40 years without going out of the door of his cell
During the same visit, the elderly bishop Maiumus of Gaza related to his disciple what had happened to him during his first visit to the Sanctuary of Moses, many years back. Still in his youth and before his conversion to christianity, he had the extraordinary occasion of meeting an ascetic egyptian monk, who had been secluded in his cell for forty years. This is how his biographer relates the account.

"And whilst we were there, after prayer and adoration, the old man caused us to enter a cell about five cubits long and wide and not very bright, and related the following:

«I recall that, when I was still a youth and had but recently come to the royal residence, I came to this hill in order to see it and in order to pray. And when I heard that one of the great Sketian monks was living here in peace, who had left Sketia with all the monks who were there, when a horde of Maziks attacked those monasteries, I asked the custodian of the church on the hill to favor me with his (the Sketian's) blessing and sight.

This cell, however, which you see, is the one in which that holy man lived for 40 years without going out of the door and without crossing the threshold, an ascetic and prophet, and full of the grace of God.

There were, however, three of us, I, my blessed John and furthermore another monk, a Cappadocian by birth, who travelled with us. Since he was a slave in his country, he fled on account of the severity of his service and came to Jerusalem, where he lived in peace. We, however, did not know one another, neither were we and our origin known to the inhabitants of that place.

But when the aged man had given us permission to call on him and saw that we had entered, he said immediately: «It is good that you have come, Nabarnugios, son and grandson of Bosmarios.» Whilst I was filled with great astonishment at these words and was overcome with great fear and trembling, the aged man again said to us: «Recite the prayer.» But when we, as laymen, remained silent, he continued to make the same demand. Then I, fool that I was, ventured to say: «Excuse us venerable Father; we are sinners and laymen.» But he, extending his hand towards the Cappadocian, said: «Slave, recite the prayer. make no excuse.»

After the prayer had been recited - for how would one have dared to refuse, seeing that such a holy man commanded it - he permitted us to sit down. And after he, in conformity with his goodness, had communicated many godly and wholesome words, narratives and consolations, he, in the end, after this spiritual meal, said to the one who shared his cell: «Take the brethren and give them refreshments, for they are from the world.»

On the following day when we came to him in order to obtain his blessing and take leave of him with prayer, he received us with joy. And after he had spoken a few words for our edification, he dismissed us with prayer. But as we were going out, he seized my mantle and held me fast. And when I turned to him, he gave me a sign with his hand to stay, whilst, he allowed the others to go out.

And when I had remained, he bade me to sit down on a small stool which was standing there, and said: «The fire of his love, which God has granted to you - no one in this generation has been privileged to possess it (in such a degree) - see to it that you do not extinguish it, but guard it carefully. And live with no one else than with this brother who came with you»—whereby he meant the blessed John, the eunuch. «God, however, will demand an account of you, if some one, be he a bishop or cleric, a monk or layman, comes to you, and you are silent and do not instruct him about God's Judgments and precepts.» This he said because in spirit he foresaw and foretold the gift of the priestly office with which I was to be privileged, who was entirely unworthy of it. But when I became confused at the word and wept bitterly (saying): «Who am I that your holiness commands me this, who have not even begun to be a disciple,» he replied: «What you have heard, you have heard.»

The view on the Promised Land
Following on Moses’ example, who was shown the Promised Land from this natural balcony facing Jerusalem, Egeria, who had come to the end of her visit, was invited by the monks, who had accompanied her, to have a look around at the regions lying around the mountain.

"Then the presbyters and holy monks who were familiar with the place asked us: «Would you like to see the places which are described in the Books of Moses? If so, go out of the church door to the actual summit, the place which has the view, and spend a little time looking at it. We will tell you which places you can see.» This delighted us, and we went straight out. From the church door itself we saw where the Jordan runs into the Dead Sea, and the place was down below where we were standing. Then, facing us, we saw Livias on our side of the Jordan, and Jericho on the far side, since the height in front of the church door, where we were standing, jutted out over the valley. In fact from there you can see most of Palestine, the Promised Land and everything in the area of Jordan as far as the eye can see.

To our left was the whole country of the Sodomites, including Zoar, the only one of the five cities which remains today. There is still something left of it, but all that is left of the others is heaps of ruins, because they were burned to ashes. We were also shown the place where Lot's wife had her memorial, as you read in the Bible. But what we saw, reverend ladies, was not the actual pillar, but only the place where it had once been. The pillar itself, they say, has been submerged in the Dead Sea - at any rate we did not see it, and I cannot pretend we did. In fact it was the bishop there, the Bishop of Zoar, who told us that it was now a good many years since the pillar had been visible. It used to stand near the sixth milestone from Zoar, but was now completely submerged by water.

Then we went round outside to the right of the church, and they showed us two cities facing us. One was Heshbon, now called Exebon, the city of Sehon, king of the Amorites, and the other the city of Og, king of Bashan, which is now called Safdra. Also from this point they pointed out facing us Peor, a city of the kingdom of Edom. All these cities we saw were perched in the mountains, but just below us was a flatter tract of land; there, we were told, Moses and the children of Israel had their camp when they were fighting the cities, and we could see traces of the camp. From what I call the left side of the mountain, the side nearest the Dead Sea, we were shown a very abrupt mountain which was once called the Viewpoint. This is the mountain where Balak the son of Beor put Balaam the Seer so that he should curse the children of Israel, and God would not allow it, as we are told in the Bible.

So when we had seen all we wanted, we returned in the name of God, by way of Jericho and the same road by which we had come, to Jerusalem".
(From J. Wilkinson, Egeria's Travels to the Holy Land, 1981, pp. 103-108).

It is the same view that can be enjoyed by the modern pilgrim who climbs Siyagha-Mount Nebo on a particularly clear day. The reference point, the same way as it was for Egeria, is the river’s course which unwinds from the north descending towards the Dead Sea. From the houses of Rameh, a village at the foot of the mountain, which is developing upon the ruins of the Livias of antiquity indicated by the tell er-Rameh, one’s eyes fall on Jericho, on the western bank of the Jordan. The view of the Dead Sea, re-awakens biblical memories of the cursed cities of Sodoma and Gomorrah, the two cities whose destruction by fire was their punishment from God. With a bit of audacious geographical updating the monks on Mount Nebo indicated also, at the foot of the mountain, the city of Zoar-Segor, the city in which Lot and his family lived having been saved from destruction through Abraham’s intercession. The Map of Madaba, accurately adhering to historic-geographical documentation, indicates the city as being on the south eastern shore of the Dead Sea where we find modern day Ghor al-Safy.

Today, as in the times of Egeria, the most important biblical location we see as we move to the right northwards is the city of Esbos-Hesban, which recalls the capital city of the ammorite kingdom of Sihon beaten by the Israelites. The monks also indicated, with another bit of audacious geographic updating, the city of Adra the capital city of the kingdom of Bashan who was also defeated by the tribe of Israel on its way towards the conquest of the Promised Land.

Moving further north towards the 6th milestone on the road which the pilgrims had used in their ascent to the sanctuary, the monks pointed out the locality of Peor or Fogor. There were here the remains of a pagan shrine connected with the licentious cult of Baal, which had been a stumbling block for the People of God.

At the highest point of Siyagha, which is to the south of the sanctuary, one can enjoy a wider view over the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley. This point was indicated by the monks as being the place from which the Prophet Balaam blessed the israelites who had set up their camp at the foot of the mountain in a spacious valley.

As is related in the book of Deuteronomy, in the valley at a spot unknown to all but to God, Moses was buried at the end of his life.

With the construction of the sanctuary at the top of Siyagha, at the spot indicated by the Prophet himself to a shepherd from the nearby village of Nebo, the christian communities of the region wanted to pass on the memory of the Man of God entrusting it to this mountain. Moses, in solidarity with his generation, which would not have entered the land of rest, died out of the Promised Land. Dying he had in his eyes a vision of hope and peace. This is the best memory which the pilgrim takes back home with him on leaving Mount Nebo.

© Michele Piccirillo
SBF