Nablus is a Palestinian Arab city occupying much of the narrow pass between
the mountains Ebal and Gerizim. It grew out of the Roman Neapolis. (Arabic has
no "p" sound. It gets sounded as "b.") Titus founded the city in 72 AD after
quelling the Jewish revolt.
He was reacting to repeated attempts by the potentially rebellious Samaritans to settle on Gerizim,
their sacred mountain. He wanted a Roman city that would keep them under control.
He attached to it a large territory, bordering the lands of Caesarea,
Sebastia, Scythopolis, Pella in Transjordan
and Jerusalem. Pieces of the Roman
theatre, hippodrome, amphitheatre and water system can still be seen amid the
bustle. Third-century mosaics from Neaopolis are on display at the Israel Museum
in Jerusalem.
At the eastern
end of the pass, Ebal and Gerizim come within 300 yards of each other, and just
beyond this point, somewhat nearer the edge of Ebal, is Tell
Balata, biblical Shechem, lying halfway between Dan and Beersheba.
|
A
few references will indicate the importance of Shechem: It was
Abram's first destination in the land (Genesis 12:6). It was also
first for his grandson Jacob (Genesis 33:18 ). Moses appoints it as
the place of the first ceremony after the Israelites cross the Jordan (Deut.
11: 29-31). Here Joshua renews the covenant between the people
and the Lord, and here Joseph's bones are buried (Joshua 24: 1, 25,
32). Abimelech, son of Gideon, is crowned king at Shechem (Judges
9:3-6). Rehoboam, son of Solomon comes here to have his kingship confirmed
by the northern tribes; instead they choose Jeroboam son of Nebat,
who makes it his capital (1 Kings 12:1,25). At Jacob's well nearby,
Jesus conversed with a Samaritan woman. (John 4: 4-7).
|
The importance of Shechem derived from its
position. The east-west pass between Ebal and Gerizim cuts through the spine
of the central mountain range. This made possible a link between the Great Trunk Road and the King's Highway.
(There were, in fact, three good links: the one through Beth
Shean north of us, the one through Jericho
south of us, and this middle road.) From Shechem the way continued east through
Wadi Fari'ah, forded the Jordan at Adam, and then ascended through the Jabbok
canyon to the King's Highway.
|
That link-road is
half the story. But suppose you are coming from Galilee, and your
destination is in the hill country: Jerusalem, for example. South of the
Jezreel Plain, two roads skirt the mountains. We took the western one,
passing the ancient city of Samaria. Our way was blocked by the long hulk
of Mt. Gerizim, so we turned east through the pass, arriving at Shechem.
The eastern route also leads to Shechem. From here to the south, via
Shiloh, Bethel, Rama, Mizpeh, Gibeon, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, as far as
Hebron, the only good way follows the watershed. Thus this city occupies a
vital junction, where the east-west road (linking the international
highways) joins the north-south road (through the mountain
range).
With
respect to international trade, cities like Hazor,
Megiddo
and Beth Shean were of course
more important, for they lay on the Great Trunk Road. But the
latter was extremely vulnerable. Israelites, hardly a match for
Egyptian or Mesopotamian armies, found greater security in the hills.
(An empire could spread its sway on the horizontal plane like water,
but a few hundred yards up was a different story.) That is why the
mountain towns like Shechem appear in the Bible more often than Hazor,
etc.
|
We shall make two visits here:
To Tell Balata, site of the ancient
city, to stand in the very first "temple of the Lord" and re-live
the renewal of the covenant.
To Jacob's
well.
©
2003
Near East Tourist Agency
(NET)
Text
© 2003 Stephen
Langfur
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN
STANDARD BIBLE(r),
(c) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by
The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
MAIN
MENU
|
