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"The Visitation Church"
Ein Karem, Jerusalem
Ein Karem, Jerusalem
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Fourth Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem
My Holy Land Trip
"The Visitation Church"
Ein Karem, Jerusalem
The Church
of the Visitation honors the
visit paid by Mary, Jesus' mother, to Elizabeth, John
the Baptist's mother. (Luke 1:39-56) This is the site where tradition tells us that Mary
recited her song of praise, the Magnificent, one of the most ancient hymns to Mary. The church is beautifully adorned with tiled
representations of that canticle in many of the world’s languages.
The Visitation Church:
The Franciscan Visitation church in the village of Ein Kerem
(Karem), on the west side of Jerusalem, is named after Virgin Mary's visited to
the summer house of the parents of John the Baptist. Ein Karem is according to
tradition the birthplace of John the Baptist.
Steps from Mary’s spring to Visitation Church:
According
to Christian tradition, the village was a summer house for Zacharias and
Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist. The village was called "city of
Juda" in the description of the visit by Luke.
Elizabeth (Elisheva) was the cousin of Mary,
mother of Jesus. As per Luke, Mary visited Elizabeth when both were pregnant
(hence the name - Church of visitation). During the visit, the baby leapt with
joy in Elizabeth's womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, knowing
Mary that she is about to give birth to the son of God. Mary then stayed with
her cousin for 3 months until John was born.
John
is an important figure in Christianity, and regarded as the
"forerunner" - since John Baptized Jesus, and proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah.
A view from Ein Karem:
The
visitation church is located on a southern hill above Ein Kerem. A path leads
from the valley, near Mary's spring, to the church. The photo below shows a
view of the path. The walls of the church are seen on the right side. On the
sunny side of the center of the village of Ein Kerem is the church of St. John
with its high bell tower.
Valley of Ein Karem:
The
visit of Virgin Mary to the house of Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, in
Ein Kerem ("city of Juda").
"And
Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a
city of Juda; entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And
it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe
leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spoke
out with a loud voice, and said, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is
the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord
should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in
mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that
believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her
from the Lord. And Mary said, my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Savior. For he hath regarded the low estate of his
handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And
his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath showed
strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their
hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low
degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent
empty away. He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; as
he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever. And Mary abode
with her about three months, and returned to her own house".
The way to Visitation church, village of Ein Karem, on the west of Jerusalem:
The present structure is the older of two churches located at Ein Karem, in present day Israel. Tradition attributes its construction
to Empress Helena of
Constantinople, Constantine I's mother, who identified the site as the home of Zechariah and the place where he and Elizabeth
hid from Herod's soldiers.
Later, Christian Crusaders also recognized it as the site where
the meeting between Elizabeth and her cousin Mary took place, and erected a
two-story church on the site of the ancient ruins. When the Crusaders left the Holy Land, the church fell into Muslim hands and gradually deteriorated.
An ancient cistern from which, according to tradition,
Zechariah and Elizabeth drank, can also be found in the church; the stone next
to it is said to have hid the two from Herod's soldiers. The upper hall is
dedicated to Mary, and its walls are decorated with paintings in honor of her.
Verses from the Magnificent are engraved on the columns of the church, and on
the wall opposite it are forty-two ceramic tablets bearing verses from the
Magnificent in forty-two different languages. On the church's facade is a
striking mosaic commemorating the Visitation.
On the right side of
the altar, is a tunnel that leads to an ancient well. From this well, as per
the tradition, John and his parents drank from the water:
The Franciscans
purchased the building in 1679, but only began reconstruction of the lower
level of the church in 1862. Design and construction of the upper level of the
structure began in 1938, and was completed by Italian architect Antonio
Barluzzi in 1955. The interior of the church holds Italianate
frescoes depicting the Visitation, Elizabeth hiding her son John the Baptist, and
Zechariah next to the altar in the temple. Also preserved are remains of the
ancient church and beautiful mosaic floors. The church is currently held in trust by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy
Land.
John
is described as having the unique practice of baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Most scholars agree that John baptized Jesus. Scholars generally believe Jesus was a
follower or disciple of John and
several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus's early followers had
previously been followers of John. John
the Baptist is also mentioned by Jewish historian Josephus. Some scholars maintain that John was
influenced by the semi-ascetic Essene,
who expected an apocalypse and practiced rituals corresponding
strongly with baptism, although
no direct evidence substantiates this.
Around the Church of the Visitation:
According to the New Testament, John anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself, and Jesus was the one whose coming
John foretold. Christians commonly refer to John as the precursor or forerunner
of Jesus, since John announces
Jesus' coming. John is also identified with the prophet Elijah.
Around the Church of the Visitation:
The
Gospel of Mark begins with a verse from Malachi and a quotation from Isaiah speaking
of a voice of one "crying aloud in the wilderness". John the Baptist
is described as wearing clothes of camel's hair, living on locusts and wild
honey.
Mark
describes John's proclamation of baptism for the forgiveness of sin. Mark also
describes John as preaching a future leader who "will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit".
Jesus
is baptized by John in the Jordan, whereupon the heavens were seen to split
open and the Spirit to come down on him like a dove, and from the heavens came
a voice — “Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased."
Around the Church of the Visitation:
In Mark 1:14 it is mentioned that John has been imprisoned.
In
the gospel account of John's death, Herod has John imprisoned for denouncing his
incestuous marriage, and later executes John by beheading. John condemned Herod
for marrying Herodias (who was not only his Brother Philip's
former wife but also Herod's niece) in violation of Old Testament law. Later
Herodias's daughter (traditionally thought to be Salome, who was both Herod's
grand-niece and stepdaughter) dances before Herod, who offers her a favor in
return. Herodias tells her to ask for the head of John the Baptist, which is
delivered to her on a plate (Mark 6:14-29).
Around the Church of the Visitation:
Around the Church of the Visitation:
The Gospel of Luke includes an account of John's infancy,
introducing him as the son of Zechariah (or Zacharias), an old man, and his
wife Elizabeth (Elisabeth), who was barren. According to this account, the birth
of John was foretold by the angel Gabriel to Zechariah, while Zechariah was
performing his functions as a priest in the temple of Jerusalem. Since
Zechariah is described as a priest of the course of Abijah and his wife, Elizabeth, as one of the daughters of Aaron, this would make John a descendant of Aaron on both his father's and mother's
side.
There
is no mention of a family relationship between John and Jesus in the other
Gospels, and the scholar Raymond
E. Brown has described it as
"of dubious historicity".Géza Vermes has called it "artificial and
undoubtedly Luke's creation". On
the basis of the account in Luke, the Catholic calendar placed the feast of the
Nativity of John the Baptist on June 24, six months before Christmas.
The
many similarities between the Gospel of Luke story of the birth of John and the
Old Testament account of the birth of Samuel have led scholars to suggest that
Luke's account of the annunciation and birth of Jesus are modeled on that of
Samuel.
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