At Mass, as the Intercessions followed the Gospel, mention was made of the verse of John 11:54, "So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples."
My two visits made at Taybeh-Ephraim (2004) come alive with vivid memories, and prepare the mind and heart on Jesus Last Rest and heading towards Palm Sunday in our Liturgy tomorrow.
Taybeh
West Bank
This Taybeh Website http://www.seetheholyland.net/taybeh/ provides precious information on this amazing place.
Christian village of Taybeh (© Custodia Terrae Sanctae)
The Palestinian village of Taybeh, the onlyChristian town left in Israel or the Palestinian Territories, holds fast to its memory of Jesus seeking refuge there shortly before his crucifixion.
The Gospel of John says Jesus went to Taybeh — then called Ephraim — after he raised Lazarus to life and the Jewish authorities planned to put Jesus to death.
“Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples.” (John 11:54)
Taybeh (pronounced Tie-bay) is 30 kilometres northeast of Jerusalem and 12 kilometres northeast of Ramallah. From its elevated site between biblical Samaria and Judea, it overlooks the desert wilderness, the Jordan Valley, Jerichoand the Dead Sea.
Living amidst Muslim villages, Israeli settlements and military roadblocks, Taybeh’s inhabitants (numbering 1300 in 2010) are intensely proud of their Christian heritage.
The village’s Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic(Latin) and Greek Catholic (Melkite) communities maintain an ecumenical spirit — even celebrating Christmas together on December 25 according to the Western calendar and Easter according to the Eastern calendar.
Patron is St George
The village was first settled by Canaanites about 2500 years before Jesus came to visit. It is mentioned as Ophrah (or Ofrah), a town of the tribe of Benjamin, in Joshua 18:23, and shown on the 6th-century Madaba mosaic map as “Ephron also Ephraia where went the Lord”.
The Muslim sultan Saladin changed the biblical name to Taybeh (meaning “good and kind” in Arabic) around 1187 after he found the inhabitants hospitable and generous.
Pomegranates complementing icon in Catholic church, Taybeh (Seetheholyland.net)
The villagers regard St George — whose traditional birthplace is Lod, near Tel Aviv airport — as their patron. The Greek Orthodox and Melkite churches are both named in his honour.
They also see the pomegranate as a symbol of the fullness of Jesus’ suffering and Resurrection. This fruit appears as a motif in religious art in Taybeh.
A tradition says Jesus told the villagers aparable relating to this fruit, whose sweet seeds are protected by a bitter membrane. Using this image, Jesus explained that to reach the sweetness of his Resurrection he had to go through the bitterness of death.
Old house illustrates parables
Entrance to ruins of St George's Church, Taybeh (© vizAviz)
The original Church of St George, built by theByzantines in the 4th century and rebuilt by theCrusaders in the 12th century, lie in ruins on the eastern outskirts of Taybeh, behind the Melkite church. It is called “El Khader” (Arabic for “the Green One”), a name customarily given to St George.
A wide flight of steps leads up to an entrance portico, nave, two side chapels and a cruciformbaptistery with a well-preserved font.
Next to the Greek Orthodox church a 4th-century mosaic depicting birds and flowers has been found. A chapel has been built over the site to protect the mosaic.
Door of Parable House, Taybeh, with hole for small animals underneath (Seetheholyland.net)
In the courtyard of the Roman Catholic church stands a 250-year-old Palestinian house, occupied by a local Christian family until 1974. The entrance is claimed to be 2000 years old, with five religious symbols of that time engraved in the stone façade above the door.
Known as the Parable House, it has rooms on three levels — for the family, for large animals and for smaller animals (who also have an access hole under the old wooden door).
The house and its domestic and agricultural furnishings illustrate the context of many of theparables of Jesus and also offer an insight into how the Nativity cave at Bethlehem may have been configured.
Priest’s retreat is remembered
Another celebrated visitor to Taybeh was Charles de Foucauld, a French-born priest, explorer, linguist and hermit who was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2005.
Charles de Foucauld shrine at Taybeh (© Custodia Terrae Sanctae)
De Foucauld passed through Taybeh as apilgrim in 1889 and returned in 1898 for an eight-day retreat that is recorded in 45 pages of his spiritual writings.
After his death (he was shot dead by raiding tribesmen in Algeria in 1916, aged 58), his example inspired the founding of several religious congregations.
In 1986 a pilgrims’ hostel called the Charles de Foucauld Pilgrim Centre was opened in Taybeh.
No comments:
Post a Comment