Matt's Writing

The tower of the Church of the Nativity, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. Manger Square in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, 2008: The Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve was also the most heavily-guarded church in the world: Here are about 50 of the approximately 500 automatic-riffle bearing Palestinian Authority policemen in Bethlehem for Christmas. To enter the church that marks the spot where Jesus was born, you have to duck through a very low doorway, that's about 3 1/2 feet tall: Once you pass through that, you're in a small room with a metal detector that you walk through, and then you pass through this old wooden doorway into the church itself. Inside the church: Constantine's floor: the original floor of the Church of the Nativity built in 333 under the Emperor Constantine I. Here is the entrance to the underground cave which is the traditional place of Jesus' birth. This 14-pointed star marks the spot where many believe Christ was born in the m...

After visiting the Western Wall, on Sunday, December 21, 2008, I visited many of the holiest sites in Christianity. There's a great view from the roof of my hostel of the Dome of the Rock, the third holiest site in Islam. It covers the rock where Muhammad lept into heaven. The dome used to be made out of pure gold, but currently it's made from anodized aluminum. It's quite an amazing building, and it really stands out in the skyline as you'll see later in this write-up with my photo from the top of the Mount of Olives. Next, I went up Mount Zion to the traditional place where King David is assumed to be buried. A Catholic priest I talked with after Sunday's Mass at the Notre Dame Center doubted that David's bones were actually there because the shrine was built by Crusaders in the Middle Ages, but nonetheless, it is a revered site, and it was cool to go to. There were a number of ultra-orthodox Jews standing in front of the tomb reciting prayers. The tomb was...