The Jesus Trail is a hiking tour through the Galilee that Jesus would have known. The moving force behind the development of the trail are Maoz Inon, an Israeli entrepreneur, and David Landis, a Mennonite from the US. The idea behind the trail is to allow visitors to Israel the opportunity to experience the Galilee scenery in a new way, as well as helping businesses in out-of-the way places to make more money.

But there is more to it than that. As reported in StarTribune.com | Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota:

Though the venture is called the Jesus Trail, the appeal is meant to be broad. Nazareth and the Galilee are important to Christians, who regard the area as the setting of Jesus’s boyhood, adult ministry and initial miracles. However, the route is a layer cake of “narratives,” covering Christian holy sites, small Arab towns typical of northern Israel, the remnants of Palestinian villages empty since Israel’s 1948 war of independence, ancient Jewish sites, modern kibbutzim, Crusader battlefields and Muslim shrines.

The Jesus Trail is still in its infancy, but is constantly being improved. From the website of the Jesus Trail:

The Jesus Trail offers an alternative for travelers and pilgrims to experience the steps of Jesus in a way that is authentic, adventurous and educational by trekking through the rugged and beautiful landscape of the Galilee.The main Jesus Trail route is 65 km and begins in Nazareth and passes through Sepphoris, Cana, Kibbutz Lavi, Arbel Cliffs, Tabgha, Capernaum, and the Mount of Beatitudes. An optional return loop to Nazareth passes through Tiberias, the Jordan River, Mount Tabor, and Mount Precipice.

The trail is made up of several journeys that can be hiked individually or in full. The organizers will rent out GPS, organize guides and more.

At present only the first section is guided by volunteer guides. There are daily tours that start at 8 am from the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, except Sunday.

For full article on The Jesus Trail – A Spiritual Journey By Howard Schneider, Washington Post

For the Jesus Trail Website.

Nazareth, Church of Annunciation

Based on a few passages in the New Testament, Nazareth became known as the town, where Jesus spent his childhood and youth. From quite early in the development of Christianity it became a center for Christian worship and has over the centuries attracted thousands of pilgrims.

The site most visited is the Catholic Church of the Announciation. It is built over a grotto, the place where tradition has it that the Angel Gabriel visited Mary. The church is one of the largest churches in the Middle East. It was built in the 1960′s, replacing the previous small, crumbling building, and dedicated by Pope Paul VI during his historical visit to The Holy Land.

Adjoining The Church of the Announciation is the Church of Joseph. This church is also built over a grotto where tradition tells that this was the workshop (carpentry) of Joseph.

An additional place to visit is the Greek Orthodox Church of The Angel Gabriel. A great part of this Church dates back to the Crusaders. It is built over an outflow of the original spring in Nazareth, which is known as Mary’s Well. According to the Greek Orthodox tradition, this is where the meeting between Mary and Gabriel took place.

Nazareth is today the largest Arab town in Israel with a population of more than 60.000, and one of the few places where Christians are still a large minority, some 30%.

On the eastern and northern hills of Arab Nazareth is Nazareth Illit, a separate Jewish Israeli municipality.

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