Places of Section 2: the Jordan Valley: 12. Jericho

12. Jericho - (Ariha)

Nine palm trees indicate the abundance of water and the fecundity of the oasis. The representation is that of a medium-sized town with a wall, four towers and two gates, with three churches inside, two of them with red roofs and one with a yellow triangular pediment.	Jericho, a city which Joshua razed to the ground (Jos 6:1-27) and whose king he killed, after he crossed the Jordan. In its stead Asa from Bethel of the tribe of Ephraim built another one (1 Kings 16:34), which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ honoured with his presence, but this too was conquered and destroyed by the Romans during the siege of Jerusalem because of the treachery of its citizens. A third city was built in its stead, the one existing today, and traces of the two earlier cities remain to this very day. (Eusebius, Onomasticon 104:25-31; Jerome 105:20-26)