Journey To Nazareth (1960)

[Music] you are here Israel the land of the Bible flying swiftly over the Mediterranean you have wondered what it would be like how different would it would be from your own imag ideas or your own Homeland for the moment your eye sees little that is strange but your ear what a surprise to realize that here Customs officials and Pilots hostesses and police guards Porters and cab drivers everyone speaks the language of the Bible Hebrew this land attracts visitors from all countries and all denominations but now it is Christmas a special time when visitors come to the Holy Land for a special reason if this reason is to refresh the spirit in the Cradle of Christianity then Nazareth will offer these pilgrims a home since ancient times Christians have made the pilgrimage to Nazareth today you are the pilgrim and the road to Nazareth lies before [Music] you on this road you may retrace the steps of the Immortals of the Bible who lived at the dawn of history and directed the course of humanity here you behold the Landscapes the very places where ideals were born which Remain the Eternal pride of mankind [Music] you may look at historical sites and holy places whose names have been familiar to you since childhood and having seen and touched and heard you will experience a spiritual satisfaction that will remain with you [Music] forever e [Music] one such memorable site now awaits you and your driver stops for a better View there lies Nazareth nestled in the heart of the mountains of Galilee on that spot Jesus walked with his disciples and from this town he took the name the [Music] Nazarene the name Nazareth was first mentioned in the New Testament with the appearance of Jesus evidently its reputation was not too good in those days for when one of the men of Galilee heard of Jesus he exclaimed can something good come out of Nazareth today the bulk of its inhabitants are Christians of many sects was some moslims and a small number of Jews on a height above the city stands a celian church one of the most impressive churches in Nazareth the centuries have moved slowly through the streets of Nazareth [Music] a jumble of lanes and alleys lead to the narrow cobbled Main Street of the market its Central pave gutter is used for donkeys who bring in the field produce to make delivery to the open stalls on either side [Music] here you can purchase a Turkish coffee pot or a brass table meat clothing Eastern sweets and crisp [Music] cookies strings of Muslim pray beads or roasted spicy beans or you may sit and have a cup of fragrant turkey coffee and watch this silent card game in progress Nazareth has many skilled Artisans and the tourist can purchase fascinating articles made of [Music] Olivewood there is so much to do here so much to see to buy to taste so much to remember but suddenly you tear your thoughts away from the fascination of Nazareth as an ancient Arabic Town it is Christmas and your purpose in coming here is a special one and your eyes seek out some special signs of the holiday season in this town these signs may not be so visible to the Western eye for Christmas in Nazareth is a far cry from the bustling commercialism which we know the holiday is celebrated in a simple way trees and branches are brought in from the neighboring Hills for decorations for the [Music] home a special purchase is made for a festive table [Music] with these reminders you continue your spiritual search in the places Sanctified as those where Jesus lived worked and taught this church contains relics of the centuries of Christians who work worshiped at this spot such relics as an ancient Byzantine wall made of wood it contains paintings of the same era the rich tones still gleaming in red and gold an entire mosaic tile wall Bears witness to the time when the crusaders had conquered the Holy Land [Laughter] the colorful throne and ceiling signify the special modern character of this Arabic Greek Orthodox Church [Music] [Music] now we descend to the most famous Shrine of this Church it is the original well where Mary and the inhabitants of Nazareth 2,000 years ago Drew water here one Legend tells the angel Gabriel first appeared to Mary and told her of the birth of Christ The Well itself still ions today and the water is good however the well is no longer used since Nazareth has a modern water system but Nazareth boasts of two annunciations sites far below the level of the present city lies a cave which may have been the home of Mary hanging from the ceiling is the column of Mary which signifies Mary's place during the Annunciation opposite is the column of Gabriel which marks the traditional spot where the angel stood the hands of millions of pilgrims have given its surface a loving smoothness to touch the Angel's column meant the Fulfillment of a Pilgrim's vow Nazareth is a town associated with the early years of Jesus the foundations of this church rest on a cave which is believed to have been the dwelling place of Mary Joseph and the Child [Music] Jesus this cave was hollowed out of Rock [Music] there is a smooth circular slab of rock in the center of the room which was left raised when the rest of the floor was leveled to serve as a table scooped out of the wall are cool larders for meat and Provisions and pantries for flour oil and wine sunk in the floor are pits which serve the same purpose in the wall is a smooth ring of rock a rope probably passed through it and down to the pit to retrieve the food even in Midsummer the cave is cool and Air and shows the architectural wisdom and skill of its Builders a short walking distance away stands the old synagogue of Nazareth Jesus attended the synagogue after he was 13 how he returned here one Sabbath after he had been teaching throughout the land when he told the people that he could heal none of them they became angry and drove him out of the city they led him to the brow of the hill on which the city was built perhaps to throw him down today this hill is known as precipitation Rock for a moment Jesus looked down at the valley and the jagged rocks below then he looked at the shouting mob and quietly walked through the midst of them and went his way a neighboring Village is canaa where Jesus had many [Music] friends it is an ID village where little has changed since the day when Jesus performed his first miracle here it is told there was a marriage in Cana when it was found that there was no wine [Music] Jesus the sacred well from which the miraca water was drawn has been restored and is still used today gazing at this scene it is easy to transport your thought back 2,000 years to imagine this Village and the neighboring Countryside as and plowed his land [Music] n [Music] among these Hills Jesus talked and walked as he traveled from town to town teaching Legend tells that he frequently passed the horns of hetin on his way from Nazareth to Capernaum now you as a pilgrim travel the same road along the same Coast where Jesus preached to the fishermen from among whom he collected his first followers and Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee saw two brothers Simon called Peter and Andrew casting a net into the sea for they were Fishers and he said to them follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men and they left their net him and going on he saw two other brothers James and John mending their Nets and he called them and these fishermen became his disciples [Music] inhabitants of this area will tell you that Wadi hamam between those Hills was the very road which Jesus [Music] took his destination lay within that eucalyptus now you travel through those same eucalyptus trees to Capernaum which was a home of Jesus when he began his mission [Music] here on the Tranquil shores of the Galilee he lived and [Music] taught it is also the place where the disciples sat in their boat and full of fear watched the master walk toward them on the [Music] water Capernaum was a town of some significance in the time of Jesus it stood on an important highway to Northern trans Jordan and was provided with a customs house and a military guard it is difficult to imagine what the town looked like in those days however a good deal Still Remains of the Mosaic floor of Peter's house where Jesus lived during his stay at Capernaum in the adjacent Courtyard lie the ruins of the synagogue which according to the New Testament was built by the Roman Centurion whose servant was healed by Christ yes in this synagogue Jesus taught of the good life but apparently the inhabitants did not readily accept the morality which he taught and he predicted that it would be more tolerable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for Capernaum evidently the prophecy was fulfilled for Capernaum degenerated in the 6th century and its ruins were covered with Earth the franciscans bought the site in 1894 cleared the ruins and partly restored the ancient synagogue in the same era lies tabha where Jesus followed by his disciples miraculously fed the 5,000 with two dried fishes and five loaves of bread Legend relates that this is the very Stone on which the loaves were broken and the fish [Music] divided the quiet lovely Sea of Galilee offers you a moment for tranquil meditation as Christmas Eve approaches [Music] back in Nazareth the homes reflect the spirit of this special [Music] night the whole family helps trim the tree [Music] and of course two heads are better than one for the serious business of last minute gift wrapping in the gray of early morning the crowds began to assemble for Christmas Mass this is a different Nazareth from the one which you saw during the week there is no bustle of the marketplace but a quiet holiday feeling everyone is dressed in their finest clothes the children nibble on crunchy spicy hot rolls or play with their new toys Christmas morning in Nazareth you can feel a special spiritual something in the air a feeling of tranqu quility of friendship a true embodiment of peace on Earth Good Will to men 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