Christian Pilgrims Celebrate the Epiphany in the Jordan Valley, Jan 2011
Image by Israel Defense Forces
January 20, 2011.
Last Tuesday (January 18th), the Christian holiday of the Epiphany was celebrated by thousands at the Qasr Al-Yahud baptism site in the Jordan River Valley. The site is widely considered by Christians to be the place where Jesus was once baptized by John the Baptist. Around 11,000 Christians arrived at the site, among them Israelis, Palestinians, and many who made the pilgrimage to the Jordan River Valley from all corners of the world.
For the first time, the pilgrims were allowed to dip themselves in the flowing waters of the Jordan River, as the Civil Administration had made the necessary arrangements to accommodate the mass pilgrimage to the site over the past year. The main ceremony of the Epiphany took place midday, led by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III.
The ceremony was organized by the Civil Administration, and security was provided by the Israeli Border Police and the IDF. For more details, see our website.
Pictured here: A pilgrim wearing a robe dips into the banks of the Jordan River, a site considered to be the third holiest in Christianity.
Photography: Staff Sgt. Alon Lefler, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
*
???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ??
???? ??????? ?"??? ??????" ????? ????, ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ???. ???? ????? ?-11 ??? ??????? ????? ???????, ???????? ???? ????? ???.
??????? ????? ???????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ????? ?????, ???? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ???????. ????? ??????? ????? ???? ??????, ??????? ????????? ?????? ??????????? ???????? ??????.
???? ???? ?? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ???"?.
?????: ??"? ???? ????, ???? ??"?
Slovakia Rejects Euro Bailout
Prime Minister Iveta Radicova, center, with, left to right, the leader of the Christian Democrats, Jan Figel; the head of Most-Hid party, Bela Bugar; and Finance Minister Ivan Miklos, before Slovakia's Parliament voted against the euro rescue fund. …
Read more on New York Times
Romney and Phares
In 1986, he was appointed secretary general of the Christian Social Democratic Party and of the World Maronite Union, his spokesman said, adding that there's another man of the same name who held military titles in the Lebanese Forces. …
Read more on Politico (blog)
Vanderbilt Law Professor Carol Swain Speaks at Christian University in Oregon …
George Fox University is ranked by Forbes among the top Christian colleges in the country. George Fox is a Christian university classified by US News & World Report as a first tier regional university and a “Best Value” school. …
Read more on PR Web (press release)
German FinMin says may have to reduce Greek debt
… default and try to end a crisis that threatens the world economy. "If Greece's debts are really unsustainable … then they must be reduced enough to give Greece a better outlook," Schaeuble told a party meeting of his Christian Democrat party. …
Read more on Reuters