PETRA
During the time of Jesus and the Apostles,one of the Eastern
Medterranean’s greatest trading centres was located in the southern city of
Petra. This extensive rock cut capital of the Nabataean Kingdom flourished
during Nabataean rule from the 3rd century BC to the early 2nd
century AD, when it was occupied by the
Roman Emperor, Trajan.
The Bible’s Old Testament seems to make mention of Petra
under several possible names, including Sela and Joktheel (2 Kings 14:7).
During the Exodus, Moses and the Israelites passed through
the Petra area in Edom.Moses was never allowed to enter the Holy Land, as he
disobeyed God’s commands to speak to a rock to bring forth water, choosing to
strike it instead (Numbers 20:10-24) .Local tradition says that the spring at
Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses ), just outside Petra , is this same place.
Aaron, the first High Priest of the Bible and the brother of
Moses and Miriam , died in Jordan and was buried in Petra at Mount Hor ,now
called Jabal Harum in Arabic (Mount Aaron).A Byzantine church and later an
Islamic shrine/tomb, were built on the summit of the mountain, which today
attracts pilgrims from all over the world. Aaron is best remembered for the
beautiful blessing that God commanded him to give people.
Later, Petra was almost certainly the last staging post of
the 3 kings, who took frankincense, gold and myrrh to honor the baby Jesus in
Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12).The King Aretas, mentioned in Corinthians 11:32 ,was
a Nabataean king who ruled Petra.
No comments:
Post a Comment