Israel is a multi-faceted society with ancient roots for many ethnic, religious, cultural and social backgrounds. Christians regard Israel as the biblical Holy Land with its most sacred sites in Jerusalem and Nazareth. Israel is one of the only Middle Eastern countries where the Christian population is thriving. Between 1948 and 2018, Israel’s Christian population grew exponentially from 34,000 to 175,000. Christians in Israel are a small minority of about 175,000 that comprises of 2 percent of the population alongside different streams of Muslims, Jews, Bedouins and Druze among others.
A guiding principle for Christians thinking about travelling to Israel is quoted in Psalm 137: 5 – 7 justifies that "if I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy”. This means that one must always see the importance to connect with their roots by virtue of reaffirming their identity as Christians.
Christians have many options to consider while visiting the Holy Land. The common places to visit are churches which date back to the Biblical Era.
The Church of the Annunciation based in Nazareth, is the largest Church in the Middle East. It was established over the site where the Catholic tradition holds to be the house of Virgin Mary, and where angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus – an event known as the Annunciation.
Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary is a Christian tomb in the Kidron Valley in Jerusalem – at the foot of Mount of Olives; believed by Eastern Christians to be the burial place of Mary, the mother of Jesus. There is also Church of the Nativity which holds a prominent religious significance to Christians of various denominations as the birthplace of Jesus. The grotto is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity.
Church of the Resurrection which is in Jerusalem, according to traditions dating back to at least the fourth century, the two holiest sites in Christianity: the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, at a place known as "Calvary" or "Golgotha", and Jesus' empty tomb, where he is said to have been buried and resurrected.
The Church of the Multiplication, a Roman Catholic Church located at Tabgha, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel is a modern Church that rests on the site of two earlier churches.
The Church of the Transfiguration, located in Mount Tabor at the Lower Galilee is traditionally believed to be the site where the Transfiguration of Christ took place, an event in the Gospels in which Jesus is transfigured upon an unnamed mountain and speaks with Moses and Elijah.
The Via Dolorosa ("Way of Sorrow") is a prominent route in the Old City of Jerusalem, believed to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion, is also a celebrated place of Christian pilgrimage.
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge east of Jerusalem's Old City. Several key events in the life of Jesus, as related in the Gospels, took place on the Mount of Olives, and in the Acts of the Apostles. It is described as the place where Jesus ascended to heaven. Because of its association with both Jesus and Mary, the mount has been a site of Christian worship since ancient times and is today a major site of pilgrimage for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants.
The inclusiveness of Israel's society rejoices diversity and empowers the broad range of people to coexist in Harmony. Christians from all over the world continue to visit Israel as a place of pilgrimage and to be more spiritually connected to their faith. If you have a South African citizenship and are considering to do a pilgrimage, you don’t even need a VISA! Join the tens of thousands South Africans that do so each year.
Enjoy your trip!!!