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Birth place of John the Baptist
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One of the most beautiful settings near
Jerusalem is Ein Karem, located in the hills next to a little spring. Though a small
Judean village, the area is important to Christian visitors because of the memory of a priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth who lived in the area in: "a town in the hill country of
Judea" [Luke 1:39-40].
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"But the angel said to him: 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name
John.. . He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. . . And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of
Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.' "
Luke 1:13-17. |
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Elizabeth had been barren for years when an angel visited her husband and promised that the couple would one day have a child [Luke 1:1-17]. They called the fruit of their union
"John". He would be known, for all eternity, as St. John the Baptist. |
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The Visitation (Elizabeth) church
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Nearby, a site commemorates a visit between Elizabeth and her cousin,
Jesus' mother Mary.
" At that time Mary . . .entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! "
[Luke 1:39-42]. The shrine was rebuilt as a
Crusader church; on top of both and incorporating some of their elements architect Antonio Barluzzi designed the contemporary Church of Visitation. |
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