Holy Sepulchre, Jericho, Mount Tabor

Sunday November 16th. 4.15 a.m. wake up call. We walked from the Jaffa Gate through the nearly deserted bazaar to the Holy Sepulchre church where we had 30 minutes to look around. The Copts were praying and at 5.30 a.m. the Franciscans began a Latin Mass with organ near the tomb. This church seems to symbolise the terrible divisions in Christianity. I have been often asked about evidence of this division and we did see a chapel which had been burnt out in fighting. The key to this mighty building is held by a Muslim family. Many Protestants find the Garden tomb gives them a better idea of the Resurrection scene but this church has to be seen when filled with liturgy. Our mass at 6 a.m. in the Calvary chapel was a high point of the whole journey. Just as we received communion the organ swelled to its full glory! It was a moment of great faith - He is risen! After Mass we were advised to go straight to the tomb as the daytime queue usually has at least a 2 hour wait. The Copts pulled me back from passing their tent-like chapel tacked on the back of the 19th century tomb. The tomb itself is strangely moving. We saw Revd Beverley Mason and friends from St John's, Upper Norwood doing the stations! We walked back through the Jewish quarter past the St John hospital site. We placed our prayers in the Western wall (wailing wall). After breakfast when we celebrated Basil's 77th birthday we left for Jericho stopping for a last view of the city from the Mount of Olives.
At Bethany we visited the Catholic church of St Lazarus with fine Resurrection mosaics and the tomb of Lazarus which now part of a mosque as Lazarus is venerated as a prophet by Muslims. We left Miriam at the desert service station point and picked up a Palestinian guide for Jericho.
The cable car at Jericho is entirely below sea level. From the top walked up the Greek Orthodox monastery where there is one monk. Had lunch and saw the Zaccheus tree(not a sycamore!) The tel here was excavated by Kathleen Kenyon and there are 23 layers making it probably the oldest city in the world. We travelled up the Jordan valley to Nain and then took taxis to the top of Mount Tabor. A lovely church with chapels for Elijah and Moses commemorating the transfiguration.Staying at Maagan hotel connected to a kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee.