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Tuesday, September 26, 2006

`The sunrise of Christianity’
Is this barren former minefield, close to the Dead Sea in Jordan, the
birthplace of Christianity?

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

[Prince Charles is shown around the Baptism site by Rustom Mkhjian]

BETHANY-BEYOND-THE-JORDAN, JORDAN (ANS) — It was once a minefield and it’s
hot, humid and covered with scrub, but the significance of this unlikely
place close to the Dead Sea in Jordan may be the greatest discovery for
Christians in the Middle East for many centuries.

The startling discovery is at Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan where many believe
that John the Baptist baptized Jesus and so began His earthly ministry that
took him to the cross and then the resurrection, and birthed the largest
religion in the world.

What is thought to be the actual baptism spot is now a dusty hole about 100
yards or so from the Jordan River, but experts believe that is where the
river once ran and the baptism took place.

[Rustom Mkhjian makes a point by the River Jordan]

Along with a small group, I was shown around the site by Rustom Mkhjian, an
Armenian Christian who is the deputy director of the site and possibly the
greatest expert on it. As we stood just across the River Jordan from Israel,
I as this enthusiastic champion of the site to explain about how it was
discovered and its significance especially for Christians.

`I’ve been working here for around ten years and we began to uncover the
site after Jordan signed the peace treaty with Israel in 1994,’ he began.
`This area was cleared of landmines and prepared for us to come and
investigate and look for archeological sites because we heard from a lot of
experts plus our documents that this was a holy site. Even the local
community, the people living round us called this site here Elijah’s Hill,
for it believed to be the place where Elijah ascended into the heavens.’

I then asked Mkhjian how could he know that this spot was the actual baptism
site for Jesus Christ?

[On the front left is the spot where some say Jesus was baptized when the
river was much wider]

He replied, `When we started our studies, our first reference was John,
Chapter One, verse twenty-eight, where it says that Jesus came to
Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan where John was baptizing. Now, as experts in
archeology, we generally have to have our sources and here let me refer to
something that Jesus himself said, `Build your house on a rock’ and we in
Jordan, the local group that have worked here, are dependent on four issues
to show that this is the site where so many biblical events took place.

`Not only the baptism of Christ — that was the most important of course —
but so many important events took place. So these four foundations are the
Gospels, and then the pilgrims occurrences because this site was on the
pilgrimage rout between Jerusalem and Bethlehem and up to Mount Nebo where
Moses died. The archeological discoveries that go along the description of
the pilgrims was the exciting part actually; and according to what we have
in the Gospels and the fourth issue is what we have depicted in the Mosaic
map of the Holy Land that was prepared in five-hundred-sixty-two AD. So that
was a very good reference to us on which so many things were depicted that
we can talk about later.

`But let me briefly say about what we have in the Gospels actually. When
Moses died Joshua took over as we knew in Joshua chapter one up to five we
have the story of Joshua crossing the Jordan towards Jericho city with the
twelve tribes of Israel of course turning around the walls of Jericho city
blowing the horn and it comes down. So therefore, that’s the first instance
where the River Jordan was crossed by the head of a community from the east
to the west.

`As we said earlier in Second Kings chapter two, we read about Elijah and
Elisha coming from Jericho and Elijah’s mantle touches the River Jordan and
it splits and they walk on dry ground toward the east eventually Elijah
ascends to the heaven. Elisha takes his mantle, goes back to Jericho again.
`Between the Old and the New Testament is John or as we know him — John the
Baptizer who was called John the Baptist. That’s an important issue because
in Luke chapter one verse seventeen says that John came in the spirit and
strength of Elijah. So that’s actually the first reason why he came and
dwelt and prepared the way for the Lord at the place from where Elijah
ascended to the heaven.

`As we know the second reason was water because John was clear too when he
said, `I’ll baptize with water but the one coming after me will baptize in
the Holy Spirit.’ This all happened in Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan where John
was baptizing. Now this is in brief what we have in the Gospels but if you
want to end the story of John the Baptist we know Matthew chapter fourteen
tells us about how Herod Antipas who married his brother’s wife Herodias
when Salome danced in an area so close from here about forty kilometers
south east the castle; that’s where Salome danced and eventually they asked
for the head of John the Baptist. That’s where John the Baptist was beheaded
about forty kilometers from here.’

As we stood in the sweltering heat overlooking the River Jordan, which
certainly didn’t look today like a great place to swim in with lots of
pollution in it, I asked if it seemed ironic that Christianity would begin
in such a barren wilderness?

`Not at all sir,’ he said. `Depending on what we have in the Gospels,
depending on what we have so close from us about twenty kilometers to the
south west in an area that’s called the Qumran caves where the Dead Sea
Scrolls were found a lot of things were referred to wilderness. The sound of
the wilderness that came at the east bank of the Jordan that was the
wilderness. Not only that crossing from evil to good or from good to evil
that’s what resemble the crossing of Joshua first of all running away from
evil to good.
 
[Jordan River sign close to baptism spot]

`And eventually Jesus came to the east part crossing from the evil things
that took place in the west to the east. So this was a refuge place if you
like. And regarding the place Christianity started well we are only a
hundred meters south of a site where we have remains of five churches that
were built uniquely and I underline uniquely just at the bank of the River
Jordan eastern bank of the Jordan described carefully by so many pilgrims
and we have all this mentioned in a series of books called Palestine
pilgrims text society volumes one to six. It talks about so many pilgrims
that visited Palestine and came to the place where Jesus was baptized even
being baptized at the spot they believe Jesus was baptized and eventually
the early Christians built the only cruciform baptismal font on earth that
used the River Jordan as a water to baptize in running water.

`And this is important and regarding what you have in the Mosaic map when
you have the two fish five miles north of the dead Sea at this spot one
going to the south the other coming back up north we know that fish was the
secret sign of Christianity.

`When you have it here along the River Jordan that’s around a hundred
kilometers long from the Tiberius to the Dead Sea. When you have the fish at
this spot, Christianity because that’s where Christianity started. By the
way at the place where we have the churches discovered these are the lowest
discovered churches on earth too because they are situated four-hundred
meters below sea level. But we consider the site to be the closest to heaven
because when Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended, the dove and the
voice of the Lord said, `This is my beloved son in whom I’m well pleased.’

`Let us not forget something else that took place at this point, when the
first time John met Jesus he pointed with his fingers saying, this is the
lamb of God so he was talking about sacrifice. He was talking bout the
crucifixion three or more years before it happened again so close just about
thirty-five kilometers to the west from where we are now. So I say again in
Arabic, welcome to Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan; the lowest point on Earth; the
sunrise of Christianity.’

When asked if tourists, particularly Christian pilgrims, were welcome at the
site, he replied, `Definitely sir; this site is open to everybody. Let us
remember our late majesty King Hussein who had a famous statement about
heritage. He said, `Heritage belongs to humanity.’ This site belongs to you,
me, everybody. Our duty in Jordan is to take good care of it depending on
the international charters regarding heritage and their well being and
eventually opening it to everybody because everybody deserves to see this
site.

It seems that many leaders from around the world are beginning to recognize
this site at the place where Jesus Christ was baptized. Among those who have
already visited it include: Pope John Paul II, Pope Shenouda III, head of
the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt and even Prince Charles, the heir to the
British throne and Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who according to my guide,
had one of his children baptized in a font by the River Jordan at the site.

For more information, go to

Note: An audio version of this interview is available for broadcast in MP3
form. To request it, please send a message to Dan Wooding at
danjuma1@aol.com.

Note: I’d like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing this interview.
_______________________________________ _
Dan Wooding is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern
California with his wife Norma. He is the founder and international director
of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News
Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio
Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the
latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is
published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to
danjuma1@aol.com. Pictured: Dan Wooding
interviews Rustom Mkhjian besides the River Jordan.

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