The Jesus Trail & The Gospel Trail tour
About the Trail
The trail came into existence in 1995 as a private business enterprise of Yinon Maoz. Yinon Maoz is the manager of the Fawzi Azar pilgrim’s hostel in the Nazareth bazaar area.
His partner in this venture is Dave Landis, a veteran trekker from the Unites States.
Trail history and its marking
The Trail is marked white-orange-white; its stretches about 65 km. The aim of the Trail is to try enacting the relocation and/or the flight of Jesus from Nazareth to Capernaum.
Was this the route in reality the one that Jesus followed on his way? No man can tell for sure and this question will probably remain unanswered forever.
Mount of Precipice
Following the event in the Church of the Synagogue the town elders were enraged by Jesus. They decided to destroy him and led him to the Mount of the Leap intent on throwing him into the abyss.
It is stated in the writings that Jesus has passed here among them. The name of the Mount of the Leap takes its origin from here.
It appears that the name Mount of the Leap is incorrect. It should be the Mount of Precipice, but Mount of the Leap is by now deeply embedded. It seems to be futile to try changing it.
The Sea of Galilee region
After leaving the town of Nazareth Jesus turned the Tabgha area into the center of his activity. This is the site of several of the miracles, among them his Walking on the Water, the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes.
Furthermore the Miracle of Peter’s mother-in-law and the Miracle of the Swine took place here. Also the famed Sermon of the Mountain is connected with this area.
From here Jesus set out on his way to Jerusalem through the Jordan Valley. This was the last week of his life, the Passion of Jesus.
Sites along the Trail
The Trail follows several significant sites in the life of Jesus. Among them: the Catholic Church of the Annunciation, Church of the Synagogue, Church of the Wedding and Horns of Hattin.
The Jesus Trail and the Gospel Trail include the Church of the Miracle of Loaves and Fishes. The Church of the Primacy of Peter and Capernaum are also linked with the Trail.
Politics
At first this private enterprise was under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism and even publicized in government papers. As time went by the maintenance of the Trail has tapered off.
The reasons for this among others were its vicinity to garbage dumps and also political considerations. The Ministry of Tourism decided on an alternative trail.
The Gospel Trail
The alternative trail is called the Gospel Trail. It is marked by basalt stones to differentiate it from the Jesus Trail markings in white-orange-white. It carries an anchor marking and “The Gospel Trail” inscription.
The Jesus Trail and the Gospel Trail merge sometimes, in other cases they run close to each other. All the same in principle they are two different trails.
The above description refers to the Jesus Trail. For those who wish to take the Gospel Trail other sources of information are available.