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Thursday, June 22
Masada is a high plateau fortification near the Dead Sea with palaces constructed in the 30s BCE by Herod the Great (yes, the same Herod of Jesus’ birth). He was a prolific builder, the one responsible for the Second Temple renovation, Caesarea Maritima, and his burial place at Herodium. Masada was designed as a refuge if the political situation got too dicey. However, he never used it for that purpose. Here’s Masada from a distance, along with a model of the palace.
The reason that thousands of people visit today is not because of Herod nor the other ancient remains. It’s due to a story of national pride. When the Romans were preparing to destroy Jerusalem, a group of 960 Jewish rebels escaped the chaos and captured Masada. The Roman army made their way south, destroying everything in their path including Machaerus, another stronghold. Eventually, the 10th Legion arrived and found a challenge waiting for them. The fortification was over a thousand feet high. How were they supposed to attack when the Jews kept shooting downward with arrows and rocks? This is the cable car to the top and the some of the structural remains.
The Romans decided on a siege. It’s a tactic in which an army surrounds a location, cuts it off from supplies and waits for the inhabitants to starve and surrender. They waited. They built a few forts. They waited some more. What they didn’t know was that Herod built the palace for the long haul. It had plenty of food and water. After several months, the Romans decided they could wait no more. They built a ramp up the side of the mountain and broke through the wall. Everything up to this point is confirmed by archaeology: the Roman forts are still there, the siege ramp is still there, weapons of war were recovered, along with evidence of a Jewish habitation. The image below is of a hot traveler (in every sense of the word) and a Roman army fort in the background. By the way, if you're wondering if it's hot, imagine sticking your head into an oven, lighting your hair on fire, then launching the whole contraption into the sun. I was glad we visited in the morning. In the afternoon, it's about 20 degrees hotter than that.
What comes next at Masada is a matter of faith, both spiritual and personal, in a historian named Flavius Josephus. With soldiers battering at the door, the Jews made the decision to die instead of being captured. The problem is that Judaism forbids suicide, so they developed a complex system of drawing lots to kill each other (a religious loophole). The story has become one of national pride. It symbolizes the refusal of the Jewish nation to put their fate in the hands of others…they would determine their own path to God. It’s a compelling story that has inspired people for many years. However, there are two challenges. First, the tale comes from Josephus who was not always accurate. He also recounted the siege of Yodfat which ended almost identically to Masada: a death pact. In other words, he may have been guilty of what other writers have done: reuse their own plot (looking at you, Dan Brown). Second, the area was extensively excavated in the 1960s with even more going on to this day. There has been very little material remains to corroborate a mass suicide. However, absence of evidence isn’t necessary evidence of absence. The final determination of what happened at Masada is up to you.
Our next stop was Qumran. In 1946, a Bedouin shepherd was herding his flock near these cliffs. He tossed a stone into an open cave and heard the sound of shattering pottery.
He investigated and discovered ancient scrolls. He collected them, which began a long tale of trading hands. Eventually, an archaeologist gained access and immediately recognized their importance. This led to a mass search of other caves where more were found over the years. So, what exactly are the Dead Sea Scrolls? They are the oldest copies we have of the Old Testament (and other writings). They allow us to get much closer in time to the originals. For example, here is an almost complete copy of Book the Isaiah found in these caves.
It took over fifty years to piece the fragments together, then translate them. During that time, the world was aflutter with conspiracy theories like the Scrolls predicting the end of the world. None of that was true, except for one surprising thing. There was an ambiguous treasure map called the Copper Scroll.
People sometimes ask if the scrolls contain any information about Jesus. The quick answer is no, these are from the Old Testament. However, the people who wrote, collected, and hid these scrolls were called the Essenes. They were a monastic group that existed during the same time. Some theorize that John the Baptist was part of this movement, or at least shared some of their ideologies. The site of Jesus’ baptism is close by, so the theories are not unfounded. The scrolls were hidden because the group felt threatened, probably from the Romans. Their settlement is still there. I was able to visit and see both the caves and the room where the scrolls were most likely created.
Today, the Dead Sea Scrolls are located at the Shrine of the Book, a wing of the Israel Museum. It was one of the first places I visited when I arrived in the country.
Our last stop was the Dead Sea. Unlike other bodies of water, it contains over 30% of salt and minerals. This is why it’s possible to float. We were encouraged to lather up in mud from the shore, then wade out into the chemical soup. Typically, I’m a “when in Rome” kinda guy, but salt and open body orifices don’t mix. I was happy to sit in the air conditioned cafe and work on this website.
Here's a final helpful travel tip. Before you consume any beverage, make sure you know the ingredients by carefully reading the back label.
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