Monday, April 19, 2010

MOUNT OF TEMPTATION (JEBEL QARANTAL) & THE MONASTERY OF TEMPTATION (DEIR QARANTAL)-JERICHO. Traditional site where Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting during the temptation of Satan (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).

"1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him" (Mathew 4:1-11).

Monastery of Temptation
Jebel Qarantal was identified as the site for 'Jesus' Temptation' by Queen Helena of Constantinople in 326 AD. Later, a monastery was built by the Byzantines in the 6th century AD above a cave in the mount, traditionally said to be that where Jesus spent 40 days fasting before getting tempted by Satan. During early Islamic conquests (630 AD), the monastery was damaged, and was afterwards renovated at the time of Crusaders in 1099 AD. Crusaders built two churches on the site, only to get destroyed again by Muslims very shortly. The present monastery was built only in 1895, when the Greek Orthodox Church purchased the land in 1874. 

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