British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Supplement - Page 121

were spent. From Bethlehem, in the south, to Capernaum, in the north, from the Jordan River to Emmaus, the land is dotted with shrines and sites associated with the life of Christ.

2. It was in Bethlehem that Jesus was born, and that the shepherds came to worship Him. These events are commemorated by the great basilica of the Church of the Nativity, built by Constantine about 330 A.D. and re-built by Justinian in its present form. It is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world.

3. There are many parts of Galilee associated with the Holy Family, and the early years of the life of Jesus-Nazareth, where the Boy lived with His parents, the well where He and His Mother drew water, the Synagogue where His teachings angered the inhabitants, and the neighbouring cliff from which the mob threatened to throw Him down; Cana of Galilee (Kafr Kanna), where His first miracle was performed; the shores of the Lake Tiberias, including the Synagogue of Capernaum, where many of the scenes of His early ministry took place and where miracles were performed. Situated near the Lake is the scene of the Sermon on the Mount, or the Beatitudes, of the Feeding of the Multitude, of His walking on the waters and of one of His appearances, after His resurrection, to certain of His disciples. The summit of Mount Tabor, situated• to the south-east of Nazareth, has long been venerated as the place of His Transfiguration and the revelation of His Glory to two disciples, Peter and John.

4. It is at and around Jerusalem, that we find the greatest number of shrines and sites associated with the Christian faith. On account of the importance of Jerusalem to the Christians of the world, there are established in the City ecclesiastical organisations representing all the more important confessions of the Christian faith, including three Patriarchs and the Custos of Terra Sancta.

5. It was in Jerusalem that the last instructions of Christ to His disciples were given, directing them ~o go forth and preach the gospel in every land. After His Resurrection, it was in Jerusalem that Jesus directed that

"repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, among all nations, beginning from Jerusalem".

6. It was at Jerusalem, in the house of Mark (now identified with the Church of St. Mark), or at Mount Zion, that the early Christians first met for worship.

7. Amongst the places of special importance to Christians in and around Jerusalem, are:-

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