Bethany Beyond the Jordan

John the Baptist, or Saint John the Baptist, was a Jewish preacher who promoted the sacrament of baptism as a method of purification. For Christianity, he was a saint and in some branches of this religion he is considered a prophet, because he anticipated and announced the arrival of Jesus. He probably performed his baptisms in nearby Wadi Al Kharrar.

However, that of Jesus Christ would have taken place in this same place, in the waters of the Jordan River, at the request of Jesus himself. This episode is narrated in the Books of the New Gospel, with details that differ, although it is commonly accepted that at the very moment of baptism, the dove of the Holy Spirit descended from heaven to emphasize the presence of God, who would have pronounced the words: “You are my dear son, my favorite” (Matthew 3:17 and John 1:32).

After that, Jesus would have remained 40 days in the desert, tempted by Satan to sin, but protected by the angels not to do so. After that, he met again with John the Baptist, who met several followers (including Peter) and uttered “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Since then, the popularity of Jesus grew enormously in Bethany, as well as in other towns in the area, such as Amman or Madaba.

The Place of Jesus’ Baptism, after these biblical episodes, it maintained its sacred character in later centuries, even at a time when Christianity was a persecuted religion. After becoming the religion of the Roman Empire and especially in times of Byzantine domination, pilgrimages are attested here in the IV-VI centuries, and so it probably remained until the fourteenth century. But later, this tradition was stopped, leaving the place under the control of local tribes.

Already in the late nineteenth century, with the discovery of the mosaic-map of Madaba (dated in the sixth century), interest in the place of the baptism of Jesus He came back strongly. At the beginning of the twentieth century, thanks to the open attitude of the local Bedouin leader Shaykh Salih Yacoub, pilgrims resumed their visits to the place, but again this tradition was stopped for security reasons, following the first conflicts between Arabs and Palestinians.

1994 marks a new milestone in the history of Bethany Beyond the Jordan: the signing of the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel, which led to the demilitarization and dismantling of mines on the ground. In addition, the border between the two states was fixed precisely here, on the Jordan River.

As a result, archaeological work was expedited and visits to the place of baptism of Jesus were promoted. as a point of pilgrimage and visit for religious tourists. And to this contributed to a large extent the official visits of Popes, such as John Paul II and Francis I, as well as leaders of other branches of Catholicism.