origin of name
Favor means "separate." There are other meanings of the word, for example, a convex place on the plain and “navel”. Some researchers are inclined to believe that this is what gave rise to the phrase “navel of the earth.”
The mountain looks the same from all sides, like a huge haystack. Only its apex is oblong, slightly concave, like an eye socket.
It is possible that on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, in Galilee, there were other high hills that collapsed over time. After all, for a long time, emphasizing something sublime and special, they talked about the Mount of Transfiguration. For example, the ancient poet Jeremiah, comparing the Egyptian king with other rulers, emphasized that he was like Tabor between other mountains.
Historical facts
Mount Tabor was always revered by the ancient Jews as a special place. Historically, it became the border of three settlements, the main clans of Israel: Zebulun, Naphtali and Issachar. The high hill united peoples, and then became a place of contention. When the great leaders left the earthly world, the Jews said goodbye to peaceful life.
The great and stern Joshua ruled all the nations of Israel, preventing confusion. After parting with him, vacillations began, since 12 tribes were left without a single strict and fair leader. The “Era of Judges” began, a bloody and troubled time. Intertribal strife and war weakened the people.
The Asoran king Jabin was particularly cruel. He oppressed the Jews in every possible way. As a result, their life became unbearable, and the warring tribes united in the fight against a common enemy. The movement for the freedom of the children of Israel was led by a woman, judge and prophetess Deborah. She called 10 thousand Jews to Mount Tabor and invited the great commander Barak.
Deborah predicted victory for the children of Israel over the right hand of King Jabin, the mighty commander Sisera. Her words came true. The invaders were defeated. Sisera himself fled shamefully, hiding under his skirt. But I made a mistake in my choice. The owner of the clothes, Yaeli, turned out to be a Jew and killed the leader as soon as he fell asleep.
It was the mountain on which the Jews received their freedom that Jesus chose for His prayer and the Transfiguration of the Lord.
After this, the Mountain of the Lord saw many battles and battles. The Children of Israel fought on it against invaders and withstood long sieges.
Birthplace of Jesus Christ.
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The fox did not know that that same traveler had more than once given food to thousands of hungry people. Living in a thorny bush, she did not know that in forty days they would seize Him, put a crown of thorns on His head and kill Him by crucifying Him on the cross. And after another three days He will rise from the dead, because death cannot contain God who has become man. And how could the not-so-lucky fox, living in an oak forest on the slope of Mount Tabor, know all this? She simply satisfied her hunger with the treat she received, licked her lips contentedly and slowly went on about her fox business.
Temples on Mount Tabor
After the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor became a special holy place. Temples and monasteries began to be built on it. They reached a special peak during the reign of Queen Helena. Sacred buildings of different nations appeared on Mount Tabor. In addition to Jews, Christians, and Greeks, the Crusaders built their own churches. But all the temples on the mountain did not last long. After several Mohammedan invasions, only ruins remained.
Currently, there are two monasteries on Mount Tabor. Each of them believes that it was on their territory that the miracle of the Transfiguration took place.
Greek Convent of the Transfiguration of the Lord
At the top of the mountain, in its northeastern part, next to the ruins of a Greek church, there was a small cave of the ascetic Irinarchus. It was they who became the foundation on which the construction of the Orthodox church began.
Formerly a monk of the Lavra of Saint Sava, Archimandrite Irinarch was born in Moldova. Around 1854 he had a vision. After that, he settled in a small cave on the top of Tabor and carefully studied the surroundings. Soon the associate found the ruins of an ancient Byzantine basilica. Her story was connected with the name of Elena.
Together with Hierodeacon Nestor, Irinarch began to restore the dilapidated temple. The work was not yet completed when the 93-year-old archimandrite died. His followers completed the construction of the temple and consecrated it in 1862. The cathedral has three altars. The northern one is named in honor of Dmitry of Thessalonica and St. George the Victorious, the southern one in honor of Elijah and Moses. The central altar, the main one, was built in honor of the Transfiguration.
Over time, a convent was built next to the temple. From church documents it is known that construction was carried out with money received from Russian patrons of the arts. The miraculous icon of the Mother of God is kept in the monastery church.
The earthly life of Jesus Christ.
Catholic Franciscan monastery
Muslims built their fortress on Mount Tabor in the 13th century. Later, the majestic Basilica of the Transfiguration of the Lord was erected on its ruins, and the Franciscans built a temple on the mountain and a Catholic monastery.
The road leading to the monks passes through the “Wind Gate” - a majestic massive arch made of white stone. There is a hotel for pilgrims on the territory of the monastery.
The redhead is on the trail
The fox did not know the name of this mountain. She simply lived on its slope, among dense thickets of thorny thorns. Neither man nor large animal could get through this interweaving of branches as hard as wire with long thorns. Only the flexible and dexterous fox found a loophole close to the ground. There, in the depths of the overgrown bushes, she dug a hole for herself. During the day, the fox went out to hunt mice and gophers, which were found in abundance in the surrounding forests. In the evening she returned to her safe lair, curled up in a ball and fell asleep. And to keep her nose from freezing, the fox covered it at night with the tip of her fluffy tail. That day, as usual, she scoured the slopes of the mountain in search of prey. Winter has just ended. The buds were just beginning to swell on the trees. Rare blades of grass timidly made their way through the compacted layer of last year's foliage. Hunting at this time of year is not easy: the red coat of a fox can be seen from afar, but the prey manages to hide. Oak and pistachio trees grew on the slopes of the mountain. The fox tried to catch the mice when they came out of their holes to collect acorns and pistachios. But during the fall and winter, the mice had already picked up everything around the trees. For the second day, the fox was unable to get lunch for herself. Apparently, this was not the most successful hunter.
Suddenly, nearby, magpies began to cry fussily. The fox raised its ears and began to sniff carefully. These birds only scream so loudly when they are scared by people. Yes, that's right, the wind brought the scent of a person. The fox raised her front paw and froze in indecision. On the one hand, people are a danger: among them there are hunters with bows and arrows that shoot from afar. On the other hand, people in the forest sometimes stop for a rest, have lunch, or even stay overnight. And then you can slowly steal something edible from them. Another time, the fox might not have taken the risk. But now she really wanted to eat. Hiding behind tree trunks and forest hummocks, the fox carefully moved towards where the magpies were screaming.
Soon she saw a path leading to the top of the mountain. There were four people. One of them walked ahead with a confident step. It was obvious that these places were familiar to him. The other three followed him, trying to keep up. There were no bows or spears with them. So these are not hunters. Already good! The fox, without approaching, slowly walked along the path so that the travelers remained in her sight. Traveling people always carry food with them. Perhaps she too will be able to profit from their meal.
The mountain path twisted around rocky outcroppings and stream beds. They were dry now. But the fox knew that in heavy rain, these scattered stones and sandbanks could instantly turn out to be a deadly trap. Rainwater flows through the gullies into the main channel and rushes down in a seething stream, sweeping away everything in its path.
And people kept walking and walking up the path. Apparently, they didn’t just come to collect firewood to light the stoves in their homes. For some reason they needed to climb to the very top. There was no oak forest there anymore. Only rare juniper bushes here and there clung to the rocky soil with their roots.
The fox has been there more than once.
The gentle peak was a spacious field, the edges of which sloped smoothly down to the trees growing on the slopes. Strong winds blew here. On hot summer days, the fox liked to sit here on a stone, exposing its sides to the elastic currents of warm air. From here one could see the distant spurs of the Judean Mountains. And if you look in the other direction, you could see how the expanse of the huge Lake of Galilee turns blue at the very horizon. Follow the link to listen to the program.
The fox was sneaking after people along the trail and did not understand what they might need there at the top. Maybe they want to put a partridge snare there? Or did you decide to climb the mountain just to admire the surroundings?
Meanwhile, the path ended. The wind at the top bent the stems of last year's dry grass to the ground. People finally stopped. The fox hid behind a large stone and licked its lips contentedly: probably now they will have lunch, lay out food on the ground, and it will be possible to seize the moment to steal something tasty from them.
But these strange people, it seemed, had no intention of eating. One, the one who walked in front, said something to his companions. Then he walked away from them and for some reason knelt down.
And the rest looked around, saw a shallow hollow under a juniper bush and settled down to rest in it. It was clear that the climb up the mountain had tired them. A few minutes later, the wind brought regular snoring to the fox: the travelers were fast asleep. And their comrade continued to kneel, turning his face to the east. As before, no one even thought about having lunch. The fox snorted in disappointment. She already realized that she would not be able to make money here. But for some reason I didn’t want to leave. Placing her red muzzle on her paws, she lay down on the grass and began to watch what people would do next. But the people in the hollow were sleeping. And the fox also suddenly really wanted to sleep.
She woke up with her nose getting wet. There was complete fog all around. Apparently, a cloud had descended on the top of the mountain. The fox began to sniff to determine whether the people had left or were still here. Suddenly, menacing sounds resembling thunder were heard. The fox got scared, closed her eyes and pressed her whole body to the ground. And when a moment later she opened her eyes, there was no longer any cloud on the top of the mountain. And the thunder didn't thunder anymore. The sleeping travelers had already woken up and were talking about something with their friend. Then we turned around and headed back to the path leading down. That's all the fox could see that day. Meanwhile, the events that took place on the mountain were amazing and incredible. But for the time being, only those for whom these events took place were supposed to know about them - those same travelers who fell asleep under a bush. The miracle that happened on the mountain was still hidden from everyone else.
How to get there
Arriving in Tel Aviv, you can rent a car and drive along a good road to Mount Tabor in less than 2 hours via Petah Tikva, Umm al-Fahm. At the same time, passengers will be able to admire the beautiful views all the way and take photos of them.
By choosing the road along the coast, travelers will be able to stop by the city of Hadera and visit Zichron Yaakov. Buses travel from the airport to the mountain along this route.
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Comfortable intercity transport will take you to the village of Shibli, at a distance of 5 km from the top of the mountain. Then you can walk, constantly taking in magnificent views. Lovers of comfort can travel by Arabian minibuses.
Important
The Transfiguration of the Lord and the place where it happened are of great importance for Christians and Jews. Every year thousands of people come to see the wonderful mountain and pray at the top, where Jesus first demonstrated His Divine essence to people.
The essence of the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord
The event called "Transfiguration" occurred 40 days before the crucifixion of Jesus, on the Feast of Tabernacles. Before the approaching autumn, people began to build huts for themselves. Christ invited three of his most beloved and devoted disciples to pray with him on the mountain: James, Peter and John. When they climbed to the top and Jesus began to pray, his clothes suddenly shone with a dazzling white light, and the ancient prophets Elijah and Moses were nearby. The three of them discussed what would happen to Him when He arrived in Jerusalem.
The apostles could not make out what Christ and the prophets were talking about. They suddenly experienced grace and joyfully offered to build bushes (single-person huts) for each of the three. But then a powerful voice thundered from the clear sky: “Behold, my beloved Son.” The disciples were greatly frightened and fell face down on the ground. When they came to their senses and raised their heads, Jesus was in his usual clothes, the prophets were nowhere to be found.
The Lord knew that the earthly suffering of Christ would soon begin and many, seeing his humility, would take this for simple human weakness and doubt that he was the Messiah. To strengthen the faith of the most devoted disciples first, the Transfiguration was performed and the Divine nature of Jesus was demonstrated.
What can't be told
The mountain was called Tabor. From a distance, its gentle slopes resembled the shell of a huge turtle, asleep in the middle of an endless plain. It was here, on this mountain, that Jesus Christ brought three of his disciples to let them see His divinity with their own eyes. The disciples' names were Peter, John and James. For them, this trip to the top of the mountain was not something strange: they knew that their Teacher had such a custom - to go away from people to pray alone. Therefore, they did not ask Him anything and simply accompanied Him to the very top. While Jesus was praying, the disciples decided to rest. But this time something happened that no person on earth had ever seen before. When Jesus prayed, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became white and shining. And two people suddenly appeared next to Him and talked with Him. These were the two most revered ancient prophets - Moses and Elijah. They taught the Jewish people righteousness hundreds of years ago. And now they came down from heaven and talked to Jesus about how he would soon have to give himself up to death for the sake of saving people.
Peter and his comrades were sleeping at that time. But when they awoke, they saw Jesus in the radiance of his divine glory and the two ancient prophets standing with Him. It was so amazing that the disciples were speechless for a while. They understood that something very important was happening before their eyes, that God had opened their spiritual vision and they became able to see what people usually cannot see. And there was so much joy in this sight that opened to them, such consolation came to their hearts that there were no words with which to express this joy. Out of emotion, Peter said to Jesus:
- Mentor! It's good for us to be here! Do you want us to make three huts here on the mountain right now: one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah?
He said it to say something, almost without thinking. And at that moment, a cloud covered the top of the mountain, completely enveloping everyone who was there. Jesus' disciples became afraid. But they were even more frightened when they heard a loud voice coming as if from all sides at once: “Jesus is My Beloved Son, listen to Him.”
Hearing this, the disciples fell face down on the ground in fear and covered their heads with their hands. But Jesus came up, touched them and said: “Do not be afraid.” Get up, it's time to go.
When they rose, neither the ancient prophets nor the cloud were on the mountain. Jesus' clothes and face no longer shone with a blinding light. Everything around was as usual. The wind bent the tall stems of last year's grass to the ground, the mild spring sun began to warm up, and Lake Galilee sparkled in the distance. Jesus looked his disciples in the eyes and said: “Don’t tell anyone what you saw now.” It was just for you. The time has not yet come for others to know about it.
After which they all went down together to the same mountain path along which they had climbed. The fox waited a little to make sure the people had left. Then she carefully stuck her muzzle out from behind the stones. There was no one at the top. The fox approached the hollow where the three had previously slept and sniffed the grass. The travelers did not leave anything edible behind. Then, just in case, she decided to check the place where the fourth traveler was kneeling. And she saw that there was a piece of cake and dried fish lying on the ground, as if specially left for her.
