Geography of Jerusalem

The second quarter is the time for the new freshman to pick their own Bible classes. There are three different classes to choose from: World Religions taught by Pastor Eric Strattan of Bridge Bible Church, Geography of Jerusalem taught by Mr. Chandler Collins and The Book of Ephesians taught by Pastor Nate York of Evanston Avenue Baptist Church.

I chose the Geography of Jerusalem class; so far I have enjoyed the class, from learning about the everyday lives of the people of Jerusalem to the topography and layout of Jerusalem.

Chandler really gives the entire class a real-life effect by showing pictures and videos of all of the land, people, and his many adventures in Jerusalem. Learning about the very land which Jesus walked and lived upon for his entire life is amazing to me. I’m sure it is amazing to all of the other students that participate in this class as well.

As a class we have learned about the four major zones of Israel and how they tie in with the different seasons and the needs of the people. The first zone of Israel is called the Coastal Plain which covers the western part of Israel. The second and third zones are called the Central Mountain Spine and the Jordan Rift Valley; both of these zones cover the central part of Israel. The last zone is called the Trans-Jordan Plateau which covers the far eastern part of Israel.

Israel has two seasons which include a wet season and a dry season. The wet season runs from November to April. The dry season runs from May to October. Many of the people store water in wells to survive during the dry season. The people mainly live off of olives, cattle, pomegranate and grains. The Israeli people use their resources that they are given very well

We have also learned many facts about the Bible times and Israel and also some words in Arabic. For example, Dagan is the god of wheat. Acacia is the wood that Noah used to build the Arc. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth. Wadi in Arabic means mountain. Habibi is the male version which means my beloved, the female version is Habibti.

The Muslim people believe in the god known as “Allah”. Every day, five times a day, all of the people stop everything they are doing to go and pray. The signal to go and pray is also known as the ‘Call to Prayer’ which is blasted out into the towns by speakers on towers. These towers particularly light up in the color green because the people believe that was Allah’s favorite color.

I look forward to learning more about the land that Jesus walked and lived upon while on Earth!

Lauren Hutchison, Freshman