The Holy Land is a place of stone
‘Terra Sancta’
‘Terra Petra’
Peter was Jesus’s Rock, the Rock on which He built His Church
white stone, gleaming in the sun
limestone, quartzite, smooth marble
stone that our Lord Stepped on, Walked on, Stood on, Suffered on, Broke bread on, Blessed and Touched, Spoke about in sermons and Parables,
In Jerusalem, The Via Dolorosa, Golgotha, Gethsemane, the steps leading up to Caiaphas’ house, the streets of Capernaum, the wine jars still at Canaa, houses, the tomb of Lazarus, tombs, sheltering caves, bare stony mountain tops, the roughened ridged pavement where He was condemned by Pilate, the flagstones chiseled with Roman soldiers’ gambling games.
stone that enclosed his Body, entombed Him, Cradled him at Bethlehem (the Manger was made of clay)
stones that survive today and can still be seen,
the pool at Bethseda, the wells,
the very stones, the very stones….
the keystones of arches, the stone plaques carved with Islamic calligraphy, images, ciphers, symbols over the gateways, the pillars, capitals and lintels of the temples.
piles of stones jutting into the sea at Caesarea, once was the palace of Herod and holiday spot of Pontius Pilate, now a craggy outcrop for cormorants drying their wings in the wind, defying the sea over millennia but slowly being eroded.
Mosaics still survive from the palace, as do marble flagstones, pillar capitals and bases, a hippodrome, an amphitheatre
keystones, archways, the walls of Jerusalem, the Gates, the streets, the temples…now the Holy Churches cover, venerate and protect the very stones, the very stones….
Stones – pebbles rounded from the river Jordan or the bed of the sea of Galilee,
stones now sold with Christian and Jewish symbols and signs of Jerusalem.
the massive stones of the Western (Wailing) Wall, the Holy Sepulchre, the Walls of Jerusalem, the walls of Jericho (that were struck down by Joshua’s trumpets).
there is so much still to see, because stone is almost indestructible, and Jesus’ ministry covered so much of a stony, hard landscape. Stones were used to crush the grapes for wine, the olives for oil, to seal the tombs, to build the houses of the towns and cities. Jesus was chained to stone pillars, sat on a judgement seat of stone, mentioned stones many times in His sermons and Parables, ( Peter was His Rock, the Foundation Stone of the Church, the Devil tempts Him to turn rocks to bread, or to dash Himself against the rocks and save Himself, the Parable of the Sower when seed falls on stony ground, the woman who was going to be stoned to death for adultery – ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone’).
Stone hewn, quarried, chiseled, formed, hammered, shaped, hauled, built up, carved, sculpted, worn smooth over millennia by water or wind or by the rubbing of humanity.
Alabaster – used as container for unguents, Spikenard used by Mary Magdalene on Jesus. Alabaster slices now used for stained- glass windows in Holy Places.
Rough surfaces of pillars and columns in churches worn smooth by generations of veneration and reverence, pilgrims. Revealing the intrinsic veining and marbling of stone underneath.
Via Dolorosa – stone pavements, walls, steps. Jesus’s hand print on the wall. The seat of judgement. The pillar of chastisement. The pit into which He was lowered underneath Caiaphas’s house. The marble white steps up the hillside from the Kidron valley.
The walls of Jerusalem. The Western Wall (Wailing Wall). The way the stones are put together. (freestyle bonding). Punch-hammered finish. Gates and plaques inset with Islamic calligraphy. Carved plaques. Gates blocked up.
Crusader Castles and forts. Jaffa (Joppa). Three levels of civilization built up over previous ruins. Mosaics of the Byzantines in early 3rd, 4 and 5th centuries AD. Mosaics are tiny squares of different coloured stone, put together in artistic patterns and designs. Popular decorations on floors and walls, sometimes ceilings. They are hard, so they survive.
Stone cups and mugs used by the Jews as conforming to Kosher rules.
The Jews by custom place stones on their graves, not flowers which wilt and die.
The wine jars (cisterns) of Canaa where Jesus turned water into wine. The olive presses (stone quoins), millstones turned by donkey on central pivot, the wine presses, channels cut into the stone.
The Temples. The Walls of Jericho. The Mount of Temptations where He was tempted by the Devil.
Mount Tabor (where Jesus was Transfigured). The Mount of Olives and Gethsemane.
Tiberias, Canaa, Capernaum. Nazareth. Bethlehem where He was Born. The Shepherd’s Fields where they sheltered their sheep in caves.
The Sermon on the Mount (the Beatitudes) overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
Stones are part of the Holy Land. Jesus was familiar with stone. He built His Church on Stone. He trod on Stone. He used stone. Where He walked, stone survives to this day.
He covered many miles of distance in His Ministry, and shook off the dust of the road from His feet. No wonder He was tired and needed His feet massaging and soothing by Mary Magdalene.
Stone is now used to protect the Holy Sites and is used by the Guardians of the Holy Land (the Benedictines, Franciscans, Catholics, Carmelites). Their monasteries and hostels are built of stone. The pilgrims stay in hotels built of stone. Jerusalem HAS to be built in the local white limestone. They cannot use other building materials. Which is why the cities are WHITE.
The Angels announced the birth of a Child
to sheltering shepherds in a smoky cave
their sheep were safe and they all felt brave
repulsing the wolves outside in the wild
protected by fire and a well-aimed stone,
ever-so plentiful on that cold hillside.
Our Lord was born in nearby Bethlehem, in a cave,
an animal stable,
in a shallow clay manger used as a cradle
a feeding trough for cattle and sheep.
When the Shepherds came to see
the Baby, lying on a bed of straw,
they found him peacefully asleep.
The Church of the Nativity is built over the site
and in the Grotto of the Nativity, underground
the silver Star of Bethlehem is set in its marble surround
pilgrims throng all around
to bow, kneel, touch and pray
and see the Place where Jesus lay.
Outside the Church, on Christmas Eve,
a Franciscan friar signed my Bible
(above my father’s school inscription
and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s dedication
on the occasion of my father’s Confirmation).
This was a very special moment for me.
Jesus Lived surrounded by stones
In temples and synagogues, fishermen’s homes
He founded His Ministry on Peter (Petra) his Rock
but three times
before the crow of the cock
Peter denied Him.
He walked many miles on stony paths
unforgiving – it must have been hard
no wonder Mary Magdalene soothed his sore feet
and massaged his limbs with sweet spikenard
though the disciples grumbled at the cost.
Capernaum – walls of stone, mills, quoins, wine presses, olive presses
columns, lintels, carved capitals, keystones.
The Roman synagogue and temple with ancient dark foundations…
Streets of stone, houses of stone.
Marble in the church. By these stones you can see where He lived, where Peter lived and why He felt at home. A sense of security but also a constant reminder of hardship, endurance, strength, indestructible qualities.
Jerusalem – streets, pavements, columns, gates, lintels, the walls of the city.
Bethesda pool. Golgotha. The chair of judgement. Via Dolorosa.
Stones Jesus walked on – the pavements, the steps up to Caiaphas’ house,
the pit in which he was suspended.
What Agony He had to endure in His last 24 hours. Mocking, shouting, anger,
Beating, flogging, whipping, scourging, carrying heavy cross beam of the Cross, Crown of Thorns,
crucifixion, stabbing with a spear. No wonder He sweated blood in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Millstones pressed the grapes for wine
used at the wedding feast in Canaa
the massive jars are there to see today
holding thirty gallons.
The Jews used mugs made of stone
because they knew they were kosher
and so have been preserved.
in the Parable of the Sower
some seed fell on stony ground and never prospered
but we didn’t know from the story
just how stony was the ground
and just how little seed germinated on good ground.
Even today farming is difficult
but the Jews are very clever
they cultivate the land intensely
perfecting the art of irrigation, propagation, crop insulation
“Banana pyjamas”.
using every square inch of arable land to good productivity
and so proud are they of their techniques
in growing fruit and vegetables and wheat
they place their old worn out implements, ploughs, tractors
on roundabouts in towns and villages
as testament to their skills
at survival and overcoming adversity.
white limestone is quarried for all building
so there is an attractive uniformity of design
churches, houses shops hotels walls and mosques
never ugly, never dull but bright and glistening and fresh.
the stone is good for carving
fine sharp incisive
plaques and lintels and tablets
Islamic calligraphy
gateways and arches, the Eye of the Needle
freestyle bonding of walls, punch hammered surface flat,
massive stones fitting so tightly together
in the western Wailing Wall
no cement is needed to bond
and prayer notes can only be pressed into the tight cracks.
C. Tim Taylor 2013