteThe last picture, of the man with his phone, really struck me as out of place. You see all the other pictures of the structures which look like they could crumble they're so old and then all of a sudden you see a man in robes with a phone..this was even more surreal than the plastic chairs. And the "via crucis" is so narrow! are all the streets like that or was it just the one? Is the city extremely crowded?
ReplyDeleteI have a really deep interest in historical places around the world and Jerusalem is definitely on the top of my list to visit. Everything looks very rich and still very much in context as far as the culture. I very much enjoy looking at the architecture throughout cities as well and the design of these buildings appeals to me. The last picture just cracked me up combined with the Felix Fabri quote which is very true.
ReplyDeleteIt kind of makes me wonder whether the churches in Jerusalem get tired of the tourists. I'd think that having random people that don't even necessarily speak the same language running around outside and through the holy places would make it difficult to concentrate on worship.
ReplyDelete