Mount Tabor (or Tavor), at 540m (1,772 ft.) above sea level, is the tallest of the Lower Galilee Mountains. It stands a little more than 9.6km (6 miles) southeast of Nazareth and must have been a dominant feature of the landscape Jesus knew in his childhood. At the summit stands the Basilica of the Transfiguration, which marks where Jesus was transfigured as he spoke to Moses and Elijah in the presence of three of his disciples (Luke 9:28-36). It was built in the 1920s over the ruins of long-destroyed Crusader and Byzantine churches. Also on the mount is the Church of Elias (Elijah), built in 1911 by the Greek Orthodox community. From here on a clear day you can see the Sea of Galilee, Mount Hermon, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Emek. At this dramatic mountain, in the period of the Judges (ca. 1150 B.C.), the Prophet Deborah and her general, Barak, led the Israelite tribes to victory over the Canaanite general Sisera of Hazor (Judg. 4:12-16). Like the summit of Mount Carmel, near Haifa, where the Prophet Elijah challenged the Canaanite prophets of Baal, the summit of Mount Tabor is believed to have been a Canaanite "high place" or altar from at least the 2nd millennium B.C. The defeat of the Canaanites at such a prominent sanctuary may have had a stunning psychological effect on the populace of that time.
Mount Tabor is accessible from Nazareth by Egged bus or taxi. Although it looks close, the way is circuitous. If you're driving from the northern part of Nazareth, take Rte. 754 to Rte. 77; from Rte. 77 at the Golani Junction, turn south onto Rte. 65 to Mount Tabor. From southern Nazareth, take Rte. 60 to Afula; at Afula take Rte. 65 to Mount Tabor. At the base of the mountain, in the Arabic village of Shibli, you'll find a very modest but charming Center of Bedouin Heritage (tel. 04/676-7875). It's open Saturday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm; admission is NIS 12 ($3/£1.50). If you are driving or walking, the road becomes increasingly steep the higher you ascend, with absolutely hair-raising hairpin turns. Beware of vehicles in front of you conking out and rolling downhill. The descent can seem even more horrific, but the view from the summit is magnificent.
Archaeology Update: Ancient Church at Megiddo -- In November 2005, archaeologists working beside the present-day Megiddo Prison, not far from Tel Megiddo, uncovered the mosaic floor of what may be the oldest church building (early 4th c. A.D.) yet to be discovered in Israel. The mosaic floor is ornamented with geometric designs as well as a central medallion of two fish (a traditional early Christian symbol). Most important, the design of the floor includes a windfall of mosaic inscriptions in Greek that shed light on the nature of the Christian world in the Holy Land just before or during the period when Roman emperor Constantine ended persecution of Christians (A.D. 313) and made Christianity the official religion of the empire (A.D. 324). One inscription mentions a Roman army officer who donated the money to build the floor; another commemorates four women apparently important in the church. An inscription on the western side of the floor refers to a woman by the name of Ekeptos, who "donated this table to the God Jesus Christ in commemoration." Thrillingly, this mosaic inscription tells us exactly where the "table" (most likely the altar) of this very early (prebasilica-style) church would have stood, and even enables us to envision something of the composition of the congregation and the theological beliefs of the people who prayed here. Although the church was not open to the public at press time, the Ministry of Tourism hopes to arrange visitor access to the site, with its clues to the most ancient traditions of Christian ceremony and belief. Check with the Megiddo Visitor's Center.
