On the Jordan river: Bethabara
For pilgrims coming from Jerusalem the visit started at the river Jordan, after a stop in the oasis of Jericho. At the ford, where the road crossed the river, five miles from the Dead Sea according to the Pilgrim of Bordeaux, seven miles for Theodosius, and six for the Pilgrim from Piacenza, certainly south of the modern Al-Hussein Bridge, they commemorated several biblical episodes: the miraculous crossing of the children of Israel narrated in Joshua 2, the crossing by the Prophets Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2, 5-14), and the hill from where Elijah was taken up to heaven. The pilgrim Egeria was also shown a hill on which stood the altar built by the Tribes of Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh, as narrated in Joshua 22.

At the same spot, they started commemorating the Baptism of Jesus, as narrated in the Gospel (Mt, 3, 1-17; Mc 1, 2-8; Lc 3, 1-14): “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Mt 3, 1-17)

The Pilgrim Theodosius is the first to mention the church built by Emperor Anastasius at the end of the V century in honour of Saint John the Baptist. The church was built on arches so as to keep the flooding (rising) water from it. A marble column surmounted by an iron cross rose from the water to indicate the place where Jesus was baptised. The pilgrim writes:

"At the place where my Lord was baptized is a marble column, and on top of it has been set an iron cross.

There also is the Church of saint John Baptist, which was constructed by the Emperor Anastasius. It stands on great vaults which are high enough for when the Jordan is in flood.

The monks who reside at this Church each receive six shillings a year from the Treasury for their livelihood".

The Pilgrim from Piacenza had the opportunity, during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany at the river together with the Christians of the region. He relates:

"I celebrated Epiphany at the Jordan, during that night special miracles take place at the spot where the Lord was baptized. There is an obelisk surrounded by a screen, and in the water, where the river turned back on its bed, stands a wooden cross.

On both banks there are marble steps leading down to the water.

The eve of Epiphany is a solemn vigil with an enormous congregation present. They begin matins at the fourth or fifth cock-crow, and at dawn, when matins are over, the ministers come outside, and, accompanied by deacons, the priest goes down into the river. The moment he starts blessing the water the Jordan turns back on itself with a roar and the water stays still till the baptism is over.

All the ship-owners of Alexandria have men there that day with great jars of spices and balsam, and as soon as the river has been blessed, before the baptism starts, they pour them out into the water, and draw out holy water. This water they use for sprinkling their ships when they are about to set sail.

After the baptism every one goes down into the river to earn a blessing. Some wear linen, and some other materials which will serve as their burial shrouds. After the baptising ends the water returns back".

In the VII century pilgrim Arculf saw on the same spot a wooden cross in the river, the ruins of the church on the east bank, and steps leading into the water on the west bank of the river.

"The holy, venerable spot at which the Lord was baptized by John is permanently covered by the water of the River Jordan. Arculf, who reached the place, and swam across the river both ways, says that a tall wooden cross has been set up on the holy place. The water level reaches the neck of a very tall man if he were to stand there, but there are times of extreme drought when the water level goes down, and would only reach his chest, and times of serious flooding when the extra water would submerge the whole cross.

The position of this cross where, as we have said, the Lord was baptized, is on the near side of the river bed. A strong man using a sling can throw a stone from there to the far bank on the Arabian side. From this cross a stone causeway supported on arches stretches to the bank, and people approaching the cross go down a ramp and return up by it to reach the bank.

Right at the river's edge stands a small rectangular church which was built, so it is said, at the place where the Lord's clothes were placed when he was baptized. The fact that it is supported on four stone vaults, makes it usable, since the water, which comes in from all sides, is underneath it. It has a tiled roof.

This remarkable church is supported, as we have said, by arches and vaults, and stands in the lower part of the valley through which the Jordan flows. But in the upper part there is a great monastery for monks, which has been built on the brow of a small hill nearby, overlooking the church.

There is also a church built there in honour of Saint John Baptist which, together with the monastery, is enclosed in a single masonry wall".

Bethany beyond the Jordan: Saphsaphas
According to the Gospel, John the Baptist was preaching and baptising "in Bethany beyond the Jordan" (Jn 1, 19-34). The place was located by the Christians in Wadi Kharrar, two miles from the east bank of the river.

The place was known as Saphsas or Saphsaphas (the place of Willows), as is written in the Madaba Map, which identifies it with Ainon. A laura (a monastic complex) with many cells inhabited by hermit monks was built on the spot near a cave after a vision.

The fact is narrated in The Spiritual Meadow of John Moschus (VII Century). On his way to go on pilgrimage to Sinai by way of Aila, a monk from the monastery of Saint Eustorgius in the environs of Jerusalem took the road to Arabia. Having crossed the Jordan river he was stricken by a violent fever and forced to take refuge in a cave. Three days later, Saint John the Baptist appeared to him in a dream and tried to dissuade him from continuing his pilgrimage. He said to the monk: “This little cave is greater than Mount Sinai. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself has come in here to pay me a visit”. Convinced, and recovered from his infirmity, the monk transformed the cave into a rupestrian church for the hermits living in the neighbourhood. “It is the place which is called Saphsas near the Jordan” concludes John Moschus.

The Pilgrim from Piacenza writes that two miles from the river there is a valley with a spring were Saint John baptized. The valley was at the time inhabited by many hermits.

"In that part of the Jordan is the spring where Saint John used to baptize, and which is two miles from the Jordan, and Elijah was in that valley when the raven brought him bread and meat. The whole valley is full of hermits"

Near the monastic complex, at the beginning of Wadi Kharrar, the pilgrims were shown a hill where the Prophet Elijah was assumed into heaven (Jebel Mar Liyas as it is known in Arabic).

Theodosius writes: "Where my Lord was baptised there is, on the far side of the Jordan the 'little hill' called Hermon, where Saint Elijah was taken up". Similarly the Pilgrim from Piacenza writes:

"This is the place where the children of Israel made their crossing, and also where the sons of the prophets lost their axe-head, and where Elijah was taken up.

In that place is the 'little hill of Hermon' mentioned in the psalm. At the foot of the mountain at seven o'clock in the morning, a cloud forms over the river, arriving over Jerusalem at sunrise, above the basilica on Zion and the basilica at Christ's Tomb, the basilica of Saint Mary and Saint Sophia (once the Praetorium where Christ's case was heard). Above these places the dew comes down like showers, and sick people collect it.

In the hospices all the dishes are cooked in it, and in the places where this dew falls many diseases are cured. For this is the dew of which the psalmist sings, 'It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion" (Ps 133,3).

Several legends developed regarding the hermits living in the area. One is narrated by the Pilgrim of Piacenza.

"On the bank of the Jordan river there is a cave in which are cells for seven virgins. They are placed there when they are still young. When one of them dies, she is buried in her cell, and another cell is hewn from the rock, so that another girl can be placed there to make up the number. They have people outside to look after them.

We went in with great reverence to pray there, but we did not see the face of a single one of them. It is said that the cloth, which the Lord wore on his face, is kept in this place.

By the Jordan, not far from where the Lord was baptised is the very large Monastery of Saint John which has two guest-houses.

On both banks of the Jordan below the mountains there are serpents from which people make antidotes against poisoning".

The most famous legend related is about the Life of Saint Mary from Egypt. In her youth, Mary chose to live a dissolute life in Alexandria, until one day through curiosity she joined some pilgrims who were going by ship to Jerusalem. During the voyage she seduced many of the pilgrims. She kept on living this life even in Jerusalem. On the day established for the veneration of the Holy Cross, she went along with the people to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where the relic of the Cross of Jesus was displayed. She made to go into the church with the other pilgrims but at the threshold she felt as though an invisible force kept her from entering. All of a sudden her heart was filled with contrition. She cried while praying to Mary the Mother of God for her help. The next day she felt she could go into the church and venerate the Holy Cross.

She left the city immediately and crossed the Jordan river, taking with her just a piece of bread she had bought with a few coins which a pilgrim had given her. She lived for forty-seven years in the desert, until she was found by chance by a presbyter, Zosima. He heard her story and gave her Holy Communion. He returned to her in time to bury her. He was helped by a lion in digging her grave.

The legend was narrated in Greek by Sofronius Patriarch of Jerusalem in The Life of Mary the Egyptian prostitute.

The repentant sinner relates her life to the monk Zosima:

After the miraculous conversion at the door of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, she asked the Virgin Mother of God: “Now lead me to whichever place you please. Be my guide to salvation and teacher of the truth, accepting me on my way to contrition”.

The saint relates that while she was uttering these words, she heard a voice, as if shouting from afar, saying: “If you cross the Holy Jordan, there you will find rest.” I left the atrium of the church and hurried along the road, as I was leaving, a man saw me and gave me three coins, saying: ‘Take these mother.’ I took the money and bought tree loaves. I accepted them as a sign of benediction for my journey. I asked the man who sold me the bread which was the way to the River Jordan. Having been informed as to which city gate lead to where I was heading, I set out on my journey, crying on the way.

When the sun had almost set, I caught sight of the Church of John the Baptist which is next to the Jordan; I went into the sanctuary in adoration, I immediately went down into the river and washed my face and hands with the blessed water. I partook of the most pure and life-giving sacraments of the Lord Christ in the same basilica of John the Forerunner and baptiser. I ate half a loaf of bread, drank water from the Jordan and slept on the ground.

As soon as the morning light shone, the next day, I crossed over to the other side and again I asked my guide to take me wherever it pleased her. I eventually got to this desert and since then I have always stayed away from people, like a fugitive, awaiting my God who saves all those who convert to him, be them small or great.”

The sanctuary in wadi Kharrar was visited until the Crusade Period. In 1106 Abbot Daniel a Russian pilgrim was well impressed by the place:

“Not far away from the river, at a distance of two arrow throws, is the place where the Prophet Elijah was taken into heaven in a chariot of fire. There is also the grotto of Saint John the Baptist. A beautiful torrent full of water flows over the stones towards the Jordan; the water is very cold and has a very good taste, it is the water that John drank while he lived in the holy grotto”. The place was later abandoned for security reasons. However, the memory of the place was not lost; as we can read in the itinerary of Grethenios in the year 1400 AD: “It is said that beyond the Jordan one can find the grotto of Saint John, it is the place where he baptised the people. We did not go there for fear of the Arabs”.

Modern explorers saw on the spot the ruins of a church. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate started building a chapel there in honour of Saint Mary of Egypt which was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1927.

The name of Bethany in the text of the Gospel was corrected by Origene, a Christian scholar of the III Century, to read Bethabara (Place of the crossing). It was accepted by Eusebius of Caesarea who records it in the Onomasticon of Biblical Places (59, 19), and by the mosaicist of the Madaba Map who wrote the name of Bethabara on the west bank of the river: Bethabara (place) of the baptism of Saint John together with Alon Atath now Bethagla, place of the crossing.

© Michele Piccirillo
SBF