Bethel approach

Bethel was an important location for Abram (Genesis 12:8, 13:1-4) and Jacob (Genesis 28). In time, it became a site of pagan worship when Jeroboam placed a golden calf at the site. It was a common target for prophets who preached against pagan practices in the north. When Josiah carried out his zealous religious reforms, he destroyed the altar at Bethel (2 Kings 23). In this video, you’ll see what appears to be a large, broken-down altar made of stone. It is not an altar. Rather, it is part of a tower that was built in the Crusades, roughly 1,000 years after the time of Jesus.