Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Sheep and Goats

In the Bible, sheep and goats were often used to portray spiritual truths. This would have been particularly effective since people living in Bible lands were well acquainted with the behavior of sheep and goats. 

In the photo below, a dog posed for a photo amidst a herd that was crossing the road in front of our car. (In Jordan, it is not unusual to have to stop your car to allow a shepherd to guide his sheep or goats from one side of the road to the other.)


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

More Doors





Doors

There is no other place on the planet like Israel. It is set apart by many distinctives. One of its unusual but probably mostly unnoticed distinctives is its doors. As an amateur photographer that is constantly on the lookout for something out-of-the-ordinary, I noticed them and photographed them from Rosh Pinnah in the North to Jerusalem's Old City.

 

 



 


Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Grapes

Ancient grape presses are not uncommon throughout the Holy Land. At Tel Mar Elias in Jordan, I decided to climb inside one for fun. This gives you an idea of their size. 

Monday, October 17, 2016

Figs


In Bible days, dried figs were often pressed into cakes or threaded on long strings, making them a convenient food for traveling. Bethphage, a town on the Mount of Olives, was famous for its figs; Bethphage means “house of unripe figs.”

Figs come in varying shapes, sizes, and colors. The most common types of figs are Turkish figs, Adriatic figs, Black Mission figs, Calimyrna figs, and Kadota figs.

Dates

I love palm trees. I think they are beautiful and I like to hear the sound of wind brushing against the fronds.

I also like dates, which is fortunate since when we are in the Middle East dates are part and parcel of our diet.

One of my favorite sweet snacks is to simply slice open a date, remove the pit, and stuff the date halves with walnuts.

And dates are a biblical food. In fact, when the Bible refers to honey, in most cases it is referring to date syrup!