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UNESCO Backs Jordan as Jesus' Baptism Site as Debate Goes on
by Associated Press
For years, Christian pilgrims have waded into the Jordan River from
both its eastern and western banks to connect with a core event of
their faith - the baptism of Jesus. The parallel traditions allowed
Jordan and Israel to compete for tourism dollars in marketing one of
Christianity's most important sites.
But now UNESCO has weighed in on the rivalry, designating Jordan's
baptismal area on the eastern bank a World Heritage site. The U.N.
cultural agency declared this month that the site "is believed to be"
the location of Jesus' baptism, based on what it said is a view shared
by most Christian churches.
The decision drew cheers in Jordan, where the number of tourists has
dropped sharply since the 2011 Arab Spring and the rise of the Islamic
State group. Israel has kept silent while a Palestinian official said
the western baptismal site, located in an Israeli-occupied area sought
for a Palestinian state, should have been included.
Raising eyebrows
The UNESCO decision also raised eyebrows among some scholars.
It "has nothing to do with archaeological reality," said Jodi Magness,
an archaeologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"We don't have any sites with evidence or archaeological remains that
were continuously venerated from the first century on."
Experts who reviewed the Jordanian application for UNESCO acknowledged
that there is no solid archaeological evidence confirming that "Bethany
Beyond the Jordan," also known as al-Maghtas, Arabic for baptism, is
the authentic site.
However, the Jordanian site is of "immense religious significance to
the majority of denominations of Christian faith, who have accepted
this site as the location" of Jesus' baptism, the experts wrote in
their recommendation.
Jesus's baptism is recounted in New Testament passages as the beginning
of his ministry. Only John 1:28 hints at a possible location, the
eastern bank: "These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan,
where John was baptizing."
Tricky issue
The debate over the baptism site comes at a time of regional turmoil,
including the rising threat from Islamic militants who have destroyed
ancient artifacts.
Jordan's tourism minister, Nayef al-Fayez, told UNESCO that Jordan is
sending a message of tolerance. The kingdom's Hashemite rulers "who are
the direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad... are the same ones who
are protecting one of the holiest sites of Christianity,'" he said.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict also looms in the background.
The Israeli-run site, known as Qasr al-Yahud, is located in the West
Bank, one of three territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast
war and sought by the Palestinians for a state. The baptism site is in
a part of the West Bank that remains under full Israeli military
occupation.
Extending the World Heritage designation to Qasr al-Yahud would benefit
the Palestinians if they ever win statehood, but calling for this now
might upset their ally, Jordan.
A Palestinian Tourism Ministry official, speaking on condition of
anonymity because he was not authorized to talk with journalists, said
both banks of the river should receive the same treatment, but that
"it's not easy for us to defend a site we have no control over."
Tourism dollars
The Israeli-run site has attracted larger crowds than its Jordanian
counterpart, in part because it is on the classic Holy Land pilgrimage
trail. Israeli officials said half a million visitors came to Qasr
al-Yahud last year, compared to several tens of thousands on the
Jordanian side.
On a recent morning, the western site was filled with pilgrims while
the eastern one, a few meters away across the muddy waters, stood
largely empty.
Ukrainian pilgrims pulled white robes with baptismal motifs - available
at a gift shop for $8 - over swimsuits. They walked down steps into the
river, some pinching their noses as they submerged themselves.
On a slope above them, South African worshippers sang "Glory, Glory
Hallelujah" to the sounds of an acoustic guitar.
"It doesn't matter to me much whether it's on this side of the river or
the other side of the river,'' said pilgrim Johan Cornelius, 47, from
Middelburg, South Africa. "The fact that it is the Jordan River and
that Jesus has been here, he's been baptized by John in this area,
that's of utmost importance to me."
For decades, such scenes were unimaginable. The river once formed a
hostile border, and tensions eased only after a 1994 peace treaty.
Over the years, Israel granted access to pilgrims on religious
holidays, and opened Qasr al-Yahud for daily visits in 2011 after
removing nearby mines, though thousands remain buried in the area.
Jordan opened al-Maghtas in 2002. Archaeological digs there yielded
remains of baptismal pools, chapels and monks' caves - finds that the
UNESCO experts said are "associated with the commemoration" of the
baptism.
East vs. west
An eastern baptism site would make sense, some scholars said.
John the Baptist had antagonized Jewish authorities in Jerusalem and
would likely have preferred to stay out of their reach, across the
river, said New Testament professor Ben Witherington at the Asbury
Theological Seminary in Kentucky.
Yisci Harani, an Israeli expert on pilgrimage, said that "if there is
theological dictum to use one side, I would say the eastern side."
However, Harani said both banks should have been designated as a single
site to reflect the meaning of baptism as a journey from the "spiritual
desert" to the Holy Land.
A number of denominations, including Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox
and Lutherans, have written letters of support for the Jordanian side,
which three popes have visited since 2000.
But some hedge their bets, as the Greek Orthodox Church considers "both
sides as holy sites," said Issa Musleh, a spokesman for the church's
Jerusalem-based patriarch. During Epiphany celebrations, he said,
worshippers come from the east and the west and
"meet in the river."
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[1]http://www.voanews.com/content/ap-unesco-jordan-jesus-baptism-site/2
859559.html
References
1. http://www.voanews.com/content/ap-unesco-jordan-jesus-baptism-site/2859559.html