Retracing biblical history
 The
biblical history of humankind starts with
Adam and Eve, and this is where we first
encounter associations with the land of
Jordan. Some early biblical interpretations
linked Adam and Eve with the area of the
Jordan River and the Jordan Valley. They
located the Garden of Eden along the banks
of the Jordan River, in the northern Jordan
Valley near Wadi Rayyan on the eastern
bank and Baysan (Beth-shean) on the western
bank of the river. This is not surprising,
given the area's lush vegetation and rich
animal life. In the book of Genesis, God
calls the Jordan Valley plain around the
Dead Sea "the Garden of the Lord"
(Genesis 13:10). Some early biblical traditions
interpret the Genesis 2:10 account of
a river that "flowed out of Eden
to water the garden" as a description
of the upper Jordan River and the Jordan
Valley. After being expelled from the
Garden of Eden, these traditions say,
Adam stood in the waters of the Jordan
River for 40 days, praying and begging
forgiveness from God.
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Other
early biblical interpretations suggested
that when Cain killed his brother Abel
and was banished by God to the area "east
of Eden" (Genesis 4:16), he went
to one of three sites east of the Jordan
River that would later be designated as
Cities of Refuge. A person accused of
involuntary manslaughter could seek refuge
in the one of these cities until he or
she could receive a fair trial.
The
next major biblical figure linked with
Jordan is Noah, described as "righteous
and blameless" (Genesis 6:9, Ezekiel
14:14). A tomb/shrine of Noah is locally
revered at Karak, in southern Jordan (today
Karak is best known for its massive Crusader
and medieval Islamic castle).The tomb/shrine
of Noah in Jordan is an important reminder
of the unbroken continuity of the shared
faith principles of the Abrahamic communities
from the dawn of history until today.
One
of the earliest patriarchal figures in
the Bible is Job, whose book is one of
the world's great masterpieces of religious
literature. The city of Salt, northwest
of the Jordanian capital Amman, houses
the tomb/shrine of Job, the wealthy, righteous
man from the Land of Uz who endured hardships
with much patience and ultimately was
rewarded with God's blessing (Job 1-3;
42:10; Ezekiel 14:14). Biblical scholars
have located the Land of Uz in either
northern or southern Jordan. But to those
who know the land, the rich biblical description
in the Book of Job perfectly describes
the varied natural environment, pastoral
economy, and patriarchal social structures
of ancient southern Jordan, known as Edom
in the Old Testament. Job's three friends
are identified as being from Teman, Shuh
and Naamah, areas located in and near
southern Jordan.
The
story of Job is thought to have taken
place during the Patriarchal Period, in
the Early and Middle Bronze Age eras (around
2500-1500 BC). Thus Job's story is regarded
as one of the oldest in the Bible, placing
Jordan squarely in the genesis of human
faith on earth. Job's narrative in his
home region in southern Jordan contains:
1)
The longest recorded speeches by God Himself;
2) The most profound argument or debate
between a human being and God;
3) The first explicit appearance in the
Bible of Satan, who asks God's permission
to test Job's faith.
Equally
fascinating is the use of five different
names for God in the book of Job -- El,
Elohim, Shadday, Yahweh and Eloah. Job
manifests perhaps the Bible's earliest
sign of human movement towards monotheism
-- the belief in a single God -- and is
another aspect of the importance of the
land of modern Jordan in the development
of the monotheistic religions of Christianity,
Judaism and Islam.
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