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Bethany (West Bank)

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Bethany (בֵּית עַנְיָה) is recorded in the New Testament as the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, as well as that of Simon the Leper. Jesus is reported to have lodged there after his entry into Jerusalem, and it was from Bethany that he parted from his disciples. Bethany is commonly identified with the Palestinian village of al-Eizariya located on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem.

The oldest house in present-day al-Eizaraya is a 2,000 year old dwelling that has attracted pilgrims who believe it might have been the House of Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus.

History

Between 6th century BCE and 14th century CE, Bethany is believed to have been continuously inhabitated.

In 1138 Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, wife of King Fulk of Jerusalem, founded a cloister of nuns at Bethany, ruled by her sister, Ioveta, thenceforward "of Bethany". Sibylla, later Queen of Jerusalem was raised in the abbey, whose ruins have not been identified. Melisende died there in 1163; her stepdaughter Sibylla of Anjou also died there in 1165.

Other Biblical References

A place Bethany on the east bank of the Jordan River is mentioned in Gospel of John 1:28. Its exact location is unclear. In fact, the only mention of this “Bethany” is to be found only in Gospel of John 1:28.

In the to the King James Version (following Textus Receptus of the New Testament) the place where John the Baptist baptized (John 1:28) was not called Bethany, but Bethabara.

KJV is the only English version of the New Testament that refers to “Bethany on the east bank of the Jordan River”, the place where John the Baptist baptized, as “Bethabara”. Most other English versions (Douay-Rheims Bible, NIV, NASB, NLT, RSV, IBS, DARBY) call it Bethany.

Notes

Bibliography

  • Aburish, Said K.: Children of Bethany: The Story of a Palestinian Family, Indiana University Press 1988. ISBN 0-253-30676-0

External links



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Last updated on Tuesday March 04, 2008 at 14:35:12 PST (GMT -0800)
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