CHRIST AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY

The only Biblical references to Christ visiting actual sites in Modern Jordan were at his baptism and when he cast demons out of two possessed men into a heard of swine. There are a few vague references about Christ visiting the coasts of the Decapolis.

Many Bible scholars have identified Bethabara (just north of the Dead Sea) as the location where Christ was baptized. The government of Jordan recently decided to undertake an operation to develop and improve this site to make it more accessible and aesthetically pleasing.

The other place that is given as a definite location that Christ visited is Gedara. Here Christ cast the evil spirits from 2 possessed men into a herd of swine that ran down and drown in the Sea o f Galilee. Gedara is currently know as Umm Qays and it is a wonderful site as previously described.

Although Christ did not spend much time in Jordan, Christianity did. From the 1^st Century on, for nearly 700 years Christianity was the dominant religion in the area. Although Christians comprise only a small percentage of the population, the influence of Christianity is shown by a myriad of ruins. Most of these ruins have interest because of the beautiful Mosaics.

There are a few Mosaics in Amman, which are displayed in the museums next to the Roman Amphitheater. They have been removed from their natural setting and place there to preserve them. The largest is no bigger than 5 feet by 5 feet.

There are three other locations where mosaics still exist in their natural setting; they are Mt. Nebo, Madaba and Jerash.

At Mt. Nebo there is a monastery/church built in the honor of Moses. The floor of this church is nearly entirely a mosaic. Because of the large amount of pedestrian traffic Palestinian Rugs cover much of the floor area. There are sections of the church that have been partitioned off so visitors may look at the more impressive mosaics without damaging them. The church has been partly refurbished and the monks in charge of the church have began to hold Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

In Madaba (about 15 minutes from Mt. Nebo) there are several churches with Mosaic Floors. The most famous is the Mosaic Map of the Holy Land found in the St. George Chapel of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Church of the Apostles also has a large floor mosaic. There are other churches and private residences that have mosaics that are being uncovered or have been uncovered. Some of these include the church of the Virgin, c\church of the Prophet Elias, and the Burnt Palace as well as others. Be sure to visit the Madaba Museum to see other, smaller Mosaics, different relics and get good information on any new Mosaic sites in Madaba.

The last area that has extensive church complexes with Beautiful mosaics is Jerash. Known more for its Roman ruins the church complexes at Jerash are often overlooked. The two main church complexes at Jerash are the churches of Saints Cosmos, Damian, John and George the other complex is the church of saints Peter and Paul. The church of Cosmos Damian, John and George are so close together they share common walls. The Churches no longer have roofs leaving the magnificent Mosaics exposed to the sun. Is easy to see these various mosaics butt pedestrians are bared from walking on them. The church of Saints Paul and Peter has nice mosaic but they aren't as grandiose as the other church complex at Jerash.