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History of Israel -The Jordan River
The Jordan River, also known by its Hebrew name, haYaden, is one of the most famous rivers in the world. It begins in the mountainous region where Israel, Lebanon and Syria connect, and travels some 360 km south, as well as descending some 950 metres down through the Jordan Rift Valley, below sea level to the Dead Sea. It is about ten metres across and fairly shallow, sometimes rising to two metres deep.
The Jordan is known universally by almost every person in the Jewish and Christian faiths. Songs are sung about it, Prophets have spoken of it, many have been healed in its waters, great kings and mighty armies have crossed it, wars have been fought over it, and miracles were performed in its waters. It continues to be a place of spiritual and political significance. John the Baptist, who was known as Yochanan the Immerser in Biblical times, established the Jordan as a place to be baptised. Historically, the Bible tells us that Yohanan (John) fled to this area when he was persecuted by Herod. This prevented him from continuing his priestly duties in the Temple, as he was in line, through his father, to become a High Priest. However, after deposing the then High Priest, the Roman authorities appointed a succession of four High Priests, with Joseph Caiaphas being the most prominent during the time of Rabbi Yeshua.
From the late 1990s, the members of kibbutz Yardenit, situated on the banks of the Jordan River at the Southern tip of the Sea of Galilee, is host to many hundreds of thousands of tourists and pilgrims, who come to this peaceful and spiritual place where Yeshua Himself is said to have been immersed by John the Baptist. Also in the area tourist can enter the Baptism Archaeological Park and see the remains of a Byzantine monastery and many churches, including one which surrounds a cave which is traditionally believed to be the cave of John the Baptist.
Because the Jordan’s natural flow is interrupted by many dams, where the water is used for domestic and agricultural purposes, the amount of flow is now reduced to 10-15%, leaving the lower Jordan heavily polluted by sewage and industrial run-off.
Israel © MEA-20180418 (C483) History of Israel -The Jordan River
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