Place of Christ's baptism. Jordan River

One of the most famous rivers on the planet is the Jordan River. It was mentioned several times in the Old and New Testaments as a place where miracles occur. Christian pilgrims come here with pleasure, who want to plunge into its waters and receive healing of body and soul.

Geographical location

If you are interested in the question of where and in which country the Jordan River is located, then look at the world map. On it you will see that it flows through the territory of 2 states: and Israel. The river is their natural border, which is conventionally indicated by a rope stretched in the center with yellow floats.

Tourists located on opposite sides of the border are not recommended to communicate with each other, and crossing the line is strictly prohibited. This is carefully monitored by armed border guards, and it should be taken into account that the area here may be mined.

For those pilgrims who are interested in where the Jordan River flows, it should be said that its mouth ends in, and it takes its source at the confluence of 3 reservoirs: Liddani (Dan), Baniasi (Hermon) and Al-Hasbani (Khatsbani Snir ), flowing along the slopes of Mount Hermon. The total length of the river is 251 km.

What is the Jordan River famous for?

If you have read the Bible, you know that miracles have happened here many times:

• the river parted for Joshua, who led the Israelites on their way;
• The prophets Elisha and Elijah crossed it on dry ground;
• healings of sick pilgrims often took place there.

According to legend, the baptism of Jesus Christ took place in the Jordan River. At this time, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended to people, taking the form of a dove and thus witnessing the messianic mission of the Savior.

Sights of the Jordan River

In 1996, archaeological excavations were carried out in Jordan, as a result of which they discovered on the right bank of the Jordan River. Before this discovery, scientists believed that this event occurred on the side of Israel. Historical place located in the Bethany Valley, in locality Wadi al-Harar. It looks very simple and is now a wooden platform with a small staircase.

By the way, in their research, archaeologists used a mosaic map created in Palestine and dating back to the 6th century. She was found in, in Madaba. Today we are reminded of this event by the base of a square Greek column and the steps that lead to the water. It was these objects that were mentioned in the records of Byzantine pilgrims.

For tourists who want to do unique photos River Jordan, you should visit the ruins of Byzantine temples and a huge font that resembles a swimming pool. They are located on the coast, not far from the baptism site.

Description of the attraction

The Jordan River has a strong current that carries silt and erodes clay, so the water here is brown and cloudy. If you put it in a bottle and let it sit for a while, the impurities will settle and the liquid will become clear.

The pool area is 18 thousand square meters. km, and water consumption is 16 cubic meters. m. per second The depth of the Jordan River is small, in the center it does not exceed 1.5 m. In its appearance, the reservoir rather resembles a wide stream. From the Jordanian side, it is almost completely accessible to tourists.

There are 20 species of fish in the Jordan River. The most famous of them is named after St. Peter. It was once prepared for the Savior, and today it is served in local restaurants.

Features of the visit

During the trip to the Jordan River, anyone can perform ablution. To do this, you will need to change into a special white long-skirted shirt (it is better to wear a swimsuit or shorts with a T-shirt underneath). You need to plunge into the water completely 7 times. There is no charge for this here.

You can swim any day, but it is worth considering that a huge number of people come here on Easter and Epiphany. If you believe in the healing power of the Jordan River, then don't forget to bring bottles with you. In its sacred properties, the water is identical to that sold in the church.

How to get there?

From the river you can drive along Jordan Valley Hwy/Road No. 65 or Damascus Hwy. These routes contain private roads with limited traffic. The distance is 165 km.

The Jordan is one of the main waterways in the Middle East.
The Jordan River originates at the foot of Mount Hermon, 14 km away north of the lake Hula. Its source is the confluence of three rivers - Snir, Hermon and Dan, flowing from the slopes of Mount Hermon. It falls on the mountain large number precipitation, both as rain and as snow. Its meltwater passes through cracks in the limestone rock of Mount Hermon, and emerges in masses of springs. The largest of the springs is Dan. The amount of water produced by this source is about 30,000 cubic liters per hour!
The Jordan River runs its entire route along the Syrian-African fault. First along the valley of Lake Hula, then the mountainous Jordan begins, then flows into Lake Kinneret, then continues along the Jordan valley all the way to the Dead Sea, where the 251 kilometer path of the Jordan ends. Along the entire length of the river, water from several other smaller streams flows into it seasonally or constantly. The Jordan River is very winding. The soils through which it flows are very soft, and as soon as the river washes away one of the banks, it falls and blocks the channel. The river immediately begins to look for a new channel. She, like a curling snake, slowly crawls towards Dead Sea. The width of the Jordan River, as well as its depth, varies along its entire route. There are places where the river is 5 meters wide, and there are places where the Jordan overflows 40 meters. The depth of the Jordan River is also variable. In its northern part there are places where the depth reaches 2 meters, but most often it is just over 1 meter deep. When the Jordan River emerges from Lake Kinneret and flows south, it becomes the state border between Israel and Jordan. Before reaching the Dead Sea, part of it flows through the territory that is today called the territory of the Palestinian Authority. For almost two thousand years, people have been coming to the banks of the biblical river with the hope of receiving healing of soul and body after washing. During this time, the course of the river and the borders of the states along which its waters flow changed several times. What remained unchanged was human faith in God's help and the possibility of a miracle for everyone. Once a year, on January 19, on the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, the waters of the river turn back and flow into reverse direction. So obviously and undeniably the Lord shows people His power and Divine grace. The event that took place in these waters is of utmost importance for Christians all over the world, so people needed to find a symbolic place of the baptism of Christ. According to an early version, it was generally believed that the place of baptism was located on west bank Jordan River, in Israel, in the vicinity of Qasr el-Yahud, in the territory of the Palestinian Authority. But since 1967, after the war, this site was closed. The most visited in Israel by tourists and pilgrims is the Yardenit baptism center, located in the place where the Jordan flows from Lake Tiberias. In 1981, Yardenit was chosen by the Israeli government as the symbolic site of the baptism of Jesus Christ. From the Jordan side, the place of baptism and ablution can be reached at any time. But there are restrictions on the Israeli side - depending on the military situation, since this is Palestinian territory. On Epiphany and Easter, Jordan opens the border to Israel so that pilgrims can worship the shrines. From the Israeli coast to the Jordan coast is about 10 meters. The border runs along the river and is not marked by anything. The water in the Jordan River is brown and very cloudy due to the fast current, which erodes clay and carries silt. But if you put water in a bottle and let it sit for a while, the impurities settle and the water becomes clear. Before Jesus, whose story is told in the new testament, there was the old testament. It describes the history of the Jewish people from the earliest times, and contains passages including those related to the Jordan River.

Photos:

No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed (John 1:18).

And I saw a new sky and new land, for the former heaven and the former earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. And I, John, saw the holy city Jerusalem, new, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; they will be His people, and God Himself with them will be their God (Rev 21:1-3).

On the sixth day of their stay in the Holy Land, a group of clergy from the Simbirsk and Melekess diocese, led by Archbishop Proclus, left Tiberias and went to Yardenit, on the banks of the sacred Jordan River. In the Russian edition of the album “Land of Jesus” (1995, Florence), Yardenit is called the “Baptism Center”, which was founded by members of Kibbutz Kinneret “to meet the countless streams of believers coming here.” “To this day,” the author further writes, “a symbolic rite of baptism of believers of the Greek Orthodox Church and Catholics takes place in the waters of the Jordan.” The album contains photographs of the site of the Baptism of Jesus Christ, under them the caption: “Yardenit: two views of the Jordan River near the village where Jesus was baptized. This place of the river is still revered by believers” (emphasis added - prot. V.D.)

At the Baptism Center we departed from the Journey Program. We went some distance downstream from the “place where pilgrims dive”, found a convenient access to the water and, having performed a prayer service, entered the cool waters of the Jordan.

The Jordan River flows through Israel for no more than eight kilometers. Further, to the very mouth, the famous biblical river forms the border between Jordan and Israel. Our route from Yardenit to the Dead Sea passed barbed wire fences. When we drove through Jericho, from which there is a road to the Jordan, to the place where Jesus Christ appeared to the whole universe, where His baptism took place, in which the sacrament of the Holy Trinity is shown, someone from the group asked the guide:

Why is there no real place in the trip program where the event took place that turned the course of the sacred history of Redemption from the Old Testament to the New - Epiphany?

This place, the guide answered, is located on the other side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho, about seven kilometers before it flows into the Dead Sea. There is a temple of John the Baptist there, but you can only get there on the feast of Epiphany with special passes.

The seventh day in Palestine, the last according to the “Program,” was supposed to begin with a trip to Tel Aviv and Jaffa, but our pilgrimage group decided to stay in Jerusalem, to stay a little longer there, where we participated in the celebration of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at midnight at the Holy Sepulcher...

The journey through the Holy Land ended long ago, but the question of the “real place” of Baptism and Epiphany and its meaning remained.

Let us try, remembering the ineffability of the Divine mystery, to pose this question without pretending to resolve it.

This happened in Bethavara

1 .The gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begins with the preaching and baptism of John the Baptist, as it is written in the prophets(Mark 1:2), who foretold the coming into the world of the Savior and John before Him, who predicted the place where John would preach - Voice in the wilderness(John 1:23). He was also commanded by the Holy Spirit to baptize in water. I didn't know Him, says John, but He who sent me to baptize in water told me… (John 1:33). Each of the four Gospels says that John performed baptism in the waters of the Jordan River. So, the “real” place of the baptism of Jesus Christ is the Jordan. But the river is divided into three currents, the upper one - from the sources to the lake, called Mer in the Old Testament; middle - from Lake Merom to Lake Gennesaret; and the lower - from Lake Gennesaret to the Dead Sea. In which of these currents?

The Evangelist Matthew writes: In those days John the Baptist comes and preaches in the desert of Judea(Matthew 3:1); in Luke: ... was the word of God to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he passed through the entire surrounding country of Jordan(Luke 3:2-3); from Mark: John appeared baptizing in the desert(Mark 1:4). Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible explains the absence of the name of the desert in the Gospel of Mark by the fact that Mark “as a resident of Jerusalem, considered it unnecessary to immediately define what he meant by desert: the Jerusalemites by “desert” were accustomed to understand precisely the Judean desert, that is, the country between the mountains of Judea and Jordan, northwest of the Dead Sea." In the Biblical Encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nicephorus, in addition to the Judean, Tekopi and Jericho deserts, the Jordanian desert is also named, and geographical maps Palestine of the “time of Jesus Christ”, it is designated along both banks of the Jordan from Jericho north to two-thirds of the lower reaches.

Based on the location of the Judean and Jordanian deserts, the following clarification can be made of the place where the Savior was baptized and appeared to the world: the lower reaches of the Jordan, between Lake Gennesaret and the Dead Sea. Here the Jordan River flows from north to south for 107 kilometers.

There is no doubt that where Christ was baptized, the depth was sufficient for immersion. The need for this is confirmed in the Gospel of John: And John also baptized in Aenon, near Salem, because there was a lot of water there(John 3:23). But it is also certain that there must be a crossing somewhere nearby, since the whole country of Judea and the people of Jerusalem came out to him(Mark 1:5), and John baptized on the eastern bank of the Jordan, on the other side of Judea, as the Evangelist John the Theologian says: (John 1:28); Wed in Church Slavonic: This was in Bethabara on the floor of the Jordan, where John was baptizing; bonpol means ‘beyond’, that is, beyond the Jordan. And the Gospel of John says: ... they sought to seize Him; but He escaped from their hands, and went again beyond the Jordan, to the place where John had previously baptized, and remained there(John 10:39–40). But in John 1:28, the very name of the place where John the Baptist baptized and the Most Holy Trinity first appeared to the world raises bewilderment and questions. “Instead of the name “Bethavara” (crossing place), in most ancient codes there is the name “Bethany”.” Saint John Chrysostom, in his Discourses on the Gospel of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian, writes: “This happened in Bethany,” but adds: “And in the most correct copies it is said: in Bethabara. Bethany was not on the other side of the Jordan and not in the desert, but near Jerusalem.”

In the interpretation of the Gospel of John, St. Cyril of Alexandria puts “Bethabara,” but a detailed footnote follows. “So, one by one. at St. Kirill acc. many codd. and Sir. But in other RCPs. St. Kirill reading: Bethany acc. ancient Codd., lat. Vulg. Sire. (sch and p - text) and many others. The latter is followed by Ostrom. Mar. Zogr. and other ancient Slavs., but now Slav. follows Const. 1383 and later. At St. Alexy is not clear about the last letters: in vifa..., but by all indications it should be read: in Bethany.” There is an explanation for the name “Bifavara”: “house of transition, Palestine. the place mentioned in the New Testament (John 1:28) is located opposite Jericho. In some places Bethavara is called “Bethany of Trans-Jordan.”

Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible names the exact location of Bethavara: “10 kilometers from Jordan,” but it is not indicated on the maps “Canaan” and “Palestine” placed at the end of the publication. And in the Bible Encyclopedia published by the Russian Bible Society, on the contrary, on the map “Israel in the era of the New Testament”, on the eastern side of the Jordan, about four kilometers from the Dead Sea, “Bethany beyond the Jordan” is indicated, but in geographical names nothing is said about her.

In 2001, a message appeared on the Internet: “Scientists have found the place of the baptism of Jesus Christ.” An international team of scientists conducting excavations in the Holy Land announced that they had “finally managed to solve one of the mysteries associated with the New Testament - to establish the exact place of the baptism of Jesus Christ.” They found on the eastern bank of the Jordan, where the Jordanian village of Wali el-Harar is now located, the base of a Greek column with a cross on top, which was installed during early Christianity in the middle of the Jordan at the site of the baptism of the Savior. The source “Utro.Ru” believes that the location of the village of Bethany, not far from which John the Baptist preached and baptized, was still unknown because “there were several villages with that name in Palestine.” Undoubtedly, the point is not in the number of villages with the name Bethany (according to early codes) or Bethavara, which is given in the Gospel of John (John 1:28), but in the fact that this discovery did not become an event in the Christian world. Enough time has passed since then, but, apparently, the “real place” (if we can talk about it seriously) of Baptism and Epiphany is still behind barbed wire.

2 . Bethavara - “house of passage, a Palestinian town located opposite Jericho”, ““house of crossing<…>on the other side of the Jordan,” where John the Baptist preached and baptized; here, too, the Israelites are believed to have crossed the Jordan led by Joshua."

In earlier codices of the Gospel of John, the place of Baptism and Epiphany is called Bethany, Bethany - in Hebrew “house of the poor” or “house of oppression, disaster.”

In the Old Testament history there is no mention of villages and towns with such names that would be located on the other side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho. But Bethabara could be called not only the crossing that exists here from one shore to another in the form of a raft or some kind of vessel (2 Kings 19:17), but also the transition of the sons of Israel to the Promised Land from the “house of oppression”, when the ark of the covenant of the Lord was miraculously cut waters of Jordan: the water flowing from above stopped and became a wall for a very long distance, to the city of Adam(Joshua 3:16). From the Dead Sea, where the water flowing into it “gone and dried up,” it was about forty kilometers to the city of Adam. And the people went over against Jericho(Joshua 3:17). Jordan was the last obstacle on the forty-year journey of resettlement of the chosen people from “Bethany” to the Promised Land.

And the children of Israel departed and stopped in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan, opposite Jericho(Numbers 22:1).

Here, in the Jordan Desert, they camped for about two years. At this place the “numbering” of the entire community of the sons of Israel took place; from here they went to war against the Midianites and returned here with captives and all the booty. Here came the voice of Moses: Listen, Israel!(Deut 6:4); Listen to regulations and laws(Deuteronomy 4:1). And all the Israelites listened to Deuteronomy; and so that what he heard would be evidence against them and their future life in the Holy Land, Moses wrote in the book all the words of this law to the end and he gave it to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and they laid it right hand of the ark(Deuteronomy 31:24,26). Here, at the Jordan near Jericho, Moses died at the age of 120, and buried in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Bethpeor, and no one knows the place of his burial even to this day(Deuteronomy 34:6).

Saint Basil the Great, speaking about foreshadowing as an expression of “what is expected in likeness, by which the future is foreshadowed,” writes: “what is narrated about the deliverance of Israel serves as an indication of those who are saved by baptism.” And St. Cyril of Alexandria, in his “skillful explanations” of the Pentateuch of Moses, in the chapter “On the Birth of Moses,” presents what is written about Moses as “an image in the foreshadowing of the salvation accomplished through Christ.” In the fact that the baby Moses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh near the river bank, St. Cyril sees an image of Baptism.

“But the daughter of Pharaoh, that is, the church of the pagans, although it once had Satan as its father, finds Him by the waters, which show the image of holy Baptism, through which and in which Christ is found, and the ark is opened.” But the old path of bringing Israel by Moses from Bethany in Egypt, the “house of slavery,” to the Promised Land not only symbolically points to a new path of salvation through Baptism, but also actually ends where the exodus of the new people of God from this world to heaven - to the Church, begins. and Moses, who prefigured the Baptism of Jesus Christ in infancy, dies here, by the waters of the Jordan, opposite Jericho, where this Baptism will take place, where Christ “opens the ark” of eternal life. Here the old man dies and “our enmity is against God<…>and we rise from the water as if alive from the dead, having been saved by the grace of Him who called us.”

Before his death, Moses blessed Joshua, the son of Nun, according to the voice of God, a person who has the Spirit(Numbers 27:18), the leader of the children of Israel. He, just like Moses, prefiguring Jesus Christ, enters the Holy Land with the people. Fulfilling what the Lord told him, Joshua ordered twelve stones to be taken, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, from the bottom of the Jordan, where the priests stood with the Ark of the Covenant, and laid them in Gilgal. And Jesus set up the other twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests stood that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. They are there to this day(Joshua 4:9) Jesus appointed twelve men, one from each tribe, to carry the stones. Each carried a stone, placing it on his shoulder. At the place where the voice of John the Baptist would sound, a sign was placed in memory of the fact that the waters of the Jordan were divided before the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth; when he crossed over the Jordan, then the waters of the Jordan were divided; So these stones will be a memorial for you for the children of Israel forever.(Joshua 4:7); so that all the nations of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is strong, and that you may fear the Lord your God always(Joshua 4:24).

But the children of Israel did not remember the “commandments of the Lord” for long; they again went “after the Baals” and destroyed the monument.

Elijah the prophet first begins to prepare the way to return to the starting point - to the eastern side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho, from the Promised Land to the desert. Through his prayer, punishment comes: purification by fire - drought. He restores the destroyed altar of the Lord from twelve stones on Mount Carmel. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob.(1 Kings 18:31). This restoration has a representative meaning: the “rejected” stones, placed as a sign at the passage of the children of Israel, will become “at the head of the corner” of the new altar in the new universal Tabernacle. The Lord sends Elijah as a forerunner to walk the path of returning to Bethany. He goes to the crossing point - Bethabara of Israel, cuts through the Jordan with a mantle and crosses over dry land to the deserted eastern bank.

For your insolence against Me<…>I will bring you back the same way you came(Isaiah 37:29). There is no doubt that these words spoken by the Lord through the prophet Isaiah were a warning not only to the king of Assyria. Those who rejected the gift of God - the land flowing with milk and honey, turned it (in the spiritual sense) into a desert, the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah returned to the desert.

Ascension of Elijah the Prophet on a Chariot of Fire in a whirlwind to the sky(2 Kings 2:11) in the same place where Israel camped, where the grave of Moses, prefigures a new Bethabara, a new “transition”, a new Passover - from earth to Heaven. This is where the Lord will raise sanctuary and true tabernacle(see Heb 8:2), new, perfect and not made with hands, the Holy of Holies. In this universal Altar a great work will take place - the upcoming Baptism - “a chariot to heaven, heavenly pleasure, the preparation of the Kingdom, the granting of adoption” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem); nations will come here an acceptable sacrifice(Isaiah 60:7) on new holiday in the desert, in complete joy, on a new Easter.

The path of returning to the “starting point”, which the prophet Elijah prophetically indicated, is the path of returning to God. The great work of preparation that he began is continued and accomplished by John the Baptist. In the same place where the Lord is from wanted to exalt Elijah(2 Kings 2:1), a man appears sent from God; his name is John(John 1:6). He, according to the Angel, He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; and will come before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah<…>to present to the Lord a prepared people(Luke 1:16–17) In the same place where Moses proclaimed: Listen, Israel! Listen to regulations and laws, sounds: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand(Matthew 3:2). The Lord sends John baptize in water and testify to the world baptizing with the Holy Spirit The Son of God in the glory of the Holy Trinity - Epiphany.

3 . Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible suggests that the town of Bethavara was located 10 kilometers from the Jordan. “Here, probably,” the authors write, “the Baptist had his stay, when many disciples gathered around him, who could not be in the desert all the time in the heat and cold, without shelter. From here the Baptist could go daily to the Jordan and preach there.”

It is difficult to agree with such a statement. John’s disciples may not have been able to be in the desert “without shelter,” but the Forerunner himself, “fed in the desert” (George of Neocaesarea), having gone out to preach the Good News, could not deviate from the ascetic, spiritual essence of the new life that he himself preached . “John came out of the desert,” writes Eusebius of Caesarea, “dressed in strange clothes. He avoids all communication with people and therefore did not enter cities, villages, or meetings of men, and did not even share meals with anyone.” “...Who suddenly appeared out of nowhere from the desert, and after preaching he retired back into the desert and again unknown where; who did not drink, did not eat, did not communicate with the crowd. That's why they thought that he wasn't even human. For how could he be a man if he didn’t even need any food? That’s why they took him for an angel, the same one that the prophet announced.”

The life of the Baptist anticipates the completion of the assembly of the people on an old, earthly, natural basis - in countries, cities, villages and any other “national assemblies” - and the beginning of a new assembly, an assembly in the Church, “which God Himself convenes” (Protopresbyter Nikolai Afanasiev), which there is a Eucharistic gathering of everyone for the same thing - the Lord's Table, in which there is no Jew and Greek, slave and free, rich and poor, which does not have a “permanent place of residence.”

Through John the Baptist, the Lord is preparing a new Bethavara - resettlement to the Heavenly Fatherland from Bethany - the “house of sorrow”, “this world” to the city of God - Heavenly Jerusalem, for we do not have a permanent city here, but we are looking for a future(Hebrews 13:14); a new exodus - to the Church and through the Church. “The special goal of John,” says St. John Chrysostom in Conversations on the Gospel of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian, “was only to announce His coming and to convince at least some to listen to the Eternal Life. John leaves the greater testimony to Christ Himself...”

The baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan was the manifestation of the Holy Trinity to the world: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Savior testifies to entry into the Church through the sacrament of Baptism. This introduction “is accomplished by the Spirit, whom God sends in the sacrament of baptism.” The further path of the new “Tent of Meeting” is testified by Jesus as the path of ascent to Jerusalem, as the path of the Passion. John the Baptist “announces” this. The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.(John 1:29).

This happened in Bethavara...

Here Christ appears as the Paschal Lamb, here the lamp of Heavenly Jerusalem has shone to the world, the New Passover has shone - another eternal life begins(7th song of the canon), a new time begins here - the time of salvation, the beginning of the return of creation to the Creator, man to God.

Jordan as an image of a barrier

The Fall of man separated him from God. Between the Creator and the creature a sinful barrier of enmity and division arose, leading to death. The life of people began in the “house of sorrow” - Bethany. The sinful barrier divided the whole world: man with man, man with his conscience, man with everything that is in the world. Everything was divided into itself, opposed: on this side - and on the other side. Division (“Babylon”) became the cause of wars and endless transitions and relocations throughout the earth.

The Lord chose Abram and he began to walk along the path indicated by God. And he continued his journeys from the south to Bethel(Genesis 13:3). His nephew Lot went with Abram. Both Abram and Lot had flocks and herds and tents. Their property was so great that they began to live closely together. The shepherds of “Avramov’s cattle” began to quarrel with the shepherds of “Lot’s cattle” and the relatives decided to split up. Abram said to Lot: “If you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” It was here, during the separation of closely related people, that the Jordan River is mentioned for the first time in the Bible: And Lot chose for himself all the region around the Jordan.<…>and pitched tents unto Sodom(Genesis 13:11–12). This river occupies a special place in biblical history; it is not only the real division of Palestine into two halves - eastern and western, but an image of a barrier that destroys integrity and kills life.

Jacob is the first to whom the Lord gave the power to “cut” the Jordan as a barrier, when he, fleeing from his brother Esau, fled to Mesopotamia to his uncle Laban in Haran, after the Lord said to him in a dream: and behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go; and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have told you.(Genesis 28:15). Returning back, Jacob, having learned that his brother was coming towards him with an army, became frightened and cried out to the Lord: I am unworthy of all the mercies and all the good deeds that You have done for Your servant, for I crossed this Jordan with my staff, and now I have two camps(Genesis 32:10). Although in the quoted words of Jacob there is no direct indication of the “cutting” of the waters of the Jordan, Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible contains confirmation of such a conclusion: “Jewish interpreters, paying attention to the construction of bemaqoli, with a rod, or, more precisely, by means of a rod, believed that Jacob used a rod divided the Jordan."

Joshua, who was commanded by the Lord to complete the exodus after the death of Moses, divided the waters of the Jordan with the ark of the covenant of the Lord, opening the way to the Promised Land for the children of Israel. Elijah the prophet, with the power given to him by the Lord, destroyed the “barrier,” showing the “rebellious house” the way to return to the desert, and after his ascension in a chariot of fire, the power to destroy the “barrier” passed to his disciple Elisha.

Saint John Chrysostom names only three “cuttings” of the Jordan: under Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, but for him “cutting” has the meaning of blocking, cutting off the waters of the Jordan from the Dead Sea - from death, reversing their flow. “God divided it three times, so that it would no longer flow towards the Dead Sea, but so that it would flow to the ancient living roots.” The saint saw in the Jordan the image of our mortal race. “Our image began from the earth,” he writes, “and ended with death; the Dead Sea, the deep, the underworld, the dead abyss, received him.”

All the Old Testament “cuttings” of the Jordan destroyed the barrier only for the duration of the transition to the other bank, after which it was restored again and continued to exist. And only Jesus Christ finally destroys the sinful barrier of enmity and division, giving the opportunity to all who are thirsty and desiring salvation to ascend from earth to Heaven - to eternal life. “Jordan is the beginning of the possession of the land; Jordan is the beginning of the possession of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

With His Baptism and appearance into the world as the Paschal Lamb, the atoning Sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, Jesus returns to the world its lost integrity, its original unity. The reconciliator connects two separated banks, like a stone connecting two walls, transforms the Jordan from the image of a sinful barrier into the image of a pure river of water of life of the Heavenly Jerusalem, where tree of life on both sides of the river(see Rev. 22:1–2). For He is our peace, - writes the Apostle Paul, - who made both one and destroyed the barrier that stood in the middle, abolishing enmity with His flesh, and the law of commandments with teaching, in order to create from the two in Himself one new man, establishing peace, and in one body to reconcile both with God through the cross, killing enmity on it(Eph 2:14–15).

New outcome

After Baptism and temptation from the devil, Jesus Christ in the power of the spirit begins His path of ministry. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His soul as a ransom for many.(Mark 10:45). First He goes to “his fatherland,” to Galilee. To get there, it was necessary to go along the Trans-Jordan side along the Jordan to Bethavara opposite Scythopolis. Pilgrims walked from Galilee to Jerusalem on Passover and other Jewish holidays along this route. The direct route through Samaria, which was located between Judea and Galilee, was closed to them due to frequent aggravation of relations between Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans did not worship God in Jerusalem, but on Mount Gerizim. This was the main reason for their differences. “...Since Moses commanded that there should be only one place for public worship of God in the entire promised land,” writes B.I. Gladkov, “it is understandable why there was an irreconcilable disagreement between the Samaritans and the Jews about which of them had the true worship of God.” .

Those traveling to Jerusalem from Galilee had to cross the Jordan twice: the first time to the eastern bank opposite Scythopolis, the second - again to the western bank opposite Jericho, and then go from Jericho to Jerusalem through the desert, which was “very dangerous for travelers, since robbers hid there ".

Jesus' parents walked this way every year from Galilee to Jerusalem for the Passover holiday (Luke 2:41). Christ knew this path from a young age (Luke 2:42) and passed through the place where, having received Baptism, he would appear to the world as the Son of God. The pilgrimage from Galilee to Jerusalem will be His last path - the ascent to voluntary death, to the Passion. In the Gospel of John, Christ begins this path from the place of His Baptism, where He returns, evading the hands of his persecutors.

And he went again beyond the Jordan, to the place where John had previously baptized, and remained there(John 10:40). In the narrative of the apostle and evangelist John, the place where John baptized is called not only Bethabara (John 1:28), but also Aenon near Salem (John 3:23). But, if you believe the map “Palestine of the times of Jesus Christ and the Apostles,” Aenon and Salem were “on this” - the western bank of the Jordan, on the territory of Samaria, and not “beyond the Jordan.” Confirmation that the Savior is returning to the place of His Baptism can be found in the Discourses on the Gospel of John by St. John Chrysostom: “But why does the evangelist indicate the place? So that you know that He withdrew to that place with the intention of reminding the Jews of what happened there and what John said, as well as his testimony.” Here, where Moses once repeated to the children of Israel the main content of the books of the law, the Lord returns, recalling once again the most significant moment of His gospel.

“He leaves Jerusalem,” writes Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, emphasizing the special spiritual meaning of the return of Jesus Christ to the place of Baptism, “that is, from the Jewish people, and moves to a place that has sources, that is, to the Church of the pagans, which has sources of Baptism . For “beyond the Jordan” means this, that is, the transition through Baptism. For no one comes to Jesus and becomes truly faithful except by going through Baptism, which is signified by the Jordan.”

Jesus Christ remained in Bethabara for more than three months: He retired from Judea to Perea during the Feast of Renewal (on the twentieth of the 9th month of Haslev - the first half of December), and returned, having learned about Lazarus’ illness, presumably at the end of February, since after the resurrection of Lazarus says - The Passover of the Jews was approaching(John 11:55), and the Passover of the Jews is in the middle of the 1st month of Abib (the second half of March and the first half of April). During this time many came to Him<…>And many there believed in Him(John 10:41–42).

From here, having performed the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus, the Savior “ascends” to Jerusalem - to “this world,” which has hated Him, which is looking for Him in order to destroy Him. From here, from the place where the Old Exodus ended, the New One begins - through the Passion to the Resurrection and victory over death - to Eternal Life.

In the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) there is no direct parallel to John 10:40, but in each of them the last journey of Christ from Galilee to Jerusalem coincides with the pilgrimage route of the Trans-Jordan side through the Decapolis and Perea with two crossings of the Jordan. Consequently, among the weather forecasters, Jesus, before ascending through Jericho to Jerusalem, was in Bethabara - at the site of Baptism. This is also a return “beyond the Jordan”, which could not go unnoticed, without reminding us of the events that took place here. In the first three Gospels there is no basis for supposing the time of the Savior’s stay in Bethabara, but in each of them - Matthew 20:17–19; Mark 10:32–34; Luke 18:31–33 Before Jericho, Jesus, “calling away the twelve disciples alone,” repeats to them what he revealed to them at the beginning of the journey to the Passion: He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day rise again(Matthew 16:21; cf. Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22) - it is possible that these words were spoken at Bethabara. Christ secretly reveals to his disciples the essence of His “amazing” teaching for the third time on the way from Galilee to Jerusalem, but they again didn't understand what was said(Luke 18:34). When they first heard what path their Teacher was taking and calling them to follow Him, Peter, who had just confessed that Christ was Son of God Zhivago, to whom Jesus had just told him that he would make him the foundation of His Church and give him keys of the kingdom of heaven, began to reproach Him: be merciful to yourself, Lord! may this not happen to you!(Matthew 16:22; also Mark 8:32). Christ’s answer to Peter is sharp and decisive, as to the third temptation from the devil: get away from Me, Satan! you are a temptation to me! because you think not about what is God, but about what is human(Mt 16:23; cf. Mk 8:33). Immediately after these words, Christ reveals the most “amazing” moment of His teaching, which, in the words of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, “turns the world upside down”: if anyone wants to come after Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow Me(Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23). In the Gospel of Matthew, He addresses only His disciples, from Mark - to the people with their disciples, from Luke - to everyone. The Lord announced to everyone the completion of life “for themselves” and “in themselves.” “Deny yourself” is an indispensable condition of the New Exodus, about which in a few days (in six - Matthew, in eight - Mark), He, having been transformed, will talk with Moses and Elijah. Appearing in glory, they spoke of His exodus, which He was to carry out to Jerusalem(Luke 9:31). Moses completed the Old Exodus of the sons of Israel from Egypt and reached with them Bethabara - the place of Deuteronomy and his death, the place of Israel's miraculous crossing of the Jordan; Elijah indicated the path of return to Bethany-Bethavara as the starting point, which would become the beginning of the New Exodus - the Path of Salvation of all people. They were the ones who appeared to Jesus at His Transfiguration. With Christ on Tabor were the disciples Peter, James and John, but they were asleep during His conversation with Moses and Elijah, and Peter, having awakened, asked Jesus to stay here and not leave here. The disciples could not accept the main condition of the New Exodus - “deny yourself.” The path to the Passion evoked fear and doubt and weakened the will. Thinking “what is human”, one cannot understand that the Path of Salvation is the Path of Passion. In confirmation of the truth of the New Exodus in Christ, of all that He says, there was a voice from the cloud that overshadowed them: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him(Matt 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35).

Christ speaks, but no one accepts His testimony(John 3:32). But there was the testimony of John the Baptist: This is the Son of God(John 1:34). John testified to receive the testimony of Him who comes from above: He who accepted His testimony has thus sealed that God is true, for He whom God sent speaks the words of God; For God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him(John 3:33–36). Christ reminds everyone of this by His return across the Jordan before ascending to Jerusalem in the narrative of the Apostle John the Theologian (John 10:40), and in the Synoptic Gospels - during the Passion journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. And while He remained where He appeared to the world in the glory of the Holy Trinity, from where He began His ministry, many came to Him(John 10:41) and accepted what John the Baptist testified about Him as true: and many there believed in Him(John 10:42). When Jesus, having learned about Lazarus’s illness, called on the disciples to go again to Judea, they began to contradict Him: Rabbi! how long have the Jews been looking to stone you, and are you going there again?(John 11:8). And only Thomas said not as accompanying the Teacher to death, but as following His path: come and we will die with Him(John 11:16). Here - “with Him” - with Jesus, and not with Lazarus.

Thomas does not separate His Passion from His glory, like the sons of Zebedee, who asked for places of honor in the Kingdom (Matthew 20:20–21; Mark 10:35–37); in his words there is an understanding of the hidden meaning of the New Exodus: “through the Passion the Lord enters the glory of the Kingdom."

Easter House

Passover in Hebrew literally means ‘transition, change of place’. In the Old Testament, Passover is a holiday in memory of Israel's transition from the “house of slavery” in the land of Egypt to the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey, the beauty of all lands (the sacrificial Passover lamb was also called Passover). The Old Testament Exodus ended with the miraculous passage of the children of Israel across the Jordan opposite Jericho. At the same place is the beginning of the New Testament with the New Exodus.

This happened in Bethabara by the Jordan, where John baptized(John 1:28). In the place of the Old Testament Bethavara, the house of transition, the New Paschal Lamb appears to the world in the glory of the Holy Trinity in order to save the world from the death of sin, destroying its “sting” by His voluntary death. He begins the House-Building of the new Bethavara - the new House of Easter.

“Taking away the sting of sin from death, destroying death as a spiritual reality. - writes Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, - having filled it with Himself, His love and life, He transforms it, which was the very reality of alienation and perversion of life, into a radiant and joyful “transition” - Easter - into a richer life, into stronger unity, into more strong love." The Lord gathers the people of God for a new holiday in the desert in Bethany - “the house of sorrow”, “the house of the fallen”, “beyond the camp”, to the sacrament of the Church of God in Christ, to the Lord’s Table - the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, celebrated in the Spirit and by the Spirit. “The New Economy, established in the place of the Old, is the Economy of the Spirit.”

A new meeting - into the sacrament of new life, into the Church “wandering” in the wilderness of this world until the Day of the Lord. Let us therefore go out to Him outside the camp, - calls the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews, - bearing His reproach; for we do not have a permanent city here, but we are looking for a future(Hebrews 13:13–14). “To Him” means to His Church, as His Body, crucified for the sins of the whole world, which is the “real transition” (Fr. Alexander Schmemann) into the Kingdom of God. The New Passover, the New Exodus from earth to heaven in Christ will take place in a new time until He comes. “The Eucharist,” writes Protopresbyter Nikolai Afanasyev, “celebrated by the disciples until He comes, is the ongoing, last Meal of Christ. Like the Last Supper, it is connected with His death and His Resurrection.” The very Church of God in Christ, in which and through which the new time is fulfilled, becomes real and new life, and there is a new “holiday in the wilderness,” a holiday of transition from this world to His Kingdom. But “His Exodus” - the festive transition from the eon of this world to the eon of the Kingdom (Fr. Alexander Schmemann) - does not destroy the old “skins”, but transforms the old into the new, preserving both, as the Lord says in the parable of the new wine and old wineskins (Luke 5:36–39). After the Son of Man fulfilled His exodus to the Father, writes Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann in the Introduction to Liturgical Theology, “in Him the New Pascha became the Life of people...”. The new Easter actualizes in time “that eternal beginning, which for the old world is its end, and in the Church - the End, transformed into the beginning - the beginning that fills the End with joyful completeness.”

In the New Easter House everything is Easter, transitional, like a new law, like a new “leaven”. For example, the name of Jesus’ homeland of Galileo, where He begins His ministry, from where His final journey at the Passion begins, means ‘transmigration’ or ‘revelation’, as St. Augustine states, explaining the mysterious meaning of the words of the Risen Christ: After My resurrection I will go before you to Galilee(Matthew 26:32; cf. Mark 14:28).

“If you understand it (the word “Galilee” - prot. V.D.) in the sense of “transmigration,” he writes, “does this not mean the transfer of the grace of Christ from the people of Israel to the pagans? Preaching the Gospel to the pagans, the Apostles would never have earned their trust if the Lord had not preceded their path in the hearts of (these) people.” “This will be the true revelation, the true Galilee, when we are like Him; there we will see Him as He is. This will also be a true migration if we are righteous and deserve eternal life.”

Church as Epiphany

In the Introduction to Patristic Theology, in the chapter “St. Gregory of Nyssa,” Protopresbyter John Meyendorff talks about how St. Gregory was sent by the Council of Antioch on a trip to the churches of Arabia and Palestine. He needed to collect information about the Arian heresy. He returned from this trip with a “very negative” impression of Jerusalem. “Holy places. - writes Father John, - which at that time became a popular center of pilgrimage, did not arouse any enthusiasm in him. In one of his letters, Gregory writes that God’s presence is everywhere, and to believe that in the Holy Land it is more obvious than in any other place is a big mistake.”

With the transition from the Old to the New, in the words of St. John Chrysostom, “the whole earth finally became a temple,” the very image of worship of God changed. In a conversation with a Samaritan woman, Christ says: The time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem <…> But the time will come and has already come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is looking for such worshipers for Himself.(John 4:21,23). In his interpretation of the Gospel of John, Saint John Chrysostom, considering the meaning of Christ’s words about a new way of serving God, writes: “He speaks here about the Church, because it is characterized by true and worthy worship of God.” And true worshipers “are those who do not limit the service of God to any place, but worship Him in spirit, as Paul says: I pray to you, brethren, by the mercies of God, present in your body a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, your verbal service(Rom 12:1). So, not sheep and calves, but oneself to offer to God as a burnt offering and means: “to present a living sacrifice. And truth is worth bowing to.”

With the coming of Christ into the world, the Old Testament worship of God with its principle of mediation between man and God (temple, priesthood, sacrifice), being representative, ends and a new one begins - perfect, like a spiritual feat, like “awareness of complete belonging - soul and body - to Christ, “ inclusion" into His life." Now - The Almighty does not live in man-made temples(Acts 7:48), now the “temple” is the Church, created by God and belonging to Him, which is the Sacrament of the Eucharistic gathering of the faithful in Christ for His Table in His Kingdom. After the Epiphany in Bethabara, where John the Baptist baptized, in the words of Protopresbyter George Florovsky, the turning point of Revelation, when “the “Last” or “new” has already entered history, but the finale has not yet arrived. The kingdom began, but was not fulfilled"; after Trinity Appearing Adoration, the Lord appears in the Church and through the Church, which He founded at the Last Supper, and which was actualized at Pentecost, a new, true worship of God entered the world through the Manifestation of God, which itself is now the Manifestation of God. Jesus Christ, after His Resurrection and Ascension, reveals Himself in this world through the Church - His Body, heading it, coming in His Time until His Day. “The “Day of the Lord” will come, but it constantly comes in the Church, as the Lord comes to “his own.” The Eucharist is the meal of the Lord coming to the Church in the Spirit."

Saint Cyril of Alexandria in his essay “On Worship and Service in Spirit and Truth” in the chapter “On the Holy Tabernacle, That It Was the Image of the Church of Christ,” explaining the words of the Lord to Moses on Mount Sinai: And let me sanctify you, and I will appear in you, writes: “Let Me create sanctification,” he says, “and I will appear in you”: because Christ appears in the Church and shines on those who are in it, according to what is written in the Psalms: God the Lord, and appear to us(Ps 117:27). But only those who believe in Christ see the Glory of God, because “faith is, as it were, an entrance leading to understanding and opening the mind to the perception of the light of the Divine.”

Believers are called to life and service in Christ - to the Epiphany. Abide in Me and I in you(John 15:4). As You sent Me into the world, so I sent them into the world(John 17:18). To show God to the world means to testify to Christ with all your life and death, to bring the light of Divine love into this world. The Lord says to all who seek salvation from the death of sin: I gave you an example(John 13:15). Following the example of Christ, believers glorify not themselves, but His holy Name. In the early Church, as Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann writes, the meaning of veneration of the saints was Christocentric: “For the glory revealed in the martyr is the glory of Christ and the glory of the Church. A martyr is, first of all, an example, a testimony, a manifestation of this glory...” The Savior, appearing to Paul, called him to the Epiphany, to the testimony of the Truth, opening his eyes and turning him from darkness to light: For this is why I appeared to you, to make you a minister and a witness of what you have seen and what I will reveal to you.(Acts 26:16).

In the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, Christ says to His disciples: A little more and the world will no longer see Me; and you will see Me, for I live, and you will live(John 14:19). To the question of one of the students: What is it that You want to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered: whoever loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him(John 14:22–23).

Epiphany - Theanthropic meeting. In this meeting we are already called, already chosen, it occurs when “first” is not us, but the Lord: You did not choose Me, but I chose you(John 15:16) when - He chose and He loved. When at the call of the Spirit and the Bride: come! <…> let the one who hears say: come!(Rev 22:17), when those who thirst and desire the water of life all together, as the Church, cry: Hey, come, Lord Jesus!

In the memoirs of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh about how he met his confessor, there are the following words: “And so he rose from the church, and I saw the radiance of eternal life.”

The true “place” of Epiphany - the Church of God - is in Christ, in her Christ is in our midst, and is and will be!

From the “Travel Program” to the Holy Land in the State of Israel World Fund pilgrimages from November 25 to December 1, 1996.

The Explanatory Bible, or a commentary on all the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Institute of Bible Translation, Stockholm, 1987 (reprint from the publishing house of the successors of A.P. Lopukhin. St. Petersburg, 1911–1913). Book 3. T. 9. P. 19.

See, for example: Works of St. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria. Book 3. M., 2002. P. 394; Bishop Cassian (Bezobrazov). Water and blood and spirit. Paris-M., 2004. P. 127.

Prot. Alexander Shmeman. The historical path of Orthodoxy. M., 1993 (reprint from New York, 1954). P. 83.

Flickr.com, grandpamony

Christians all over the world treat the Jordan as a sacred river, because Jesus Christ was baptized in its waters. But where this very place is located for certain became known only at the end of the 20th century.

Bethara beyond the Jordan

The Gospel of John indicates the address of the place where John the Baptist preached and baptized - not far from the village of Bethavara beyond the Jordan. But where exactly is this village located? The fact is that in Palestine at that time there were several villages with the same name.

For a long time it was believed that Bethawara was located in Israel, near the town of Qasr El Yahud, which is 4 kilometers from the place where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea.

A mosaic on the floor in the Church of St. George in the city of Madaba helped determine its true location. The mosaic image, measuring 15 x 6 meters, dating back to the 6th century AD, is an excellently preserved accurate map of the Holy Land, indicating all Christian shrines.

The map indicated that the place of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River was not in Israel, but on the opposite bank of the river in the town of Wadi el-Harar (in the territory of modern Jordan).

In addition, in the place where the rite of Baptism took place 2000 years ago, the water on at the moment not anymore. Over such a huge period of time, the river changed its course as it flowed into the Dead Sea and now flows several tens of meters closer to Israel.

In support of this version, in Wadi el-Harar, in a dry place in 1996, archaeologists discovered the ruins of three Byzantine churches and a marble slab on which a column with a cross is believed to have stood, erected during early Christianity at the site of the Baptism of Jesus Christ. It is this column that is often mentioned in written sources of pilgrims of the Byzantine era who visited the Holy Places.

After heated debate, scientists around the world and leaders of leading Christian denominations came to the conclusion that Wadi el-Harar is the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan River.

Thus, in the spring of 2000, the visit of Pope John Paul II to these places ended with the official recognition by the Vatican of the fact that Wadi el-Harar is the greatest Christian Shrine.

Russian Orthodox Church in recognition of this fact, she took part in the construction of an Orthodox church in honor of John the Baptist on the territory of Wadi el-Harar. It is believed that the temple is based on the very place where Jesus Christ left his clothes before plunging into the waters of the biblical river.

The discovery of this greatest object for the entire Christian world was made possible as a result of the peace agreement signed between Israel and Jordan in October 1994.

Yardenit in Israel

Many pilgrims who visit Israel every year would like to be able to take a dip or even be baptized in the waters of the Jordan River.

But the Jordan River, along almost its entire length from Lake Kinneret ( Sea of ​​Galilee) to the Dead Sea represents the natural border between the two states of Israel and Jordan. The border, it must be said, is not always peaceful, and therefore the approaches to the river from both one side and the other are under close surveillance by the military.

For this purpose, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism has identified a special place, which is a quiet backwater near the source of the Jordan River from Lake Kinneret (Sea of ​​Galilee). In 1981, a special complex for pilgrims, called Yardenit, was built on this site.

According to the Gospel of Mark, at the moment of baptism in the waters of the Jordan River, the holy spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove: “And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came out of the water, John immediately saw the heavens opening and the Spirit like a dove descending on Him. And a voice came from heaven: You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”. (Mark 1:9-11) It is these words, written on the memorial wall in all languages ​​of the world, that greet pilgrims who come here.

The complex is equipped with walking paths, convenient approaches to the water, locker rooms, and showers. In the shops located on the territory of the complex, you can buy or rent pilgrim shirts, buy bottles for Jordanian water, and various souvenirs and cosmetic products from the land of Israel.

At a local restaurant you will definitely be offered to try the tilapia fish, popular among tourists, which is called “St. Peter’s fish” here.

The history of the origin of this name refers us to the Gospel of Matthew, according to which in those ancient times every Jew over 20 years old had to pay an annual tax of 2 drachmas for the maintenance of the Temple. But Jesus did not have money, and then he asked Peter to go to the sea, cast a fishing rod and pay the tax with the coin that he found in the mouth of the first fish he caught. It is believed that this fish was tilapia. Behind the gills of the fish you can still see two dark spots, supposedly marks from the fingers of the Apostle himself.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims from all over the globe visit the Yardenit complex in Israel. Entire busloads of pilgrims led by priests often arrive to perform the rite of Baptism here.

Very often, pilgrims who have already been baptized before have a question: “Is it possible to undergo the rite of baptism again, but this time in the waters of the Jordan River?” The fact is that baptism is a special ritual that occurs only once in the life of a Christian believer. The only exception can be a transition from one denomination to another - in this case it makes sense to consult with the clergy of one or another denomination.

Pilgrims perform ritual ablutions in the waters of the Jordan River to heal the soul and body. Dressed in white clothes, the pilgrims say the words of prayer, after which they plunge three times into the waters of the Jordan in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Location: Southern tip of Lake Kinneret, highway 90. From the highway to Yardenit 0.5 km.

How to get there: Shuttle Buses from Jerusalem No. 961, 963, 964; by buses from the northern cities of the country moving along highway No. 90.

Opening hours:

Monday - Thursday: 08:00 - 18:00,
Friday and holiday eves: 08:00 - 17:00

Free admission. To maintain a godly atmosphere, all visitors are required to have white baptismal robes, which can be purchased ($24) or rented ($10).

The Jordan River is located in the Middle East. She is revered all over the world, because many important historical events are associated with her. The Jordan River itself begins at Mount Hermon, which is located in the northern part of the Syrian Golan Heights. Thanks to the abundant rainfall, the reservoir is full of water.

Rain and snow fall regularly on the slopes of Hermon, and through its cracks, melt and rainwater find their way out in the form of springs.

A little history of the name

The Jordan River got its name many centuries ago. Most historians and scientists are still arguing about why they called it that way. The main opinion is that the name comes from the Hebrew word "yered". Translated into Russian it means “descent”, “fall”. This is mentioned in Dan.

In general, etymology offers enough options for translating the name of the river. They all come from Semitic languages. Most variations mean "ditch" or "noise." Some scientists are convinced that the name has Indo-European roots. V.V. Ivanov also shares this opinion. Its supporters are convinced that the river was named by the Indo-Iranians, who once visited its sources.

Numbers and river

The Jordan River is 252 km long and its basin area exceeds eighteen thousand square kilometers. It is considered unnavigable.

Source and channel

When asking the question of where the Jordan River is, we first of all have in mind the location of its source. He was located on Golan Heights, where the territory of Syria is now. Three main sources can be distinguished: Hermon, or Banias, Lejan, or Dan, and Nahr Hasbani, or Snir.

The most impressive source is called Dan. It is believed that it is he who mainly fills the river. The area where it is located is now Tel Dan National Park. It received its name largely due to this spring. And the source itself began to be called so in honor of one of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Once three springs join in the Jordan River to form a channel, it flows into Lake Huleh. Very often you can find its other names, for example Meer or Hula. Flowing further, the river flows into Lake Gennesaret. It is also sometimes called Kinneref, Kinneret or Lake Tiberias.

Its area reaches 167 square kilometers, and its volume exceeds four billion cubic meters. The lake itself is quite interesting. Its water is considered suitable for drinking, but its taste is somewhat salty. The lake itself is located approximately 213 m below sea level.

The next body of water on the river's path is the Dead Sea.

Tributaries

When asking the question of where the Jordan River is located, one often refers to the variety of its tributaries. The largest of them are called Yabbok and Yarmouk, which flow from the eastern bank, as well as Harod from the western bank.

The Jordan River feeds and waters Israel. It has always been the main artery of the country. Once upon a time, its basin was distinguished by impressive vegetation and was also rich in fauna. Now, unfortunately, the East has become a desert. The once rich territory of the basin includes exclusively reed groves, with eucalyptus and date palms being less common.

During the hottest days, all vegetation dries out under the scorching rays of the sun. However, despite everything, the Jordan River is extremely important for the entire Middle East.

sacred river

For every believer, the place where the Jordan River carries its waters is sacred. According to legend, the baptism of Jesus Christ took place here, although not all historical sources agree with this statement.

The river itself is regularly mentioned in the Old Testament and in the Torah as a miraculous place where the Jordan River flows. The baptism of Jesus took place on its shores, and history says that the baptizer was John the Baptist. The event itself happened near the city of Jericho.

Where the Jordan River flows, you can constantly meet numerous pilgrims. People believe that the waters contain miraculous powers, so they come from all over the world. Here the ablution procedure is carried out.

History and politics

It should be understood that the Jordan River, a photo of which can be found below, plays an important role in the Middle East. Its value also lies in historical and geopolitical meanings. That is why the desire to seize the right to own its waters often led to numerous conflicts, which sometimes escalated into full-fledged wars.

The first mention of the Jordan River was recorded in the thirteenth century. This document was the Anastasi papyrus. The ancient Roman historian Tacitus also paid special attention to it. He clarified that the Jordan River is extremely important, and its father is Mount Hermon.

In ancient times, the river often represented a kind of natural boundary of Canaan to the east. Somewhat later, such states of the king of Bashan as the kingdoms of Og and Sihon were formed. And then the river began to represent a kind of border between them. After some time, the territory was given to the tribes of Menashe, Reuven and Gad. Thus, the river began to represent not only an interstate, but also a tribal border.

The story goes that the Israelite tribes were given territory on both sides of the river. However, all the bridges and possible crossings across it were important places that often had military significance. Their capture often became decisive in the battle. It was in this way that Gidon defeated the Midianites, Ehud - over the king of Moab, Iphtah - over the tribe of Ephraim.

Many sources that mention Jordan have survived to this day. One of these was the Mosaic Map. It was created back in the sixth century. It is an image of the river itself, the ferry crossing, the city and numerous details. Now you can see it in Madaba.

Archeology

Interestingly, the Jordan River was not always considered the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ. Previously, this was Eizaria, which is located nearby. However, archaeological sources have refuted this. It is clarified that Jesus crossed Eizaria and went to the place where he underwent the baptismal ceremony.

He was also mentioned in numerous works written by pilgrims traveling to Holy Places. This was a distant time when the Byzantine Empire was in its heyday. All sources mention a Greek column and a cross on its top. It is she who designates the place where this symbol was installed during early Christianity.

However, the place itself was not discovered immediately. This required numerous archaeological studies. It should be remembered that the Jordan River changed its course somewhat in the fifth century. This happened when it flowed into the Dead Sea. Scientists discovered the baptism site many years later.

The base of the column was also found. It was located near the eastern bank of the river at a distance of about 40 meters, which is fully consistent with historical sources and the writings of pilgrims.

The remains of three churches were also discovered here. All of them were erected at the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the fifth and sixth centuries. They were built by an emperor named Anastasi. All churches received their name in honor of John the Baptist.

Tourists come to the Jordan River not only for pilgrimage purposes. Very often they are driven by simple interest. If you wish, you can go kayaking on the whitewater river. This entertainment cannot be called the cheapest, but it will give you a lot of bright emotions.

On the Jordan you can meet wild ducks and sophisticated swans. They are not at all afraid of people, so you can feed them or take a photo of them as a souvenir. In addition, if you visit the banks of the Jordan, you can enjoy amazing scenic views, as well as a variety of cypress groves. The exception is the hottest months of the year.