Yardenit ( he, ירדנית), also known as the Yardenit Baptismal Site, is a

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

site located along the

Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...

in the

Galilee Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...

region of

northern Israel The Northern District ( he, מחוז הצפון, ''Mekhoz HaTzafon''; ar, منطقة الشمال, ''Minṭaqat ash-Shamāl'') is one of Israel's six administrative districts. The Northern District has a land area of 4,478 km2, which incre ...

, which is frequented by

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

pilgrims. The site is located south of the river's outlet from the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...

, near Kibbutz

Kvutzat Kinneret Kvutzat Kinneret ( he, קְבוּצַת כִּנֶּרֶת), also known as Kibbutz Kinneret, is a kibbutz in northern Israel. The settlement group (''kvutza'') was established in 1913, and moved from the Kinneret training farm to the permanent loca ...

, which owns and manages the site.

History

According to Christian tradition, the

baptism of Jesus The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is a major event in the life of Jesus which is described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghtas (also called Bethan ...

(Matthew 3:13-17) took place in Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas), north of the

Dead Sea The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank ...

and east of

Jericho Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...

. For centuries, al-Maghtas was the most important baptism site for pilgrims, and monasteries and guest houses were established near it. Today in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Al-Maghtas Al-Maghtas ( ar, المغطس, meaning "baptism" or "immersion"), officially known as Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan", is an archaeological World Heritage site in Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River, considered to be the origin ...

shows early religious structures connected with baptism or religious baths.Mohammad Waheeb
The Discovery of Bethany Beyond the Jordan River (Wadi Al- Kharrar)
Dirasat Human and Social Sciences, Volume 35, No.1, 2008- 115 - Since the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

has occupied the west margin of the Jordan river, including the area immediately opposite the Jordanian site, known as

Qasr al-Yahud Qasr al-Yahud (Arabic language, Arabic: , lit. "The tower of the Jews", Hebrew language, Hebrew: ), also known as Al-Maghtas, is the western section of the traditional site of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist on the Jordan River (). It ha ...

. Due to military activity and excavations in that area of the West Bank, however, the

Israeli Ministry of Tourism The Ministry of Tourism ( he, מִשְׂרַד הַתַּיָּרוּת, translit. ''Misrad HaTayarut'') is the Israeli government office responsible for tourism. The office was created in 1964, with Akiva Govrin being the first minister, but wa ...

established Yardenit in 1981 as an alternative pilgrimage site. Yardenit became the first regulated baptism site in Israel. Yardenit thus attracted pilgrims and a visitor center was built.

Gallery

File:Yardenit12.JPG, Entrance plaque File:Yardenit5.JPG, New Testament verse about the baptism of Jesus File:20110223 Israel 0189 Yardenit (5540440028).jpg, Baptism ceremony at Yardenit

References

External links

* {{coord, 32, 42, 40, N, 35, 34, 17, E, region:IL, display=title Jordan River Galilee Sea of Galilee

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links