Jericho-Jerusalem road St George monastery drone

The St. George monastery is perched on the side of a cliff that overlooks an ancient road that connected Jericho and Jerusalem. David escaped from Absalom on this road. Ruth and Naomi may have come to Bethlehem via this route. The last king of Judah made a futile effort to escape the Babylonians by racing to Jericho. Mary and Joseph likely took this road to Bethlehem. Jesus traveled the path many times, including one week before the crucifixion. James and John made their request to be on the right and left of Jesus just as that journey began. The road was so familiar to Jesus’ listeners, he used it as the setting for the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30). The 18-mile hike was difficult, but not impossible. Even today, hikers find the road mostly level despite the steady incline. The monastery is about two miles west of Jericho. Psalm 121, one of the “psalms of ascent,” is a perfect song to sing while facing such a daunting hike. It’s easy to picture any of the Bible’s travelers singing the words of this “climbing song” as they traveled. Even the “valley of the shadow of death” from Psalm 23 may be an offhand reference to this road. The monastery was established around 420 AD, destroyed in 614, rebuilt by the Crusaders 500 years later, abandoned, and rebuilt again near the end of the 19th Century.