Bethany Beyond the Jordan

For a Christian the most meaningful biblical site in Jordan is Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the authenticated Jordan River site where Jesus Christ was baptised (John 1:28) by John the Baptist. Given its religious significance to Christians, churches were built near the site, monks lived in caves nearby, and pilgrims visited. This tradition continued until the 14th Century when the power of the Crusaders vanished. East of the Jordan River was no longer a safe place to go and the site was lost over the centuries. In 1897 a scholar from Jerusalem found a mosaic map of the site in Madaba, Jordan, and interest was renewed. However, for most of the 20th Century the area was off limits due to war. The 1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel changed everything. The area, which had been a militarized zone, was cleared of land mines and archaeological exploration began in earnest. In the short time since 1994 remains of five churches, a large monastery, a vast water system, and three pools dating from the Roman period were found. The website baptismsite.com provides more information for those interested. Historians and archeologists confirmed this is the baptismal site with such certainty that all three (Roman Catholic) Popes visited in the past 15 years. Because of its significance to Christians, many new churches were built within a short walk of the site including Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Anglican, Russian Orthodox, Lutheran, and Baptist denominations. The site is a little less than an hour from Amman going downhill through beautiful desert mountains. It is roughly 300 ft below sea level so this time of year one plans for heat. We bought tickets for a shuttle bus to drive us 15 minutes into the military zone because the Jordan River is the border. On the ride the West Bank city of Jericho was visible. After the bus stopped we had an escorted ten minute walk to the baptismal site. It is not in the Jordan River itself but in a side pool. This would have been a more manageable site for baptisms since the Jordan was then subject to severe flooding. Remains of a church are next to the pool with ancient floor mosaics about all that is left. It is quite a moment for any Christian to be there and consider the significance of the baptism to individual faith for nearly 2000 years, and to world history. From there we walked to a new Greek Orthodox church built on the riverbank and toured it. A short walk down some steps to the river revealed an amazing sight. The River Jordan here is only about twenty feet wide, if that. Jordan and Israel both have stairs leading down to the river. Soldiers from Jordan and Israel stand on their respective sides less than about 20 feet from each other as literally hundreds of people on both sides make their way to the water, wave at each other across the border, and wade into the Jordan where Jesus once stood. Visitors can and did talk, laugh, and take pictures of each other and the scene across this international border, the lone soldier on each side guarding against anyone who might try a foolhardy crossing. If not for the soldiers crossing would be effortless since the yellowish-brown water is calm. On the Jordanian side a large stone urn contains river water and many visitors baptized themselves Catholic style on the forehead before leaving, as did I. This will be one of my life's most memorable experiences.